Caulky is a totally sweet and sexy contemporary romance, the first in a new series about a group of single men working in a construction company.
Best way to describe it comes from a conversation between Cole and Ren where they saw their meeting as a sexy, porn worthy âYouâve Got Mailâ. Although neither could agree on who was Meg Ryan⊠đ€Ł
Full of humor and sweet insights into the scary nature of dating ,we watch them take as they finally agree to take towards something substantial and potentially wondrous.
Love both Cole and Ren as well as all the characters the surround them. We are likely to see each get their own story in this series and that includes Daniel, Renâs outrageous best friend.
The beekeeping element is well done and folded in beautifully along side Renâs character that it adds a depth not only to his personality but to the story as well. Love that.
My only slight quibble was the oddness of having a mother (Coleâs) threatening to âwash your mouth out with soap â because of a expletive. Heâs over forty. While he should respect her desire for a certain type of language in her house, she should also show some in return. But back to that phrase.
Not only is that ridiculous but Iâve always found that expression as offensive as it is old fashioned. It implies a measure of abuse thatâs no longer tolerated by society. That phrase shouldnât be either.
Just my opinion.
That aside, this is a marvelous romance. I adored both men and their relationship. I look forward to to seeing more of them , hopefully, in the novels that follow.
Now Iâm onto book two. Canât wait.
Need a new series and contemporary romance? Try this one, Iâm sure youâll enjoy it.
Synopsis;Ren is in desperate need of a rebound fling. Lucky for him, the smoking hot contractor he hired has just the tool for the job.
The last thing I want is another relationship or another broken heart.
All I need are my bees and the occasional hookup to scratch the itch.
Okay, maybe meeting up with my hot contractor weekly is a little more than occasional. And maybe the way Iâm starting to feel about the guy Iâve been anonymously chatting with online should concern me.
But CaulkyAF doesnât want to meet, and Cole doesnât want anything serious, so whatâs the worst that could happen?
****Caulky is book 1 in the Four Bears Construction series and can be read as a stand-alone. This is a funny, steamy MM story guaranteed to make you laugh and swoon. Absolutely NO cheating and NO love triangle. This series does NOT contain shifters, it’s the OTHER kind of bears.
The blurb doesnât begin to tell a reader exactly how unusual and amazing a story Gravemound is.
Much like Grimmâs tales but containing far more hope and light at the end then Grimm ever included, this novella takes on such large themes as grief, abandonment, deep loss, alienation, and fear.
And through a gentle, broken man in recovery, we watch as ,one by one , step by hesitant step, Phineas moves through the stages of bereavement and grief, accepting the loss of his beloved husband, and the home world they left behind but meant to return to.
Fielding creates an alien village and culture that slowly welcomes the unassuming Star Demon, we watch as bonds form between villagers and Phineas. And our hearts ache and rejoice as Phineas recovers and finds peace and something more.
Yes, thereâs a soul reaper element here , just as unusual and extremely well written as the rest of this incredible tale. The twist when it arises is both unexpected and perfect.
So is the epilogue.
Gravemound is a great example why Kim Fielding is a must read author. Her characters are unusual, feel real, have enormous depth of personality, and frankly always intrigue me.
And her tales? Such plots! I grab them up as soon as she finishes them.
Gravemound ticks all the boxes. I highly recommend it and Fielding.
Grab it up immediately.
An d what a gorgeous cover. Love it.
Synopsis:
Grimm in spaaaaace!
In this retelling of a classic fairy tale, Phineas Coleman is stranded on a planet far from home and must find a way to support himself in this new land. A selfish local man offers to help him with a livelihood if Phin will promise to protect him from a soul-reaper. Three nights alone while watching over a gravemound sounds like a terrifying choreâuntil Phin receives some unexpected assistance
Here I am diving back into the Vino and Veritas series and Burlington,Vermont. Itâs like coming home.
A bit of a change here in that the main characters are only peripherally connected to V & V instead of working at either establishment.
Caleb Holt, poet and accountant, adorable nerd , goes to live mic night and reads his poetry. Or does on the night he meets Tag.
That would be Titus âTag â Taylor, former famous rocker now bee keeper and meadery owner. The rocker part of his life is behind him and something heâs kept secret since he came to Burlington, giving up. Titus for Tag. An identity he far prefers.
From the moment they spot each other, itâs a story of love at first sight or at least first meeting. These two are almost deeply committed to each other within a week.
And while they do a lot of talking, itâs not completely honest. While Caleb, virgin that he is, is communicating his need for clarity and openness in a relationship Tag is inwardly justifying why he is hiding a huge part of who he was from Caleb. A huge something that has the potential to disrupt his life once again via the internet and paparazzi.
