Tag: LGBTQIA Contemporary Romance

Review: Poison Hearts (The Elite universe story) by Jennifer Cody

Rating: 5🌈

Poison Hearts by Jennifer Cody was a real winner for me. It’s so entertaining, it’s characters so outrageously out there and engaging that it cries out for more adventures.

Pls pls I desperately need more stories of the merry insanity that is Orlando, Shannon, Minion , and hopefully, Linus.

Do not deprive us of this!

And it all starts so not so innocently with the blow dart murders of some bad guys in the Old Defiance neighborhood being protected by Orlando Ludovici, your neighborhood vigilante ninja assassin .

Cody has created a fabulous character in Orlando, complete with a fascinating family background and creative methodology for dealing with the baddies. There’s several authors that jump immediately to mind with their similarly charismatic assassins and Orlando easily ranks right in there with that crazy murderous fictional group.

Then there’s the fabulously insane scientist Shannon Mayburn, the tool peddler, brilliant inventor of tools of murder and mass destruction . He loves to dance and soon, he loves Orlando.

Plus his Minion. Whose name isn’t really minion and may kill Shannon at any moment because his boss annoys him so. I adore Minion. Who’s full of revelations and a delightful character in his own right.

Did I mention Linus the coroner who gets texts from Orlando about the bodies he’s about to receive? Theirs is a funny complicated anonymous relationship.

Ah, The Anonymous ! The elegant extremely private club where a crème colored invitation ushers you into a world of an utter criminality. The urbane of the world’s rift raft or this section’s of it, all secretly having cocktails and making connections in a lavish atmosphere in an art deco hotel.

It’s the meet cutely dangerous for Orlando and Shannon (as well as being the theme for the series). The characters Cody creates for the reason for Orlando’s entrance are mysterious and so beautifully written they scream for a story of their own. Especially since they come with such a scrumptious companion/bodyguard to boot.

Honestly, there’s no aspect, no element that Cody used in the many storylines that wasn’t a money maker in terms of its narrative use here. Thrills, excitement, more dead bodies, smooches and love talk ala crazy people. Yes! All there along with some explosions. And frogs.

I love this story and all the characters. Well, not the dead ones. The very much alive and deadly ones. And need more of them.

Hopefully Jennifer Cody is listening.

Yes this is a highly recommended read.

The Elite Multi-Author series (9 Books):

✓ Reckless Roulette by Alice Winters

✓ Leave No Trace by Michelle Frost and Sammi Cee❤️

✓ Ace of Maids by K.L. Hiers

✓ Poison Hearts by Jennifer Cody❤️

◦ Liar’s Gambit by Kelly Fox

◦ Dealer of Secrets by Davidson King

◦ Bullets & Butterflies by Maz Maddox

◦ Love for the Reaper by Charlie Cochet

◦ Chance Encounter by Luna David

Review: Bring Me Home (Safe Harbor Book 1) by Annabeth Albert

Rating: 4.75🌈

I probably wouldn’t have picked up this story except that the author is Annabeth Albert, an auto read.

While age gap is a trope I read, something about dating the sons of best friends hasn’t set right with me, especially when paired with a substantial age gap. Add in other factors of familiarity of knowing the person as a child and those stories ride a fine line.

But Albert’s story, the first of a new series, successfully addresses every aspect of those issues and has written a very moving romance. It’s also a fascinating one, in that one element, a ongoing cold mystery case investigation, is left to run into the next novel and appears to be a connecting bridge to all the books in Safe Harbor.

Give me a mystery and I’m a happy reader!

Albert has always been able to get intimately into the mindset of military men. Whether they are still in service, or in the case of Monroe, a recently retired Lieutenant in the NCIS unit of the Navy. He’s returned to Safe Harbor, near Portland, Oregon, to handle the sale of the old Victorian he inherited from his great aunt and then move to San Francisco, where he plans to live an anonymously contented gay life.

