A MelanieM Review: Danced Close (Portland Heat #6) by Annabeth Albert

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

Portland, Oregon, is one of the hottest cities in America. Just ask all the hard-working men sweating it up behind the counters of the restaurants, boutiques, and cafés all over town …

Newly clean and sober, Todd’s taken a shine to his job at Portland’s most talked about bakery. It’s not just the delicious desserts they sell, but the tasty treats who keep walking through the door. That certainly includes Kendall Rose, a wedding planner with eyes the color of brown sugar and skin to match. Todd doesn’t try to hide his attraction to Kendall’s elegant confidence and unique style, even as he worries about exposing the secrets of his past.

For Kendall, the attention is just part of the anything-goes Portland he’s grown to love. But he’s still looking for that special someone who will embrace all of him—including his gender fluidity. So he takes a chance and asks Todd to be his partner in a dance class leading to a fundraiser. When the music starts and he takes Todd in his arms, Kendall is shocked at how good it feels. Turns out taking the lead for once isn’t a mistake. In fact, it might be time to take the next step and follow his heart …

Ever read a book that made you want to do a little singing and a swaying? For me that’s Danced Close by Annabeth Albert, the sixth book in her warmhearted, and lovely series Portland Heat. I’m a fan, both of this author and series (let’s get that out of the way) so I look forward to seeing what Albert will bring to enliven up an already quirky, surprising series. We start off back at the Bakery owned by Vic (couple Vic and Robin) from Baked Fresh (Portland Heat, #2). Vic’s employee is Todd, who had rough times in his past where he turned to drugs. Now clean, he’s learning about baking and staying sober. Its a constrained life until the stylish and outgoing genderfluid Kendall Rose enters the bakery and his life.

Now one of the things I have always loved about Annabeth Albert’s writing and characters is that she loves to defy peoples expectations. You might look at that blurb above and carry some expectation about each character with you into the story. Fine, great. Than enjoy Albert turning those expectations right on their proverbial heads as she reveals lovely unexpected layers and backgrounds to Todd and Kendall. Its a dance not only on the ballroom floor but of relationship dynamics that sometimes make you sigh, sometimes smile, and don’t be surprised if even you can imagine the dancing and here yourself singing in your head.

With all that, there’s still a goodly amount of heartache, discarding of old wounds and healing to be done before these two can move forward together. Still sighing here.

I throughly enjoyed the journey to happiness for both Kendall and Todd. I loved their give and take with each other. And of course, Portland always keeping it strange. What on earth is Annabeth Albert going to do next?

Cover art absolutely works.

Sales Links

Book Details:

Kindle Edition
Expected publication: March 14th 2017 by Lyrical Shine
ASINB01HA426NM
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesPortland Heat #6

A MelanieM Release Day Review: Wrapped Together (Portland Heat #5) by Annabeth Albert

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

In the bustling restaurants, shops, and cafés of Portland, Oregon, things really heat up for the hard-working men behind the scenes when the holidays come into town . . .

For a stationery store owner, the holidays are great for business. But for Hollis Alcott, Christmas reminds him of the tragic events of three years past, and the last thing he wants to do is take part in Portland’s over-abundance of festive cheer. But Sawyer Murphy, a hunky gift shop owner whose brother is married to Hollis’s sister, has made it his mission to pluck Hollis out of his holiday blues. And his plan is beginning to work. Wrapped in the warm glow of newfound passion, the former business rivals hit up Portland’s finest holiday traditions—and Hollis’s icy attitude begins to melt like snowflakes on his tongue. But he isn’t sure he can trust anyone with the only gift he has—his heart—without breaking it like an antique ornament. Unless he can find the courage to take a leap with the one lover he never expected .

Annabeth Albert swings her wonderful Portland Heat series into the holiday season with Wrapped Together, a joyful mix of twins, seasonal angst and hot sexy romance with a kink!

It all starts with the mournful Hollis of course. A twin himself, unlike his sister with her family to anchor her, he finds himself unable to move forward after the death of their parents. All Christmas does is remind him of his loss and its quietly had devastating effects on what little social life he had. Now there’s none. Albert does a beautiful job of painting the portrait of this grieving man with his spare elegant shop of pens and stationary. Then the boisterous Sawyer Murphy comes bounding in with all the enthusiasm of a golden retriever and I could see him just as clear as he deliberately barges into Hollis’ isolation.

While you might want to peg this as a enemies to lovers, its not quite that simple (it never is in an Annabeth Albert story). These two men and their siblings have long been intertwined and remain so to the present day as Sawyer’s twin brother is married to Hollis’ twin sister. Oh what a marvelous tangle Albert has to unwrap here.

Of course its not just the pain of the deaths of the Alcott twins parents, but much more to take into account. There’s a holiday bet, holiday store windows and a gradual emotional thawing that hits so close to the heart that you will find yourself clutching the Kindle or whatever device tight in happiness.

The sex scenes are hot, a cat who answers to the name Bunny to Hollis’ consternation and so much more. Its a jam packed literary stocking just for all lovers of contemporary romance, fans of the Portland Heat series and Annabeth Albert, all rolled into one.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely. I love this series and wish I was sitting in the Peoples Cup getting ready to wander the streets of Portland looking at the store fronts and gazing at the window displays. Tis the season for holiday stories! Put this into your holiday reading pile as soon as possible!

Cover art is an absolute delight.