Once they get together, Tagâs inability to tell Caleb is frustrating especially as he is given endless opportunities.
As a reader I far prefer my characters and couples to act like adults. And that means communication. Something missing here.
I love the whole beekeepering and meadery elements. Those just added such richness to this story and depth to the character of Tag. I really could see his love for his craft, the bees, and all the different meads he crafted. In fact, I was ready for a taste testing myself.
I really need to find a meadery.
Calebâs family, overbearing and loving. Also a genuine plus. As was his poetry.
Donât get me started on Queenie. Loved her.
But that relationship was quick, and a bit too instant love for me to commit to it immediately. I just was too wary. For Caleb , and then Tag.
I liked the epilogue. That was sweet and heartwarming.
Overall a sweet romance I put in the win column .
Synopsis:Save the bees, ride a rock star.
Formerly famous . . . and planning to keep it that way.
After my band kicked me out, I ran away to Vermont, changed my name, and kept my head down. So far, itâs working and nobody knows who I am. Or who I was. Until I see geeky poet Caleb stumbling through his first open mic night and I canât help rescuing him. Heâs as sweet as the honey my bees make and sexy enough to make me rethink so many things. But I canât tell him my secret, or Iâll lose the anonymous life I worked so hard to build.
Everyone warns me heâs too good to be true.
I canât believe a gorgeous, successful winemaker like Tag is into shy, geeky little accountant me. But he helps me blossom and believe in my talent, and works his way into my heart and my bed⊠not necessarily in that order. Iâm falling for a man for the first time, and now I know what the missing number in my equation has always been.
When lies are revealed, though, someoneâs going to get stung
Iâve so often associated Marshall Thornton with his outstanding but often gritty , and dark stories and series (Boystown series and Pinx Video Mysteries series, both must reads) that I forget this author also writes extremely funny, effervescent novels.
Such as Fathers of the Bride, just released.
Incredibly witty, often with on point dialogue so sharp you could cut a razor thin slice of wagyu to serve up to whom ever is being dissected over an immaculately prepared menu. Talk about spew worthy sentences and comments made! Oh my!
A lovely wine or cocktail at hand and sitting around the table, characters so memorable and utterly charming as to win their way swiftly into your heart.
This book was just what I needed.
It starts off with a sharp little prologue from their daughter, Kelly Kettering-Lane. She begins remarking how much her name sounds more like a street address then an actual person. I immediately love her. It only gets better as she tells us her fathers ruined her wedding. Oh the glee!
Then we jump to Chapter 1 and already the anticipation is high!
We meet one father first, Miles Kettering-Lane . Very flamboyant, very ummm the House and Garden network host you would have in your mindâŠ. If it was an updated version of Charles Nelson Reilly.
Not familiar? YouTube or Google him. Heâs magnificent. And his commentary on his returned daughter is one for the ages, for framing and one a lot of fathers would agree with.
In other words, heâs perfection.
When he says agoraphobia has gotten a bad rap? Spew moment number 1.
Anyway moving on because I could quote this man all day.
This daughter/ father relationship was intimate and so wonderfully built that I pictured them easily.
I had a great surprise coming. Been debating how much I should say.
But when father of the bride 2 shows, Andy Kettering-Lane, itâs completely marvelous because Thornton shows us a father/daughter dynamic that works just as deeply and lovingly but in a completely different way.
I was dumbfounded as I how much I adored how the shifts in dynamics felt real and moving. Each man displaying a different knowledge of their daughter and the same for the daughter.
And into this falls a complicated son in law parents uh foursome dynamics. You have to read it, trust me. Then thereâs Andyâs young influencer boyfriend Raj and his ever present streaming. Yeah we know him.
The wedding zillas start growing, things get immediately and hysterically out of control, including feelings.
Those pesky things.
Miles and Andy are ground in their long personal history, the love that never seemed to have left them, and a house that holds nothing but love and memories.
Ok I really need to start rereading this again. Just writing this review reminds me of all the things I love about the story and want to relive.
Take it from me. You need love and laughter, lively snark, outstanding spew worthy dialogue, and a second chance at love story in your life. Fathers of the Bride is it. Grab it up, start reading now! I highly recommend it!
Synopsis: After more than two decades together, Andrew Lane and Miles Kettering-Lane are going through a nasty divorce. Not only are they unraveling their relationship but also their businessâMiles once had a popular home show on cable with Andrew serving as his producer/managerâthe failure of which they blame on each other. Now, theyâd be happy to never, ever see each other again. But the daughter they both adore, Kelly, announces sheâs getting married, and that means one very important thing: a wedding.
