Tag: m/m romance

Review: Snowed In: Kit and Harry by K.L. Noone

Rating: 5🌈

It’s rare that short stories earn high ratings from me but Noone’s rich descriptive passages and gorgeous imagery won me over from the start.

There’s an immediate impression when Constable Kit Thompson meets Harry, younger son of Fairleigh Hall , of hair of “wayward sunshine “ , combined with boundless enthusiasm that the author perfectly projects a image of Harry that’s indelible and warm almost to the touch. Even as the brutal cold of winter encapsulates them.

That’s why Kit is there. To investigate why winter, the cold has fallen out of season on Fairleigh Hall. He’s a constable in Bow Street’s Preternatural Division where he can use his magical gifts to solve crimes and apprehend criminals.

The time and setting is Fairleigh Hall, Yorkshire, 1802. Regency. Same sex relationships and marriages are now acceptable for the younger non inheriting sons and daughters.

There’s an astonishing mystery and equally compelling resolution. The relationship between Kit and Harry is unexpectedly strong, complex, and kinky. Rope play, D/s, all so well done and beautifully written.

These are nuanced characters which is hard to do in short stories but the author achieves it. Kit has a complicated history. Son of a courtesan and bastard of a nobleman, he skirts the edges of society. Harry, the younger brother has the most complex background but it’s one that’s slowly revealed throughout the story.

While winter swirls around the hall, there’s still a tiny but very strong support cast to deepen the sense of family and friendship within relationships that are developing. That’s Ned Arden, the Earl of Fairleigh, Harry’s older brother and Lizzie, his betrothed. And Grayson, the butler. All so beautifully portrayed and realistic that you feel like you have met them.

The storylines move briskly along, but with a poetic tone to the imagery and a sense of otherness when it comes to the characters themselves and their magic.

I was so in love with everyone here. So sorry to be finished with the story.

But what a delight to read and reread. A new favorite of mine. And hopefully yours. I’m highly recommending this!

And I just found out that it has a sequel. Onto that next.

✓ Snowed In: Kit and Harry (part of The Demon Universe of 9 books)

◦ Midwinter Firelight (it’s sequel)

Buy Link:

Snowed In: Kit and Harry

Description:

Someone — or something — is causing magical blizzards at Fairleigh Hall. The estate is suffering, and the Earl has requested assistance.

Constable Kit Thompson, of Bow Street’s Preternatural Division, isn’t especially thrilled to be sent out to the country. At least the assignment gets him away from fashionable London society and his own unwanted celebrity after successfully solving a notorious case. Of course, he’s now trapped at a country estate due to closed roads, snowstorms, and magic, but Kit’s always liked solving puzzles. He’s good at using empathic skills for investigations, and this is definitely a challenge. Besides, the Earl’s younger brother is an irritating and delicious temptation, all blue eyes and muscles and boundless enthusiastic optimism. Kit wants to either shake sense into him or kiss him senseless — and can’t trust him, either, because if someone’s genuinely sabotaging the weather, everyone’s a suspect.

Harry Arden, younger brother of the Earl of Fairleigh, has never met a Preternatural Division constable before, much less a famous and celebrated one. He wants to help. And he wants to make that attractive but cynical constable smile, at least once. But the estate hides a family secret, and Harry knows perfectly well Kit doesn’t trust him … and for good reason. Still, Harry offers to do what he can to assist with the investigation, and if that means spending more time with Kit, that’s a bonus.

When Harry and Kit end up caught by those magical storms, snowed in together at the old hunting lodge, they’ll have to trust each other with their secrets … and their hearts.

Review: Heart Unbroken by Casey Cox

Rating: 4.25🌈

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

— Heart Unbroken by Casey Cox

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Description:

ROVE

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

It was only brief, but it was…everything.

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

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

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

LEO

Five years ago, I met someone unforgettable.

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

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

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

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

Review: To The Moon and Back by N.R. Walker

Rating: 4.5 🌈

To The Moon and Back is N.R. Walker ‘s latest contemporary romance and it’s a must read for everyone who’s a fan of this author and wonderful low angst relationship stories.

Located in Sydney, Australia, it brings together two men at loose tethers. One, Toby Barlow, a professional nanny, has recently returned home after a stint in the UK. His last job he cut short due to the clients/family he had contracted with. Now he’s home and looking for a new job and finds it in a single father who has been left with a baby, overwhelmed, unable to work or sleep or cope.