Albert paints Monroe’s return to Safe Harbor as a choice both joyous as he connects with his friends and tumultuous as aspects of his plans start to become less manageable. And things he thought he knew about his aunt and life make him rethink his perspectives.

Monroe is a multifaceted person. Far from the expected textbook of a naval officer, Albert gives us a man of emotional riches and dimensions. Those sensitive layers are revealed from the beginning. And to a person we absolutely know to be Knox. Whose own personality and character traits are the yin to Monroe’s yang.

Love Knox as deeply as I do Monroe. He’s another well crafted character who keeps revealing more depths and details to his personality and background as the story progresses.

Albert is able to build a believable relationship between two men, equal in intensity and intelligence, whose passion for each other overrides any consideration for age differences.

The reader gets invested in the relationship because of the chemistry and excellence of the dynamics being shared between them. The history of needing to feeling safe as a child that’s never left behind as an adult. That deep desire to have a true home. That all rings true.

As does the power of the fear of rejection that comes from losing the love of a friend or parent who doesn’t approve.

All this great storytelling that encompasses a romantic relationship, a town and its people, and an ongoing mystery. I’m 100 percent in and invested.

I can’t wait for the next book to be released. The listed books can be found below.

Until then, I’m highly recommending Bring Me Home (Safe Harbor Book 1) by Annabeth Albert.

Note. Two person POV until it switches at the end to include a third person to set up the next story in the series. I understand why but it’s still strange to switch format that late in the book.

Safe Harbor:

✓ Bring Me Home #1

◦ Make Me Stay #2 – June 15, 2023

◦ Find Me Worthy #3 – Sept 7, 2023

Buy Link:

Bring Me Home: A Dad’s Best Friend Small Town MM Romance (Safe Harbor Book 1)

Description:

Help!

I’ve inherited my aunt’s historic house in small-town Oregon, and I need to fix it up and sell it fast before I move on to my big-city dreams. I’m one of the navy’s best investigators, but twenty years of living in base housing means DIY isn’t part of my extensive skill set.

Luckily, my best friend has the solution: his twenty-three-year-old son. Knox recently graduated from college, needs a room for the summer, and comes with a giant cat and years of remodeling experience.

Not only is Knox all grown up and hot as sin, but I recognize him. He’s the bossy, bearded guy I shared the hottest kiss of my life with. No way can my buddy find out I’ve got it bad for his son. But with all the stripping, hammering, and drilling, my defenses crumble one dance break at a time.

As our sexy secret summer fling continues, Knox also proves himself handy at fixing my grumpy mood and wounded heart. Now I can’t imagine a future without him. I can solve any problem the navy throws at me, but I have no clue what to do about loving Knox or the damage this could do to my decades-long friendship.

Can we build a forever together, or are we destined to go our separate ways?

BRING ME HOME is a small-town Dad’s-best-friend MM romance. It features a forty-something grumpy former naval investigator, a much younger ray of sunshine, a matchmaking cat, sexy times in unusual locations, enough heat to burn the neighborhood, and a warm fuzzy hug’s worth of found-family feels. Dual point-of-view and big fluffy HEA guaranteed!

BRING ME HOME launches the brand-new Safe Harbor series from acclaimed author Annabeth Albert. Knox, Monroe, and the rest of Safe Harbor, Oregon, welcome readers to a historic town with a tight friend group, memorable secondary characters, quirky businesses, and long-held secrets. Each book stands alone with a fresh couple, but the background mystery of the town’s secrets ties the series together.

Review: Renovating the Model (Forestville Silver Foxes Book 1) by Nora Phoenix

Rating: 4.75 🌈

Nora Phoenix has released the first book in her new series about older men finding their HEA and it’s a sweet , smartly crafted romantic read.

I found myself liking every aspect of the world building she’s putting in place for her series and the small engaging group of long term friends I’m sure she will pull from to get her stories.

