An Alisa Release Day Review: Teaching Ben by Shae Connor

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Learning to love means a study in patience.

Fresh out of the military, Ben Cooper is ready for a new start. He’s away from his domineering father, making his own choices… and out of the closet. On his first day of college, he meets David Powell, who’s just the kind of gorgeous man Ben’s dreamed of. Too bad he’s the teaching assistant—which makes him off-limits in Ben’s eyes.

David is Ben’s age, but his life has taken a different path. He’s close with his family, who helped him deal with personal struggles after he came out. And while he’s staying away from any hint of scandal, Ben’s a kind of temptation he hasn’t faced in years. If only they’d met on more equal footing.

As the semester progresses and their lives become more entwined, keeping their relationship platonic becomes more difficult. They just have to hold out until the end of the semester….

I enjoyed the nice slow burn of this story. Ben and David are attracted to each other from the start but know that they need to keep their building emotions to themselves until after the semester is over.

David made some mistakes in the past and he is continuing to accept that he doesn’t need to be punished for those forever. Ben is finally away from his father and the military, getting to live his life on his own terms. They both become an integral part of each other’s lives as their friendship grows.

I loved watching David and Ben grow a strong friendship as the semester goes on. Without even realizing it David gives Ben just what he needs, a family. David and his sister quickly envelope Ben into their fold and bring him home. I loved seeing the emotions of these characters and connected with them easily. I just think this was wonderfully sweet with little bits of conflict thrown in to not make it too sweet.

The cover art by Bree Archer is nice and gives great visual of Ben.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages

Published: February 20, 2018 by Dreamspinner Press

ISBN-13: 978-1-64080-412-8

Edition Language: English

Series: Dreamspun Desires

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Pre-release Review: Tongue & Groove by Shae Connor

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Sometimes home is what two hearts make of it.

After fifteen years on the road, rock singer Saul Wilder doesn’t know if he remembers how to stay in one place. While healing from a vocal cord injury, he decides to restore the cozy but neglected Atlanta home his grandmother left him. When home renovation specialist Perry Abrams arrives to assess the job, Saul’s on board with mixing business with a little pleasure. The sex is scorching hot, but the more they learn about each other, the deeper they fall emotionally as well. Trouble is, Saul’s a traveling man and Perry’s a homebody, so finding common ground to share could put the brakes on their relationship before it has a chance to get started.

I enjoyed this story quite a lot. The author created memorable characters—nice guys who have totally different world experiences and outlooks and yet gel well together.

There’s no insta-sex between them, and Saul is far from being a typical rock star. He seems quite a humble, ordinary man who happens to be extremely talented and a gifted musician on the rise. But he’s sidelined with a vocal cord injury and while recovering at the home where he spent his teen years with his grandmother, he falls in love with the home, the area, and with the designer who is helping him to remodel it.

I loved the addition of the androgynous look on Perry with his silk stockings and garter belt—almost as good as manties! He was a total sweetheart though a bit mysterious at the beginning. I thought he might be harboring a big secret, but that wasn’t the case as the story unfolded.

The primary issue that kept this from being higher than 4 stars for me was the vocal cord injury. The description was vague and the symptoms were more like those of a sore throat than a vocal cord injury, even though Saul needed heavy-duty drugs and vocal therapy over the course of a three-month treatment. There are a number of disorders the author could have chosen to describe, such as VCD—Vocal Cord Dysfunction—where the symptoms would have been more believable. In addition, I know firsthand that a doctor would be using more than a tongue depressor to check the healing progress. That is definitely a time where a doc would use a scope, and having had to have the procedure for a much less debilitating vocal cord issue, seeing the tongue depressor used threw me too far off base.

I’m not sure how I feel about the fact that there weren’t any major upsets or traumas in the story—sometimes a little turmoil or angst makes for a nice reunion. But this one was pretty smooth and sweet overall, and I found it quite a nice “stay at home and read all day” story—something to relax me and to keep me mellow and in a good mood, so if you’re looking for something like that, look no further.

The cover by AngstyG has a light green-toned background and features a male singer sitting on a stool and holding the microphone stand across his lap with the mike covered by his fist. Symbolizing Saul’s inability to sing due to a voice problem, it very much suits the story.

Sales Links

Coming August 29
And add it to your shelf at Goodreads

Book Details:

ebook, 70 pages
Expected publication: August 29th 2016 by Shae Connor
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Rhythm & Blues by Shae Connor

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Rhythm and Blues Pate Hawkins wanted to be a dancer from the moment he stepped into a dance studio at age ten, and he’s among the few who achieved his dream of being well-known to Broadway audiences. But he’s returned to Atlanta, his hometown, pursuing his backup dream—to open a dance studio where he can inspire young talents to go for their dreams. A severe knee injury ended his career on Broadway, but with a few more months left in his therapy, he knows he’s going to dance again—just not in a Broadway show.

Finding a fifteen thousand square foot space ideal to suit his needs, and getting the financing through his trust fund, the only thing left is to interview a few contractors and move forward with his plans. When six-foot tall, blue-eyed, muscular Ace Samson shows up to get the specs for his company’s bid, Pate is hit in the gut with desire, and if the look Ace gives him is any indication, the feeling may be mutual. Ace also informs him that they went to school together, and after being stunned into silence, Pate learns Ace is none other than nerdy little Horace Samson who was a few years behind Pate in high school.

Holding off on acting on his desire for Ace is a test of Pate’s resolve, but he doesn’t want a fling to cause a rift between them while the building is still under renovation. Unfortunately, or fortunately, that becomes impossible one steamy afternoon, and the two embark on what turns out to be so much more than a one-night stand. Pate’s agent won’t stop bugging him about keeping his name at the forefront of director’s minds so he can come back once he’s got the studio established, so when she arranges an interview for a new show, he takes off to appease her. And that’s when the ax falls on his relationship, and Pate realizes just how much he doesn’t want to lose Ace. How will Ace react to Pate’s audition? Will the two find happiness in their hometown, or will the lure of Broadway be too much for Pate to resist?

I enjoyed this story by an author I haven’t read enough from. This story is engaging, with great secondary characters and three-dimensional main characters that made me want to like them the moment we met. I always enjoy a slow burn/UST, and we get that with this story. And the artist who lies within the heart of the big handsome contractor is just as nice as the surprise he gives Pate when the studio is ready.

If you like sweet MM romances with a slow burn that ultimately leads to some smoking hot times, this one is for you.

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Cover Art by AngstyG depicts a male dancer leaping high in the air in a dance move reminiscent of a Broadway show and set on a light blue background. This represents both the story about this retired dancer and the mural painted by the artist who also happens to be a contractor. Very nicely done.

Sales Links: Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 70 pages
Expected publication: June 20th 2016 by Self
ASINB01F0X40Y8
Edition LanguageEnglish

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