That’s Gideon Ellery. Who had his ex leave when Gideon adopted his son, Benson. Now Gideon is overwhelmed by his work, his life and trying to be the best father possible without knowing what he is doing. Enter Toby Barlow!

This is a slow burn, day by day, melding of a family unit. By burnt toast, by sickness, walking in the park, baby steps and food, tv shows, and everything familiar and ordinary. The things that really matters. Walker creates a warm, happy and believable atmosphere of two men and a baby falling into love and a family.

And we fall right along with them.

There’s a big Italian family on one side I wish we’d seen more of. Great friends on another and surprise visitors from a fabulous novel of Walker’s at the end every fan will adore.

The drama, such as it is, is real and low key. And the ending lovely and leaves us wanting to see a sequel or holiday story for this family in the future.

If you’re a fan of contemporary romance and N. R. Walker, grab this up. It’s just a lovely read that will make you happy and leave you wanting more!

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Moon-B…To the Moon and Back – Kindle edition by Walker, N.R.. Literature & Fiction …

Description:

Gideon Ellery had the perfect life. Nice house, great job, and a long-time boyfriend. Weeks after adopting his nephew, his boyfriend splits, leaving Gideon a single father to a newborn. Overwhelmed, sleep deprived, and unsure how to navigate fatherhood, he’s asked to return to the office. He’s overwhelmed and at his breaking point.

Toby Barlow is back in Sydney after three years of studying, travelling, and nannying in the UK. He needs work and a place to live, and the perfect solution drops in his lap. After all, caring for a sweet baby in a beautiful home owned by a gorgeous single man isn’t exactly terrible.

Gideon isn’t too keen to share his life with a stranger, but his need for help is too great. Sunshiny Toby isn’t prepared for a grumpy Gideon or his utterly adorable son, Benson. Or how easily he slots into their lives. And Gideon’s not prepared for how much he needs Toby.

Or how much he wants him.

Neither is prepared for the complications of falling in love.

Review: Maniac (Necessary Evils Book 7) by Onley James

Rating: 4.5 🌈

Maniac brings Onley James’ Necessary Evils to a close as you’d expect from a series about a family of psychopaths and their partners. It’s ends on an assassin’s revenge, death, and a bang on conclusion that brings the entire Mulvaney clan, extended family and friends together for one last murderous investigation and romance.

The Mulvaney storyline and romantic drama features the head of the family, Thomas Mulvaney with an emphasis on his past, and the odd adopted “child” of the Mulvaney brood. That’s Aiden, who came into the family as a young teenager from a well connected family who pressured Thomas to take him.

Here we learn the details of Aiden’s adolescent, the events that led him to Thomas and the Mulvaney family. And what’s been behind the bitterness and sadness that’s kept Aiden and Thomas apart for years.

Unsurprisingly, we’re dealing with a tragic and traumatic childhood. One rife with parental abuse , intentional cruelty, and malicious neglect. All of which have had consequences in the past as well as present a variety of ways.

James brings in several new characters like Lola who works with Aiden as well as familiar ones like Calliope, her son and his partner, Atticus and Jericho’s adopted “kids”, who soon will get their own series.

If there’s one issue, and it can’t be helped, it’s a surfeit of characters. You have all the original Mulvaney children, and now their partners/ fiancées/husbands, plus children/grandchildren, the nanny/baby mother, computer genius Calliope, her son and his lover, and any extra cast we’ve had thrown in along the way. It’s a lot to ask of the reader to remember each couple’s relationship dynamics, their stories, and even how the unique personalities and special groups play out within the family structure.

All that on top of a messy emotional connection that’s in need of resolution and balance between Aiden and Thomas.

I haven’t even begun to touch on the blackmail that the launching point for all the events and emotions (from those that are capable of them) within the family business and structure.

Basically a family of psychopaths go to war! It’s that simple and it’s extremely complicated.

Did I enjoy it and appreciate the nuances that James brought to Thomas and the various perspectives on his upbringing? Absolutely. From Thomas’ viewpoint of himself as the one responsible for certain events, to , even though he was a child without support, his own family’s clear vision of Thomas and his role within the past.

Reminder that this is dark fiction and it’s subject matter, although not necessarily with elements that “happen on page” are full of issues that might be considered triggers for some people. Rape, torture, manipulation, child abuse and neglect are key topics. So be aware.

So as a finale , things are pretty well sorted and done for each couple by book’s end. We know where each couple is as a family and within the Mulvaney’s as a whole unit. It feels complete.

