Review: So Into You (The PI Guys #2) by S.E. Harmon

Rating 4.5🌈

So Into You (The PI Guys #2) by S.E. Harmon is a book I enjoyed far better than the one preceding it. That one, Stay With Me, had so many flags for me I thought I was at a heavily contested football play at 4th and down at NFL Sunday.

The relationship here between PI Drew Rodriguez and Screenwriter Noah Ashley is more balanced and, frankly, nuanced.

Both have issues with their childhoods, mostly stemming from one of their parents. The traumatic wounds drive their behaviors and determine their relationships. How they maneuver through and around these emotionally laden issues and barriers each has erected (in one case, the barrier is sitting himself in a chair in the living having arrived unannounced), is wonderful to read and a pleasure to be connected to.

Drew and Noah argue over the expected trust issues, work timorously towards something real, and it feels believable. The men work as a couple and as friends.

The cases they investigate are mundane, boring, sad, and, occasionally scary.

Drew’s home life mirrors just how quickly complicated things get and how they get handled. With resigned frustration that also feels as real as it comes.

The first couple makes appearances here but honestly I hardly noticed them. The real people, the ones putting in the work were right in front of me. And I was loving every bit of time I was spending with them.

So Into You (The PI Guys #2) by S.E. Harmon is a terrific realistic contemporary romance. It has people with damaged childhoods, working through their issues, and moving forward to have healthy relationships and hopefully a HEA.

I really loved them. I’m highly recommending this story. Check it out!

PI Guys series:

🔹Stay With Me 1

🔹So Into You #2

So Into You (The PI Guys, #2) by S.E. Harmon – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Screenwriter Noah Ashley has a few four-letter words for his agent when she suggests he improve his script by shadowing a PI. Still, because he’s an artist dedicated to his craft and she knows where the bodies are buried, he agrees. Then he spends a little time with the gorgeous PI, and suddenly it seems like a really good plan. The PI doesn’t seem to entirely love the idea, but Noah has never been afraid to go after what he wants.

PI Drew Rodriguez is used to people depending on him. He’s the classic rock for his family. Responsible. Dependable. The classic rock would never succumb to the borderline sleazy temptation of friends with benefits, no matter how sexy that temptation is. Drew is looking for something enduring.

Despite Drew’s misgivings, it’s not long before they’ve got all the requisites for friends with benefits going. Friendly, good conversation? Check. Fun times in and out of bed? Check. Hot, electrolyte-sapping sex? Double check. Falling in love? Yeah. About that….

Review: Stay With Me (The PI Guys #1) by S.E. Harmon

Rating: 2.75🌈

Originally published in April of 2014, Stay With Me (The PI Guys #1) by S.E. Harmon immediately dates itself with continuing references to popular technologies (Walkmans,DVDs), on trend brands, Mom vehicles of the day (Dodge Caravans), and new leading edge wearables like head sets, iTouch and Nanos. Every sentence is a pull back into a framework of cultural references that makes one pause enough to consider the source, and maybe the need for a Google moment.

Kevin McCallister and Home Alone?

I know, I know. 😱

How this constant immersion in a dated timeframe affects a reader might depend on their age. Some will feel nostalgic, others mildly irritated, others confused by the ongoing usages of elements they simply aren’t familiar with or don’t understand.

Authors beware the need to appear plugged in or knowledgeable by the overuse of trendy or highly popular technology in your stories. In a few years or more? They and your story are obsolete. Or at best rendered Recent Historic Contemporary Fiction.

Next. Relationship issues with the main characters.

As you can tell this was a problematic book for me. A surprise as I very much like their newer series.

Private investigator Mackenzie Williams has a history of bad relationships. The last one was a “straight “ lawyer he was in love with, they were saving to move in together, even had a dog. Yet no one outside of his family, knew they were together. Mac, a outwardly gay man , was in the closet when he was around the man he was supposed to move in with. Until that man proposed to another lawyer, a female one.

Mac Williams comes off as a emotionally torn individual ,who in relationships, becomes a doormat.

It’s not especially enjoyable to read about someone who tells himself not to fall instantly for a straight guy again, does so, then proceeds to make all the same errors one shouldn’t make in that situation. With a client too.

