Tag: LGBTGIA contemporary romance

Review: Just George by Mary Calmes

Rating: 4🌈

It’s hard to put a rating to this book and mini-series about a beloved character that’s an important part of two popular series from Calmes.

If you’re a reader unfamiliar with this author and her series, this story won’t have the same appeal as it does for most of the readers who are bringing a wealth of background information , series history, and built in affection with George Hunt, military sniper, blk ops, and now security bodyguard.

For us, we’ve been there as he’s been assigned to Hannah, daughter of US Marshal Sam Kage and Jory Harcourt, niece of billionaire Aaron Sutter , George’s boss, and witnessed all their personal travails and relationship growth in true friendship. George is a strong personality and, even narratively, when his physical absence is noted, it’s made use of by the author in the various plot lines.

Scary competence is attractive. So it’s not surprising that everyone was clamoring for George’s story.

Parts of the beginning of the story have been mentioned or a part of other stories, but from other main characters perspectives. Now it’s flipped over to George’s point of view.

We get to see the moment George, through Hannah, really connects with

Kurt, Hannah’s therapist from a recent attempt on her life. It’s a little rocky at the beginning but as Calmes’ story reveals more of George’s past experiences and adolescence, how he relates to people becomes realistic.

Kurt, feeling one dimensional, adds depth and detail to his character as the events and story progresses. I go from not immediately connecting with Kurt, to liking him more and more by the end.

As always, Just George comes to a finish way too soon. All it’s proven is that George and now his relationship with Kurt need much more than one book to satisfy our need to know what happens next.

Love this.

With George:

✓ Just George #1

✓ Wintering with George #2

Connected Series:

A Matter of Time – 6 books

Marshals – 6 books

Buy Link

Amazon

Blurb;

George Hunt can think of nothing he’d like more than to skip the high-society fundraiser where he has to guard a precocious seventeen-year-old girl and her judgmental therapist, but there’s no way out of it. If anything bad were to happen and he wasn’t there to stop it, he’d never forgive himself. So even though she’s grilling him about his dating life and the good doctor is psychoanalyzing him, he’s going to soldier on, because protecting his charges is what a knight does.

What he doesn’t count on is having to use both his training and his gun to make it through the night, or finding the last thing he ever expected… someone who actually sees him, not for the man he is, but for the man he could be with just a little bit of love.

Review: Disrupted Engagement (Valor and Doyle Mysteries, #6) by Nicki James

Rating: 3🌈

I have been invested in Nicki James’ characters and their evolving relationship since I read Temporary Partner, the first book in the series. That was our introduction to the highly complicated men , their emotional histories, and the meeting that launched their relationship.

Each novel has charted the tumultuous path they’ve had to navigate in order to move forward in their relationship. In each new book, through various issues and stages of in their lives, whether it’s Aslan’s alcoholism and family issues, Quaid’s perilously fragile ego with regard to men and his poor history of relationships, his recurring insecurities, and Quaid’s struggles to connect with others. With all of this folded in, their own relationship has been realistically defined but also made them relatable.

As they worked together to solve the different cases that came up, some horrific and beyond disturbing, there’s been some real growth demonstrated in their personal lives and relationships, at home and at the workplace.

If you sense a “but” coming, you’re correct.

After the devastating events of the last book, I was wondering what the author had in store for the couple next.

It wasn’t an agonizing half of a book that felt like both men had reversed any growth in communication and maturity in their lives and were back to their own respective ways. Aslan saying he “knew” his lover/partner and then proceeding to prove to everyone he didn’t, putting Quaid and himself, but mostly Quaid through immense emotional distress. Unnecessary, intentional, and preventable pain and suffering. For 56 percent of this book.

Over a proposal. That’s actually causes a breakdown.

Disrupted Engagement (Valor and Doyle Mysteries, #6) by Nicki James is a novel that I put down multiple times as a DNF because of the dysfunctional nature of the relationship between Aslan and Quaid in the first half of the story. The murder mystery, which is fascinating, isn’t fully complex enough, nor is the author’s “happy “ resolution for the couple a satisfying explanation for the narrative mess made of the dynamic between Aslan and Quaid throughout the storyline, primarily the first half.

This is the penultimate story, I believe. Matrimonial Merriment is listed as the next and last. It’s definitely mine as it feels like the series has run its course or lost its charm. At least for me.

Read it for the series, if you’re a fan of the author , and love this couple.

