Tag: m/m romance

Review: Hard Job (A List Security #2) by Annabeth Albert

Rating: 3.75🌈

I enjoyed Tough Luck , the first in Annabeth Albert’s new A-List Security series about a group of ex-SEALS now running a private security company. The books are connected not just by the company it seems but by relationships outside of their own military lives.

Lt. Duncan Lubov, co-owner of A-List Security , half brother to the famous child actor Danny, is one half of the leads here. For me he’s easily the most connectable and likable personality, although both are extremely well written.

In a well known trope of romances with the following combination of opposites attract, age gap, rock star/hard nose security guy, Albert’s romantic grouping of Duncan and Ezra almost do it.

Duncan is asked by his younger brother, Danny (as a favor), to take over the uber famous rocker star, Ezra Moon’s security, and give it and him a needed security rehabilitation .

Plausible. They have a history and a realistic touch with Moon’s music as a surprise supporting element.

All great.

Ezra is the musician who’s the wild one. Unthinking, childish, self involved. Loves his family. Can’t see past his issues with his label so he’s constantly at odds with them.

If you’re thinking I’m not exactly in love with this character, you’d be correct.

Ezra is also very well defined. Just for me it’s not someone I like very much. Every word out of his mouth is a utterance that’s either undermining something Duncan is trying to do or whining about his job. Just couldn’t relate. He’s all mouth service but no action when it counts, as he’ll admit at the end. Just that oblivious.

Duncan’s reputation and that of his firm is on the line with this high profile job. Something Duncan has mentioned to Ezra and it’s been disregarded as nothing really meaningful. Over and over , until the book is almost complete, does Ezra not realize that he’s never considered anything that’s of importance to Duncan a priority. What’s been the drive for Ezra? Ezra. And his assumption that everyone will be ok with that. That his actions might destroy Duncan’s business, his relationships with his men and family? A brief pause.

That’s a narcissistic outlook . And while it’s one you might expect from a rockstar, here it’s not a character I’ll gravitate towards. Even at the end, he’s still talking about how it’s going to benefit him the best while setting up house and home. New songs, a rest from burnout. So happy for him.

Yeah. So loved Duncan. He’s really someone I related to. The romance and story, perhaps not as much . But it’s well plotted and executed as well as one most will enjoy. Loved Ezra’s parents. Plus Danny and Cash make appearances.

I wonder who Harley will end up with . That’s who’s story is coming next. I’ll meet you there.

A-List Security:

✓ Tough Luck #1 (Danny and Cash)

✓ Hard Job #2 ((Duncan and Ezra)

◦ Bad Deal #3 – Oct. 6, 2022

https://www.goodreads.com › showHard Job (A-List Security #2) by Annabeth Albert – Goodreads

Synopsis:

How hard can it be to guard the country’s biggest rockstar?

As a SEAL officer, I’m no stranger to danger, but running my own security firm is a new challenge. Finding the right bodyguard for each client isn’t easy. Our next gig? My little brother’s best friend, rock god Ezra Moon, has a security crisis. Ezra is convinced I’m the right man for the job, but I’m not so sure.

From crowd surfing to infamous pictures, Ezra is known for taking risks. It’s no wonder his record label thinks he needs a keeper on tour.

But there’s not a tour bus big enough to contain our incendiary attraction. Ezra and his antics push every last one of my buttons, but the real problem is how much I want to kiss some sense into him. He’s a client, and angry make-out sessions aren’t the answer. Yet we keep finding ourselves alone and burning up the sheets until our secret fling threatens to scorch both of us.

I’ve spent my whole life running from the spotlight, trying to distance myself from my notorious father. Ezra wants to live his best life on the biggest stage. A future seems impossible, but our feelings are undeniable. Can I admit how hard I’ve fallen for Ezra without losing everything?

HARD JOB is book two in a brand-new SEAL bodyguard series. It features a reluctant SEAL bodyguard, a mouthy rock star with a heart of gold, molten chemistry, and pie. Lots of pie. Also, all the high heat, big emotions, and found family feels readers expect from this fan-favorite military romance author. Join A-List security for this new series featuring former SEALs and the celebrity clients who win their hearts. Happy endings and no cliffhangers guaranteed!