And James assures us that we haven’t seen the last of them as they will continue their secret life as assassins. It won’t surprise anyone to see them appear in the upcoming spinoff series that starts with Jericho’s Boys. They are a group already adopted into the inner circle of The Mulvaney family.

For more information, see below. Until then, for lovers of dark contemporary fiction, I’m recommending this. Read the series in the order that it is written.

Necessary Evils series:

✓ Unhinged #1

✓ Psycho #2

✓ Moonstruck #3

✓ Headcase #4

✓ Mad Man #5

✓ Lunatic #6

✓ Maniac #7 – finale

Two upcoming spinoff series, The Watch and Jericho’s Boys, the first of which Paladin #1, is coming April 30, 2023

Buy Link:

Maniac (Necessary Evils Book 7)

.

Description:

Thomas Mulvaney was just a child when an error in judgment cost him everything. He vowed then that he would do anything to atone for his mistake. And he did. He never strayed from the right path. Until Aiden.

Aiden Mulvaney doesn’t exist. He’s a lie created by the father who disowned him and by Thomas Mulvaney, the only man Aiden had ever begged to love him. But that was years ago, when he’d still believed in fairytales. Before Thomas rejected him.

Thomas has spent years trying to have Aiden in his life while keeping him at arm’s length, but Aiden’s done with half-measures. He’s done with Thomas the martyr. He’s just done. So, he’s kept his distance. Trouble is, now, someone is threatening to expose a secret that affects them all.

No, not that one. A secret so shameful, Thomas won’t even utter it out loud. Can he and Aiden revisit the past and keep the family name intact, or will they both be buried beneath the weight of their memories as their old feelings resurface?

Review: Prince of Lies by Lucy Lennox

Rating: 4🌈

I’m really all over the place with Lucy Lennox’s newest book Prince of Lies. The premise concerned me because I’m not a fan of relationships that start with deception. Unless you’re a spy, member of a law enforcement agency, or assassin where lying is actually in their job description , then I’m a fan of people who have adult realistic relationships in contemporary romance.

So it took me a while to get into the story with Rowe Prince lying his way through the beginning pages, even chapters, but eventually this character’s engaging personality won me over. It helps that Rowe is absolutely horrible at deception and the situations he gets himself into or bumbles about in are hilarious.

With the terrific Sebastian Dayne as Prince’s foil , we marvel as the real life comedy of the absurd plays out over corporate intrigue and painful past betrayals.

With Bast as “straight” man, pretending to be the PA to imaginary Sterling Chase’s that Rowe Prince is cluelessly trying to be, whether it’s high society social circles or upper echelons of the business elite, Rowe is a wildly windmilling dreamer trying to maintain his balance and the façade he’s taken on. It’s a white knuckle ride that’s filled with suspense, humor, and more than a bit of pathos.

I was completely entranced by the dance Lennox created for her characters as they romanced, figured out the truth in their identities and how they were supposed to be able to move forward with life together if certain issues weren’t resolved.

Their story and romance was supported by a fascinating crew of characters. Silas, Kenji , Zane, Dev, Landry on Bast’s side. Joey, the Burrito Bandito bestie on Rowe’s. The author writing fun stories or traumatic experiences for each to make the reader want to know more.

So adorable characters with a wonderful supporting cast within a engaging storyline.

I did laugh a lot and liked the relationship. So it’s all a win for me. I’m recommending it.

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showPrince of Lies by Lucy Lennox

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Prince-…Prince of Lies – Kindle edition by Lennox, Lucy. Romance …

Description:

Rowe Prince is a lying liar who windmills into my life in full color, claiming to be Sterling Chase, a quirky, eccentric billionaire… and founder of the company I created.

Two can play at the lying game, though, and I’m not about to let some burrito-delivering, floppy-haired virgin from Indiana best me at a game I was born to play.

So I do him one better and pretend to be Sterling Chase’s new assistant. I’ll teach him a lesson that will hopefully wind us both up in bed… with nothing but the truth between us.

But it turns out his shameless lies are enchanting… unintentionally hilarious… and make it all too easy to forget the truth…

Until I learn that this cutie’s intent is to defraud the company I’ve spent years building. I have to choose: risk the company or say goodbye to the man I’m falling for. A guy who just might be…

The Prince of Lies

Review: Forbidden Lover (Exit Strategy #4) by Jocelynn Drake

Rating: 3.5🌈

Forbidden Lover has its beginnings in Final Lover, Justin Mallory and Gabriel Prescott’s “put a ring on it”storyline. That’s the book that solidified their romance into a HEA by slipping them into a mission that sees them protecting a man and his young son from a mistaken hit contract.

