Tag: LGBTQIA Contemporary Romance

Review: A Changeling Christmas (A Snowed Inn Romance) by Eli Easton

Rating: 4.5🌈

Easton has written an adorable holiday story, based on a switched identities theme, that’s a highlight in the Snowed Inn Collection.

Easton has such a light, lively touch with her characters and none is a better example of that then maternity nurse Felix Bordeaux, whose friends have sent him to the speed dating event at The Retreat to get him dating. It’s not going well when a chance encounter with Alastor Jeddard, brother/thief from Stop The Wedding, changes his life.

I enjoyed the crossover aspects of this book. Several scenes from Stop The Wedding appear here but , obviously, from the perspective of these characters. I enjoyed both viewpoints and the fuller details.

Felix is a lovely, thoughtful, and kindhearted man. The type Easton crafts so well that immediately engages a reader’s imagination and heart.

The man who’s been made to believe that Felix is actually a well-known criminal and needs to maintain a surveillance for security is Riggs Marsten, cop in small town NY. Aside from that name, which is a little too movie star for me for small town, Riggs is a good soul. A ex-Marine , Riggs can’t equate the humble, awkward, kind man he’s getting to know with the criminal record of Alastor Jeddard, a ruthless, hardened thief.

Their friendship and days spent together makes for a enjoyable and sexy read. The avalanche that causes the enforced togetherness for them and all the others on the mountain adds a certain level of intimacy as well as isolation.

The drama is automatically created by the theme of discovery. It’s just a matter of when and the events that happen next.

It’s the chemistry between Felix and Riggs that really matters here. It’s the focus and the reason the story works so well. The setting is gorgeous, the events and people involved are entertaining.

I very much enjoyed A Changeling Christmas (A Snowed Inn Romance) by Eli Easton and rank it highly among my favorites in this collection.

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showA Changeling Christmas by Eli Easton

Description:

An avalanche, a quaint Christmas inn, and an assignment to sit on an infamous jewel thief until the cops can arrive. What could go wrong?

Felix can’t believe his luck when a perfect stranger offers him the use of a pre-paid cabin at a mountain inn. He’d planned to ignore Christmas this year, working through the holidays in his job as a nurse in a Denver maternity ward. After all, Christmas won’t be the same without his beloved mother, who recently passed. But the inn, decked out like a Hallmark movie set, is the perfect place to soothe his heart, rekindle his Christmas cheer, and maybe even find romance? When a gorgeous ex-Marine befriends him and sticks by his side through a whole day of Christmas activities, Felix thinks he’s found true love.

Riggs’s plans for a ski vacation are buried when an avalanche blocks off the mountain inn where he’s staying from the rest of the world. A midnight phone call enlists Rigg’s help watching a guy on the FBI’s Most Wanted list who is supposed to be staying at the inn. The FBI and the police can’t get through until the avalanche is cleared. Riggs steps up to do his duty one more time. But the man who is supposed to be The Falcon, an international thief, has one hell of a Clark Kent type alter ego, because he seems like the sweetest man Riggs has ever met. The more time they spend together, the more attracted Riggs becomes to him, and the more determined he is to make The Falcon reveal his true colors.

Will love prevail? Or will the law?

A Changeling Christmas is a mistaken identity, snowed in together, rom-com romance with all the Christmas feels. All the books in the Snowed Inn collection are standalone stories and can be read in any order.

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Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer

Snowed Inn story Collection:

All the books can be read as standalones and in any order and all are available to buy or pre-order

• RJ Scott – Stop the Wedding – https://books2read.com/StopTheWedding

• H.L Day – Five Night Stand – https://books2read.com/FiveNightStandHL

• V.L. Locey – Checking it Twice – https://books2read.com/CheckingItTwiceVL

• LC Chase – Breakfast Included – https://books2read.com/BreakfastIncludedLCC

• Xenia Melzer – The Real Kaimana – https://books2read.com/RealKaimanaXM

• Meredith Russell – Stuck With You- https://books2read.com/StuckWithYouMR

• Eli Easton – A Changeling Christmas – https://books2read.com/ChangelingChristmasE

Review: This Is Real by Barbara Elsbourg

Rating: 3.75🌈

I like Barbara Elsborg, so I didn’t want to pass up her latest holiday romance, This Is Real.