Valor and Doyle:

✓ Temporary Partner #1

✓ Elusive Relations #2

✓ Unstable Connections #3

✓ Inevitable Disclosure #4

✓ Defying Logic #5

✓ Disrupted Engagement

◦ Matrimonial Merriment #7

Buy Link:

Disrupted Engagement (Valor and Doyle Book 6)

Blurb:

The ring has been bought, and all Aslan has to do is create the perfect setup for a proposal. No problem. Nothing to it. Quaid deserves the best, and he plans to deliver.

After choreographing a romantic evening to officially pop the question, Aslan is ready.

But things don’t go as planned, and the evening is ruined. Quaid’s insecurities rear their ugly head, making him suspicious. He knows Aslan is hiding something, but pessimism insists it isn’t a good thing.

When Aslan gets called out of town to hunt down a long-acting serial killer, there is no time to soothe his overanxious boyfriend’s worries or make a new attempt to propose.

Torn between a complicated case and figuring out the perfect way to ask Quaid to marry him, Aslan is left scrambling. Every idea falls flat. Every attempt fails. The more pressure he puts on himself, the more unsuccessful his efforts, and Quaid’s fears grow.

Aslan needs to solve this serial killer case and get home to straighten the mess he’s made.

**Disrupted Engagement is the sixth book in the Valor and Doyle mystery series. It is a same-couple series and should be read in order. Although each book has a self-contained mystery with no cliff-hangers, the romance is overarching.

• Publisher: (September 7, 2023)

• Publication date: September 7, 2023

• Print length: 372 pages

Review: Chef Under Cover (Sizzle in the Kitchen Book 5) by M.J. O’Shea

Rating: 3.25🌈

With Chef Under Cover, I’ve returned to Montpelier, Vermont, home of the Hearth & Oak restaurant, Chefs Baldwin Powell and company, and easy contemporary romances. M.J. O’Shea’s Sizzle in the Kitchen series now total five books with a finale story to come.

It’s been a while since I’ve read this series, my favorite one still stands as the first one of the series, Chef in the Wild. For me, the stories that followed undermined the strengths of that original story and couple. So I never really quite reconnected again as I once had.

Chef Under Cover is much like reading a standalone novel in a series that’s more now about a location, the Hearth & Oak and a passion for food. And that’s fine.

This is a sweet story about a young man who knows he’s heading in the wrong direction career wise because of a physical talent and the support he finds to make the changes to be happy. And he comes out.

There’s a slight age gap , an implied parental homophobia, and a small amount of drama for the romance between the college football star/would be pastry chef and the physical therapist who’s treating him for shoulder pain.

Except for a rough patch in the beginning when Will and Sean meet, and assumptions ran up against sparks, this is a sweet, somewhat low angst romance. Any issues that Will is having with his parents, primarily his mother (it’s implied she’s homophobic), it occurs off page.

That’s probably my least favorite element here. Any issues, any real problems, and consequently, any resolutions (all of which have had real impact on Will, his college life and career choices) are “handled” off page. The reader is told Will had discussions with his parents, coach whoever. That includes coming out to them. A huge moment in someone’s life.

All those scenes are “as told to” in small succinct sentences. It’s emotionally unsatisfying to read if you’re trying to connect to the characters. And writing like this, choices about the narrative and characters make it harder for the reader to invest in their story. Keeping it superficial and sweet means the reader’s emotions stay on that level too.

As mine was. Sweet story. Cute couple .

If you want a sweet contemporary romance with low-ish angst, a quick low demand read, Chef Under Cover (Sizzle in the Kitchen Book 5) by M.J. O’Shea is a story for you. It’s not necessary to read any of the other books in the series to understand this one. It works as a standalone.

Sizzle in the Kitchen Book:

✓ Chef in the Wild #1

✓ Chef vs Chef #2

✓ Chef on Top #3

◦ Chef in Love #4

✓ Chef Under Cover #5

◦ Chef On Fire #6 – tbd

Buy Link:

Chef Under Cover (Sizzle in the Kitchen Book 5)

Blurb:

He played like a champion but dreamed of the sweet life…

Sean had never treated a famous person before. Not until the golden boy Will Harrington, star college quarterback and soon to be NFL legend, came in with an injured shoulder and hundreds of people’s hopes and dreams on his back.