Jordan Channing is one flag after another. Engaged to a woman who’s also a good friend. Also believes himself to be straight. Charming. Becomes attracted to Mac. Eventually decides he needs a experiment to see if he’s gay. With someone who’s told him not to come after him until he’s figured things out. So there no respect of established boundaries. He’s also sees himself as the arbitrator of what is happening in their relationship.

I won’t go into using someone to figure out if you’re on the Spectrum or not. Nor do I think people should be rushed into figuring out their sexuality.

My issues with the character of Jordan is that he repeatedly lies to Mac about different situations and issues. Gets discovered in those lies, gets angry, then makes Mac feel hugely guilty because he’s discovered Jordan’s lies .

“But I did it because I knew you’d be upset…”

Flag!

Is this a couple and relationship I’m supposed to get behind?

There is so much more. The supposedly ex fiancé not aware of Mac, Jordan not acknowledging him , that he even had a right to a key. I could go on and on. As I said flags. A boatload of flags.

The relationships Harmon’s written in their latest series don’t seem to have any of these issues. Maybe it was 2014 . I don’t know. But, honestly, whether it was then or now, those things are aspects of a relationship that should be addressed.

I’m going to read the second book in this series to see if it’s the author’s take on this couple and characters or the entire series.

I’m confused as to why someone would write such a relationship. Or one that comes across as such to me.

Maybe I’m the only person seeing issues here.

Add that couple, that relationship, to a story full of old brands, past it’s time technology, and names rarely heard anymore, and it’s no wonder that the smallest issue stood out amongst all of that.

Yes, there’s a happy ending. If you enjoy this couple, then you’ll be pleased by the satisfying manner in which the author leaves them.

Overall, the story moves quickly, with only a few places where it seems to slow for emotional issues to resolve.

I hesitated over the rating. It’s well written but I think the issues for me made it less than enjoyable.

The PI Guys series:

Stay With Me 1

So Into You #2

https://www.goodreads.com › showStay with Me (The PI Guys, #1) by S.E. Harmon – Goodreads

The PI Guys: Book One

Private investigator Mackenzie Williams’s newest client is everything he’s looking for in a guy—charming, beautiful, intelligent, and successful. There’s only one itty bitty problem—the guy’s not exactly gay. In fact, Jordan Channing is looking for a PI to follow his fiancée. The smart thing would be to thank Jordan for his time, turn Mr. Perfect away (don’t let the door hit you on the rump, thank you very much), and forget he exists.

Of course, Mackenzie has never been accused of doing the smart thing. Being a smart aleck is more his MO. Relationships aren’t up his alley, never have been. So why’s he so inexplicably drawn to his new client?

Jordan has always been the high achiever, a man who lives in a focused, controlled, and carefully constructed manner. But for the first time in his life, he has to admit the impossible—another man is getting his engine running on all cylinders. Despite Jordan’s denial, it’s not long before he can no longer resist the strong undercurrents pulling them together. Now Jordan must decide if he can go against everything he’s ever known to have the only love he’s ever wanted.

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

Rating: 4🌈

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lone Star series:

🔹Tending Tyler #1

🔹Roped In #2

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

Synopsis:

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

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

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

Review: Egotistical Puckboy (Puckboy #1) by Eden Finley and Saxon James

Rating: 4.75🌈

As the hockey teams are making their run for the Stanley Cup in real life, I had just finished one hockey series and was in need of another when this got my attention.

Egotistical Puckboy, the first in Eden Finley and Saxon James’ Puckboy series about hockey players getting their HEA. Needless to say, I’m in.

I so enjoyed this enemies to lovers romance about two egotistical fantastic NHL hockey players. The long time feud, fueled by misconceptions about each other, including one’s sexuality, is so well written.

The bigger than life personalities of both D-man Ezra Palaszczuk and winger Anton Hayes, huge egos to match their vast athletic talents on the ice, it’s all there on the page for the reader to love, cackle at, and ,yes, swoon over, as they warily stumble their way into a relationship and romance.

Authors Finley and James are careful that, when crafting this novel , all the important elements are brought in so it feels believable and a world we should want to invest ourselves into.

The games! The way the men fly across the ice, bodies moving, puck flashing, it’s pure awesomeness. It’s hockey! You can see these games and ,when or lose (they do both), you feel the emotional impact with them.

The men themselves are layered, their pasts, their passions, their pain.