A contemporary romance, it’s got a late coming out element, a snarky Englishman, a closeted American actor and a holiday movie set that brings them together.

I found it entertaining and sweet with characters that engaged me with their different backgrounds . Pasts that included aspects to their histories that were painful and believably difficult so they felt realistic .

Murdo Jenkins is a maths lecturer at Harvard. He’s got a vacation booked to see his bestie who’s also an Assistant Producer on a holiday film. He’s English with a painful history as an orphan whose adolescence was one of torment and neglect. Christmas is not his thing for reasons that will be revealed.

I liked the character of Murdo, feisty and highly intelligent. He had a welcome depth and interest to his personality that kept me involved in his life.

Lukas Olsen, actor and deeply closeted gay man, was a bit harder to get into. Not that he wasn’t understandable but at first I simply didn’t like his character. That changes as the story progresses and we get more of the background that made him into the man he’s become.

Their relationship and developing romance is fun, the dialogue is lively, personable and charming. It pulls us into their lives with a warm immediacy. The pitfalls to trying anything with a closeted partner is out front in both men’s minds. It won’t work.

Obviously the obstacles and drama will occur to change that. It happens towards the end of the story and I suppose that’s where my issues set in.

I realize this and others like it are holiday stories. That they come with a certain amount of glow and holiday spirit that sometimes glosses over some of life’s harsher realities.

But maybe it’s a bit of the Scrooge in me that thinks a holiday spirit shouldn’t be the panacea for all the things the bad people do or troublesome events that occur in these stories. That there’s another way to work through these elements realistically without having to do the whole “ let’s forgive the incredibly stupid or highly irresponsible/illegal acts that happened “ in order to have that golden moment(s) at the end.

Spoiler Alert. If someone in a position of authority takes advantage of a severely wounded person to then use that to a monetary advantage to potentially inflict great emotional harm as well as huge damage in other avenues? Then it’s , aww , it’s the holidays, and his excuse, well , doesn’t hold water either. So no, please stop with this type of narrative nonsense. Just because it’s a holiday story doesn’t excuse this behavior. Let’s be real.

So you had me almost to the end. I liked the epilogue. It’s just that bit towards the end. Eliminate that or change how it’s handled, and my overall opinion would be different.

Maybe you will find that aspect not as off putting as I do and will love this.

I will leave it up to you. I did enjoy the majority of the story.

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showThis Is Real by Barbara Elsborg

Description:

A snarky English nerd. A hot American actor. When Christmas brings them together, they have more in common than they know…

Murdo doesn’t do Christmas, but this year, he’s looking forward to spending time with an old friend. Elodie’s working on a film starring Murdo’s Biggest Crush, the gorgeous Lukas Olsen. When Elodie asks him to give Lukas a lift from Logan International, Murdo can’t believe his luck. Lukas might be straight, but ogling’s acceptable—right?
Lukas arrives at the airport to find a gaggle of fans but no driver waiting and when he does turn up, the snarky Englishman can’t even remember where he’s parked. When they finally reach their destination, Lukas tries to tip him and Murdo makes his current opinion of Lukas very clear. His crush is over.

Things move from bad to worse when Murdo tells the director that Lukas’s English accent isn’t authentic. But a pang of guilt, and maybe a remnant of lust, has Murdo offering to give dialect lessons to a resentful Lukas. Only once they’re in Lukas’s house, annoyance turns into something far more dangerous, because Lukas isn’t out and never will be. He has too much to lose: career, fans, family and friends.

Yet something about Murdo makes Lukas want to risk it all…

Review: Stuck With You (A Snowed Inn Romance) by Meredith Russell

Rating: 3🌈

Stuck With You is another story in the Snowed Inn romance collection of books by various authors that features a mountain resort called The Retreat, a avalanche that temporarily seals off the resort , and a group of people there for multiple events who find their HEA.

