Tag: LGBTQIA Contemporary Romance

Review: Westin’s Prince (Shadow Elite #4) by Jocelynn Drake

Rating: 4.5🌈

Westin’s Prince is the finale for Jocelynn Drake’s marvelous Shadow Elite series . It’s fitting it goes out on the story for Westin St James , the former marine, former CIA, now member of the mercenary Shadow Elite Unit. West’s been the one quietly in the background, the deadly sniper who can be counted on to have the team’s backs every dangerous moment of their outings. He’s a damaged man, and he’s been a mystery until now.

Who knew West could turn into such a favorite for me? A weird assassin contract that’s rejected by Justin and Gabriel is turned over to West by their joint handler because the target and terms are just too “off”. Something’s obviously wrong and the situation needs to be at least researched.

Drake creates a island kingdom that’s a supposedly combination of Chinese culture with Japanese influences. Honestly other than a mention that the language was a combination of Mandarin and Japanese languages there was little indication of anything Japanese to reference.

The other major characters are , and quite frankly, very engaging ones too:

🔷Jin Long Wei, Dianxia or Your Royal Highness , the target of the heart of the contract

🔷Prince Jin Ming Tao, younger brother to the heir.

🔷Qin, all around PA, to Long Wei

West lands into a kingdom who’s in love with its royal family, The Jins. Drake lays a good foundation for this, allowing the reader to see the people’s reactions to their Prince and interact with him as West and Long Wei themselves meet, discuss, and discover a deeper connection between them.

The island, it’s peace, and it’s Prince represents a powerful hope for West , if only that pesky contract is eliminated first.

The conflict is convincingly escalated, all the great team members and their new partners/husbands appear to help save the Kingdom, the Emperor, and the newly formed couple. Even the retired killer uncles are there, to back up West.

As it’s the last, there is betrayals, bloodshed, high suspense, and lots of action to take place along side the romance and relationship drama of acceptance and anxiety over the question of time.

The author’s able to work some of the readers own doubts about their relationship into the discussion process this way and it smoothly turns us into supporters of their romance and this book’s main theme.

The oddity for me remained that “forced melding” Asian influences when actually there were none. It was a mention and then used later in the story as a reference for the lack of aggressive behaviors in the island because as a nation long overrun by wars, only by cooperation can they succeed. So that’s all they do.

Nice thought for the faux Gaoxing, placed between China ,Japan, and Russia. But as I said I found little cultural aspects here other than Chinese seem to be represented.

The Chinese elements are:

🔷Chinese names for the characters, including grandfather, dad, etc.

🔷mah-jongg playing aunties

🔷The historically accurate headwear and manner in which the royal family should have their hair worn:

◦ Xiaoguan-(small guan) headwear worn around the topknot, typically held in place with a hairpin to help stabilize the topknot”

◦ Touji-topknot

🔷The mythology included, which is definitely Chinese (kitsune is Japanese):

“The huli jing is just a fox spirit, but after a thousand years of cultivation, it can become a juiwei hu. A nine-tailed fox, which is what the statue is in the old square.”

The Chinese elements gave Gaoxing a realistic impression and firm vision for its people. The idea of a mixture was immediately lost.

So I throughly enjoyed the romance, the plot, seeing the entire team form up against a common enemy to save one of its own, and finally a rewarding ending for them all.

There’s a free second epilogue that shouldn’t be missed showing the happy family six years down the road. It’s a heartwarming read and makes this even better.

So really, loved everything but had questions about the world building of Gaoxing.

Definitely recommending it, especially if you’re a fan of the series and author.

Don’t come at this cold. Read the series first in the order that they were written.

Shadow Elite series:

✓ Stephen’s Translator #0.5

✓ Charlie’s Doctor #1

✓ Kairo’s Billionaire #2

✓ Edison’s Professor #3

✓ Westin’s Prince #4 – finale

Buy Link:

Westin’s Prince (Shadow Elite Book 4)

Description:

The contract on the prince’s head was only the beginning…

This was supposed to be a quick job.

Pop in. Check out the prince. Alert his security that someone wanted him dead.

Easy.

But a chance meeting in a tea shop left West unable to walk away.

Crown Prince Jin was far too sweet and trusting to be left unattended.

(Not to mention devastatingly handsome and mind-blowingly sexy.)

However, Prince Jin has a dark secret that leads to even bigger problems. West is going to need the entire team for this one…and maybe even those crazy assassins.

Oh God, and a makeover as he goes undercover in the elite world of royalty.

Westin’s Prince is the fourth and final full-length novel in the Shadow Elite series and features mercenaries, assassins, royalty, a sassy assistant, conspiracies, danger, insta-swoon, yet another cinnamon roll, a fish out of water who will do anything for his prince, a “fake” boyfriend but nobody believes them, and love on the run in Asia.

Review: Adverse Conditions (Reclaimed Hearts Book 1) by Elle Keaton

Rating: 3.5🌈

Adverse Conditions is the first in a new small town mystery romance series by Elle Keaton, a story that’s stacked with elements. There’s a enemies to lovers trope, returning small town son, multiple murder mysteries, heartwarming family with it’s own complicated backstory, bi-coming out, single dad, rescue dogs, conniving ex , and that’s not all.