The assassin who took the bad contract was Kai , an old acquaintance of Gabriel’s, and someone Gabe knew would never kill a child. It stopped Kai once he knew the information was bad and then he helped them protect the man and son. Yes, there was definitely chemistry involved but it was just a wisp and gone.

Here all the dropped parts from that book that pertained to the father ,Devlin Relic and son , get picked up and woven into a new adventure and romance.

This time between Devlin and Kai.

As much as I liked the character of Kai, what makes the series work is the development of the relationship between the two characters of Justin and Gabriel over a period of time, especially with the differences in personalities. Here Kai is lacking all that history and groundwork, even with his introduction in the last book, to give him a larger dimension to his character.

It makes the drama with the villain just a bit confusing, even coming off as a forced storyline because we have nothing to frame it around.

I liked Devlin and his son, the father/son dynamics feeling more realistic than the fact that Devlin might be any sort of brilliant scientist. No one is that naive anymore, especially about other members of their scientific community. Nice character, not realistic enough for the field.

So I was entertained. It’s not my favorite in the series. Feels like more of a filler story than a actual part. Maybe people were asking for it because of Kai from Final Lover.

Read it to finish the series, or because you’re curious about that character. It’s a fun book but not necessarily a great one.

The series should be read in the order that they were written to understand the character development and events that happened.

Exit Strategy series:

✓ Deadly Lover: Special Edition #1

✓ Vengeful Lover #2

✓ Final Lover #3

✓ Forbidden Lover #4

✓ Accidental Lover #5

Buy Link :

Forbidden Lover (Exit Strategy Book 4)

Description:

Devlin Relic was off limits.

The sweet man had already lost a husband and nearly lost his life when someone put a contract on his head last year.

He needed to focus on raising his adopted son and finding a nice, normal man.

Kai was anything but nice and normal.

He was an assassin, and that did not fit into Dev’s neat and tidy life.

But when a dead body mysteriously appears in Dev’s bathtub, it looks like an assassin is exactly what he needs.

Maybe this time Kai will be brave enough to fight for Devlin and finally put his exit strategy to use.

Review: The Wandering Prince (13 Kingdoms, #3) by H.L. Day

Rating: 5🌈

With The Wandering Prince, H.L. Day finishes up the incredible fantasy adventure series of 13 Kingdoms. I’m so so sorry to see this journey come to an end for us and for the loving, magical, and wildly messy relationship that is the couple, Jack and Sebastian.

I love a author who gives a nod to the beginnings of the series and the couple when plotting the finale book as well as solving most of the narrative mysteries created and ending it with a bang up celebration that brings so many great characters together.

The story opens in Jack’s farmhouse with the unexpected arrival of a Queen, the shattering of trust, and the sudden need for a imminent journey to help a dying King.

All that began at the very end of The Stubborn Apprentice in a shocking way.

So we’re prepared somewhat for the emotional fallout that begins this story.

Day’s characterizations are so well written. We’ve come to believe in these men, their strengths and their weaknesses. Especially Sebastian’s inability to face his responsibilities or the consequences of the lies he’s told . Especially the lies or in this case, the truth he’s kept from Jack.

So much here is Jack and Sebastian working their way back into the trust that was shattered and building a better relationship foundation, while dealing with royalty, rogues, monsters, Sebastian’s feelings of inadequacies with his family, and Jack’s fear of the sea! Not a quick or easy fix.

For The Wandering Prince Day has written many complicated narratives and then whipped them together so beautifully that you both want to slow down because you are sure you’re missing something and speed up because there’s something, some element so exciting coming at you just paragraphs away!

Run! No come back!

New and old characters appear to make you want at least 2 more books to this series, so rich and lush are the locations and wonderfully detailed the characters.

Earl and the Prince need their own story. Who says Troy needs a princess? I have questions!

Yes, it ends splendidly. But you just know the two of them will be off on another greater adventure soon. It’s part of them. Let us be a part of it too.

I adored these books and series. Those rich, glorious covers are everything.

I’m naturally highly recommending them, just read them in the order they are written.

13 Kingdoms series:

✓ The Reluctant Companion #1

✓ The Stubborn Apprentice #2

✓ The Wandering Prince #3

Buy Link Amazon:

The Wandering Prince (13 kingdoms #3)

Description:

An ailing father. A missing healer who might have the cure. Now would be a really bad time for Jack and Sebastian to be at loggerheads.