Stuck With You is a best friends to lovers trope that’s a sweet holiday romance. It’s a quick read with characters that aren’t memorable and a storyline that’s all too familiar.

The characters never seemed to have any chemistry with each other, and the dialogue (inner and outer) felt awkward and too young for the age group.

For myself, it was a nice romance but definitely not close to being a layered narrative with terrific storytelling .

Fan of this author? I’m sure this is on your TBR list. All others decide for yourselves.

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showStuck With You by Meredith Russell

Description:

Brodie loves Gabriel. Gabriel loves Brodie. So why is it so difficult for them to be honest with each other?

Brodie Lewis has been in love with Gabriel, his best friend, for years. The problem? It’s an impossible love. After all, they’re practically family.

With his dad working long hours to make ends meet, Brodie had been lonely growing up, until the day a boy from his neighborhood invited him over for dinner. The boy’s house had been so different to his own, filled with people and warmth, and Brodie would be forever grateful for how the Conley family treated him as one of their own.

When feelings beyond friendship stirred in Brodie, he’d tried to ignore them. Gabriel and his family were everything to him. How could he ever confess? And so, looking to move on from his first love, Brodie attends the speed dating night at The Retreat Hotel. It was a good plan, if only Gabriel wasn’t the one to offer him a ride to the venue.

Gabriel Conley only wants Brodie to be happy, which is why he’s willing to lock away his feelings yet again and drive Brodie through the snow to the dating event. Brodie smiles the most when surrounded by Gabriel’s family, and Gabriel never wants to ruin that with a selfish love confession. So instead, he’ll stay at Brodie’s side as a friend.

When an avalanche cuts the hotel off from the outside world, and Gabriel and Brodie find themselves stuck together and closer than ever, it’s time for some truths to be revealed.

Can the oblivious childhood friends finally understand each other’s feelings, and confess their love for each other?

All the books in the Snowed Inn collection are standalone stories and can be read in any order.

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Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer

Snowed Inn story Collection:

All the books can be read as standalones and in any order and all are available to buy or pre-order

• RJ Scott – Stop the Wedding – https://books2read.com/StopTheWedding

• H.L Day – Five Night Stand – https://books2read.com/FiveNightStandHL

• V.L. Locey – Checking it Twice – https://books2read.com/CheckingItTwiceVL

• LC Chase – Breakfast Included – https://books2read.com/BreakfastIncludedLCC

• Xenia Melzer – The Real Kaimana – https://books2read.com/RealKaimanaXM

• Meredith Russell – Stuck With You- https://books2read.com/StuckWithYouMR

• Eli Easton – A Changeling Christmas – https://books2read.com/ChangelingChristmasE

Review: Perfect Gifts (A Christmas Railers Novel) by R.J. Scott and V. L. Locey

Rating: 5🌈

The 12th story in the fantastic Harrisburg Railers series, Perfect Gifts is a heartwarming holiday tale of love in all its permutations. Couples, family, sibling, and deep friendship. Various relationships dynamics are featured here to a emotional, heartfelt display of love.

Ten and Jared are startled when their young daughter, Lottie, announces she wants a brother. Both had quietly been thinking of adding to their family but this prompts a immediate discussion and decision to foster and adopt.

Perfect Gifts is the story of what follows. The process, the anxiety of waiting for the call, and the stress and doubts when it happens.

The authors have created a holiday story that’s one for all seasons. When two boys , abused by some of the very people who should have been keeping them safe, come to find their forever home. It’s grounded in the older boy’s mistrust and pain, the younger brother’s hope and joy.

The characters are real , the elements believable, and the events that occur both heartbreaking and emotional.

A side storyline that involves a teammate and his brother is also a element that engages your heart with its high level of angst and anxiety for those who are part of this thread. It will be carried over into the next Railers book.

My only tiny issue is that I wish the ending had been longer. Not that it needs to be but I wanted more time with the new family. I was so connected to them every step as they formed a new family group that I really didn’t want to leave them there yet.

I hope to see more of them in future stories.