The small town of Cooper Springs is a focal point too. From the beach to the forests to the bar where all the town hangs out, the preservation of Cooper Springs and how best to save it is front and center. It probably will be a major theme for all the novels.

But as Keaton’s packed such a huge amount of elements into this first book, it’s no surprise that some feel less polished/finished than others.

The need to lay the foundation for the series is obvious, get the background down. Cooper Springs is beautifully rendered. You can see the small town as it was. And as it is now. The ramshackle resort absolutely in need of renovation that a new owner could supply and the revenue it could bring in that the town is counting on, along with the beautiful location. Also the long term familiarity of Cooper Springs’ citizenry feels believable, whether they are on good terms or bad.

Next up, the romance. Vincent Barone is a single dad to daughter Romy, herself a delightful character. He’s holding down two jobs, he’s a shop teacher at the High School, and a part time Real-Estate Appraiser, which brings him clashing back into his old high school nemesis, Xavier, recently returned to town, as a real estate agent. Vincent is a terrific character, stressed out by bills, his jobs, life, and wanting to be the best dad to a great kid. He’s relatable in all his irritable moments.

Xavier could use some more of that depth. It helps base him when we meet Xavier’s mother and brother Max. But Vincent still feels grounded in a way Xavier doesn’t. They have a old sexual tension that’s dealt with a little too quickly but the relationship is a emotional, thoughtful one.

There’s a ex here (Xavier’s) that appears and disappears for no reason to be annoying unless he’s going to be a part of a storyline further down the series. Now he’s a dropped element, one of several that aren’t fully developed for reasons other than perhaps they are part of a larger arc theme. They include the murders, missing wives, and why anyone would want an aggressive antisocial man with known anti development views to be a long term rental resident of a property up for sale. That last sounds more like a author’s needing a dramatic narrative item than something realistic.

Let’s see.

“We need to sell this property. Let’s have an aggressive nutcase with a baseball bat live there and challenge everyone who wants to sell it with threats and promises of bodily harm.”

Um no. And no one does anything about it.

Plus there’s the fact that a person that’s been missing for a while (dead) and no one has been able to find can be found easily.

So I find elements like this problematic.

I realize that murder plots and mysteries here seem to be intended to play out over the series but either we need more mystery or more substance or subtly or something.

The ending comes abruptly, moving Vincent and Xavier’s relationship forward that we miss out on the growth moments. The parts that bring all three, four counting the dog, together as a family.

So while I feel that the story has some wonderfully interesting elements, really promising moments between all parties , and a couple and family I enjoyed, I’m not sure it all came cohesively together in one first book of a series.

The next book is a different couple altogether. Which is odd when this one didn’t feel complete.

I’ll continue on to see how it all flows into the next episode. And what the author intends for the mysteries.

If you’re a fan of Elle Keaton, and contemporary mystery romance, I’m sure that you have already put this on your TBR list. For the rest, it’s a entertaining read.

Reclaimed Hearts:

✓ Adverse Conditions #1

◦ Below Grade #2 – May 25,2023

Buy Link:

Adverse Conditions: Small Town Silver Fox Gay Romance (Reclaimed Hearts Book 1)

Description:

The town is worth saving, as long as conspiracy theorists, serial killers, and Vincent Barone all stay out of Xavier’s way.

Xavier swore he’d never move back to the flyspeck of a town he’d grown up in and he kept that promise for over twenty years. Now he’s back for good.

Vincent never left. After earning his teaching certificate, he stayed in town to be close to his elderly parents. These days he’s the single dad of a fifteen-year-old daughter and working two jobs to make ends meet. He’s perfectly happy with his life.

Xavier’s mission is to save Cooper Springs. But his efforts are being hindered by his stodgy, straight-laced, rule-following neighbor, Vincent Barone. Dark-eyed, broad-shouldered, and muscly Vincent, who Xav stealthily ogles when he toils in his yard sans shirt. For a high school shop teacher, Vincent is too sexy. And he has a kid. And he infuriates Xavier. And anyway, love is for suckers.

Vincent doesn’t have time to date. And he certainly wouldn’t date his flashy, arrogant, neighbor who he absolutely did not have a crush on in high school. Who did Xavier think he was, moving back to town and throwing his weight around, causing butterflies in Vincent’s stomach, and making his stupid heart beat faster every time he saw him?

Cooper Springs has changed since they were kids, and maybe two guys can move from hate to love. But are they ready? Will Vincent bend a few of his rules? Will Xavier reign in his chaotic tendencies? Is love in the air?

Then there’s the matter of the grisly discovery in the woods, murder is bad for business.

Welcome to Cooper Springs, home to UFO chasers, Sasquatch believers, conspiracy theorists, chainsaw artists, and regular folk just trying to make a living. And, quite possibly, a killer.

Adverse Conditions is the first in the Reclaimed Hearts series, set in the wilds of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, it is an opposites-attract, older lovers, silver fox, enemies to lovers, small-town romance, with a little murder. HEA guaranteed.

Review: Hudson’s Luck (a Forever Wilde novel) by Lucy Lennox

Rating: 4🌈

I didn’t realize until later that this was a part of a much larger universe, with a preceding series (Made Marian) and connected family history to accompany it.

Lennox does give the reader a family tree with all the information and couple names at the beginning of each story to help sort out the “who’s this “ relations but sometimes it’s easier to just go through the whole story with a easy ignorance. Then if you want to learn more, chase down the other books.