Will never wanted to be a star quarterback. As unlikely as it sounds, it just kind of… happened. Now he’s stuck in the middle of a whole world he doesn’t fit into, surrounded by people who don’t actually know him.

Will would have never guessed that meeting one gorgeous physical therapist with a sarcastic mouth and a quirky group of small-town friends would help him become who he’s always wanted to be…a chef.

• Publication date: January 30, 2024

• Print length: 161 pages

Review: Rise of the Ruthless (Lucifer’s Landing #2) by Davidson King

Rating: 3.5🌈

In the sequel to War of the Wicked, I both found a lively entertainment experience but also a much less realistic story, one that’s has quite a few issues . The first novel, with its more complex violent crime plot, didn’t contain these elements .

The first issue starts with the main character of Ren Ikeda, the Japanese crime boss. Where the Italian mob family of Dante Scavo felt grounded in their culture and deep rooted belief systems, including language, the Ikeda’s Japanese culture and community here is barely existent or explored. The language appears in a couple of phrases that get dropped in a couple of times, instead of as a language that the characters use them freely and without thought. Japan’s culture or the yakuza (if that’s what King is aiming for) criminal tradition, any observance of honor is fleeting and not put into context. We are “told” Ren Ikeda’s family and business is that of an insulated Japanese society, right down to his houses. But there’s never any reason to believe this is true. Other than koi pond and some decoration.

This entire element is poorly written, which is a shame as Ren is an interesting character.

Ren can, at times , come across as a crime boss, but he doesn’t have the same strength as Dante Scavo. That’s on purpose, of course. His is supposed to be a subtle sort of “scary power” but it’s not as translatable here.

That’s left to ex military security guy, Mykel Finlay, and his scary guard dog, the cane corso, Zeus. Those two are the most dangerous creatures in this narrative. Not the mob boss. Which is part of the problem here,and causes some of the best and most unrealistic elements within the book.

Best of Mykel. His developing relationship with Ren. King gives them really great chemistry and a compelling dynamic as Mykel has to wrestle with his honor system as his loyalties start to transfer to a mobster, with all that entails. I really enjoyed watching their relationship grow. Best of this book.

Most problematic. Other than the Japanese culture aspect is how erratic King’s implementation of Mykel’s security/military company support system is. It’s so irregular as to come across as slapdash.

Mykel is part of a security company made up of ex military personnel, with access to extraordinary weapons (even helicopters) and their personal are equipped with special equipment. Mykel’s cane corso, Zeus, a special guardian breed dog used for military/ security measures , is a huge character here. He factors into many action scenes. However , he never wears special identification, not the halter nor vests which in battle/fights id him as part of a team, nor is there any mention of a special permit for him or anyone needing extra paperwork for any activities Zeus has done. That seems unlikely.

Again with Mykel , there’s a hugely significant scenario with a planned raid. What’s missing? Bulletproof vests. From both a organized crime and black ops standpoint, that’s unacceptable.

King’s story has her characters portrayed as significantly competent, highly skilled ex military or assassins yet over and over in the narrative, odd or arbitrary storytelling choices are made that counteract that.

Then there’s things like a brother who is the cause of Mykel’s involvement initially and who appears to be a perpetual screwup. He disappeared except for a brief mention towards the end of the book.

So Rise of the Ruthless (Lucifer’s Landing #2) by Davidson King has a terrific romance that’s surrounded by a problematic plot.

Read it to complete the series and for fans of the author.

Lucifer’s Landing

✓ War of the Wicked #1)

✓ Rise of the Ruthless #2

Buy Link

Rise of the Ruthless (Lucifer’s Landing Book 2)

Blurb:

Ren Ikeda’s world is falling apart. War has broken out in the streets of Lucifer’s Landing, and his entire empire is being dismantled one explosion at a time. Unsure of his men’s allegiance, but desperately needing protection, he snatches up an opportunity when it lands in his lap. Hiring Mykel Finlay, his complete opposite in every way, has the markings of being disastrous. Realizing Mykel may be the only person he can trust, he clings to the man despite the danger to his heart.

Mykel Finlay doesn’t like bad guys. As ex-police and military, he prides himself on walking the line of good, not evil. When his brother gets in a bind with Ren Ikeda, the Japanese mob boss, he must put aside his moral compass and dive into the murky waters of the mafia. The only thing Mykel isn’t prepared for is falling in love and willingly drowning for Ren, a man he should hate.