Jack never saw the truth coming. And knowing Sebastian has been lying to him changes everything. Yet, despite his misgivings over whether their relationship can be repaired, he finds himself on a ship to Padora, Sebastian’s homeland. Awkward isn’t the word. And peril, as ever, is just over the next wave.

Sebastian’s whole world is falling apart. His magic is broken. His father, the king of Padora, is dying. And Jack… Well, Jack hates him, and not in the usual Jack way. He’s really messed up this time, and doesn’t know how to put it right.

Can Jack and Sebastian survive to save the day once more? And if they do, will it fix what was broken between them?

The Wandering Prince is a 101k finale to Jack and Sebastian’s humorous MM fantasy adventure that started with The Reluctant Companion and continued with The Stubborn Accomplice. Travel with Jack and Sebastian as they encounter old friends, sea monsters, a future king who needs babysitting, dastardly pirates who have been polishing their plank, a double-crossing brother, and perhaps even a missing sister.

Review: Deadly Lover: Special Edition (Exit Strategy #1) by Jocelynn Drake

Rating: 4.5🌈

Deadly Lover is my second book that I “backtracked” to when I discovered the couple in the course of reading a sequel series, Shadow Elite.

This couple, now “semi-retired”, are deadly assassins who are uncles to Alexei, an assassin as well and lover of Soren. They’re both infamous and family due to their roles and now new connections so they certainly pop up during missions or gatherings.

It didn’t take long for them to become a couple I seriously wanted a history for.

Deadly Lover begins their journey. It’s where they meet, begin a tenuous understanding of each other and start a relationship that teeters between a frightening friendship and something more fragile.

All while chasing a mystery and in turn finding themselves prey in a game where it’s billions of dollars and lives at stake.

Drake takes a chance with the dynamics here and tilts the revelations being delivered all on the side of assassin Gabriel Prescott. A deeply haunted, damaged man, the trauma of his past makes itself known by his scars, his arrays of tattoos, and his PTSD. All of which will be addressed as part of his character’s thread as the series progresses.

The character of Justin Mallory is more of an enigma. As the relationship between the men develops and the trust of their true selves becomes a final test, it’s Justin who’s that last one with the barriers raised. He’s fluid and yet he’s got a strong core. So you get him and can connect with him without having any history or knowledge about him.

This dichotomy between the main characters surprisingly works because our focus is on Gabriel, his emotional damage and trauma, while maneuvering the reader away from the narrative void that is Justin Mallory’s history and foundation.

It makes you wonder what’s coming.

The path they are on is halting, uncertain, and dangerous. The author never lets us or them forget that either.

The book ends not even on a HFN which is realistic. But on a we are going to try to make it work.

The next novel picks up several months later. It’s quite the transition.

Review coming soon.

I’m most definitely recommending this series. And Deadly Love. It’s well written. Great plotting, with a fascinating framework for the characters and relationship growth going forward. Full of exciting action and dialogue to pull you into the conversation, it’s a win all around.

Exit Strategy series:

✓ Deadly Lover: Special Edition #1

✓ Vengeful Lover #2

◦ Final Lover #3

◦ Forbidden Lover #4

✓ Accidental Lover #5

Deadly Lover: Special Edition (Exit Strategy Book 1)

Description:

New Expanded Content for Deadly Lover!

Justin Mallory is an assassin. But he’s really a good guy.

He has years of bad decisions to make up for, starting with agreeing to join the CIA after being recruited out of the Marines. No reason to add more black marks to his soul.

Now he chooses the jobs and he works always alone. It’s safer that way, and he can make sure the good guy always wins.

But this job…he can’t do alone.

Two scientists are dead and a dangerous drug is on the cusp of winning FDA approval if he doesn’t track down the culprit behind the lies and murders.

Gabriel Prescott is a well-trained, efficient, and cold-blooded killer. After a brutal betrayal left his lover dead, Gabriel is out only for himself.

But when this lucrative contract lands in his lap, he can’t pass it up. Even if it means working with the unpredictable and insane Justin Mallory.

Dodging bullets and secret meetings force them to depend on each other.

And one hot, frantic night together leads to a hidden sweetness and questions of whether they could possibly have something more.

Author’s Note: As a gift to readers, I have expanded the original Deadly Lover by nearly 20,000 words, giving readers a deeper understanding of Justin and Gabriel. Furthermore, I have added the short story Lover Calling to the special edition so you can enjoy even more of these fun assassins.