———-

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

Review: Roommate Arrangement (Divorced Men’s Club #1) by Saxon James

Rating: 4.25🌈

Roommate Arrangement (Divorced Mens Club #1) by Saxon James was a lovely contemporary romance. The first in a new series revolving around a group of newly divorced men, James manages to set the foundation by introducing the group, grounding them in a interesting small hometown who’s abandoned penitentiary now serves as a tourist attraction, and a useful location for scenes to the characters themselves.

The first couple we meet begins with a man who’s returning to his hometown after a devastating discovery that his husband has been cheating on him for years. Now in the process of getting a divorce, he’s fleeing home to his friends and a place to recover.

That’s Payne Walker. Feeling lost, without a job, home, and until the apartment is sold, little savings. While his brother and family are acting as his support and cushion, we , through James’ lovely writing , empathize with Payne as he returns to Kilborough.

Waiting there, at the Kilborough Brewery , a town draw, are Griffin, Art de Almeida, owner of the brewery and startup of the DMC (Divorced Mens Club) and Orson. Plus Marty, Payne’s brother. The kil bro group of their adolescence years.

On the outskirts is Beau, Marty’s best friend and a successful fantasy writer. Beau has always harbored a deep crush on Payne when they were growing up. But his own social awkwardness and younger age always made him feel him unable to say anything.

Beau’s a terrific character. A socially awkward person, who’s passion for writing and own innate nature makes for a messy and lonely home life. When writing, he’s buried in his characters and plots, unaware of time passing. When blocked and unable to move forward, everything grinds to a halt, again forgotten.

When Marty suggests Payne as a roommate to help Payne get some needed breathing room from Marty’s overcrowded house, it looks to be a great way for both men to temporarily solve some problems.

James’s plot of a slow forming friendship that also turns into a romance is so charming. From a blanket fortress to a walk through the famous penitentiary, the men start to move towards something real and substantial.

There’s not a lot of deep angst after the beginning. But more a thoughtful removal of obstacles and a heartwarming romance that’s sure to engage you.

As this is just the beginning of the DMC series, it’s such an enjoyable start that I’m looking forward to the rest of the stories.

Need a new contemporary romance to read? Here’s one I’m recommending!

Divorced Men’s Club :

🔹Making Him Mine #0.5

🔹Roommate Arrangement #1

🔹Platonic Rulebook #2

🔹Budding Attraction #3 – Nov 23, 2022

https://www.goodreads.com › showRoommate Arrangement (Divorced Men’s Club, #1) by Saxon James – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Payne:

In search of: room to rent.

Must ignore the patheticness of a forty-year-old roommate.

Preferably dirt cheap as funds are tight (nonexistent).

There’s nothing sadder than moving back to my hometown newly divorced, homeless, and lost for what my next move is.

When my little brother’s best friend offers me a place to stay in exchange for menial duties, I swallow my pride and jump at the offer.

I need this.

I also need Beau to wear a shirt. And ditch the gray sweatpants. And not leave his door ajar when he’s in compromising positions …

Beau:

In search of: roommate.

Must be non smoker and non douchebag.

Room payment to be made in meal planning, repairs, and dumb jokes.

Since my career took off, I barely have time to breathe, let alone keep my life in order. I’m naturally chaotic, make terrible decisions, and scare off potential dates with my “weirdness”.

So when Payne gets back into town and needs somewhere to stay, I offer him my spare room with one condition: while he’s staying with me, I need him to help me become date-able.

And while he does that, I can focus on my other plan: ignoring that Payne is the only man I’ve ever wanted to date.

———-

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

Review: Mage Bond by Eden Winters

Rating:4🌈

Mage Bond is Eden Winters’ new fantasy romance that expands into what could be the beginnings of a epic fantasy series.

The novel’s first chapters are also the characters upheavals out of their familiar lives, putting them ,as well as the reader , on their own personal journeys to bring them together.

We’re introduced to two boys, initially so different in backgrounds and families. Arkenn’s small family life is one of secrets, hiding high in the mountains, and, his fleeing in pain and loss.

The other? Petran’s lives aboard a pirate ship, the Seabird, with his Captain father, and a host of seafaring mates.

The energy and sense of a fantastic adventure is here with the youth at the beginning of their journeys. You get a real idea of mystery, and the fate pulling them towards each other.

Each will realize great personal loss, and achieve enormous growth through challenges they undertake, but it’s on paths they take separately away from each other for a while.

And this is where Winters lost me momentarily.

While the young men are together and exploring their backgrounds, powers, and sexuality, Mage Bond has a real chemistry and dynamic energy.