The location is Forestville, Washington. A small town with a river dissecting its Main Street from its outlying edge with some houses, park edge , and auto shop. The author has supplied a charming hand drawn map that helps place all the houses, and really shows how small Forestville is. I love that detail.

Then comes the foundation group of school friends. Boys that have been essentially family to each other since childhood. The story begins in the past, at their senior prom. We see the group dynamics, who they are hooking up with, and plans for their future. Tiago and Tomas , the gorgeous Banner twins are already headed for model fame and fortune. Two other friends,Essex and Auden, are headed into different branches of the military. Marnin’s future was unsettled.

Flash forward 30 years to a class reunion that brings those left together again and we see what the years have changed those teenagers into.

Tiago, along with his twin, are still internationally recognized and sought after super models. But for Tiago, the lifestyle has become increasingly difficult and one he’s tired of.

Renovating the Model Is a smart contemporary romance that contains elements of personal struggles with a learning disability and power inequality within a brotherly dynamic. It’s done with a realistic portrayal of a loving but insecure person who’s been made to feel inferior his entire life because of his severe dyslexia.

There’s other strong aspects to consider here in the narrative, each with varying levels of complexity. Cas’ scars, an inner circle character’s bullying, and even a minor character’s domestic abuse. Each one woven into the story with a gentleness and attention to detail that makes it seem as though they have the emotional impact that they should.

This story is sweet, sexy, convincing, and engaging. I loved the characters, the age gap , here Tiago is 47 or 48 with Cas , the contractor being 18 years younger. But as written, the deep connection and great chemistry between them makes any age gap seem insignificant.

Two final notes. Authors often say books like these are or can be read as standalone stories within the series. But I disagree. There’s a personal connection, emotional history that’s being built into the narrative here. Lines of dialogue and friendship that dates years of change between people who will have important relationships with each person even if it’s not the romantic ones. So read them in order, it just makes sense.

A word choice that bothered me. The author used unpractical. That word by any dictionary’s definition should be impractical.

“Trust me, most of the stuff I model is unpractical, and I’d never wear it in private.”

That’s it. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this book and absolutely recommend it for all lovers of contemporary romance. I can’t wait for the next story to be released.

Forestville Silver Foxes:

✓ Renovating the Model #1

◦ Awakening the Sheriff #2 – July 29, 2023

Buy Link:

Renovating the Model (Forestville Silver Foxes Book 1)

Description:

Everyone knows my face. No one knows the real me.

All people see when they look at me is a beautiful man, a supermodel, half of the world’s most famous twins. No one sees the man underneath.

When I return to Forestville, the small town I grew up in, for my high school reunion, I impulsively decide to stay.

I’m now the proud owner of a house, an absolute fixer-upper. Never mind that I have two left hands.

Thank god for Cas, the local contractor, who agrees to help me out. We come from completely different worlds and are almost twenty years apart, yet we somehow connect.

Cas sees me, the real me.

We hook up…

Then become friends…

With benefits (courtesy of a snowstorm)…

And a fake relationship (long story)…

But when fake becomes real and pretending turns into feelings I can’t deny, I’m left wondering if what we have stands a chance.

Renovating the Model is the first book in the new Forestville Silver Foxes series, a contemporary small-town MM romance series featuring hot silver foxes and the men who fall in love with them. Each book can be read as a standalone.

Review: Murder on Milverton Square (The Milverton Mysteries #1) by G. B. Ralph

Rating: 4.5🌈

I love a good cosy mystery! Especially when it brings me a new author and a new series to explore.

Murder on Milverton Square is the first book in The Milverton Mysteries, written by G. B. Ralph. This is Ralph’s first published novel and it’s absolutely marvelous.

Set in New Zealand, it’s primarily focused on a Wellington marketing consultant named Addison Harper. His life is in the doldrums. He’s been dumped. He needs a shake up and he gets it when an unknown uncle dies and leaves him everything.