Ezra Palaszczuk is someone who appears one dimensional, on purpose, but only as a barrier to hide the damage done by negligent , borderline abusive parents and the toll it continues to take on him.

Anton Hayes has his own personal issues to work through and it’s his relationship with Ez that allows him the different perspective to start on a new path and journey.

This story has so many great aspects to it. It’s a dynamic hockey book. It’s a sexy romance. It’s a thoughtful conversation about gay athletes in a major sport (see fabulous The Queer Collective element), what it means for queer youth to have representation. It’s also about knowing yourself well enough that you’re finally comfortable and feel safe to come out .

Like I said. There’s so much to Egotistical Puckboy (Puckboy #1) by Eden Finley and Saxon James. I love this. And I’m highly recommending it.

There’s a second story out. I’m onto that next.

It’s hockey season. Enjoy!

Puckboy series:

Egotistical Puckboy #1

Irresponsible Puckboy #2

https://www.goodreads.com › showEgotistical Puckboy – Goodreads

Synopsis:

EZRA

Partying, dudes, and hockey. What more could a gay NHL player want?

If it weren’t for Anton Hayes, my life would be perfect.

Not that he affects my life in any way. At all. That would imply I care what the winger from Philly thinks of me.

Which I don’t.

Not even a one-night stand with him can thaw his misplaced animosity toward me.

He says I’m the one with the ego, but he can talk. He rivals me for most egotistical puck boy in the league.

I hate him as much as he hates me. Even if I crave a repeat.

ANTON

When it comes to hockey, I’m all about the game.

I’ve worked for years to be one of the best in the league, and l’ve done it without splashing my orientation all over the tabloids.

My hockey image is one I’ve carefully cultivated, and after one night with Ezra Palaszczuk, I risk it all.

He’s cocky, obnoxious, and has an ego bigger than Massachusetts. And okay, maybe he’s the sexiest man I’ve ever known.

We’ll never get along. Not when we sleep together. Not even when my possessive streak awakens.

That doesn’t stop us from falling into bed together over and over again.

Review: The Long Game (Game Changers #6) by Rachel Reid

Rating: 4🌈

It almost hurt to write this review because it wasn’t the one I was really expecting to write. I have loved this series since Rachel Reid began it. And a diehard fan of Shane and Ilya since they premiered in Heated Rivalry, a favorite novel among many here.

So like so many readers and fans of both author and Game Changer , I’ve been eagerly anticipating the series finale and the novel which would bring some closure to the 11 years long closeted romance of Shane and Ilya.

What I didn’t expect was that I felt the first 25 percent of the book, perhaps more , was such a slog, that I came close to putting it down completely.

The characters I had connected with were missing. Chemistry gone. Shane was the one I had the most issues with. Self involved, complaining, non communicative. Other than sex, I couldn’t see what Ilya saw in him. The relationship and dynamics from Heated Rivalry had dimmed and the sparks doused.

I couldn’t believe this was it.

It wasn’t until the halfway mark, when dramatically the narrative picked up, and their relationship became energized once more that I was invested in their lives, romance, and the story.

There had been serious elements introduced. Depression, family history, suicide. But it was one-sided narratively speaking. And it served to only connect us to Ilya and his shaky emotional status. Leaving Shane in a removed story bubble, away from the relationship and the feelings connecting us to Ilya.

The emotional ties only reached back out after the story was halfway through.

Then we got safely back on established familiar relationship ground. One we recognized from Heated Rivalry, but with personal growth accounted for.

Shame it took that long because the remainder of the story was excellent. It wove plot threads from Role Model into the storyline here, making terrific use of those characters and elements.

Reid also found the missing humor, to intersperse with the serious issues of LGBTQIA+ athletes acceptance in sports, outing, and, the stress of being a pro athlete on relationships.

The last section of The Long Game was everything I’d hoped for and wanted for this couple. It turned into the perfect way to send them off.

I just wish it had happened sooner. That the book was a complete Gordie Howe Hat Trick instead of a one goal win.

But I’ll take it. I’m sorry to see the series end. Just as I am to see the end of every hockey season.

I’ll look forward to the next Rachel Reid with the same enthusiasm as the start of the new season and run for the Stanley Cup as well.

If you’re a lover of hockey romance, contemporary romance, and the works of Rachel Reid, this series is for you. I’m highly recommending it.