But as soon as a brown cloaked priest can say , “you’ll see each other again one day” , and pushes each away towards different “journey “, the story starts to loose something.

Now as Arkenn becomes Martin and Petran becomes Peter, each needs their own book in a way. In trying to insure that the main characters acquire all the necessary elements for their powers to be believable, Mage Bond ‘s middle section’s overly packed exposition reads more as a told to which slows down the momentum of the narrative.

For me, at least, it’s not until, Martin and Peter are brought back together that we regain the original energy and the storylines their strengths.

From that moment on, it just starts pouring on the narrative speed as we learn more about all the monsters, the Grand Evil that’s plagued the world, and the real identities of some of the characters who have been playing major roles in everyone’s lives.

The resolution to the end of all the battles is one that’s left me thinking. I can’t exactly roll out doubts here without giving away major spoilers. But while the battles were splendid, the final solution had a few patchy tears in it . Logically speaking. If that’s all it took to take “care” of the villain at the end, then why not just do it at the beginning? It doesn’t follow all the arguments for the reasons it starts at all. I don’t know. Just wasn’t satisfying as a logical, thoughtful ending.

It does set up the possibility for a series of stories with quite a few characters from this book going forward.

I really liked Martin/Arkenn and Peter/ Petran. They have the potential to continue to grow into a even more powerful couple. There’s several other people and beings that helped make this a enjoyable experience.

I found Mage Bond entertaining and it’s lead couple easy to connect with. If you’re a lover of fantasy and this author, this is a story you’re sure to want to pick up.

Synopsis:

A long-ago meeting sets fate into motion…

As captain of the city guards, Martin protects E’Skaara by day. At night, he creeps in shadows to defend the citizens from predators most cannot see. He’s escaped from his past as a mage-born lad who’d nearly destroyed a village in self-defense. The three things he can’t so easily elude? Rage at a deity who condemns mages to death, memories of a pirate who saved him, and the magic he must conceal.

Tavernkeeper Peter keeps secrets. Secrets that can get him killed: his desire for men, a pirate past, and magical abilities. He should run from the one place mages cannot be safe, but yearning for a lost love binds him to where they shared their last kiss, waiting for one more glimpse of a dear face.

When dark forces reunite them, the magic both men try so hard to hide might just be their salvation. 

Mage Bond is now available for preorder on Amazon

This reviewer was given a copy to review by the author.

Review: Good Intentions (Intentions Duet #2) by Ella Frank

Rating: 4.5🌈

“GABRIEL ROMERO HAD just hung up on me. No goodbye. No “we’ll talk about this when you get back.” That charming, persistent young man had called me up, lobbed several accusations my way, and then ended our conversation before I was through talking to him.”

— Good Intentions (Intentions Duet Book 2) by Ella Frank

Good Intentions slides immediately into the moment after Bad Intentions ends, when Gabe hangs up on Marcus.

This is exactly why these novels make fantastic binge reading. Because they really are two halves of a whole story.

Where Bad Intentions was the beginnings of Marcus and Gabe, Good Intentions is precisely that. The place where both men realize how important each is becoming to them and the huge difference each other are making in their emotional lives.

This story is the place for revelations, character growth, and an overall internal examination by both Gabe and Marcus of their present lives, as well as future goals.

That includes if they are willing to take chances with their hearts.

Once again, Ella Frank moves Gabe and Marcus forward, across current obstacles raised by business opportunities, by challenges of borne of personal insecurities and varying relationship goals. Frank does it with intelligent dialogue, believable emotional storylines, humor, and heartwarming romance.

They make mistakes with each other, they acknowledge it, and then work through it in the best way that is suitable to them both. Often accompanied by very hot sex!

Such a terrific couple and two-book series. Just enough to be absolutely enjoyable and thoughtfully romantic.

Gabe and Marcus are surrounded by couples and people who have had

or will have their own series.

It’s a very connected universe. So if you’re intrigued by a couple, check out their stories!

I’m highly recommending Intentions Duo. Read them in the order they were written to grasp the entire story relationship dynamics.

Intentions Duet:

🔹Bad Intentions #1

🔹Good Intentions #2

https://www.goodreads.com › showGood Intentions (Intentions Duet, #2) by Ella Frank – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Gabriel Romero made me hungry for things I’d never wanted, and starved of the things I didn’t think I’d ever need.
Until now…
Until him…

I was never the man who believed in love, romance, or happily ever afters. I was married to my work, and happy to be that way. Until one night, not too long ago, when an audacious young man lied his way into my life and showed me what I’d been missing.