I’m highly recommending Perfect Gifts as a perfect holiday story.

https://www.goodreads.com › showRJ Scott – Perfect Gifts

Description:

Family comes first in all things. Whatever the cost.

Ten had always heard the saying ‘Out of the mouth of babes,’ but he’d not expected it to hit home as it had. After a comment from their daughter, Ten and Jared find themselves pondering an addition to the family. Moving into the adoption process is nerve-wracking and riddled with anxiety—kind of like how the Railers have been playing of late. Bringing two young men into their homes and hearts isn’t going to be a smooth ride. But with patience, humor, and love, the bumpy road might just be a little easier to travel.

Expanding their small family was always in the cards, but no one could have foreseen the process clashing with the worst ever start to a Railers season. A string of losses, a vital player missing from the defense, a captain in the emergency room, and winning a single game seems impossible, let alone getting the team to the playoffs. Faced with hard decisions, Jared refuses to take his work home, but it’s difficult when your husband is at the cutting edge of the losing streak. His focus fractures when one of the siblings they are matched with is frustrated, angry, and has a healthy dose of mistrust.

Jared and Ten’s parenting skills are tested, but they will do anything to make a place in their home the perfect gift for two children lost in the system.

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Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: The Big Fix (Torus Intercession Book 5) by Mary Calmes

Rating: 4🌈

There’s no indication that The Big Fix is a series finale although it reads like one. The fifth book in Mary Calmes’ Torus Intercession series, it’s about the head of the agency, Jared Colter, and the Torus tech member, Owen Moss, who’s been a part of Jared’s life since he saved him as a child.

Jared has always been that person who’s been a bit of an enigma. The voice on the phone, the brief meeting in his office, and cringing mention by another Alphabet agency personnel who has been told to do exactly as Jared wants. He’s been the fearful respect looming in the background.

I think , for the series, he actually operates better that way.

Getting to know him here, while that makes him a believable, more realistic human being, takes away much of the image Calmes has built up for him over four books.

The Jared Colter here is 56. When all the action is required, the heightened danger that requires the senses honed by years of stealth, battle, and espionage, he’s rusty, slow to act, and clearly been behind a desk for a long time. Field work isn’t his friend, due to age and lack of practice.

Realistic? Yes. It certainly makes him relatable, especially since he comes across as spectacularly clueless in his interpersonal relationships.

All of which makes him a businessman removed from the day to day reality of his field agents. It just doesn’t mesh with the character as he’s been portrayed over the previous stories.

This disconnect continues with his behavior towards Owen Moss. Owen, 32, has a well known crush/love for his boss that everyone sees but Jared. They even live together. But Jared treats Owen like someone under his guardianship rather than an employee or adult.

Owen’s personality and their relationship comes across as parental too . The arguments less that of a 32 year old but someone younger.

Their relationship aside, along with the odd mistakes made, given their history and professionalism, there’s a lot of action, foreign scenery, foreign governments and law enforcement to ignore, as well as familiar characters from other Mary Calmes novels that arrive to help out Jared on his rescue mission.

There’s Darius Hawthorne from Late in the Day, Dante Cerreto from Again, US Marshals Sam Kage and Ian Doyle from the Marshals series. George Hunt and other names pop in too. I did enjoy my time spent with those wonderful people and mention of their partners and home life.

But as the story belongs to Jared and Owen, that aspect dragged. Not the entertaining rush to rescue (with torture scenes fyi) but their actual time together. That felt less believable and grounded.

So from just a pure rush of adrenaline shootout/blow um up storylines that I enjoyed to the less impactful main characters and relationship, I liked The Big Fix but it’s not a favorite in the series.

If you’re a fan of Mary Calmes, the series, then this book is definitely in your wheelhouse. For others, The Big Fix with it’s multiple storylines, characters that you need to have their novels read to understand, and lack of continuity in places, might be more complicated and less fun than anticipated. You decide.

Torus Intercession series:

✓ No Quick Fix #1

✓ In a Fix #2

✓ Fix It Up #3

✓ The Fix Is In #4

✓ The Big Fix #5

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Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showThe Big Fix (Torus Intercession #5) by Mary Calmes

Description:

Philanthropist. Humanitarian. Soldier. Spy.