In a small town called Milverton two hours away from Wellington.

Ralph has written a charming, well plotted mystery with an independent surprisingly optimistic Addison Harper journeying to Milverton to hear about his late uncle’s will and his shocking inheritance.

It wouldn’t be a cosy without the quirky towns’ personalities and remarkable relationships. Ralph has imbued this town with plenty of dramatic moments, gossipy ladies who embrace Addison immediately and enough chaotic town dynamics to fill a tv drama.

Plus a good looking Sergeant Jake Murphy, who seems to like Addison even when he’s the primary suspect.

Yes there’s a murder, several other elements of high suspense. A town and its people to explore and get to know.

And plenty of decisions to make. Or at least ponder. Like if Addison is staying.

The dialogue is quite well done, the characters are beautifully executed, and the place so visually rich in its descriptions that it’s easily seen in the mind.

I loved the cast of characters. They’re what make a cosy so warm-hearted as well as funny. I can’t wait to get to know them all further.

This is a slow burn romance. Honestly, they are taking their time. I expect everyone around will have to get involved at some point.

I’m definitely recommending Murder on Milverton Square (The Milverton Mysteries #1) by G. B. Ralph . Be on the lookout in October for the next in the series.

The Milverton Mysteries:

✓ Murder on Milverton Square #1

◦ Poison at Penshaw Hall #2 – TBR Oct 25,2023

Buy Link:

Murder on Milverton Square (The Milverton Mysteries Book 1)

Description:

Addison Harper is abruptly summoned to Milverton at the behest of an abrasive lawyer. He plans to be in and out, back to the city lickety-split. Instead, he finds himself charmed by the small town with its delightful and eccentric residents, not to mention the rather easy-on-the-eye Sergeant Jake Murphy.

Despite the rocky start, Addison admits he’s had a pleasant day out. That is, until returning to find the prickly old lawyer on the floor, and very much dead. Worse, it looks like murder, and Addison’s fingerprints are all over the crime scene.

Murder on Milverton Square is the first in a wonderful new cosy mystery series set in an enchanting small town nestled amongst stunning New Zealand scenery. The Milverton Mysteries features a chaotic cast of local busybodies, delicious baked treats, a demanding and disdainful ginger cat, a very slow-burn romance with a rather appealing policeman, and of course, murder…

Review: In-Laws Vs Outlaws ( Hitman Vs Hitman Book 5) by Cari Z and L.A. Witt

Rating: 4.75🌈

Say it isn’t so! The final story In authors Cari Z and L.A. WItt series, Hitman Vs Hitman is here. Those two irascible, delicious, utterly murderous, incredibly wealthy couple, August Morrison and Ricardo Torralba, are getting married.

Of course, it’s utter mayhem and madness when you have the large, warm hearted Torralba family hosting the wedding and meeting August’s parents, the patrician and decidedly less enthusiastic billionaire business billionaires for the first time.

Add in a ex wife, ex detective, ex Mafia boss, all friends now, and what could go wrong?

The authors lay in the humorous aspects of this story but also, not surprisingly, give us the doubts, the family dynamics issues, and all the deeply human elements that erupt during such a momentous time. Areas where the men need to examine their own lives and relationships in order to move forward.

I adored this. It showcased exactly why we’ve come to love this couple and continue with their journey book after book.

So, do I believe the authors are really done with them? Hmmm. Let’s just say if the men start speaking loudly after retirement, I won’t be surprised to see another story eventually emerge.

They are truly hard to say goodbye to.

I’m recommending you read the series and then this story. It’s got the best of both men, the heart and the soul. Great way to see them out.

Hitman Vs Hitman series:

✓ Hitman Vs Hitman #1

✓ Sniper vs Spotter #2

✓ Killer vs Kingpin #3

✓ Cop vs Capo #4

✓ In-Laws vs Outlaws #5 – finale. That’s what they said.