Bold and sexy, with a face that could melt through the iciest of exteriors, Gabriel Romero is the one factor I never saw coming. There are so many reasons we shouldn’t work—my age, his, our career goals in life—and yet we are drawn together by a passion for music, and each other, that neither of us can deny.

I’ve always been the one to think things through, to follow my head instead of my heart. But if I don’t open myself to what’s possible, instead of thinking of all the ways this seems impossible, I might miss out on the best thing that has ever happened to me.

So I’m taking a chance, and laying myself at his mercy, opening my heart with nothing but good intentions. Only time will tell if Gabriel Romero decides to let me back in.


Good Intentions is the second book in the Intentions Duet.

Review: Bad Intentions (Intentions Duet #1) by Ella Frank

Rating: 4.5🌈

I go into writing a review for a Ella Frank2 book series fighting the impulse to combine my reviews for both stories into one. Usually I’ve read both novels, one right after the other. And also because each story is truly one half of the same book.

Good Intentions (Intentions Duet #2) literally starts with Marcus’ perspective on the phone call that Gabe just hung up on at the end of this story.

So the flow is virtually seamless.

Bad Intentions marks the start of the relationship between Gabriel Romero, a soon to be PA at a law firm, and Marcus St. James, President of cable news giant ENN.

It starts off on what was supposed to be a hot encounter at an exclusive work party where Gabe used someone else’s name to get close to a powerful, but hugely gorgeous man he wants to meet.

What could go wrong?

Frank gives us the consequences of that action in such deliciously awkward, yet clever scenes that pack a emotionally powerful punch. It’s full of chemistry, confusion, and the sheer need to keep pursuing the other man. For both Gabe and Marcus.

One of the many elements I enjoyed about this Duet of novels is the surprises the author has in store for both the readers and her character when it comes to the layers she’ll peel back with regard to who these men really are and what they’re looking for in the future.

They are much deeper then they originally appear. I really appreciated that depth of personality.

Another is the age gap. Although there’s a large one as the men are written, the difference in ages isn’t a barrier because it’s a plus as far as Gabe is concerned. And any reference is a playful and interesting one.

The same goes for the notable difference in wealth and achievement. It’s talked about, and instead of a inequality that’s a barrier, Gabe’s looks towards Marcus’s wonderful achievements as goals of his own he also fully intends to realize. A healthy understanding, that includes a great recognition of his own brilliance.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. That’s part of having read both stories.

The story here is their struggles to figure out what they want to be to each other and how that would work given each other’s goals.

All big realistic questions. Especially when both men have little, or in the case of Marcus, no experience being in a relationship.

Ella Frank’s writing is crisp, often humorous, with a clever turn of phrase that had me grinning page after page.

I have such affection for these characters.

They are entertaining and their stories interwoven with those of the couples around them. So you can finish these and then go binge on their series as well.

But first, gather up both Bad Intentions and Good Intentions. Then read them, one right after the other for a marvelously entertaining, and quite lovely romance!

I’m highly recommending both!

Intentions Duet:

Bad Intentions #1

Good Intentions #2

https://www.goodreads.com › showBad Intentions (Intentions Duet, #1) by Ella Frank – Goodreads

Synopsis:

My name isn’t Logan Mitchell, but Marcus St. James doesn’t know that…

When I showed up at my roommate’s work party, the last thing I expected was to find a man straight out of my dreams. But when the crowd parted and the fates aligned, there he was, waiting for me. Marcus St. James, president of ENN WorldWide News.

Sexy and powerful, with a stare that could freeze you in place, Marcus was the perfect reward for securing a job at Mitchell & Madison, the best law firm in Chicago. To play with the big fish, however, one must become a big fish, and that’s where my little white lie began.

It was one night. I was never going to see him again, and from the second we spoke, I knew he was interested. It was there in his eyes, the same fire in my veins. It was there in his voice, whenever he said my name.

The only problem? It wasn’t my name, and now I wanted more—much more.

But how can anything good come out of something that started with such bad intentions?


Bad Intentions is the first book in the Intentions Duet.

Review: Crankshaft (Big Bull Mechanics #1) by K. M. Nuehold

Rating: 4.5🌈

I have been looking forward to this new release since the author’s announcement at the end of The Four Bears Construction series. That’s where we met the men of Big Bull Mechanics Shop, the other automotive shop in town, other than Dare’s, husband to Stone, one of the Four Bears.