All that said, Hudson’s Luck is my first book in this universe. I liked the description and the Irish setting sealed it.

Lennox does a wonderful job with her characters and setting. From the moment we met Hudson Wilde, a financial analyst for the beer business , on a plane to Ireland, we soon get a intimate glimpse into a man who has accidentally overturned his calm life. And will soon be thrust into a unknown one.

Hudson is a very well conceptualized character. From the oldest in a large family, highly responsible, the one that the younger ones could count on, Lennox brings us a man who’s life needs a lot of work and growth. And then proceeds to slowly give him the new experiences and one man who can make him change.

That’s Charlie Murray. A Irish publican, gorgeous with a bad dating history. And a uncle who’s endangered the family’s business. The entire storyline that’s set in Ireland is wonderful, sexy, funny and not nearly long enough.

But Lennox needs to switch locations again back to Hobie, Texas and Hudson’s family’s ranch. That’s where the entire Wilde family resides and the remainder of the story takes place. The Wilde siblings, Grampa and Gramps, exes, even dogs come looping into the story.

The family elements are heartwarming and believable. I felt at home with the grandparents and their dogs, and chaos on the ranch. It’s welcoming and real.

The same for the sheepdog aspect, trials , Charlie and his dog, Mama.

The romance between Charlie and Hudson? That was a bit more frustrating. Hudson though he was straight until Charlie when it became obvious he wasn’t. But the denial at home and the pain he inflicted didn’t seem true after a while. At first yes, the conflict to acknowledge something new or true and then tell family? Yes, that’s takes time and effort. But his family is primarily LGBTGIA, and the choices he made contributed greatly to hurting the people he loved.

So it felt more a narrative choice than an emotionally driven one.

The ending was a wonderful one and I think the couple, dogs and all, were off on a HEA.

I’m recommending it. And I’ll check out others in the series to see what the other siblings are doing.

Forever Wilde series:

◦ Facing West #1

◦ Felix and the Prince #2

◦ Wilde Fire #3

✓ Hudson’s Luck #4

◦ His Saint #5

◦ Wilde Love #6

◦ King Me #7

◦ NautiCal #8

◦ Forever Wilde in Aster Valley #9

Buy Link:

Hudson’s Luck: A Forever Wilde Novel

Description:

Hudson:

Don’t ever accidentally propose to your girlfriend. In front of her family. Especially if her dad is your boss. Because when you make it clear you’ve made a mistake, he’s likely to send you out of the country to get you as far away from his broken-hearted daughter as possible. It happened to me. Now I’m stuck in Ireland trying to redeem myself so I can get promoted and have the life I’ve planned for: successful career, loving wife and kids, a comfortable, financially-secure home life in Texas.

But all of that seems to evaporate the moment I walk into the historic pub and see the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Only, he’s not a woman.

Charlie Murray is most definitely a man—the kind of man who causes me to take a second look for the first time in my life. And a third look, and fourth. I can’t help but want to get to know him better… to get close to him, touch him, maybe even kiss him. But I’m straight. Or so I’ve always thought. Even if I’m not, how in the world could a feisty Irishman ever fit into the safe, predictable life I’ve always planned for?

Charlie:

Don’t ever accidentally fall for the straight guy. Especially when he’s trying to pry your family’s business right out from under you. I should know. Because when Hudson Wilde walks into my family’s pub and begins babbling so adorably, I can’t help but fall just a little bit in love. But I’m looking for Forever Man, and the sexy American is certainly not him. He’s so confused about what he wants, even choosing something from the dinner menu throws him into a fuddle. But those eyes… how can I resist?

So maybe I’ll give in. One steamy night before he heads home and I go back to life at the pub. We’ll never see each other again.

Until, of course, his business deal sends me to Hobie, Texas, right into the middle of Hudson’s steady life, more gay Wildes than can fit on a dance floor, and an ex-girlfriend who may or may not be content remaining an ex. But the more time I spend with Hudson, the more I think he might be my Forever Man after all. And I may be his. Is it possible we could both be so lucky?

Hudson’s Luck is the fourth book in the Forever Wilde series but can be read on its own. Beware it includes 93k words of delicious man parts touching, grandfathers meddling, neighbors nosy-ing, dogs fornicating, cats being cats, horses… ah, crunching apples? or something… and one very flirty Stevie.

Review: The Financier and the Sweetheart (Campo Royale #4) by V.L. Locey

Rating: 5🌈

It’s going to break my heart to say goodbye to the Campo Royale series. It’s turned out to be a moving and entertaining series based around a Wilmington, Delaware hard working drag establishment. We’ve had all types of Queens and romances, from tiny Gigi and her NHL player to aging drag Queen Mother Sitka Patel and young Yampier.

Now at the penultimate story, we have Clarice Patel Coco, manager and performer at the Campo Royale. At the end of the last novel, a long lost and bitterly regretted love had resurfaced from Clarice’s past.

Nathan Abrams met young Leroy Marx on a college summer trip in France. It was incredibly beautiful and intense time when the young men fell deeply in love. But Nathan left, tragedy struck at home and Leroy returned to deal with it.