Game Changers
Book 1: Game Changer
Book 2: Heated Rivalry
Book 3: Tough Guy
Book 4: Common Goal
Book 5: Role Model
Book 6: The Long Game

https://www.goodreads.com › showThe Long Game (Game Changers, #6) by Rachel Reid – Goodreads

Synopsis:

The sequel is finally here! Shane and Ilya’s story, first seen in Heated Rivalry, continues in this long-awaited hockey romance from Rachel Reid.

“Everything you could want from this magnetic couple! A passionate, sexy, emotional sequel that grips your heart! Shane and Ilya forever!” —#1 NYT Bestseller Lauren Blakely, author of Hopelessly Bromantic

To the world they are rivals, but to each other they are everything.

Ten years.

That’s how long Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov have been seeing each other. How long they’ve been keeping their relationship a secret. From friends, from family…from the league. If Shane wants to stay at the top of his game, what he and Ilya share has to remain secret. He loves Ilya, but what if going public ruins everything?

Ilya is sick of secrets. Shane has gotten so good at hiding his feelings, sometimes Ilya questions if they even exist. The closeness, the intimacy, even the risk that would come with being open about their relationship…Ilya wants it all.

It’s time for them to decide what’s most important—hockey or love.

It’s time to make a call.

Review: Flare (Style #1) by Jay Hogan

Rating: 4.5🌈

Flare is a very intense contemporary romance set in Auckland’s high fashion world. The first of a new series that will incorporate , at least from looking at the description of Strut, the second novel, high fashion, models, a certain circle of friends that starts with this fashion line, and, unfortunately, a element of assault.

That’s certainly a center theme here and if it’s a trigger for some readers, please take note.

Here it occurs in the Prologue to the main character, Rhys Hellier, when he was 16, sneaking out to a gay club with a friend.

The ramifications from that night’s assault are a haunting, realistic thread of one man’s continuing to deal with living with the aftermath of rape. Rhys has PTSD, and has only told a few trusted people about his trauma.

It, naturally, has effected his relationships, and his need for constant control. I think Hogan does an excellent job with the character of Rhys. He’s believable in his vulnerability as he is in his fierceness to protect what he’s built.

It takes the addition of Beckett Northcott, Professor of English literature and uncle to troubled teenager Jack. When Beck arrives to heat up things, so will the need to start the conversations going between them when they begin their relationship as to the full extent of the damage the assault has done to Rhys emotionally and mentally.

Without turning the book into something clinical, Hogan works a great therapist, open communication, necessary breakdowns, and , more into this engaging and wonderful relationship. It makes them easy to root for and love as a couple.

And it’s not just them alone. There’s an entire group of found family around them. For Beck, it’s his nephew, Jack, for whom he’s becoming a father figure. And his sister, Serena, in prison. And fellow professor, Rafe. For Rhys? It’s his mother, the irrepressible Kip ( his assistant), BFF photographer Hunter, Alec ( newly discovered model), Leon (shop owner), Greg, and Drew, a trans teenager for which Flare represents a safe haven from home , an abusive situation.

This is a wonderful story full of amazing characters. Most of which inhabit the world of fashion. Which is Flare, Rhys’s fashion line and store.

There’s another plot thread concerning the store, which is emotionally fraught with threats and action. It’s a great balance for the other elements here.

I would have wished for more of a foundation or history behind all the villainy. But it was still resolved in a manner as to satisfy the characters and readers.

The next installment will center on Alec , the model discovered here, and Hunter, the photographer best friend of Rhys. That’s Strut. Out later this year.

From the description, it too has an element of assault. I’ll be waiting for the release date to check it out.

In the meantime, I’m highly recommending Flare. It’s a terrific contemporary romance. Wonderful characters. But please take note of the triggers.

Style series:

🔹Flare #1

🔹Strut #2 TBR July 14, 2022

https://www.goodreads.com › showFlare (Style, #1) by Jay Hogan – Goodreads

FLARE
My own fashion label. The shiny new sign above the door means everything. My dream. My life. Worth every gruelling hour I’ve spent making it happen. Nothing can stop me now. Not the fear. Not the nightmares. Not my sad excuse for a love life. And certainly not Beckett Northcott, the sexy English professor who wouldn’t know a fitted shirt if it slapped him in the face and who has flannel down to an art form.