Steele’s the owner of Big Bull Mechanics and half of the two POV narrative. He’s weighed down by the responsibilities of small business ownership, it’s long hours and his own feelings making it hard on relationships . Plus, the fact he’s always tasked with bailing out a 40 ish irresponsible younger brother.

His companion, his Husky puppy, Denali.

Dr. Porter Grant, Veterinarian, is our other perspective. He’s a character from Four Bears Construction series. There a intern , now he’s graduated and a Licensed Vet with his own clinic . But Porter is also someone suffering from overwhelming issues hitting him. First time vet, beginning small time business owner, no social life. And a big corporation wanting to buy his clinic or threatening to put his small veterinary clinic out of operation. That’s so much to handle on his own.

Nuehold makes us understand and completely relate to both men and the circumstances they find themselves in.

A one night stand that turns into awkward, clumsy meetings afterwards? Yup. Dates that don’t go as planned because one or both are just too exhausted to mentally or even physically show up? Yes. Nuehold gives us, and her wonderful characters, a firm foundation in every day reality. Steele’s late? He’s also covered in the appropriate grease and grime associated with working in a busy garage. Porter’s on call with animal emergencies that sound exactly right for the season. Lost dogs found overheated from running around in the hot summer day.

Love this that both men are defined so perfectly by their personalities and refined by their love of their jobs.

Even their romance, halting as it is as they work their way through layers of responsibilities into a relationship, is worked out in believable steps, one small barrier crossed at a time. Even their sexual relationship, when they actually have time to have it, is extremely hot!

I found myself absolutely connecting to this couple, and their romance.

Plus each comes with a host of friends that can be considered found family. For Porter, he’s adding a new one that I’m sure will have a story later on. Steele’s friends and brother’s books will follow as well. They are a interesting and wonderful bunch.

I’m looking forward to each and everyone getting their HEA!

Start here . It’s one I’m highly recommending.

Big Bull Mechanics series:

🔹Crankshaft #1

https://www.goodreads.com › showCrankshaft (Big Bull Mechanics #1) by K.M. Neuhold – Goodreads

Synopsis:

I don’t have time for a relationship, not even with the adorably dorky vet I can’t seem to stop bumping into… *sigh * pass the oil and lube

Between running a garage full of beefed up, gear head mechanics and bailing my idiot brother out of trouble every other week, the last thing I have time for is a relationship.

I’ve tried it too many times, and the ridiculous reasons I always find to end it have become a running joke around the garage. But I’ve learned my lesson. No. More. Boyfriends.

I don’t care how many times Porter falls asleep drunk in my bed or how cute he looks covered in oil smears while I teach him how to fix up the vintage car he has rusting away in his garage, I’m not going to fall for him.

Even if I did, what do a mechanic and a veterinarian have in common anyway?

It’s better if we’re only friends… friends who occasionally fiddle with each other’s crankshafts…

🔹Connected to The Four Bears Construction Company series.

Review: Sailor Proof (Shore Leave #1) by Annabeth Albert

Rating: 4 🌈

Sailor Proof , the first book in Annabeth Albert’s series about a submariners group of men, is a wonderful contemporary romance. Low on the angst, it’s sweet, fake boyfriend trope that quickly turns real over the course of a massive group family annual camp outing.

It all starts with dumped Naval Chief Derrick Fox who’s ex is now paired up with another mate on board his submarine. That person has been making a point of rubbing that new relationship in Derrick’s face as well as the fact they got the all important “first kiss” off the ship.

To stop the hazing and remarks, and make the ex a little jealous, Derrick’s best friend hatches a plan for Derrick’s own kiss. With his little brother, now grown into a hot 25 year old musician.

Arthur Euler remembers the man he crushed so hard on growing up . And decides to take on his brother’s mission of the fake boyfriend meeting at the dock and whipping up their own great kiss!

What follows is a memorable, lively scene full of chemistry, unpredictable moments, and a romantic situation that both men sort of fall into, after one of the best kisses of their lives.

Albert’s characters are believable and layered. Both Derrick’s past lonely history and Arthur’s perhaps too full one mesh beautifully. And where it doesn’t? Communication, from different sources, and reflection helps move the men through the obstacles they’ve raised to the point they can see a life and HEA together.