With the help of some very unlikely allies, Ren and Mykel try staying alive long enough to take down their enemies and grab a happily ever after neither man thought they wanted. Will their salvation end up leading them down a path of destruction, or will they actually prevail?

This is book two in my Lucifer’s Landing series and is not a standalone. It is highly recommended you read book one: War of the Wicked first.

• Publisher: (January 5, 2024)

• Publication date: January 5, 2024

• Print length: 190 pages

Review: War of the Wicked (Lucifer’s Landing Book 1) by Davidson King

Rating: 4.5🌈

Trigger warnings:

“This book contains on-page violence, torture, attempted rape, and abuse.”

That out of the way, and yes, I think most readers appreciate that the warnings are put at the beginning of the book so any reader can make a quick judgement as to whether they should read the story or not, rather then search it out at a website or wait until the end of the book for them when it’s too late, War of the Wicked is an exciting, violent mob romance.

King has created a city in New York, Lucifer’s Landing, that’s completely owned, and operated, however illegally, by various mob families. There’s the Italians, the Japanese, the Irish, the Haitians, and the Greeks, all fighting against each other to ensure their territories and weaken their opponents.

These are the main characters, primarily, so the violence and warnings make sense.

It starts with the Italians. Dante Scavo, who’s just buried his father, the now former head of their mafia family. It’s Dante, in this time of mourning for his father, who must gather the family together, keep their businesses and territories intact against the other families, and find out if his father’s death was murder.

King builds a strong sense of who Dante is in this moment of crisis and grief, as well as the people closest to him. That includes his family and the men who worked under his father, like his consigliere, Edward.

That these people are violent predators, criminals who are also capable of being loving family members is inherently important to the plot and their characters. King’s creations get that across beautifully.

If there is an “innocent” person here, it’s the high end prostitute/escort, Rainn Blessings, who works at one of the Scavo businesses, The Magic Mirror. The sex workers here aren’t forced to work here. They’re paid highly and treated extremely well and with respect. It’s a matter of perspective or level.

And while their initial meeting and discussion of future plans is that of a business plan, which I found interesting and pretty relevant to the situation, King still builds on a chemistry happening between them.

This is a book I gobbled up. The action and events just start speeding up as the Scavo family comes under attack, Dante has to fight back against forces inside and out, while his relationship with Rainn builds.

The warnings at the beginning are there for a reason. It gets intense when the families go to war and start slaughtering each other. If this is a trigger, this might not be the book for you.

I’m recommending it for lovers of this trope and fans of this author. I absolutely enjoyed it. And moved onto the sequel.

Lucifer’s Landing

✓ War of the Wicked #1)

✓ Rise of the Ruthless #2

Buy Link:

War of the Wicked (Lucifer’s Landing Book 1)

Blurb:

Lucifer’s Landing is full of unscrupulous people: five families desperate to own every inch. For years, under the watchful and most powerful eye, there has been peace. With the murder of the most powerful man, it’s as if the gates of Hell have opened.

Dante Scavo is trying to fill his father’s shoes, find the person responsible for killing him, and stop Lucifer’s Landing from becoming a war zone. He has to focus, find out who the traitor among his ranks is, and end them. The last thing he needs is a distraction, but when he meets Rainn, one look, one touch, takes his breath away.

Rainn Blessings is no stranger to strong and powerful men. His life is about survival and getting to a place where he finds his peace, though sometimes that means being the fantasy of others. Working as a high-class escort he’s seen a lot…done a lot…and not much surprises him. Then Dante walks into The Magic Mirror and turns his world upside down.

With an unlikely ally, Rainn and Dante try to survive the storm, but no one is bulletproof or untouchable in the game of violent delights. Getting out unscathed is impossible; the question is: will they get out alive?

***Please see start of book for trigger warning

(This was previously released through Maple House Publishing. War of the Wicked has been reedited and minor changes have been made from the original content)

• Publisher: (January 4, 2023)

• Publication date: January 4, 2023

• Print length: 235 pages

Review: Dario: Wicked Legacies by Victoria Sue

Rating: 3.75🌈

Victoria Sue’s mafia boss romance was a good read. It was exciting, had many fast paced moments, thrilling scenes, and good characters.

And had the book been longer or tweaked so that the time frame let the main characters have more time to develop their relationship, this would have been a much better story.