Thrown together, at event after eventâmeeting the in-laws, planning the wedding, throwing an elaborate engagement partyâthe two clash over everything until, their future in-laws, Bradley and Pudge Lincoln and Terry and Lissa Collins, try to take over the entire wedding. The Lincoln-Collins’ are very wealthy, to quote Pudge, âPeople think weâre in the one percent but thatâs so embarrassing. Weâre barely in the two percent!â
Andrew and Miles realize they have to work together in order to compete with the overbearing Lincoln-Collins’ and give their daughter the wedding she deserves. Along the way, they realize things just might not be over between them
Lane Hayes continues her Out of series for couple Gabe and Derek post college with two lovely, sweet short stories.
We meet again Hayesâ great characters, in tightly plotted storylines filled with romance and hope for their dreams, individually and as a couple.
We follow them through each manâs 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 TrueâŠ
Derek-
This is it! Iâm finally opening my own bistro. Iâve spent the last two years getting ready for this moment. I canât decide if the holidays are the perfect time to begin a new venture, but Iâm excited. It would be nice if my family were on board too.
Gabe-
I play water polo. I donât know anything about the restaurant business, but I want to make sure Derekâs grand opening goes according to plan. Iâll rally our friends, send out invites, and yeahâŠIâll even deal with his mother. Heâs my number one person and Iâll do whatever it takes to be sure weâre out for the holidays.
Out for the Holidays is a low-angst MM romance featuring Derek and Gabe from Out in the DeepâŠand a host of friends from the Out in College books!
Out for Gold
Chance of a LifetimeâŠ
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 isnât easy. Trust me, I know. But in my experience, ignoring obvious issues only makes them more challenging in the long run. I canât solve Gabeâs problems with his dad, but Iâll 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 prizeâŠlove.
*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 thatâs 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.
Unforgettableâs couple is comprised of two men weâve met before.
Thereâs Oz Walker, one of the staff at Vino side of V&V. Heâs been mentioned fairly often in the other stories. Doesnât 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 âpassing throughâ Burlington for the summer is roommates with one of my fav people. Thatâs the effervescent Davey Murphy from Undone #17, here busy, supportive and looking for love. While itâs great to get a peak at âShowgirlâ, 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 wasnât 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 canât 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 sisterâs upcoming wedding.
Only, I didnât expect him to say yes.
Playing pretend shouldnât 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 Iâm the one who broke our terms. I wasnât 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 itâs origin story, A Brush of Blue, in her Colors of Love series. Itâs 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 Landonâs large spread in Wyoming, the Prairie Smoke Ranch.
It was such an amazing story and that couple was so fascinating and diverse that I couldnât wait to see how their lives continued and what happened nextâŠ.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. Itâs 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. Thereâs a main foundation or universe, here itâs the Prairie Smoke Ranch and itâs 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.Thereâs the smaller found family the author is slowly creating at the ranch itself thatâs a combination of owners, ranch hands, and support staff. New people already situated or are soon to arrive within this group are those whoâs 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 itâs that sort of fiction) as well as satisfied that some if not most of the plot lines raised have been concluded , even if itâs not the arc storyline . Thatâs more so the case because itâs 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 donât leave me with more questions then answers or spending hours wondering why I didnât even connect 100 percent to our couple. More on that.
When that happens. Even if thereâs 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 Dawnâs 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.
Letâs tackle the romance first of all.
Itâs 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 manâs 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 Nateâs great need and love for the land surrounding the Tetons is Bishop âs innermost connection to the ocean, itâs waters , smells, and sounds that speak to Bishop of his heart. Itâs a immense part of his soul, one that he says feels empty when heâs away from it. Yes, I understood Bishop too on a visceral level.
Soooo⊠anyone seeing a potential issue here for a HEA? Because yes, Bishop is a associate professor at UWW, thatâs 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 isnât enough.
While realistic, probably not the tone Locey was going for in this romance.
The story doesnât 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 Dawnâs Desire feeling as though Iâd read the first half of a book where the rest of it was missing.
Iâm sure more information about each mystery and plot will be featured in book 2 in this series. However, that story doesnât 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 manâs 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, Dawnâs 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 theyâre intelligent, funny, poignant, and sexy.
But is this a romance built or written in a way that feels lasting? Not so much. More like Nateâs 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.
Iâll 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 familyâs 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 youâve 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 thereâs some angst on the low end of the meter, and a lovely ending. What a terrific new installment!