There’s many wonderful elements in Sailor Proof. The camp and the show the two men put on with the kids. That’s amazing.

The only aspect that’s a bit missing is the lack of connection with the brother that initially started the process. It’s a bit broken, and it never feels fixed here. Perhaps that happens in the next story.

Sailor Proof (Shore Leave #1) by Annabeth Albert is a terrific contemporary romance and one I’m highly recommending.

Enjoy!

Shore Leave
Book 1: Sailor Proof
Book 2: Sink or Swim

https://www.goodreads.com › showSailor Proof (Shore Leave #1) by Annabeth Albert – Goodreads

Synopsis:


The sexy Navy chief and his best friend’s adorkable little brother…

It’s petty, but Naval Chief Derrick Fox wishes he could exact a little revenge on his ex by showing off a rebound fling. His submarine is due to return to its Bremerton, Washington, home base soon and Derrick knows all too well there won’t be anyone waiting with a big, showy welcome.

Enter one ill-advised plan…

Arthur Euler is the guy you go to in a pinch—he’s excellent at out-of-the-box solutions. It’s what the genius music-slash-computer nerd is known for. So when he finds out Derrick needs a favor, he’s happy to help. He can muster the sort of welcome a Naval Chief deserves, no problem at all.

Except it is a problem. A very big problem.

When Arthur’s homecoming welcome is a little too convincing, when a video of their gangplank smooch goes enormously viral, they’re caught between a dock and a hard place. Neither of them ever expected a temporary fake relationship to look—or feel—so real. And Arthur certainly never considered he’d be fighting for a very much not-fake forever with a military man.

Carina Adores is home to romantic love stories where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters.

Review: Rule Breaker (Mixed Messages #1) by Lily Morton

Rating: 3.5🌈

Lily Morton is a go to author for me. Her stories are full of humor, believable situations, and emotional, relationships that have the ability to have you laughing and sniffing, sometimes at the same time.

There’s often one particular element I can find, not even a major one, that will have me wanting to sink down into a comfy chair somewhere close by, and become a part of this aspect of that storyline.

For Rule Breaker, it’s Dylan Mitchell’s family and farm. The kitchen especially with its ancient wooden table, full of marks from all the years of the family life it’s seen. You want to sink into their family and ask to join in, stay for a while, become part of the warmth, and believable loving family dynamics that Morton has given us, and Dylan. I could enjoy an entire story with this family! I didn’t get nearly enough time with them.

The romance between Dylan and his boss, Gabe Foster, suffered because, unlike other books, their relationship felt somewhat toxic to me. A fact that even Gabe would admit to.

Gabe Foster is an emotionally damaged man. His past and adolescence haunted by parents and an event that’s slowly revealed in the story. That childhood trauma has caused him to withdraw behind high walls, and to choose a life of noncommitment with his sex partners, guarding his privacy as well as anything truly personal from those around him. He is, by his own words, cold and selfish.

Dylan is the very antithesis of Gabe. Outgoing, funny, gregarious, he draws people to him simply by being interested in them, and everything around him. He’s open, vulnerable, and giving.

Dylan is the pov for 90 percent of the story and , for me, that’s a mistake. In order for Gabe to be likable or at least someone we can understand, we need to see beyond his unfortunate words and mean spirited actions. With the extremely relatable and adorable Dylan as our narrator, we hear the warnings from others about Gabe, and see the toxic behavior Gabe is exhibiting, and want to shout “run”.

It’s not until we start to get Gabe’s perspective, (at 90% ) , then given his damaging back history, that Gabe becomes someone who’s not a total cad, but perhaps a person in need of therapy and something more.

A note here, given the nightmares and his severe trauma, I’m not sure why his friend Henry never tried getting Gabe into some sort of therapy. That’s a question for me here for Morton.

The last ten percent of the story is captivating. They make a wonderful, charming couple. I needed more of this. Less of what came before or more of Gabe’s viewpoint.

I liked this ending. Loved the family and actually looking forward to Jude’s story. There’s some terrific stuff here. But there’s also some things that left me puzzled.

Lily Morton characters are realistic and the situations believable. Otherwise, why would I be picking at them? But it’s the romance I’m thinking about. It’s not my favorite of hers. She has some that are my absolute must rereads!

If you’re a Lily Morton fan, pick it up and tell me what you think!

Rule Breaker (Mixed Messages, #1) by Lily Morton – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Is it really wrong to want to murder your boss?