I don’t date for a very good reason, and yet Beck makes me want to break every damn one of my rules. But with my debut at Fashion Week looming, my business in trouble, and Beckett Northcott peeling open my terrified heart to a future I’ve never imagined, the threads of my carefully woven life are unravelling at the seams.

I could walk away. Or I could take a chance that Beck and I might just have what it takes to fashion a new life, together. A fresh design from a new cloth.

This book contains references to past sexual assault.

Review: Davo by N.R. Walker

Rating: 4.5 🌈

What a amazing story. Set in the western Australian outback mining town , Pannalego, Davo by N.R. Walker delivers a romance to delight the heart as well as a story that embraces the harsh environment to show the reader why the people who live there come to love it so.

Through the arrival of red-haired, Fergus Galloway, there to for a 4-week stay to conduct research for his company, we experience the extreme body shocking heat, the red dust that immediately covers every surface, and the living conditions that will make Sydney so very far away as to be on another planet.

Fergus is such a lovely open character. Through his eyes we meet an incredible assortment of individuals who make Pannalego their home and a working community of 20 year-around citizens in one of the world’s harshest territories. All employees of the mine.

We come to cherish each one, feathered Hooker included. But none as much as we love Davo, the skirt wearing, charming manager and mining engineer who immediately captures both Fergus’ and the readers hearts.

It’s Davo who shows Fergus just how welcoming that small community is and how quickly is can feel like home.

You’re a companion as they walk to see the remarkable landscapes, the sunsets, and more that makes that country so unimaginably gorgeous.

Before long it’s magic and Davo have won Fergus over, in a short amount of time. And that feels absolutely perfect and believable.

I love Davo. Even the drama was a realistic slice of life that communities like these live with and under. It’s part of the lifestyle.

I have to admit as I was reading it , the environmental damage of such a constant extraction, of such a enormous cavity being dug over and over, then discarded, left me a little ill. Surely the cost of this , like all the rest is coming.

But this is a romance. Not one about climate change. So I’m going to leave it at that. NR Walker’s descriptions were very real and thought provoking.

I’m highly recommending Davo for any number of reasons. The excellent characters, the beauty of the landscape of the outback, the heartwarming charm of this small community, and the outstanding ending. Plus that romance.

That cover is everything.

https://www.goodreads.com › showDavo by N.R. Walker – Goodreads

Synopsis:

When Fergus Galloway takes on a research trip to a tiny mining town in the far Western Australian outback, he’s as far from Sydney as he can get.

Which is entirely the point.

He arrives in Pannalego totally unprepared for the baking heat, unprepared for the people who call it home, unprepared for the craziness and the laughs. And absolutely unprepared for the man he meets there who steals his heart.

Davo is a mining man, as rugged as he is gorgeous. Loves his found family, loves where he lives, and loves his life. He also loves the feel of soft fabric on his skin.

What was supposed to be a short field trip changes Fergus’s life. Going to a place many call uninhabitable might turn out to be the only place he wants to live.

Review: Marriage is Murder (Sawyer and Royce: Matrimony and Mayhem #2) by Aimee Nicole Walker

Rating: 5 🌈

It’s that halfway time , Sawyer and Royce have committed to each other through proposals, but they haven’t set a date, or done much else to further getting married.

First up is Jayce (Royce’s brother) and Hols, Royce’s close friend and police coworker. Sawyer’s too. They are getting married soon if they can manage to keep a wedding planner.

In the meantime, there’s a masked armed robbery team that’s giving the SPD trouble, a murder victim with a arrow through the heart, and old troubles for Sawyer.

Good times.

The twisty turns of the murder case is marvelous. It may have given Royce and company headaches, but I enjoyed that aspect of this story completely! There’s so many unexpected elements and new twists in the investigation that do get neatly resolved that you’re positively gleeful along with the detectives when they solve it.

Past history continues to cause issues for Royce and Sawyer just as both men work together to make their own way to a marriage and future family . It’s Royce’s stress over his troubled family members and their effects upon those he loves. With Sawyer, it’s the Sheriff who’s homophobic actions and outright hatred caused him to leave his old job for his mental health.