Everything that surrounds the romantic aspect of the story is interesting and could easily be even more fully explored in additional stories. The multiple storylines that Sue has created are really intriguing, as are the five Mafia factions that go along with them. They are factor into the main narrative as well as the subplots that make the book so compelling.

But the romantic story itself between mob boss Dario and reluctant husband, Alessandro, feels as contrived as the marriage. Too instant love for me. Especially given the short timeline here. It doesn’t work. Dario is all killing Alessandro one minute and loving him the next. For Alessandro, it’s all I love him but won’t communicate with him.

I understand that last. For me, the relationship needs more time to grow before these feelings feel realistic.

So while the story is still very exciting, a terrific mob takeover tale of revenge and retribution, the romantic aspect leaves something that could have been better developed.

I enjoyed it and if this is your jam, you might too.

Buy link:

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Dario-…Dario – Wicked Legacies – Kindle edition by Sue, Victoria. Literature & Fiction …

Blurb:

Dangerous secrets will get you killed. Sometimes it might even be me that’s pulling the trigger.

Dario

I’m hours away from finally inheriting my father’s legacy. All I need to do is dodge the Russians and the Irish, and put a wedding band on my fiancée. Until the moment I find out my father’s best-friend and fiancée’s papa ordered the hit that had taken out my parents eighteen years ago.

And my fiancée will step over my dead body as she walks back down the aisle and marry into the Irish Mob. The ones that have promised my future father-in-law he will have everything that is rightfully mine.

Not happening.

Even if I have to light the night sky with the fires of revenge and retribution.

I just need to get married first.

Then miracle of miracles, I find out my traitorous fiancée has a half-brother. An illegitimate one, but one that still fulfills the terms of my father’s will, so the territory rightfull becomes mine.

I just have to convince the brother of that.

A twenty-year-old innocent that has been a near slave all his life? Piece of cake.

Or is it?

• Publication date: January 11, 2024

• Print length: 235 pages

Review: Taking the Body (Watkins Glen Gladiators #4) by V.L. Locey

Rating: 4.75🌈

Taking The Body just became my favorite of this series . I laughed so hard so much of the time when reading it, mostly due to the outrageous family tales related to various people by the main character, hockey player, Phil Greco. He’s such an entertaining and highly engaging person. Irish/Italian from Queens, New York, once he appears on the page, he’s got the reader’s total attention.

Locey must have had such an incredible time writing this man and his unique voice. He had me in stitches but he was also such a believable person, grounded in family and a recognizable location such as Flushing.

Frenchman Henri Gaudion, of Gaudion Winery, and his wonderful found family of staff, that includes his butler, Barnaby, is a well defined character and great match for gregarious Phil. His character is also a very poignant person. Locey has created in Henri such a relatable person and backstory. Henri’s background is one of loss, constant inter-family fighting over the winery and his sexuality, and finally, the ways in which Henri has isolated himself due to the fears caused by his illness and approaching blindness. His emotional walls are those of fear and experience.

Watching Phil moving through that previously ordered and quiet existence as seen and heard through both men’s perspectives is such a joy and utter blissful experience.

And that Locey wove The Nanny and Fran Drescher into this? Priceless!

The only thing that keeps the story from a total 5 rating is that the ending came about rather quickly. It feels too abrupt. Had that been extended to go into a little longer explanation of the situation, and not leaving that other renter hanging, then this would have been a 5+ story.

As it is, Taking the Body (Watkins Glen Gladiators #4) by V.L. Locey is my favorite of a lovely series. I hope to see more of this couple in the stories to come.

Watkins Glen Gladiators:

✓ Between The Pipes #1

✓ Defending The House #2

✓ Dump and Chase #3

✓ Taking The Body #4

Buy Link:

One’s from Flushing, New York, the other from Ambroise, France. Worlds, wit, and passions are about to collide!