Dylan has worked for Gabe for two years. Two long years of sarcastic comments. Two long years of insults, and having to redo the coffee pot four times in the mornings to meet his exacting standards.

Not surprisingly he has devoted a lot of time to increasingly inventive ways to murder Gabe. From stabbing him with a cake fork, to garrotting him with his expensive tie, Dylan has thought of everything.

However, a chance encounter opens his eyes to the attraction that has always lain between them, concealed by the layers of antipathy. There are only two problems – Gabe is still a bastard, and he makes wedding planners look like hardened pessimists.

But what happens when Dylan starts to see the real Gabe? What happens when he starts to fall in love with the warm, wary man that he sees glimpses of as the days pass?

Because Gabe is still the same commitment shy, cold man that he’s always been, or is he? Has Dylan had the same effect on Gabe, and has his solid gold rule of no commitment finally been broken? With his heart taken Dylan desperately needs to know, but will he get hurt trying to find the answers?

From the author of ‘The Summer of Us’ comes another scorchingly hot romantic comedy, showing what happens between two men when rules get broken.

This is the first book in the Mixed Messages series but it can be read as a standalone.

Review: Loving Layne (A Hockey Allies Bid #2) by V.L. Locey

Rating: 4.25🌈

Hockey, V.L. Locey, age gap…done well and hot? Plus an intelligent nerd with a thing for great hats, Mel Tormé, and a classic car? I’m all in!

Part of a 6 book-series, Hockey Allies Bid M/M Romance Collection from six different authors, Loving Layne is V.L. Locey’s addition to this terrific series.

A fan both of the game, the players, and LGBTQIA+ hockey romances, I loved a series about a group of Hockey Allies at a charity event and the romances that sprang from it.

Locey didn’t disappoint with two amazing characters here.

Roman Kennedy, a journalism major, who’s very background oozes ink for the presses, is on a mysterious road-trip with his college roommate and best friend to Chicago.

Ah , Roman. He’s the one with the beloved newshound grandfather in his past. The one who left him the stylishly older fashioned hats Roman wears, the music tracks and vinyl of music he listens to, and the classic car Roman inherited that he drives. Roman is that character you adore immensely.

The other main character is Layne Coleman, NHL hockey player, one year away from retirement. A ten year age gap but actually mentally and emotionally… no separation. They click! Like two pieces that immediately get each other.

Locey writes them as two souls who as they talk , it’s not just physical chemistry, but a meeting of two like minds… and hearts. So the reader is so on board with their romance and relationship.

Roman and Layne are great together. I love their section of this story.

There’s a drama that plays our quickly and a mystery that most will have figured out almost immediately.

The elements that I find , well if not likable, but then perhaps less dimensional, are Dillon, Mrs. Coleman, and Mrs North.

Maybe they have just less “page time” but whatever the reason they come across as less fleshed out then the main couple. Especially Dillon. He’s nothing but action and emotion. There doesn’t seem to be any real depth to him.

Which was fine, it was Layne and Roman I really cared about and they had a wonderful ending. I could even do with another story about them. I liked them that much!

Here’s another hockey romance winner from a author who’s great at both writing hockey and romance.

Grab it up and enjoy!

Here’s the entire series:

Hockey Allies Bid M/M Romance Collection:

◦ Guarding Garrett #1 by R.J. Scott

✓ Loving Layne #2 by V.L. Locey

◦ Keeping Kyle #3 by Jeff Adams

◦ Scoring Slater #4 by Susan Scott Shelley

◦ Absolving Ash #5 by Chantal Mer

https://www.goodreads.com › showLoving Layne by V.L. Locey – Goodreads

All Buy Links

Sometimes the last thing you expect to happen might turn out to be what you needed all along.

Roman Kennedy’s first trip to the Windy City isn’t going quite as planned. Mysteries intrigue him, and his best friend Dillon seems to be sitting on a whopper. So, with his grandfather’s favorite hat on his head and his notebook in hand, the journalism major starts digging. Sadly, getting his bestie to spill the beans on what the secret is isn’t as easy as Roman had hoped.

Now, through no fault of his own, he’s stuck in an expensive hotel attending a bachelor auction of all things. He’s surrounded by lumbering jocks who, he’s sure, are just waiting for the chance to poke fun at the skinny, gay Jewish guy. Imagine his surprise when one of the big lugs sits down with him and talks Bernstein and Woodward.