Buy Link:

In-Laws vs. Outlaws (Hitman vs Hitman Book 5)

Description:

Really, guys? Seriously?

A fifth book after we said you were getting a standalone?

Oh, and now you want a wedding. Because you’ve made it through four books and—

You know what? Fine. But we’re not going easy on you.

Bet you wish you’d just gone to Vegas don’t you, August and Ricardo?

In-laws vs. Outlaws is the final—so help us, it really is the final—book in the Hitman vs. Hitman series.

Review: Got Me Talking (Vet Shop Boys Book 7) by Casey Cox

Rating: 4.5🌈

Got Me Talking is the penultimate story in Casey Cox’s heartwarming series about a small Virginia town Veterinary Clinic’s doctors search for and finding their HEA.

You can feel the series winding down as the last of the characters find their partners and lasting relationships. Yet Cox’s stories remain strong and compelling, with each person getting a new chapter of their lives to move forward with their biggest dream, a person to love who loves them back.

Jeremy has been a staple in the series as this quiet baker behind the wonderful baked goods at Daley’s Bakery, a place that’s been featured throughout the series. He’s grown as a character but now gets his story and HEA.

One of the major element here is stuttering. Jeremy has suffered in the past because of the rejection and mistreatment he’s endured due to his struggles with speech. Only with Tyler, a former Vet Shop Boy veterinarian and his best friend, and the other vets and partners, does he feel accepted.

The newest hire at the Vet Shop Boys is an older English veterinarian, who’s relocating to the US for personal reasons. Montgomery is in storage, emotionally and almost physically. He’s committed to a rental property and still grieving the loss of his mother, as well as getting over his divorce.

Cox sets up a chance meeting with both men that’s believable, incredibly sexy, and lets us inside each of their minds as something unexpected happens between them.

It also helps us understand the need for communication when the logical moment arrives where they meet again. And the difficulties that arise when it doesn’t happen.

I love the way Cox is able to pull the reader into the world of these characters to the point where we sense their insecurities, their need for shielding themselves from being exposed emotionally. That’s on both sides. Montgomery is also frail, but his quiet, almost frozen demeanor hides the turmoil threatening to come out whereas Jeremy’s fears carry forth with every word he utters.

Their relationship is slow and moving. I wish it was longer. The age gap and health issues had some surprises towards the end.

It’s that ending that’s shows more than anything the series is almost at a close. We’re not in Virginia anymore.

And that’s ok.

One more unhappy vet to get his HEA in Got Me Feeling and then the series is done.

It’s a lovely show. I’m thrilled to see Jeremy get his romance and happy ending. There’s realistic elements but I expect that from the series and author.

It’s why I’m recommending this and the entire series. Well written, wonderful characters and plots of interesting elements, moving scenes, sexy, and warm-hearted. Love it!

Vet Shop Boys series so far:

✓ Got Me Hoping #1

✓ Got Me Wishing #2

✓ Got Me Looking #3

✓ Got Me Thinking #4

✓ Got Me Going #5

✓ Got Me Merry #6

✓ Got Me Talking #7

◦ Got Me Feeling #8 – finale Oct 23,2023

Buy Link:

Got Me Talking (Vet Shop Boys Book 7)

Description:

What do you call a herd of rhinos? A crash. That about sums up my life, too.

Having spent the last three years caring for my dying mother, I need a new leash on life. So I say goodbye to the UK and take a job opening at a small-town vet clinic in the US.

Via a layover in New York. Where I get, ahem, laid over.

With a man.

Not something I’ve ever done in my forty-three years.

Not something I intend on repeating.

Which won’t be a problem since I’ll never see the guy again… Until I step into the local bakery.

There’s no way anything can happen between Jeremy and me. I’m lost, grieving, and, oh yeah, straight. He also happens to be fifteen years younger than me. So what is it about the sexy baker that’s suddenly got me talking?