Jared Colter, the head of Torus Intercession, has a secret life he left behind, one that only his closest confidants know about. Normally, the past keeps its secrets, but not this time. Old ghosts come calling to the very doorstep of his new life, when Owen Moss, the person closest to him, goes missing. A carrot left dangling to lure Jared out and into the hands of an unknown enemy.

Owen Moss was once a scared, orphaned boy saved by Jared, but he’s no longer a child even if Jared is having trouble seeing him that way. He’s thirty-two now, in love with Jared, and as Jared’s obliviousness keeps butting up against Owen’s desire, the tension between them keeps escalating. Something has to give, and soon.

With a bounty on his head, Jared races through the brutal underworld of Southeast Asia, in search of Owen. It’s a maze of treachery and murder, where one false move means death. The answer is tied to the man Jared used to be, taking him into the heart of the lion’s den, where he’s forced to face the darkest questions about himself to save the man he loves.

Review: The Button Man by Davidson King

Rating: 4 .25🌈

Assassin and kid stories have turned into a favored theme of mine, whether it’s a movie or a book. There’s something about a unrepentant killer who, for whatever reason or circumstances, turns into a father/mother/parent figure to a young child.

The dynamics that develop between the pair are usually so fascinating depending upon the age and personalities that , other storylines excluded, it makes the novel on its own.

Duke Barton comes from a line of assassins known as The Button Men. He was never given a choice by either his grandfather or father, his future was always set to follow their ways.

Barton’s history is not given a huge amount of page time. Instead, the emotional components are pulled out from his past timeline when necessary and then it’s left to our imagination to fill in the rest.

For the subject matter The Button Man covers in its storylines, it’s surprisingly entertaining and low angst within the deadly plot and killer’s romance.

I sort of enjoyed it that way. Neither Barton, his father Cal, or Barton’s handler, Sparrow, are seen as sociopaths or psychopaths. But rather as people who were forced or fell into professions that involve killing people.

King is clearly having a wonderful time with dialogue, scenes that include dangerous situations and mobsters, as well as the usual high end technology.

People (not MCs) are tortured, lots of killing and bodies. But also a wonderful dynamic between an unusual father and his unsuspecting daughter.

While I could point out holes in the behavior of some of the professionals (as it seems to me) like loose security physically and electronically, the characters and storylines kept me connected and involved right to the end.

There’s no indication that King intends to carry this book further into a series but honestly? I could see it . I loved the characters and would love a revisit in the future.

Contemporary romance your thing with a element of humor, action, murder and family? The Button Man by Davidson King might just be the read you’re looking for.

I’m definitely recommending it.

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showThe Button Man by Davidson King

Description:

A visit from Button Man means only one thing: someone wants you dead.

Duke is born into the world a hired killer. It’s his birthright—all he knows, all he thinks he’ll ever be. Then one fateful night, the unthinkable occurs and in the most tragic of moments, a promise is made. That promise is kept for almost fifteen years, until he comes face-to-face with a target he never expects and a future he never sees coming.

Kelly spends his days in a classroom, while his nights couldn’t be more different. Unbeknownst to those around him, their friendly neighborhood teacher is the handler for a hit man. For over a decade he has watched Button Man’s back from behind a computer screen. He is content living his double life, believing he will never cross paths with the dangerous assassin, but fate has a different plan.

When the past collides with the present, Duke and Kelly must prevent it from destroying the future. It’s not just their lives they need to think about—the entire world of a fourteen-year-old girl is about to spin on its axis. Dodging bullets and uncovering truths bring the two closer than they could have imagined. But lust takes a back seat to survival when enemies threaten to drown them both in blood. Can they navigate these twists and turns when death is lingering at every corner, or will they die trying?

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Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer

Review: Breakfast Included (A Snowed Inn story) by L.A. Chase

Rating: 3.5🌈

Breakfast Included by L. A. Chase is another of the Snowed Inn holiday collection that shares a special weekend at a mountain resort called The Retreat and a avalanche as the dramatic event to launch 7 romances.