Phil Greco is that player that every opponent and their fanbase hates but secretly wishes played for their team. Greck is a mouthy guy, high-spirited, and able to tweak nerves with relative ease. Having grown up with a large family he’d learned early that you had to fight for what you wanted. This is how a short, undrafted guy from Flushing made it as far as he had. It had taken no small amount of bull&*#*, grit, and plenty of wit. Generally that wit and grit was enough to get him on the top of the pileup but that’s not the case with Henri Gaudion, owner of Gaudion Winery. Ever since they’d met sparks have flown, and for the life of him, Phil cannot understand what it is about the suave, well-dressed, handsome French vintner that makes him so edgy. They have nothing in common aside from a love of Watkins Glen, so why does he keep finding himself so drawn to the lean man with the rapier wit? Sure, he was pretty, and did keep him on his toes, but Phil’s not the kind of fella to be drawn to such a fancy pants rich boy. How stupid would it be to think that a hoodlum like him could ever catch a man like Henri? Not that he wanted to catch the stuck-up winemaker…

Henri Gaudion has no time for shenanigans or those who engage in them, especially boorish braggarts on skates. Yes, he enjoys the game of hockey and having the Gladiators hockey team and the local gentry at his chalet overlooking Seneca Lake every Sunday for brunch, but that’s solely for keeping up appearances. Since the death of his father, he has devoted his life to ensuring the lands bequeathed to him produce the finest wines and champagne in the Finger Lakes district. Henri is a lonely, heartbroken man when the blinds are drawn and the erudite mask is dropped. He also has no room in his life for rowdy little men with bright smiles, cheeky winks, and heavily accented, fanciful tales about his large Italian family back in, of all places, Flushing. The pull that he’s feeling for Phil Greco must be some sort of glitch, or perhaps he’s been spending too much time in the tasting rooms. Whatever the reason, he is not about to let his attraction to Phil grow. It would be impossible for two such incompatible men to fall in love. Wouldn’t it?

Taking the Body is a low-angst, opposites attract queer hockey romance with a mouthy hockey player, a refined vintner, a whole lot of forced proximity, on-ice action, evenings spent sipping wine, a nosy butler, even nosier teammates, a large loving family, and a perfectly aged happy ending.

• Publication date: January 5, 2024

• Print length: 193 pages

Review: Lube Job (Big Bull Mechanics #5) by K.M. Nuehold

Rating: 4.5🌈

Ever since Riggs, the small, prickly, large engine mechanic arrived in at Big Bull Mechanics, it’s been fun to imagine how and who Nuehold will pair him up with.

Turns out it’s Shep, the gorgeous extroverted, sexy mechanic, with the sexual appendage that’s either haunted or so addictive that Shep doesn’t do anything but one night stands . Because the people he sleeps with become a little crazed when he doesn’t want them around afterwards. Like stalking him and vandalize his precious automobile.

It’s a magnificent golden retriever slut and tiny assassin chihuahua sort of hookup with many complications and motorcycles and a garage full of found family mechanics.

What adds depth to this is Rigg’s assumption that he’s “broken “ inside because of his failed past relationships. The reason for this assumption is a revelation that comes from an unexpected source. Shep. Their slowly growing friendship changes each man gradually but profoundly.

Nuehold also creates a fabulous crow character that adds a wonderful sense of who Riggs is outside of the shop, a softer layer that isn’t always seen.

A strong thread here turns out that one of the characters is aromantic. This is a rarely seen character trait in romance novels and Nuehold does a great job in introducing the character to a sexual identity he wasn’t aware of, then letting him understand how finally, by applying it to himself, he could see himself and his actions in a different perspective. A life changing one.

The relationship between Shep and Rigg’s feels believable and halting in its growth, including Rigg’s and Shep’s personal issues to deal with.

The secondary threads and all the couples that made appearances were well done and never felt superfluous to the storylines.

There are some single characters who had important roles here but I’m not sure if they are going to get any stories going onward. I hope so.

Lube Job (Big Bull Mechanics #5) by K.M. Nuehold is another excellent book in this series, a definite recommendation.

Big Bull Mechanics:

✓ Crankshaft #1

✓ Stroker #2

✓ Gear Shift #3

✓ Rear Ended #4

✓ Lube Job #5

Buy Link:

Lube Job (Big Bull Mechanics Book 5)

Blurb:

The only thing bigger than Riggs’ attitude is his tool… And only one of those problems can be solved with more lube…

There’s no tragic backstory or closet stuffed full of skeletons from relationships’ past. I’ve just never been very good at the “very special episode” sh*t. If you’re looking for a shoulder to cry on, may I suggest a therapist?

Casual fun with my emotionally stunted, overgrown frat boy roommate slash co-worker should be perfect, right? Shep seems to be just as allergic to commitment as I am to emotions, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need our stroker rods serviced, if you catch my drift.