Locey gives us the innocence of Paris, the brutality of its loss and its significance to make Leroy’s current bitterness and solid stance against Nathan seem rational instead of extreme. When paired with their current monetary circumstances, Leroy scrambling to pay off the debts versus Nathan being wealthy to the point of private planes, the past seems a bigger barrier to overcome.

The realness and depth of energy that Locey has brought to the Campo Royale in every aspect makes it such a compelling stage for the series and romances. With Mother Sitka reigning over the chaos, the Queens backstage fondly quarreling and delivering shade with lines worthy of the best of RuPaul’s Untucked , this is a place you believe in. And love.

So it’s tough that most of the story is necessarily removed from here. It’s as though the author is preparing us to say goodbye .

Leroy, Nathan, and Leroy’s ebullient young sister, Laila (a great character), go on a journey of forgiveness, discovery, and love is so well done. I was deeply impressed with the details of pageantry, the city trips, the raw emotion, and how emotionally committed I was to the project and outcome.

Locey’s story has so many elements and all are fully explored and made real to the extent the reader will believe we’ve traveled around with the people, engaging in conversations, sharing experiences, and growing up with the newly created family.

Honestly, The Financier and the Sweetheart is my favorite of the series. It’s a deeply felt story and beautifully written journey about second chances and personal growth.

Then the letting go and moving forward to a new chapter in life.

There’s one last book to come . That will be a sorrowful read. Until then, I’m highly recommending The Financier and the Sweetheart (Campo Royale #4) by V.L. Locey, a beautiful way to start our goodbyes.

Campo Royale series:

✓ The Viking and the Drag Queen #1

✓ The Batchelor and The Cherry #2

✓ The Barkeep and The Bookseller #3

✓ The Financier and the Sweetheart #4

◦ The Chanteuse and the Bodyguard #5 – TBD release

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Financie…The Financier and the Sweetheart (Campo Royale #4) – Kindle edition by Locey, V.L.. …

Description:

Will the love they once shared reignite or will this goodbye truly be the last?

Leroy Marx has been performing as Clarice Patel Coco for years. Ever since that fateful summer when he was a young and foolish man touring Europe before heading to a religious college in the Deep South. That trip proved to be a time of great joy as well as crushing sorrow. He found love on that grand tour in the arms of an arrogant, beautiful young man who was sowing his wild oats amid the lavender fields of France. That great passion was not to last for many reasons, one being the untimely death of Leroy’s parents in a car crash. The same crash that put his twin sister in a wheelchair for life. Leaving that young lover behind, he divided his time between his job and caring for his sibling. Leroy never dreamed that he’d be face-to-face with the man who had won, then trampled his heart all those years ago. The years have been incredibly kind to Nate Abrams but no matter how sweet that voice or how alluring those eyes are, Leroy is not about to offer up his heart again.

Nathan Abrams has it all, or so people say. Nate himself would say that as well and has numerous times. He’s a proud and out gay man who has an uncanny knack for knowing when to buy and when to sell. Anything. Stocks, houses, artwork, bonds. Nate has a keen sense of when to walk and when to hold tight. The only time he’d ever been wrong about his instincts was that glorious summer when he’d been eighteen and had met a reserved sweetheart of a man named Leroy Marx. He’d fallen hard for Leroy, the wild and impetuous headiness of first love overwhelming him. To the point that he’d feared the deep emotions ablaze in his chest. He’d run from that romance and into the arms of countless lovers, but he’d never been able to purge the tender memories of that love from his heart. Now here he was fifteen years older, and it seems none the wiser because he cannot seem to win back the man who has haunted his dreams no matter what he tries. He’s at his wit’s end but is too stubborn to give up and lose Leroy for a second time. Nate is ready to do whatever it takes to fix the biggest mistake of his life if he could just figure out what exactly he has to do and how to go about doing it…

The Financier and the Sweetheart is a second chance romance with a rich banker, a proud and independent queen, a past that both prayed would never be seen or heard from again, go-go boots, world travel, loving sisters, bell bottom love, and a glitteringly gorgeous happy ending.

Review: Givers (Upper Echelons Book One) by Casey Cox

Rating: 3.5🌈

Casey Cox is diving further into the billionaire romance trope with the first in Cox’s new Upper Eschelons series, Givers.

I’m a fan of this author from the Vet Shop Boys and thought I’d see what sort of perspective they’d bring to this popular contemporary romance trope.

There’s some good elements here with respect to the characters and their personalities that made for some interesting moments. I also enjoyed the You’ve Got Mail approach the author took with the dating app, something Cox admits to. It’s a charming ploy , and works here as well as it does on screen.

However, my thoughts after finishing the story is that every element, each neat aspect of the narrative I thought special or outside the usual plot line never got the attention of detail or was carried to its fullest potential that the author was capable of achieving.

Robbie Small (he’s also short in stature) is involved in the Wellness business (his company) , working out, and extremely conscious about diet. It relates back to a painful family history and his mother. This is an important part of his life and personality. It’s made him what he is today. Yet once it’s out in the story, it’s over. And this topic disappears completely.

This is a trend within the narrative. A storyline or aspect of one that may strike a reader as a compelling element is only partially put into use, and then discarded.

When both Dunlop and Robbie Small are matched up by the dating service we get an enjoyable, engaging conversation that adds to the anticipation for these men to share more of themselves and gain a deeper understanding. But that doesn’t happen. Spoiler alert. This element is stopped short.