I enjoy seeing characters from the other stories gliding through each other’s romances, even if it’s just a mention.

Chase’s book has an unexpected reunion between friends who haven’t seen each other for 12 years. That’s when a passionate kiss , then a ghosting caused immense hurt when they were teenagers.

Now at a gay speed dating event held at The Retreat, composer Reno Pierce sees ex crush/friend Tate Boylan sitting across the table.

Like all the stories, it’s the avalanche that starts a conversation, reconciliation, and renews a shared passion for each other.

I enjoyed both characters. Oddly, I didn’t get as much depth from Tate Boylan as I did from the younger Reno Pierce as the one who was kissed and left. Reno’s still hurt by that years later, unable to move past it. Tate’s personality feels a bit less complicated but that could be contributed to the fact we have more “Reno” page time and history.

The dramatic element introduced near the end and Reno’s reaction felt less believable. As did Ricky, older brother to Reno’s, somewhat over the top response and immediate turnaround to the couple and events. Came off as contrived.

I enjoyed the story. It was sweet and romantic without leaving a long impression.

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Breakfa…Breakfast Included – Kindle edition by Chase, L.C.. Romance Kindle eBooks …

Description:

What’s worse than being stranded at a mountain resort by an avalanche three days before Christmas? Being trapped with your teenage crush—who kissed you and ran away.

Reno Pierce spends all his time creating music in his studio, quite happily alone, but at the insistence of his rom-com-loving dad, he finds himself at a Colorado mountain resort speed dating event. His dad wants Reno to bring his ‘Mr. Right’ home for Christmas, but what he finds instead is his teenage crush. Twelve years ago, he’d been head-over-heels in love with his older brother’s best friend, Tate. His straight best friend. But everything changed one magical night, when Tate kissed him like his life depended on it—and then ran away.

Six months after a bad breakup, Tate Boylan is still feeling the damage done to his confidence. Thanks to his hopeless romantic sister, who booked him a quaint cabin at a mountain resort and insisted he ‘boost his morale’ with a night of speed dating at The Retreat, he’s feeling much better. Until he sits at a table across from his best friend’s younger brother. The one he’d fallen for as a teen, kissed at a party, and never saw again.

Now that an avalanche has cut the hotel off from the rest of the world, Tate might have a chance to prove to Reno that this time he won’t kiss and run.

All the books in the Snowed Inn collection are standalone stories and can be read in any order.

Snowed Inn story Collection:

All the books can be read as standalones and in any order and all are available to buy or pre-order

• RJ Scott – Stop the Wedding – https://books2read.com/StopTheWedding

• H.L Day – Five Night Stand – https://books2read.com/FiveNightStandHL

• V.L. Locey – Checking it Twice – https://books2read.com/CheckingItTwiceVL

• LC Chase – Breakfast Included – https://books2read.com/BreakfastIncludedLCC

• Xenia Melzer – The Real Kaimana – https://books2read.com/RealKaimanaXM

• Meredith Russell – Stuck With You- https://books2read.com/StuckWithYouMR

• Eli Easton – A Changeling Christmas – https://books2read.com/ChangelingChristmasE

Review: Checking It Twice (A Snowed Inn story) by V.L. Locey

Rating: 4🌈

Checking It Twice is a heartwarming holiday story about two long time friends getting their second chance at love in their fifties.

One of the wonderful Snowed Inn collection featuring multiple authors, much like the rest, it includes The Retreat Inn, a Colorado mountain resort also nicknamed The Rainbow Inn, a avalanche that cuts off the Inn and it’s inhabitants for a prolonged stay, and all the couples and events from all the stories.

Sutter Thompson, his longtime friend and coworker at Red Pine U, Watley, are driving a group of young boys for a regional hockey medal presentation being held at the Inn. Among the boys up for hockey honors is their sons. Sutter’s boy Zachary with his ex wife , and Watley ‘s son, Adam with his ex husband. The boys are best friends as well.

Locey’s men have a complicated past history. A deeply closeted Sutter decided to come out after his child was born. But he’s never revealed his last hidden truth. He’s always loved Watley.