Got Me Talking is book 7 in the Vet Shop Boys series and can be read as a stand-alone. Expect a silver fox British vet having a bi awakening, an adorable baker with a stutter, age gap, plenty of humor, found family, and a heartwarming happily ever after!

Review: Got Me Talking (Vet Shop Boys Book 7) by Casey Cox

Rating: 4.5🌈

Got Me Talking is the penultimate story in Casey Cox’s heartwarming series about a small Virginia town Veterinary Clinic’s doctors search for and finding their HEA.

You can feel the series winding down as the last of the characters find their partners and lasting relationships. Yet Cox’s stories remain strong and compelling, with each person getting a new chapter of their lives to move forward with their biggest dream, a person to love who loves them back.

Jeremy has been a staple in the series as this quiet baker behind the wonderful baked goods at Daley’s Bakery, a place that’s been featured throughout the series. He’s grown as a character but now gets his story and HEA.

One of the major element here is stuttering. Jeremy has suffered in the past because of the rejection and mistreatment he’s endured due to his struggles with speech. Only with Tyler, a former Vet Shop Boy veterinarian and his best friend, and the other vets and partners, does he feel accepted.

The newest hire at the Vet Shop Boys is an older English veterinarian, who’s relocating to the US for personal reasons. Montgomery is in storage, emotionally and almost physically. He’s committed to a rental property and still grieving the loss of his mother, as well as getting over his divorce.

Cox sets up a chance meeting with both men that’s believable, incredibly sexy, and lets us inside each of their minds as something unexpected happens between them.

It also helps us understand the need for communication when the logical moment arrives where they meet again. And the difficulties that arise when it doesn’t happen.

I love the way Cox is able to pull the reader into the world of these characters to the point where we sense their insecurities, their need for shielding themselves from being exposed emotionally. That’s on both sides. Montgomery is also frail, but his quiet, almost frozen demeanor hides the turmoil threatening to come out whereas Jeremy’s fears carry forth with every word he utters.

Their relationship is slow and moving. I wish it was longer. The age gap and health issues had some surprises towards the end.

It’s that ending that’s shows more than anything the series is almost at a close. We’re not in Virginia anymore.

And that’s ok.

One more unhappy vet to get his HEA in Got Me Feeling and then the series is done.

It’s a lovely show. I’m thrilled to see Jeremy get his romance and happy ending. There’s realistic elements but I expect that from the series and author.

It’s why I’m recommending this and the entire series. Well written, wonderful characters and plots of interesting elements, moving scenes, sexy, and warm-hearted. Love it!

Vet Shop Boys series so far:

✓ Got Me Hoping #1

✓ Got Me Wishing #2

✓ Got Me Looking #3

✓ Got Me Thinking #4

✓ Got Me Going #5

✓ Got Me Merry #6

✓ Got Me Talking #7

◦ Got Me Feeling #8 – finale Oct 23,2023

Buy Link:

Got Me Talking (Vet Shop Boys Book 7)

Description:

What do you call a herd of rhinos? A crash. That about sums up my life, too.

Having spent the last three years caring for my dying mother, I need a new leash on life. So I say goodbye to the UK and take a job opening at a small-town vet clinic in the US.

Via a layover in New York. Where I get, ahem, laid over.

With a man.

Not something I’ve ever done in my forty-three years.

Not something I intend on repeating.

Which won’t be a problem since I’ll never see the guy again… Until I step into the local bakery.

There’s no way anything can happen between Jeremy and me. I’m lost, grieving, and, oh yeah, straight. He also happens to be fifteen years younger than me. So what is it about the sexy baker that’s suddenly got me talking?

Got Me Talking is book 7 in the Vet Shop Boys series and can be read as a stand-alone. Expect a silver fox British vet having a bi awakening, an adorable baker with a stutter, age gap, plenty of humor, found family, and a heartwarming happily ever after!