The book actually contains a scene where Dunlop and Robbie go to meet a couple from another book (Heart Unbroken). It makes no sense if you haven’t read that story. And really, except for the author’s own need to include it so a brother can be yelled at twice, it’s hard to understand why it’s included here. The argument that the company and brother are “cold hearted” has been made satisfactorily.

It’s choices like that, extra page time that makes the book dense, less interesting, less focused on the characters and central themes of this story.

Dunlop wasn’t a character I was immediately drawn to. It took time to find any type of connection with him, unlike Robbie Smalls who was engaging and likable from the start.

The billionaire trope is , imo, a type of contemporary romance that’s harder to find a realistic connection with , so the author has to look deeper into the characters themselves for elements for readers to understand and be drawn to. I’m not sure Cox was able to find those elements and make us or at least me, care about the billionaires here. That’s a hard sell any day, but more so now.

So it’s a good romance. If you’re a fan of Cox or this trope, give it a try. Otherwise, check out the Vet Shop Boys! There’s a series I can recommend.

Upper Eschelons:

✓ Givers #1

◦ Takers #2 – Aug 7, 2023

Buy link:

Givers: MM Billionaire Romance (Upper Echelons Book 1)

Description:

I’m so bad at love, I’ve resorted to outsourcing it.

ALGRL is a next-level, algorithmic-based online dating service with a 97% guaranteed success rate! With odds like that, even I can’t mess it up. Right?

One thing I’m sure of—Dunlop Palmer is not the Mr. Forever I’m looking for.

He’s a billionaire alpha playboy. Filthy rich, criminally attractive, and 100% not settle-down material.

He irritates me from the moment we meet. He gets under my skin once we start working together. And he totally catches me off guard when I start catching glimpses of the real him.

Turns out, my first impressions of him were way off-base. There’s a lot more to Dunlop than meets the eye. And see? This is why I can’t be trusted when it comes to men.

I should be focused on the perfect guy I’ve been matched with online—hello, 97% success rate—and not the walking, talking, sex god of a disaster that is Dunlop.

Am I about to make another huge mistake?…

GIVERS is an opposites-attract billionaire MM romance with You’ve Got Mail rom-com vibes. It features an alpha billionaire who’s guarding his heart, online dating, a ginormous size difference, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

Review: Revenge is Sweet by Felice Stevens

Rating: 2.75🌈

It’s not a good thing when you finish a book and instead of feeling happy, you’re dissatisfied, and slightly ill at the outcome. That how it was at Revenge is Sweet by Felice Stevens .

I hadn’t read anything by her in a while so her style of writing didn’t immediately come to mind. But my issues with this story are plentiful.

The plot is already one that has numerous toxic elements to make one wonder. It’s a revenge plot that’s even worse the deeper into the storyline you go.

The MC, Lyon Elliot, finds out on his wedding day that he’s been left at the altar, as his bride (and new business partner) has eloped with his best friend and best man, Dan, making the betrayal even more devastating .

Immediately he decides to hurt his formerly best friend by dating Dan’s younger vulnerable brother , Miles. Miles, who has a crush on Lyon, would be a easy target. Lyon would get Miles involved with him emotionally, then cruelly dump him to hurt Dan. That “Miles the Mouse” would be collateral damage isn’t much of a concern here.

Stevens then has to work to demonstrate that cold, withdrawn Lyon isn’t the toxic character she’s portraying him to be by backtracking on that scenario a bit and making it a joint venture by Lyon and Miles when the author brings both Dan, the best friend/brother and Lyndsey , the newly married wife/ex fiancée firmly into view.

This couple shines with self absorption, a lack of understanding how their actions affects others, and a inability to care if they did. Toxic and narcissistic, and in Dan’s case, controlling and a bit stupid. And we spend too much time with them here listening to their specious opinions and arguments as to why no one should be upset or continue to be angry over the way they’ve handled the situation. It’s chapters of these individuals.

Honestly, I have no patience for people like this in real life and less in my books. Not impressed with Stevens creation of Lyon either.

For Stevens to have her main characters either choose to give in to the behaviors of those personalities or constantly not deal with them in an adult manner is highly frustrating to read. Grown people physically fighting, not being able to choose between the other methods we know just because it’s adding to the drama doesn’t make this a emotionally satisfying story for me.

Miles traumatic back history and awful dating life that lead to his overbearing brother’s control is understandable. So is Lyon’s history of loss and parental neglect and abandonment. But what they do with that throughout their storylines varies from something that feels adult and thoughtful to a wildly one dimensional approach.

In the end, after Miles has decided to choose himself and a future he wants with Lyon over a controlling brother with jealousy issues and a self-involved wife, Lyon makes a decision to get Dan reinstated into Miles life without asking.

It’s negates all the hard work Miles did , and frankly, Dan feels insincere in the scenes that follow. It’s as though he’s giving mouth service to everything Lyon wants. The ending didn’t ring true.

I was left feeling uncomfortable with the conclusion, the storylines came across as unbelievable and ill suited to the characters as framed out by the author.

I liked Uncle Harry though. He was my favorite of the group.

