Tag: LGBTQIA Contemporary Romance

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.

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.