I love a great series. Thereâs nothing better then to read one story, fall in love with the setting, people, atmosphereâŠ.everything and then see you donât 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 youâre 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 couldnât stop. Like eating chocolates, one naturally leads to the next snd then the nextâŠ..
Havenât found one yet that isnât 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. Judsonâs been gone for ten years, but heâs 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 heâs 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 itâs time to update his menu of life choices.
Working through past wounds with Skyler wonât 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:
đ”Featherbed (Vino and Veritas 1) by Annabeth Albert
I really liked this story. For one, Bordenâs 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 otherâs 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, itâs all here.
Thatâs understood immediately as we dive into the opening scene and mindset of defense end Spencer Evans. The Stars opponent has the ball and now itâs up to the defense to stop them. Heâs in the zoneâŠgameâs onâŠheâs 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.
Thatâs 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 whoâs 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 heâs 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 changeâŠeverything.
Itâs a moving read. Spencer, with the help of not only Alec but the surprise support of those heâs 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 itâs so correctable.
I call it the âmissing main animal character â element. I canât tell you how often Iâve seen this happen and it takes me right out of the narrative because Iâm too busy wondering where the hell Soarky, Fluffy or what have you went.
In this case, itâs 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 Spencerâs vulnerability and ability to change. So yes, Iggyâs 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 AlecâŠnada. 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.
Itâs noticed. And in my case bothers me enough every time I see it to deduct rating points. đ€ŠđŒââïž. 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 itâs players.
Unfamiliar with the inter workings of pro ball? Donât worry because youâre 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: Spencerâs deep in the Red Zone and itâs 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 thereâs 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 athletesâ dreams come true. He canât help but think of Spencer as the one who got awayâprofessionally and personally.
Alec thought heâd 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 theyâve been burying for years surfaces once again.
With Alecâs help, Spencer can change everything about his life heâs come to hate. An extraordinary futureâand an undeniably extraordinary manâare waiting for him. The play has been called. All he has to do is catch the ball and score
When a simple âfind & fetchâ case throws private investigator Twig Starfig and newly-minted wizard, Quinn Broomsparkle, into the middle of an EBI murder investigation, itâs just another day in the Elder Realm.
If murder were Twigâs only problem, heâd be the luckiest half-dragon in the land. Murder he can handle. Fulfilling his promise to his scheming, power-hungry father to run for a seat on Lighthelmâs city council? Meh, heâd rather face a demon with a toothache.
On top of their case going sideways, and Twig running for a council seat he really doesnât want, Twig and Quinn are forced to face some unpleasant realities about their budding romance, while still learning how to handle the wizard-familiar bond they now share. Throw in a red fury with abysmal taste in boyfriends, a ghost pirate-parrot who drinks too much, a murderer who will stop at nothing to get what they want, a host of new friends and enemies, and youâve got a situation where no one is safe and everyone is Fairy Game.
Be Fairy Game, next book in the Starfig Investigations series by Meghan Maslow, picks up after the events that occurred to bring Half dragon half fairy PI Twig Starfig together with his lover and not as yet formalized mate, wizard Quinn Broomsparkles.
Now with their assistant, the demon Red Fury Bill, and Pie, ghost pirate parrot with a taste for the tavern, itâs another client thatâs claiming their attention away from the personal issues theyâve yet to address about their complicated relationship.
Maslow is really such a great writer. Each story in this series builds on the preceding one, growing ever richer in its foundation universe, new characters, and expanding relationship dynamics within the current family and couple structures.
Here with what seems to be a simple case of find a object brings about absolute chaos in the very best (meaning murderous, hilarious, shocking, and surprisingly poignant) way. Maslowâs great blending of high fantasy (Fae, orcs,selkie etc) with horror (vampire professors) meshes so well together along with other beings weâve yet to put names to. Honestly we need more of Cookie.
Combine breath-taking, white knuckle action with rollicking great sex, whimsical names, and storylines that are getting increasingly layered and complex and you have characters, story, and a series thatâs positively addictive.
I need to know more about the relationship between Auric, Twigâs master manipulator of a father and his fierce Fae guard . A whole book as a matter of fact.
Plus thereâs Leo, the EBI agent, lithe, highly intelligent and somehow always in the middle of things. Hmmmm.
Honestly the Elder Realm just keeps getting more snd more fascinating with each story and character. Plus Twig and Quinnâs relationship still has so many unanswered questions.
Onto His Fairy Share next!
Then Iâll be begging for more. I can already tell. Itâs that type of series.
Need a new fantasy book and series? Start here. Highly recommended.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 