Review: Leave No Trace (The Elite book 2) by Sammi Cee and Michelle Frost

Rating: 4🌈

Another in the multi-author thriller series, The Elite, I found Leave No Trace to absolutely be a fun, sexy murderous romp of a novella.

A young cute man, who dearly needs someone to take care of him ISO assassin. Killer Daddy pls apply!

Well actually he goes on the hunt for the killer to hire him and finds a Daddy to love. The Daddy finds a boy with an obsession to do good. What could go wrong?

This story is way too short for these wonderful characters and great premise. It’s needs more exposition and maybe a sequel. I’m up for both.

It’s a definite recommend!

The Elite Multi-Author series (9 Books):

✓ Reckless Roulette by Alice Winters

◦ Leave No Trace by Michelle Frost and Sammi Cee

◦ Ace of Maids by K.L. Hiers

◦ Poison Hearts by Jennifer Cody

◦ Liar’s Gambit by Kelly Fox

◦ Dealer of Secrets by Davidson King

◦ Bullets & Butterflies by Maz Maddox

◦ Love for the Reaper by Charlie Cochet

◦ Chance Encounter by Luna David

Buy Link:

Leave No Trace (The Elite Book 2)

Description:

A hitman with a reputation. A boy with a past.

Trace took a job at The Anonymous—the most exclusive club in the city—for a very specific reason. Only now that he’s there, he’s not sure how to get what he needs. He sure didn’t expect a killer Daddy to help him figure it out.

Kol always closes his contracts, and he never leaves loose ends. The powerful families of the city pay him to clean up their messes and keep their secrets—an arrangement that only works because he gives his allegiance to no one. Being a lone wolf has kept him alive, but even lone wolves get hungry.

A simple contract and one wrong turn bring Trace and Kol crashing together with a twist neither of them saw coming.

Leave No Trace is a novella in the multi-author series The Elite. Each book can be read as a standalone and in any order. What links these books together is The Anonymous, a club beneath the gritty city where only the elite are welcome.

Review: Stealth (Operation Justice Force Book 5) by Reese Knightley

Rating: 4.25🌈

These books pick up pretty much where the events in the preceding stories left off. So if you’re looking to understand the characters, the relationships, even the agency itself, then you’ll need a prior history and knowledge coming into Stealth. Because, honestly, I couldn’t remember who was who and from where at times here. Too many overlapping series and books and too much time in between reading them.

That said, these two characters are among my favorites here. They have just started a relationship, and despite the difficulties of their circumstances, their chemistry is still outstanding, and they are in sync with each other in every way.

Knightley really brings us into their relationship and unique dynamic, the intrigue, the missions, and now with Seven, his tragic family situation and history. The author has a twofold plot ongoing. One that involves Seven looking into the murder of his younger sister and the disastrous home life his brother is forced into with his father. And an internal conspiracy that will involve multiple agencies and countless characters from crossover series.

Both are so complex and intriguing that I kept wishing for more narrative time spent on each element. But probably would have doubled the size of the book. Still I felt that with such complicated storylines also comes the expectations that an equally layered exposition would follow each thread to its conclusion. Instead I’m left with questions about each plot line and wondering if we’re going to get the answers in future books.

From the epilogue, it seems not. At least on Seven’s personal side.

I really wavered over the rating. I loved the main characters. They and their relationship is so well written. They balance each other out. However, weak points like Theo (very annoying, a one note character given too much page time), the suddenly appearing villain on Seven’s element, works against the good aspects of the story.

Overall, a hugely entertaining, and often enjoyable story, another in a terrific series.

If you have issues with overlapping characters, a multitude of characters, crossed paths with other series, then this might not be the best thing for you.

However, if you’re a fan of the author, her related series, and this series already, then it’s one I recommend. I love this couple and it’s great to see them get a HFN!