So read it if you’re a fan of Felice Stevens or a collector of the fake boyfriend trope . But for the rest, I’ll not be leaving you any further recommendations.

https://www.amazon.com › Reveng…Revenge is Sweet: A Fake-Dating, MM Romance

Descriptions:

Falling in Love is the Sweetest Revenge
What do you do when your best friend runs off with your fiancée on your wedding day?
If you’re me, Lyon Elliot, you don’t get mad.
You get even.
Which means seducing my ex–best friend’s younger brother, Miles Halloran.
The quiet one.
The man I’ve known all my life but never paid attention to.
The one I was told to stay away from because he’s way too nice for someone like me. Maybe they’re right.
But see, this is where it gets a little more complicated.
Because the more time I spend with Miles, the more I like him.
Want him.
Now I need him and his sweet smiles in my life.
If this is still a game I’m playing…who’s fooling whom?

Review: Rental (Boston Rebels Book 6) by R. J. Scott and V.L. Locey

Rating: 4.75 🌈

R. J. Scott and V.L. Locey take their Boston Rebels series out on a grand story, one that’s my favorite of the group. In a fitting way, they do it by giving us two perspectives we as hockey’s fans and LGBTGIA hockey romance readers don’t often get, one of the professional NHL referee and the other of a type of player called a “Rental”. A rental is a really good player who’s brought in just to fill a spot for a part of a season or maybe a year. But not great enough , young enough, whatever, to sign permanently. They play for many teams over the course of their careers.

In Rental, Scott and Locey give us the gift of getting to get a feel for what it’s like working as a professional Ref, and as a Rental. As a Rental, walking into a locker room , having that lack of commitment to any team or not feeling of being a part of a team dynamic. Something so instrumental in a team’s development and success. For a NHL ref it’s the constant movement and commitment to the sport as fans ideas on the refs themselves. It’s their personalities and perspectives on the sport, and how they are put together as Referees teams on the rink.

I felt like I had such a strong connection to both men , Webber and Logan, and a real understanding of their emotional state when they met at that bar.

That Scott and Locey love and understand the sport of hockey as they do shows in every beautifully crafted character, on all the fast paced scenes on ice, the emotionally demanding nature of the game as delivered through heartfelt moments of pain , loss, and passion of winning. It’s those of physical beauty of the players and the crushing bruising of the brutality of the game too.

Both authors deliver that so seamlessly. Here we get all that threaded through a heated forbidden romance between Webber Kelty, NHL Ref, 40’s closeted from Georgetown, Ontario, and Logan Mackie, out gay , a rental replacement for the beloved hurt Dunny Dunkirk , as the Rebels are making a run for the playoffs .

It’s a story that’s got all the right elements and depth. Great characters, passion, hidden romance, secrets, and everything on the line.

Plus it has so many fantastic characters from other series that pop up during the playoffs to create extra fun.

My tiny quibble is that there’s a small storyline that comes in towards the end that feels unnecessary. There’s so many great aspects to this book that are grounded in reality or things that have a firm foundation that the authors laid down, that this other element feels flimsy by comparison.

It’s a fabulous book and fast engaging read without it. It adds extra drama. But that’s like saying, ok we had 47 cherries on top, not enough. Let’s add 3 more. Ok Done.

Either way, this is a marvelous book and a fantastic way to see the Boston Rebels out. Now onto the next series.

I’m highly recommending Rental (Boston Rebels Book 6) by R. J. Scott and V.L. Locey.

Boston Rebels series:

✓ Top Shelf #1

✓ Back Check #2

✓ Snowed #3

✓ Royal Lines #4

✓ Blade #5

✓ Rental #6

Buy Link:

Rental (Boston Rebels Book 6)

Description:

A steamy romance between a player and a referee breaks all the rules but will it destroy their careers?

Five different cities in eight years — Logan’s never had the chance to settle in one place. He’s the guy who fills in gaps on teams as a temporary fix and is traded at year’s end because no one wants to keep a thirty-year-old rental after he’s outlived his usefulness. When he’s called up to the Rebels, he knows it’s his last run in the NHL. Now, he must decide if it’s worth carrying on with the weight of his secrets around his neck for one more year. He’s never had a love that mattered, his career is nearly done, his ex-wife is remarrying, his sex life is drier than a desert, and abruptly, Logan’s had enough. He craves one night to ease the frustration, and hooks up with someone tall, dark, and dangerous in the bathroom of a club. The sex is off the charts, but it’s one and done, until Logan realizes exactly who he slept with and understands how dangerous it is to play games with secrets.

Being a referee is in Webber’s blood, and it’s a job he loves. Sure, sometimes he’s called dirty names—by fans, coaches, and players—or must insert himself between two massive men trying to pummel each other. Some nights, he’s knocked on his ass. Other times, he might take a puck to a tender spot. But despite all the hazards and name calling, there is no place he wants to be than on the ice. If only his love life was as settled. It’s hard to find someone willing to put up with his travel schedule, and even if he found Mr. Right, how would he juggle a romance when he’s never home? A chance hookup while officiating a game in Boston should be a simple matter of scratching that itch, but he couldn’t be more wrong.

Unfortunately, that one-night stand—while memorable—turns his sedate life upside down in ways he could’ve never foreseen. When the penalty for love is losing everything he’s worked hard for, is it a price he’s willing to pay?