Sales Links

Kensington Books | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 112 pages
Expected publication: December 6th 2016 by Lyrical Shine
Original TitleWrapped Together
ASINB01CWYTJUS
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series: Portland Heat #5

Need A Recipe for Love? It’s Annabeth Albert’s Baked Fresh! (excerpt and giveaway)

Baked Fresh by Annabeth Albert
A Portland Heat Story

Release Date: April 13, 2015

From its famous coffee to the mouthwatering fare at its cafés, restaurants, and bakeries, Portland, Oregon, has a lot to whet the appetite, including the hard-working men who serve it all up—hot, fresh, and ready to go—with no reservations…  Vic Degrassi is a baker on the rise, and it’s all thanks to his rare ability to make—and keep—his New Year’s resolutions. Whether it’s losing weight, giving up smoking, or graduating from culinary school, Vic goes after what he wants—and gets it. This year? He wants Robin Dawson, the sweet-hearted hottie who volunteers with him at the local homeless shelter. When he learns that Robin is suddenly single after being unceremoniously dumped, Vic is more than happy to offer a shoulder to cry on—or at least a fresh-baked pastry to bite into. But it’s been a long time since Vic’s gone on a date, and he’s nervous about risking his friendship with Robin. So when their flirtation turns into a steamy night together, Vic and Robin have to figure out if they’re friends with benefits or lovers in the making, and if Robin is ready for something more than just a rebound. There’s only one way to find out: turn up the heat…

Pages or Words: 45,000 words

Categories: Erotica, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

“So, what’s your plan this year?” Cliff asked as we unloaded pallets of food for Victory Mission. The stinging December wind whipped through the loading dock, howling against the concrete walls. I had to strain to hear Cliff’s booming voice. “Sky diving? Marathon? How you gonna top last year, Vic?”

“Dunno.” I hefted a box of tomato sauce cans. That’s what everyone wanted to know—how I was going to top last year’s resolution to lose a hundred pounds. Truth was, I was pretty good at resolutions. Four years ago, I’d resolved to go to culinary school. Three years ago, I gave up smoking. And last year I lost 111 pounds. But this year I had a smaller, simpler goal in mind.

“Thought I might try dating.”

“Dating? As in a boyfriend?” Cliff snorted, a dry sound that echoed off the metal loading bay doors. “I’d go with a marathon.”
My stomach churned as I grabbed another box of rolls. I had my own doubts. I was hardly a prize catch. I hadn’t dated anyone in the four years I’d been working for Cliff. Never had a boyfriend beyond the rare three-peat hookup. ’Course, Cliff didn’t know about my hookups, but I hadn’t even had one of those in eight long months. Up until a few months ago, I hadn’t realized what I was missing. Ever since then, this weird, restless longing had plagued me. New Year’s was the perfect excuse to do something about it. Get out there.

“You guys done out here? Whole stack of boxes waiting inside. We don’t have all day.” Robin bustled out onto the dock, bringing a shit-ton of bad mood with him. A far cry from the sunny, talkative guy who made me think crazy thoughts, like that maybe dating wasn’t a terrible idea. He was gone before either Cliff or I could reply.

“What’s up with him?” I asked Cliff once I heard the pantry door shut inside.

“Melissa said Paul broke up with him.” Cliff always found the gossip. The food bank volunteers were like bored high schoolers, passing rumors around their shifts like joints at a party.

“Finally.” I didn’t realize I’d said the word aloud until Cliff laughed.

“Aha! On second thought, I highly approve of your resolution. I’m gonna have to get a bet going with Trish about whether or not you can land your man. Talk about aiming high though, kid.”

“Didn’t say anything about dating Robin,” I mumbled into a sack of rice. The last time Robin was single, I had spent months thinking about him. Wondering if he was out of my league. Knowing he was out of my league but trying to work up the courage to ask him out anyway. Coming to volunteer more often just to be around him. Then Paul swooped in like a star pitcher and sent me back to the minor leagues, where I belonged.

I readjusted my grip on the sack so I wouldn’t accidentally tear the darn thing in two. No, I wasn’t stupid enough to make a resolution to date Robin. I just wanted to get out there. Give myself a chance to maybe meet a nice guy who wouldn’t care about my food issues and my loose skin and my bald-by-choice look.

But now that Cliff had planted the dating-Robin idea in my brain, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Which irked the hell out of me. I’d worked hard to deep-six my crush on him. Finding out he was single was a stupid reason to unearth it. Robin was the nice guy of my fantasies. And fucking gorgeous. He was sex walking around in KEENs and hipster T-shirts. He was everything I wanted and everything I wasn’t ever going to have.

*****
Once Vic resolves to be Robin’s rebound guy, can he convince Robin that they’re meant to be? Find out in BAKED FRESH!

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Kensington
Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde

Sales Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Kobo

Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer.

Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Annabeth loves finding happy endings for a variety of pairings and is a passionate gay rights supporter. In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two toddlers.
Represented by Saritza Hernandez of the Corvisiero Literary Agency

Where to find the author:

Website: http://www.annabethalbert.com
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AnnabethAlbert
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annabethalbert
Tumblr: https://www.annabethalbert.tumblr.com
Fan group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/annabethsangels/

Tour Dates & Stops: April 14, 2015

Parker Williams, MM Good Book Reviews, Divine Magazine, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, BFD Book Blog, Tara Lain, Hearts on Fire, Bayou Book Junkie, My Fiction Nook, Inked Rainbow Reads, LeAnn’s Book Reviews, Love Bytes, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Bike Book Reviews, Molly Lolly, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews,Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Cathy Brockman Romances, Cate Ashwood, Three Chicks After Dark, The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T. Kat, Because Two Men Are Better, Than One, Charley Descoteaux, Foxylutely Book Reviews, Elin Gregory, Andrew Q. Gordon

Contest: Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $10 gift card + a book from Annabeth’s backlist. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

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Kensington Books | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

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Baked Fresh by Annabeth Albert A Portland Heat Story

Release Date: April 13, 2015

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Baked Fresh by Annabeth Albert
A Portland Heat Story