Layne Coleman is sexy as sin, smart as a whip, considerably older, and has the same passion for investigative journalism as Roman does. His deep blue eyes and dark hair make concentrating on anything but the soft kisses they’re now sharing difficult. Roman’s keen instincts are understandably clouded by romance, so when Dillon reveals his secret in a highly public way, it’s hard to say who is more stunned—Roman or Layne, the man at the center of it all.

Review: Breath (Scales ‘n’ Spells (#2) by A.J. Sherwood and Jocelynn Drake

Rating: 4 🌈

Breath is the second book in Sherwood and Drake’s fantasy series and it takes the series off to Finland, Poland..a tiny travelogue of countries really, in search of new mages and Dragon mates for the Burkhard Fire Clan. The path taken through Riga, then Wrocław is so descriptive and charming that you scramble to Google it. Locations are always a plus here.

However with both Origin and now Breath, there was an underlying element that tugged at me when I finished both stories and it took this book to figure out what it was.

I like the fantasy arc the authors have established and the mystery of the enemy mages to overcome. Nor have I mislaid the aspect of the Lost Clans the authors only mentioned in the beginning. All good.

I do like that the story concentrates on the mage for most of the novel. Here it’s Tori Taavi. He’s lived a miserable life in a hidden village that’s pretty much a matriarchal homophobic society where only the females who test out magically are valued, males who do are valued solely as mates to procreate and anyone else is considered worthless. Tori fell in the later as gay and someone who did work magic under their rigid guidelines.

Both Sherwood and Drake do a fantastic job in creating a sympathetic and relatable personality in Tori. He’s so easy to connect with, that making him our window into the story and his personal journey into a new world of hope is amazing. I’m with him and his tale of love and growth all the way.

In fact Tori’s emotional tale overpowers everything here. Baldewin, the sweet giant of a red fire dragon, definitely comes in second as a narrator instead of on equal standing. Same for Baldewin’s story. It’s Tori’s book really, not that I mind. He’s a great character. Much like the first book belonged to Cameron, Cassie, and Ha Na instead of King Alric.

But shouldn’t it be at least more uh… dragon sided too?

Right now it’s all about the mages but we learn very little about dragons here.

That’s part of the issue that’s been troubling me. Dragons, for all the castles and verbiage given to them here, have, little natural history or foundation. So there’s a magical incubator. Great! How does it work?why, other than the war basics, don’t we really know much about dragons here?

The mate ceremony is over before you know it . Which considering that it’s what all the drama and wars were/are fought over, wouldn’t you expect something more uh noteworthy? Here that’s the section that feels the most incomplete. When it should be the most uplifting and important.

And it was that way for both stories. So I see a pattern emerging here.

Great mage characters and their storyline. Lesser dragons characters with a rushed ending.

Thankfully Tori was so great that I really enjoyed his journey and thought Baldewin made a lovely mate for him.

Now onto the novella, Wish.

I’m recommending this because the characters are terrific and fantasy is always my jam.

Read them in the order they are written.

Scales ‘n’ Spells series:

✓ Origins

✓ Breath

◦ Wish: a Novella

◦ Blood

◦ Embers

https://www.goodreads.com › showBreath (Scales ‘N’ Spells #2) by A.J. Sherwood – Goodreads

A Mage’s List for Freedom:

1. Escape his evil, controlling clan.

2. Get a job.

3. Work magic on HIS terms.

4. Avoid all dragons.

Tori was doing great until sexy dragon Baldewin interfered.

Between the little gifts, constant protection, and the steadfast confidence from the overgrown lizard, Tori wonders if maybe that last step needs revising. He has no chance to consider it.

Not before trouble called Jaeggi REALLY hits. Now he’s on the road trip from hell to the one place he’d never thought would be a safe haven. A clan of dragons.

Assuming they make it, that is.

Tags:

Dragon shifters, mages, fated mates, hurt/comfort, enemies to lovers, not mpreg, interracial couple, road trip, No Flying, nope not even with a dragon, dwarf hunting in Poland, Tori needs allll the hugs, Baldewin is happy to supply them, dragons are ninjas, attempted kidnapping, mages being BAMF, insecurity, trust issues, Tori is an arse, Baldewin is adorable, Cassie is over it, virgin character, but not for long fufufufu, dysfunctional family, family of choice, magical realism, cuuuuudles, the authors regret nothing.