Now if he’ll just stop looking at me with those dopey puppy dog eyes while I’m elbow deep in a diesel engine, and making my stomach flip with that smile of his, that would be great…

• Publisher: (November 3, 2023)

• Publication date: November 3, 2023

• Print length: 278 pages

Review: Rebel Without a Claus (The Kings: A Treemendous Christmas Book 4) by Charlie Cochet

Rating: 3.25🌈

Rebel Without a Claus is the finale to Charlie Cochet’s The Kings: A Treemendous Christmas series. It’s a sweet short read that quickly recaps the preceding stories, telling the reader what happened to the other couples from the perspective of Leo, who has got secret plans of his own for his love and beloved fiancé, Ward Kingston.

What those plans are were revealed at the end of book three, so it’s no big secret here that it’s a wedding. But much of the story is Leo running around, getting Christopher, aka Winterhaven’s town’s Mayor and Santa, to help him organize this and make it happen. All while keeping King in the dark about the wedding.

I wish Cochet’s story had more details about Christopher and his wife, as they are both very “Mr and Mrs. Claus” but that’s not carried out fully.

It’s sweet, romantic and very much in the holiday spirit. I enjoyed it .

THE KINGS: A TREEMENDOUS CHRISTMAS

✓ Not So Silent Night #1

✓ Sleigh It Ain’t So #2

✓ Home for the Howlidays #3

✓ Rebel Without a Claus #4

Buy Link:

Rebel without a Claus (The Kings: A Treemendous Christmas Book 4)

Blurb:

Life for Leopold de Loughrey is anything but ordinary. His meticulous and logical mind is both a gift and a curse, especially when it comes to finding a heartfelt present for his beloved fiancé, Ward Kingston. As Christmas and their first milestone anniversary draw near, Leo is eager to find the ideal gift that will perfectly capture their deep love and devotion.

When Colton surprises their family with an unforgettable Christmas vacation to Winterhaven, the possibilities that await in this enchanting holiday town stir Leo’s imagination, and with a few keystrokes, he discovers the town’s mayor—a man who remarkably resembles Santa Claus himself.

Join Leo, King, and their Four Kings Security family as they embark on a shenanigan-fueled adventure filled with unyielding determination and boundless love to rescue the holiday season for Winterhaven, where Santa Claus may just hold the key to delivering the perfect Christmas.

• Publication date: December 20, 2023

• Print length: 91 pages

Welcome to the Four Kings Security Universe! The current reading order for the universe is as follows:

FOUR KINGS SECURITY UNIVERSE

“STANDALONES

◦ Beware of Geeks Bearing Gifts-Standalone (Spencer and Quinn. Quinn is Ace and Lucky’s cousin.) Can be read any time before In the Cards.

FOUR KINGS SECURITY

✓ Love in Spades-Book 1 (Ace and Colton)

✓ Ante Up-Book 1.5 (Seth and Kit) Free short story

◦ Be Still My Heart-Book 2 (Red and Laz)

✓ Join the Club-Book 3 (Lucky and Mason)

✓ Diamond in the Rough-Book 4 (King and Leo)

◦ In the Cards-Book 4.5 (Spencer and Quinn’s wedding.)

◦ FOUR KINGS SECURITY Boxed Set includes all 4 main Four Kings Security novels: Love in Spades, Be Still My Heart, Join the Club, and Diamond in the Rough.

BLACK OPS: OPERATION ORION’S BELT

◦ Kept in the Dark-Book 1 (Standalone series can be read anytime)

THE KINGS: WILD CARDS

◦ Stacking the Deck-Book 1 (Jack and Fitz).

◦ Raising the Ante-Book 2 (Frank and Joshua)

◦ Sleight of Hand-Book 3 (Joker and Gio)

◦ THE KINGS: WILD CARDS BOXED SET Boxed Set includes all 3: The Kings: Wild Cards books: Stacking the Deck, Raising the Ante, Sleight of Hand, and bonus story In the Cards.

RUNAWAY GROOMS SERIES

◦ Aisle Be There

◦ To Have and Witthold

THE KINGS: ROYAL FLUSH

◦ Dealing Him In

◦ Calling His Bluff

THE KINGS: A TREEMENDOUS CHRISTMAS

✓ Not So Silent Night

✓ Sleigh It Ain’t So

✓ Home for the Howlidays

✓ Rebel Without a Claus

Review: Family First: A Railers Christmas Novella (Harrisburg Railers Series Book 13) by R. J. Scott and V. L. Locey

Rating: 4.5🌈

Family First feels like the final chapter in the Harrisburg Railers series, at least for the original characters and teammates. The teammates have found their own journeys to HEA, with partners and families, some no longer playing.