This aspect of their relationship that works with both of these storylines is one I thoroughly believe in and applaud. They work through what they see as potential problem areas, in their relationship/or job or both, by thoughtful communication, picking apart arguments calmly, and respectfully. It’s a joy to read about adults having a working, loving, relationship that grows deeper with each story. With great sex too.

There are threads of heartbreak and ones of realistic “it is what it is “ endings, especially when working on cold cases. Not everyone gets a happy ending.

But we get enough glimpses of past people , getting along, doing ok, that it’s believable, and satisfying. It feels real.

I love all the characters within this universe. Savannah is the perfect place for all these perfectly imperfect people. I can’t wait for the next installment.

This was so incredible. How horrifyingly wonderful can their wedding be?

I’m highly recommending this and all the connecting series. What a gift.

❤️Sawyer and Royce: Matrimony and Mayhem series:

✓ The Magnolia Murders #1

✓ Marriage is Murder #2

◦ Killer Honeymoon #3 – July 1, 2022

The Zero Hour Trilogy preceded this one.

https://www.goodreads.com › showMarriage Is Murder by Aimee Nicole Walker – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Spring is in full bloom, love is in the air, and Cupid has taken deadly aim in Savannah.

Newly engaged, Royce Locke and Sawyer Key are ready to set the date and charge full-steam ahead into their happily ever after, but homicides and unresolved conflicts keep getting in their way. Neither detective has met a case they couldn’t solve, but their latest investigations will push their limits and challenge their faith when the line between friend and foe becomes blurred. And if that weren’t enough, a random encounter with a stranger will trigger a series of events that could either make or break the couple.

Love—often a thriller, sometimes a killer, but always worth the battle.

Marriage is Murder is book two in the Matrimony and Mayhem trilogy, the second story arc for Royce Locke and Sawyer Key. ** New readers should start with the Zero Hour trilogy before reading Matrimony and Mayhem. ** Marriage is Murder is a continuation of Royce and Sawyer’s happily ever after as they move into the next phase of their lives—professionally and personally. Though some storylines span the trilogy, this book does not end in a cliffhanger. Heat, humor, heart, and homicide abound. You have been warned.

Review: Guarding Garrett (Hockey Allies Batchelor Bid Romance #1) by R.J. Scott

Rating: 3.5🌈

I’ve sort of been skipping around this wonderful contemporary collection of LGBTGIA+ hockey romances by various authors, reading one, and then forgetting to come back to it until I see a title that jars my sieve-like memory.

Guarding Garrett (Hockey Allies Batchelor Bid Romance #1) by R.J. Scott is actually the first in this collection by five authors.

The series hits so many of the elements I love, hockey romances, various tropes from mystery (here) to second chances at love, and much more. An absolutely terrific smorgasbord of hot men on ice and true love.

Guarding Garrett , is as the title indicates, about a top level, highly skilled and popular hockey player on the fictional NHL Burlington Dragons hockey team. Garrett “Hooley” Howell has been getting threatening texts, packages and more, until the team decides to get a bodyguard to protect him until they can investigate who’s behind the threats to their highly valuable player.

That’s a believable plot given the extent of the media most players engage in with the public and their fans. Stalkers are reported on daily.

Garrett and Jason develop great chemistry over the course of their time together. I enjoyed watching their relationship move from an antagonistic stage to one of attraction and friendship. The instant love was perhaps less realistic for me as I felt the story didn’t give us or them enough layers or time from stage one tension/rejection through to the “I Iove you” statements.

These aren’t long books so the author has crammed a lot into a shorter length. In addition to a full romance, there’s the mystery of the stalker and a full blown suspense-filled event at the end to contend with.

Plus the auction that all the novels have as a center feature.

My other quibble? I lost patience with Garrett’s behavior after Jason Dearing, co-owner of Seamax Security, had been hired. I can understand a certain amount of exasperation at the loss of personal freedom. But, It’s was explained to Garrett his life was in danger. This was a corporate decision. He had said repeatedly, he himself didn’t want to put his job with the team in jeopardy. Yet here he was making his bodyguard’s job incredibly difficult. Acting like a immature juvenile over a decision made by your team, your team owner, that impacts your career.

Which Garrett acknowledged. While not stopping.