Operation Justice Force :

✓ Lethal #1

✓ Rough #2

✓ Honor #3

✓ Rebel #4

✓ Stealth #5

Buy Link:

Stealth (Operation Justice Force Book 5)

Description:

Hunter –

Seven is hot as hell, possessive, and dangerous—his perfect match. Except Seven is not into long-term commitments. So, when the man is still in his bed one morning, Hunter thought they’d have a couple of perfect days together. Hunter wants to share about his past. Then again, maybe he shouldn’t say a word since his secrets could get both of them killed.

When Hunter’s past rears its ugly head, he is out of time.

Seven –

Hunter is sexy, lethal, and irresistible. Seven can’t decide which trait is more appealing. There’s something else, though—something dangerous simmers beneath Hunter’s surface that intrigued him and has brought him back for more. Seven can’t stay… he won’t commit until he finds his sister’s killer. He needs to take care of that before he can make promises. Best-laid plans don’t always work out and staking his claim can’t wait when assassins come gunning for Hunter. Seven will need to pull out every trick from his arsenal to stop them.

Because nobody is going to take Hunter from him.

-Shadows emerge from the darkness and hitmen suddenly have faces, and Seven is thrust into a world he knows nothing about. What the hell is going on…

Related Series:

Cobalt Security2 booksReese Knightley

Out for Justice7 booksReese Knightley

Code Of Honor8 booksReese Knightley

Review: No Friends At Abergwyn (Tudor and Stewart Cosy Mystery Book 2) by Ripley Hayes

Rating: 4.5🌈

No Friends At Abergwyn is the second story in the Tudor and Stewart Cosy Mystery trilogy and it’s even better than the first.

Ripley Hayes dives into the background of the magical baker who lives in a field, Lorne Stewart. Peter Tudor, the nurse who’d left his A&E job in the city to come home to care for his disabled mother, has found himself at odds with his life in Abergwyn. While he’s fond of his hometown, his mother has ample support, a boyfriend, and no real need for him. And his skills aren’t being used in his current job. Only in his new relationship with Lorne can he be said to be happy. With questions.

Does Peter believe in magic?

Hayes builds a story strong on mysteries, full of questions both personal and those that involve the mystical. All threaded so neatly together that it feels completely natural.

With the ancient oaks, the sea, Enzo the horse and Charlie the dog, both of which seem perfectly capable of communicating with the humans they adore, and magic that makes itself a real presence. These are storylines that pull the reader in , through murders, through personal experiences, drama and joy!

The characters are sympathetic, easy to empathize with, interesting and layered.

The third book should be the most interesting in that it’s removed from Abergwyn. That was a character all it’s own.

Now onto the last one of the trilogy.

I’m highly recommending this and the one prior. Great characters and elements. I love a terrific cosy. Here you have two!

Loving those covers!

Note: don’t miss out on the recipes at the end!

Tudor and Stewart Cosy Mystery series:

✓ No Accident at Abergwyn #1

✓ No Friends at Abergwyn #2

◦ Murder Without Magic #

Buy Link:

No Friends at Abergwyn: Tudor and Stewart Cosy Mystery 2 (Tudor and Stewart Abergwyn Mysteries)

Description:

Lorne’s past has caught up with him in the shape of a mini-convoy of camper vans, and a mysterious book of his mother’s recipes. Which turns out to be magic. Of course it does.

Peter knows there is no such thing as magic, but he’s falling hard for Lorne and trying to keep an open mind.It’s harder to be open-minded abut the camper van people, who just sit around drinking tea and eating Lorne’s cakes. Then one of them turns up dead, and Lorne is arrested for the killing — by Peter’s schoolboy-crush-turned-policeman.

With his mother and Dave-next-door all loved-up, his old job calling him back, and tarot cards at every turn, the last thing Peter needs is a murder to investigate. But that’s life: what happens when you’d planned something else.

No Friends at Abergwyn is the second book in the Tudor and Stewart gay cozy mystery series from bestselling author Ripley Hayes.