One of the series favorites has been Russian goalie Stanislav “Stan” Lyamin. Stan of the Elvis obsession, his cat, speaking to his pipes, and eventual love of and marriage to teammate, Erik Gunnarsson (Poke Check). We watch them grow, stumble, laugh, form a family that includes Erik’s son, kids from Russia, Stan’s Mama, his sister and more. It’s been a fabulous and heartwarming experience and a joyful journey.

Now, both men are older, their children growing up. Their bodies are now more prone to the effects of age and the stress that their profession brings on them. Stan suffers a debilitating hit on the ice, the ramifications of which go beyond the physical impact of major injuries and a year off the ice.

Scott and Locey have always been able to get the mindset of a hockey player, no matter where they are in their career, newly acquired, a journeyman, or a star player with unbelievable skills or the ability to pull a team together. To be the head or the heart of the team.

Stan is one of those.

So when he’s sidelined by injuries, surgery, and age, the author’s skillfully show the readers just how much a sea change in his mental and emotional state this is.

For the reader who has followed the series, this isn’t the character we come to love and care for, and that’s makes it even more realistic.

As Erik and Stan are having their issues, their son, Noah, is suddenly diagnosed with a lifelong illness. This changes everything.

Scott and Locey take this serious element of a child and parents, who overnight, have their lives forever altered, and they handle this in a very responsible and sensitive manner. It feels medically well researched yet any details and medical care flows smoothly through the narrative.

Erik too has his own personal decisions to make and follow through with, and those are important for the family and his relationship with Stan. It’s just different and harder for the authors to give Erik’s story as much time as the other threads. There’s not enough page time, and Stan and Noah have the more dramatic moments.

If I have a small quibble, it’s with the Epilogue. I understand why the authors chose to do the timeline they did. However, for me, by moving it ahead so many years, you have effectively eliminated that challenges, growth and change that Stan and Erik (and Noah) had to deal with. It’s a narrative Cliffs Notes. And I don’t find those completely satisfying as they shortchange the characters and readers on so many levels. What does it do? Sets Noah up for his book which is up next.

So I found the ending expedient and sort of satisfying.

I think I could have used more of how the household, all the family members, not just Stan, Erik, and Noah, moved forward with all the changes in their lives after that last scene when Stan retires. And before the epilogue.

Oh well. Family First: A Railers Christmas Novella (Harrisburg Railers Series Book 13) by R. J. Scott and V. L. Locey is one I’m recommending to all fans of the series and their authors. It’s a lovely book and way to bid goodbye to two of the original team of the Railers.

Harrisburg Railers:

✓ Changing Lines #1

✓ First Season #2

✓ Deep Edge #3

✓ Poke Check #4

✓ Last Defense #5

✓ Goal Line #6

✓ Neutral Zone #7

✓ Hat Trick #8

✓ Save The Date #9

✓ Baby Makes Three #10

✓ Rivals #11

✓ Perfect Gifts #12

✓ Family First #13

Buy Link:

Family First: A Railers Christmas Novella (Harrisburg Railers Series Book 13)

Blurb:

An injury threatens to end Stan’s career. Will he choose to fight for his beloved hockey, or put his family first?

Few goalies are as dedicated as Stan Lyamin, known for his resilience on the ice, talking to his pipes, and his love of Elvis. Add in his adoration of his family and his life has been filled with all the things that bring him joy. However, after a heart-wrenching game ends with a disastrous hip injury, Stan faces the most challenging obstacle of his career: surgery, an extensive recovery, and the looming threat of retirement. It’s now that he has to decide which path to take: the one that will lead him back to the game he adores or the one that will see his jersey lifted to the rafters.

Erik and Stan, once invincible with the Railers, have always skated through life’s challenges hand in hand. Their love story, cemented by a shared passion for hockey and the joy of raising their children, has been their shield against the world. But when their son Noah’s life is changed forever by a medical diagnosis, this forever love is put to the test. Erik turns to his husband for support, but Stan is consumed with guilt, overwhelmed by decisions, and retreats into himself when his family needs him the most.

• Publisher: Love Lane Books Ltd; 1st edition (December 8, 2023)

• Publication date: December 8, 2023

• Print length: 116 pages