It made me less invested in this character because I couldn’t relate to this element. Garrett Howell is a top NHL hockey player, one who’s owners have built a team around him. He’s respected. He’s supposed to be a highly talented, disciplined athlete. Someone used to a highly restricted diet, a long training schedule, with the ability to adhere to that tight regimen for years to achieve a goal. Yet here he’s whining like a toddler over supervision for several days to save his life.

A case needed to be made for that mentality by the author and I don’t think it was. A few mentions of a broken family until he was sent to Kyle Pressgroves’ family to live as a young hockey player. But that’s not enough history to excuse pages of frankly poor behavior.

Luckily, the behavior stopped and I could start appreciating Garrett from another perspective.

Despite some aspects of the story I found issues with, it’s fast moving, the main characters have excellent chemistry, and it’s has a satisfactory HEA.

No hockey however really. I do missed my “on the ice” scenes.

Kyle is part of this story as he’s Garrett’s best friend. His story is Keeping Kyle #3 by Jeff Adams. I’ve listed them all below.

They make for wonderful hockey romance reading. I’m recommending this and them.

Hockey Allies Batchelor Bid Romances series:

🔹Guarding Garrett #1 by RJ Scott

🔹Loving Layne #2 by VL Locey

🔹Keeping Kyle #3 by Jeff Adams

🔹Scoring Slater #4 by Susan Scott Shelley

🔹Absolving Ash #5 by Chantal Mer

https://www.goodreads.com › showGuarding Garrett by R.J. Scott – Goodreads

Synopsis:

A hardworking, competitive, and skilled hockey player, Garrett is the cornerstone of the Burlington Dragons hockey team and one of the league’s most popular playmakers. Blessed with a face that delivers millions in endorsements, he has a legion of fans, and a future so bright that he is the envy of many.

When his internet fame puts him in danger, and a stalker threatens his life, the team hires Jason, a quiet but deadly former marine, to protect him. Danger is always close, but forced proximity means sparks fly, attraction burns, and somehow, resentment turns to love.

When Garrett’s stalker ups their game at a charity bachelor auction, there is a real chance it could mean the end for Garrett, but Jason refuses to leave his side whatever the risk.

These two stubborn men will have to fight to walk away from this alive, but their newfound love is worth every sacrifice.

Review: Short Stack (a short story collection) by Lily Morton

Rating: 5🌈

If you’re a fan of Lily Morton, especially her Mixed Messages and Finding Home series, this is must reading.

These short stories follow those couples at various stages of their lives and relationships, from the stage after the wedding is over to a marriage proposal we always hoped to read about.

None of these scenes appeared in those stories, cut for various reasons or written for her fans later on. They are now gathered together by couple, and it makes for some very amazing and very rewarding stories.

For myself, it changed my thoughts on a couple and story. That would be Rule Breaker, Dylan and Gabe’s story. Told primarily from Dylan’s pov, It was the romance and relationship I least connected with. The reason was the character of Gabe. For me, without his perspective, he came across as selfish, cold, and his actions often cruel, especially towards Dylan. Who repeatedly took him back.

That missing pov is here. Gabe, his emotional state, and his background, everything that would have made him an emotionally accessible character is here in scenes that never made it into that story. To its detriment, in my opinion. Because after reading this, I look at that novel totally differently.

For the rest of the couples and books? Short Stack just enriches our involvement with them and their relationships. Where we always wanted to know what happened next? This is our answer to that question, and it gives us a often realistic, and emotional satisfying one.

Not read one of the stories? This might make you hold off, stop at a couple. Go get their book. Read it. Then come back for their shorts.

Win on every level.

I got this for my Kindle but I just might need it in a copy for my bookshelf.

I’m recommending it that hard for lovers of these series, this author, and those readers to come.

Short Stack by Lily Morton – Goodreads

Synopsis:

What happens after the happy ending?

Drawn together for the first time, this is a collection of Lily’s short stories about the much-loved men from her Mixed Messages and Finding Home series. Follow them through awkward marriage proposals, birthdays, a fraught babysitting job, and a very drunken Eurovision Song Contest party.

It includes stories previously written for her website and readers’ group, along with deleted scenes and four brand new and exclusive short stories – Bad Valentine, Marrying Jude, Babysitting Billy, and House Hunting.

Mixed Messages:

Rule Breaker #1

Deal Maker #2

Risk Taker#3

Finding Home:

Oz #1

Milo #2

Gideon #3

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