Checking It Twice gives the reader a delightful depiction of a number of types of heartfelt relationships. Those of realistic loving father/son dynamics, especially as seen between both sets of parents and sons. You get the funny, too real, close knit relationship that happens with team members and their coaches (hurting stomachs, road trips, bunk bed assignments). Then there’s the one the men themselves have waited close to thirty years for. Their own romance.

It’s a halting , stumbling path full of slow revelations, first kisses, and , passion at last fulfilled. The men with their aches, trick knees, aged playlist, and glimpses of grey , are charming and engaging. It was a real joy to read their romance.

This collection is turning out to be a great way to dive into my holiday books, and I’m definitely recommending Checking It Twice as a heartwarming HEA!

Snowed Inn story Collection:

All the books can be read as standalones and in any order and all are available to buy or pre-order

• RJ Scott – Stop the Wedding – https://books2read.com/StopTheWedding

• H.L Day – Five Night Stand – https://books2read.com/FiveNightStandHL

• V.L. Locey – Checking it Twice – https://books2read.com/CheckingItTwiceVL

• LC Chase – Breakfast Included – https://books2read.com/BreakfastIncludedLCC

• Xenia Melzer – The Real Kaimana – https://books2read.com/RealKaimanaXM

• Meredith Russell – Stuck With You- https://books2read.com/StuckWithYouMR

• Eli Easton – A Changeling Christmas – https://books2read.com/ChangelingChristmasE

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Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: Sass (Style Book3) by Jay Hogan

Rating: 5 🌈

Sass is definitely my favorite of the three Style novels. The writing is tight, the scenes runs the gamut from wryly funny to serious discussions to emotional pathos, all done so beautifully. The superbly crafted characters are ones we’ve gotten to know superficially in the previous books but now get their own stories and romance in a way that makes sense and gives them personal growth. All the other cast are equally strong as well.

When it comes to Kip/Chris , the store manager at Flare, Hogan’s skill at artfully threading multiple important character issues through his storyline without ever letting the exposition overwhelm or drop one of them is outstanding. Kip has always had a quick snarky attitude and a witty quip to go with it. A verbal shield to amuse or bruise or sass to go along with his fabulous sense of style and rotating bedroom door.

The reason why Kip is never Christopher is slowly revealed here through mending a broken relationship with tattoo artist Leon Steadman. Leon too has deep issues he’s not been able to deal with. Ones that led to his argument with Kip and 2 yr long feud. There’s aspects to Leon’s life and history that beg for more page time. He’s that big a infusion of life and energy into the story and Kip’s pattern. I love him and them together. Especially as they worked through their emotional blockages and mental barriers together, inching forward towards a future.

Drew, a young trans character who’s been an integral part of the universe since Flare also has an emotional storyline. Drew has matured from a frightened, bullied teen with a transphobic family into a stylish happy nineteen year old getting ready for his top surgery, knowing he’s loved and supported by his found family at Flare. He’s a remarkable person and character. I heart him so much.

We also see our other couples too . And get a lovely epilogue.

There’s a mention of past sexual assault. But it’s not on page. A warning for those for whom this might be a trigger.

Sass is a story for me with a wider reach. It’s range of serious issues and subject matter goes from dealing with grief and loss, anger and guilt over those same feelings of grief, sexual assault and how the emotional ramifications can effectively impact you in ways if May take decades to understand. Found family, the importance of the right clothes in helping people transition. All that for starters.

I know I missed some.

And it’s beautifully woven together.

Sass is the third book and I do believe you should read them in the order they are written to understand the characters, their growth, and all the relationships.

Happy reading. I’m highly recommending Sass!

Style series:

Flare #1

Strut #2

Sass #3

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showSass (Style #3) by Jay Hogan

For two years I’ve kept Leon Steadman at a safe distance, ever since the night he turned me down flatter than a pancake with a side order of syrupy disapproval. His loss. The world is full of sexy men. One and done is simply good math and efficient use of my time. Or it would be if I hadn’t been lusting after the irritating, judgemental, gorgeous, mountain of a man, ever since.