Review: Confetti Hearts (Confetti Hitched, #1) by Lily Morton

Rating:3🌈

I have been anticipating this book since I encountered Joe Bagshaw in Vow Maker, where he acted as the wedding planner to Gabe and Dylan. It was a hilarious and memorable introduction. And made all the readers want more, especially his painful romantic history.

Morton reveals Joe’s love life and tale of marriage woe between scenes of weddings that Joe’s firm is handling, past and present. This format works in some respects to help the story and not in others.

By breaking down the story into different timelines, a wedding here that begins the relationship, a wedding that sees the men meet up again, and so on to weddings three and four, the reader gets a wonderful feel for the strong amazing personality that is Joe Bagshaw. Quick witted, kind, thoughtful, well organized, and extremely intelligent. He’s exactly who you’d want to plan your wedding. Or anything else for that matter. We connect with Joe immediately.

The other man in this unusual relationship that they aren’t calling a relationship? That would be forensic accountant Lachlan Moore. Older, self possessed, and assured of himself and his status quo, personally and professionally , he’s not the immediate choice we’d expect for Joe. He’s not a bad person but from the early stages, Morton doesn’t give the reader (or Joe) enough reason to believe he is the best person for that amazing being we love.

In my opinion, this is where the issues with the format overlap into character and relationship development. And not for the first time in a Lily Morton story.

Lachlan falls into that category of main protagonists that are emotionally unavailable to the other more engaging and lovable men in their lives. For the majority of the story, it’s Joe who’s the narrator. Through Joe’s thoughts and feelings, we watch as Lachlan creates a “on my terms only “ scenario for them where not even the term date can be used. When they marry, he then leaves Joe to be abused by a housekeeper, his friends, and his PA. Even a house. We, Joe’s audience , along with Joe’s friends , find this situation naturally appalling.

Morton has created a one-sided emotional connection with the couple through Joe with her readers. Only later does Lachlan get his perspective voiced. By then it’s almost too late.

The author’s plan to right this one sidedness starts at a wedding in Scotland. There it’s a strictly 2 person POV. So Lachlan becomes the fully fleshed out character he should have been all along. However, I’m not sure he’s still a great person.

Communication, or it’s lack of, is key here between the two people. Neither was able to talk to the other person about their feelings or the fact they were upset until now. That’s not addressed either. A secret from Lachlan’s end doesn’t help on the open communication front.

There’s another smaller issue for me. I don’t know why but it’s stuck with me because it held such promise for being such a tiny narrative gem.

Frances is the mother of Erica, the bride whose wedding is being held in Scotland. Frances is a veritable harridan. Nasty, demanding, arrogant, Frances has made Joe’s job difficult and her name is synonymous with the worst that bridezilla mothers can deliver. But just when she’s fallen into a stereotype, Morton elevates this controlling one dimensional woman into someone human. It happens during a snowed in game night.

“ I’d thought Frances would steer the ship, but unexpectedly she defers to her husband, and there’s even a smile on her lips as they look at each other. I narrow my eyes.”

It goes further with Frances emerging as a defender of another member of her family. And Frances goes from harridan to family matriarch with a inner life of her own. What a transformation in a few sentences!

But such a subtle , and appreciated detail wasn’t to last. Morton throws away this lovely narrative gem by reducing Frances once more to a comic flat horror of a woman because Joe needed a one-liner towards the end of the romance.

It’s choices like those, where the easy narrative path was taken, rather than the one where the author must build up the storyline further with heft and a sense of fullness, that leaves this lacking.

Morton’s booklist has so many novels where such care was taken. It pains me to say that Joe Bagshaw – Moore’s isn’t one of them. I so hoped it was.

So read this because we fell in love with Joe and want to know what happened to him. Because Lily Morton is a must read for you. For all the others, you decide if it’s the age gap, second chance at love story next on your TBR pile.

First in a new series.

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Confetti…Confetti Hearts – Kindle edition by Morton, Lily. Romance Kindle eBooks …

Description:

Joe Bagshaw doesn’t believe in love or marriage anymore, which is rather a hindrance for a wedding planner.

His own marriage was a whirlwind affair that ended before the ink could dry on the wedding certificate. Nevertheless, even with his divorce pending, he’s getting by. Or at least he was until he finds himself snowed in at a remote Scottish hotel with the wedding party from hell, a terrible ABBA tribute band, and his soon-to-be ex-husband.

Lachlan has missed Joe from the second his husband walked away. He wants Joe back and is prepared to do anything to get him. Being snowed in together seems to offer the chance Lachlan needs, but does he have what it takes to get Joe to trust in love and their marriage again?

From bestselling author Lily Morton, comes a romantic comedy about love, matrimony, and the best of second chances.

This is the first book in the Confetti Hitched series.

Review: Heart Unbroken by Casey Cox

Rating: 4.25🌈

“I didn’t want to kiss you goodbye—that was the trouble—I wanted to kiss you goodnight—and there’s a lot of difference. “ – Ernest Hemingway”

— Heart Unbroken by Casey Cox

I love a romance that is introduced with a remarkable quote that ties into the story and characters as this one does here.

Second chance at love, lovers reunited. Yes, please.

Casey Cox gives us two wonderful characters in actor Rove Sullivan, and hotelier Leo Carter, ok three with Leo ‘ best friend, Tal.