The less I see of Leon, the better. Bad enough that his tattoo business sits next to Flare, the fashion store I manage, and that he’s friendly with my boss. But now he’s apartment-sitting above the shop, as well. Every time I turn around, Leon is there. In my store. In my space. Messing with my head. Being all nice and charming and acting like maybe he’s not the biggest jerk to walk the earth, after all.

Well, I don’t want or need Leon’s apologies, but maybe if I can have him, just once, it might put an end to this ridiculous hunger that sparks every time I lay eyes on him.

Yeah, I’ll get back to you on that.



Note: This book contains limited discussion of off-page past trauma.

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Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: Petty Crimes by Eden Winters

Rating: 5🌈

Petty Crimes returns us to Eden Winters’ outstanding world of the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau in Georgia, it’s Directors, Management and undercover agents that we got to know so intimately in her outstanding series Diversion.

That series is a must read for lovers of contemporary romance and Petty Crimes sees a return of some of our most beloved characters from those stories.

We get them now happily married, with kids, Bo and Lucky Schollenberger. Bo has become the Director of SNB department of Diversion Prevention and Control , with Richmond Eugene Schollenberger aka Lucky, currently Undercover Ops Manager .

Watching them in their new careers and status in life as settled highly respected professionals is everything. Well, with Lucky it’s mostly. He is still ,after all , one of the most fascinating characters I’ve ever had the pleasure to read.

But the story belongs to one SNB agent Jerry Wilkerson, who’s undercover persona is “Brody Jensen “. Jerry first appears in Lucky and Bo’s series, Corruption #3, as a high teenage biker headed to a dead end.

His was a poignant moment and Jeremy, aka Jerry , a memorable character.

The story opens with Jerry in character as Brody Jensen, a petty crimes criminal and drug dealer. Jerry’s been in character for several years and he’s having a harder time separating Brody from who he truly is these days.

He’s also still very much working through his issues that started when he met and fell for biker Cyrus Cooper when he was a teenager. Only to find out that Cyrus was a construct, a undercover personality for Bo Schollenberger, a very much committed and in love Bo.

Winters does amazingly well when getting into the minds and hearts of men like Jerry. The complicated emotions , the isolation he feels, the loss of something he’s not willing to identify. It’s painful, and utterly believable. As is Jerry.

And both worlds he moves through. The battered, swill, bottom rung places that Brody feels comfortable in and the nicest clothes , clean condo Jerry inhabits.

The pharmaceutical industry, the opiates and those that are using it to their monetary advantage are on display here. Winters certainly familiar with this business and demonstrates it in the clarity and precision with which it’s portrayed.

The romance element with Nico is as you would have expected in a story that’s as convoluted and emotionally complicated as this one. Nico has as many aspects to his personality and history as everyone else here. As well as a few hot kinks. It’s a great story within a story.

It was splendid to see Rett and others here from Diversion. Honestly it gave me hope that Winters is gearing up for a whole new series here with a new undercover team at its heart.

I’ve missed this fantastic group of incredible people and this brought them all back. And new ones as well.

I’m highly recommending Petty Crime and the Diversion series too.

Check them all out for some outstanding reading!

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showPetty Crimes by Eden Winters

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › seriesDiversion Series by Eden Winters

Description:

Why can’t life give him a break?

Five years ago, Jerry Wilkerson was running with a biker gang, making mistake after mistake, till he ended up in the hospital with a gunshot wound, facing criminal charges for drug distribution. On top of everything, he’d fallen in love with the narcotics agent who took them all down. Or rather, with Cyrus Cooper, the man that agent pretended to be.

Making a deal with the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau kept Jerry out of jail, sending him undercover as Brody Jenson, a petty criminal able to get into places other agents can’t. He’s satisfied with his life—or would be if he wasn’t still longing for someone who never existed.

Then a man steps out of his dreams and into his life, who’s everything Jerry ever wanted.

Except for the part where Jerry might have to arrest him.

While this book features characters from the Diversion series, it is a standalone.

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Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.