From a quick awkward meeting at Leo’s resort earlier in Rove’s career before he’s a big star, to the present where events bring them together again, Cox makes us believe that the men actually do make a deep impression on each other in the early moments. When events happen to cause each to reach out to each other, again Cox has supplied the groundwork emotionally for the reader to understand the context and connect with them.

I so enjoy Cox as a writer. The author’s romances are interesting, the characters are human beings with faults and strengths that are relatable, no matter the circumstances because they can be understood across many different levels. Job failures because of things outside of their control? Loss of dreams? Perhaps the hardest of them all. Learning when to let go of something that keeps you from moving on.

Heart Unbroken is another heartwarming contemporary romance from Casey Cox that I’m recommending. I only hope that we get a chance to see a sequel for Tal’s romance sometime soon.

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Heart-U…Heart Unbroken – Cox, Casey: Books

Description:

ROVE

Five years ago, we had a fleeting connection. Instant attraction, sizzling chemistry, and scorching-hot sex.

It was only brief, but it was…everything.

Then my career takes off. I become one of the biggest openly out Hollywood A-listers. I’m on top of the world—rich, famous, and successful.

Until a cruel red carpet gotcha stunt blows my life apart. In the blink of an eye, I lose everything I’ve spent two decades working and sacrificing for.

I’ve got no one to turn to and nowhere to go… Except back to the man I met five years ago.

LEO

Five years ago, I met someone unforgettable.

He made me feel something I thought I’d lost forever. Something that died with my beloved Dante a decade earlier.

I never expected to see Rove again. When he returns, the spark, the chemistry, the connection, is right where we left it five years ago. Actually, it’s only intensified.

The more time we spend together, the clearer it becomes—there’s no way I can let him go again. Can we find a way to make it this time?

HEART UNBROKEN is a second chance at love MM romance with two men in their 40s, a naked meet-cute, an only-one-bed situation, found family, 90s pop culture references, and a ‘sail into the sunset’ happily ever after (literally).

Review: Survival Is An Art (an Angus Green Book 3) by Neil S. Plakcy

Rating: 4🌈

Nothing more chilling than the phrase “Until the Nazis came.” Evocative, haunting, instantly terrifying and filling a person’s mind with images and emotions.

That’s how Angus becomes involved in a labyrinthine case with its roots in WW2, Italy, and the confiscation of personal property, including artwork of European Jews by the Nazis.

It’s begins with Tom Laughlin, the retired lawyer who helped with the last case, inviting Angus to dine with his book club of older gay men who live in Ft. Lauderdale. One of the men, Frank Sena, needs Angus’ assistance.

Plakcy builds historical layers within his stories by elements such as the book club members and the topics under discussion among them. The need for discretion or complete secrecy, those among the group that married as “straight” men, the barriers the homosexual community has overcome and those obstacles that still exist. As well as those that got so many killed if they were not only openly homosexual but Jewish and living in Europe before the war.

That’s the group Frank’s uncle fell into. Italian, gay and Jewish. He owned a wonderful art collection that was stolen by the Nazis when he was taken into custody and sent to Auschwitz where he died.

Frank’s been contacted about one of the paintings and he wants to know if the seller is legit.

From this base of questioning, the story expands into a cornucopia of history and knowledge on a mass of topics. Through the mind and eyes of Angus, we learn about the influx of illegal imitation merchandise of high end brands and how and where they originate, ties to the illegal refugees, The Macchiaioli movement of Italian painters, and so much more. It’s a feast of information, lovingly gifted to the reader in bits and pieces, through scenes and nicely written conversations that bring all of this to life memorably.

I can remember every single detail, as it’s threaded through the mystery and , several murders, here, to wonderful impact.

Angus is still that straight forward, ambitious young agent. I don’t see much of a connection still with his boyfriend, Lester. No sparks or chemistry. There’s more with the older book group than with Lester. His brother Danny looks to figure more in his life and Danny is a lively presence in the story.

At times, Angus seems a bit too “stereotypical “ or less layered than some of the characters he meets. Maybe the next story resolves some of that.

Survival Is An Art (an Angus Green Book 3) by Neil S. Plakcy was a fantastic read. Full of mystery, historical references, and a whopping great time.

I’m looking forward to the next, and recommending this!

Angus Green series:

✓ The Next One Will Kill You #1

✓ Nobody Rides For Free #2

✓ Survival Is A Dying Art #3

◦ Brackish Water #4

Buy Link:

Survival is a Dying Art: An Angus Green Novel

Description:

Special Agent Angus Green is still in his twenties, and his red hair and good looks often make people underestimate him, but he’s a smart, fearless cop who believes in the FBI motto: Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity. Fort Lauderdale retiree Frank Sena is working with pawn shop owner Jesse Venable to retrieve a painting stolen from Frank’s uncle, a gay Venetian killed during the Holocaust. Angus volunteers to help Frank, and discovers Venable is the subject of a task force looking into smuggling immigrants out of war-torn countries in the Middle East. Angus, who knows nothing about art and speaks no Italian, may be in over his head as he is assigned to befriend, and ultimately betray, Venable. But with the help of his Italian-speaking brother and his art-loving boyfriend, he may be able not only to retrieve the painting, but solve a smuggling case and potentially save thousands of lives. The investigation will take him from the sun-drenched rooftops of Venice to a private yacht speeding down Fort Lauderdale’s New River. Along the way, he’ll learn the true meaning of survival.