Review: A Christmas Outing: A Veterans Affairs Story by A.E. Wasp

Rating: 3.25🌈

A Christmas Outing is a wonderful heartwarming holiday story whose narrative gifts are tarnished by the errors and mistakes that are found inside.

Continuity issues, once again, thy name is A Veterans Affairs. The most striking example is Troy’s best friend growing up, Leo. A closeted gay himself, it was his death that pushed Troy out of the closet and onto a new path. Hugely important.

So it would have to be a factor that’s a major aspect of Troy’s life and storylines. You would expect zero variation. Incoming, the first novel, has its version being that Leo was shot to death by a hookup in a gas station because he’s afraid to be seen in a gay bar.

Written as an epilogue to that story but released separately (same time frame), A Christmas Outing: A Veterans Affairs Story has Leo dying as a result of being beaten to death by homophobes.

To use the vernacular, I can’t even.

Troy’s West Virginia large family of Methodists becomes ethnically distinctly Italian Catholic, with some surprising side trips.

There’s so many elements that are mentioned and discussed superficially. A gay conversion camp and therapy, a gay cousin, a rescue, a PSTD episode that’s quickly dealt with, a hidden relationship, a coming out, a service dog and her duties, a gay partner who’s not religious. I’m sure I’m leaving out some. Bigotry.

All at Christmas. So heartwarming.

The fact that the Christmas card decorations and big Italian Catholic families are supposed to make up for the lost depth and glossing over of some of the very tough topics raised is in a manner a surface treatment used by families to make them feel better about themselves and issues they would rather not face.

It ends typically with a happy ending for the couple, one not shared with those around them. Big surprise.

There’s a couple more books in this series that are focused around another couple that lives in the same small town of Red Deer, Colorado.

Not entirely sure I’m continuing. It’s interesting but I have more books in 2023 on my list to finish first.

A Christmas Outing: A Veterans Affairs Story

******

Books in the Veterans Affairs Series

Incoming – Troy & Dmitri novel
A Christmas Outing – Troy & Dmitri novella

Paper Hearts – Mikey & Benny novel
Paper Roses – Mikey & Benny novella

Bronze Star – Jay-Cee & Chris novel

Description:

Troy and Dmitri have worked everything out – well, almost everything. Except for the part where Troy’s family doesn’t know Dmitri exists. Coming out to his family sounds scarier than going to war. And Troy would know.

Troy’s been out of the Army for almost a year, and except for a few short weeks, hasn’t been back to West Virginia at all. Now it’s Christmas and if he doesn’t go, he’ll break his momma’s heart. Trouble is, Troy’s afraid that going home with a boyfriend and service dog in tow will break his Momma’s heart just as much.

Review: Incoming : A Veterans Affair Novel by A.E. Wasp

Rating: 3.5🌈

Incoming, the beginning of Wasp’s Veterans Affairs series, is a terrific book marred by poor editing and continuity issues, things that unfortunately continue into the next story, Christmas Outing.

Released in 2016, it dates itself with elements that I regard fondly. Music, a car with actual paper road maps in the passenger seat, be still my heart. And while I’d like to chalk up the editing errors, that for some readers might send this novel flying across the room, to inadequate technology at the time, I suspect that’s just not the case.

Most of the glaring mistakes concern switching important names sometimes within paragraphs. Whether it’s between the main characters or even towards the end, the adorable but vastly different canine characters, it occurs often and throughout the story.

How does an author not have noticed something so major that it takes a reader out of the narrative because they are trying to make sense of who’s talking? Or a canine acting out of character? A super intelligent border collie who’s lived in the house for years can’t figure out a door while the new recently ill dog is racing towards a ball already in the backyard. Uh no. Pls edit.

It’s a shame because the core story and the characters are quite wonderful. Especially Troy Johnson, ex Army, who’s issues include untreated PTSD, the stress of being a closeted gay man to his religious family in WV, and internalizing all the pain, suffering, and loss of his recent campaigns in Afghanistan. Troy is so beautifully written and painfully detailed a person who’s trying to figure out a new life and not quite succeeding.

Less immediately likable but just as realistic is Dimitri, a research veterinarian* (because he couldn’t stand to cause animals/their owners pain) who’s let his fears of pain overwhelm him to the extent he’s walled himself off emotionally and physically from life, except for his best friend. He’s more than a bit self absorbed, a tad cowardly, and reactionary. Unrealistic. How did the author explain him getting through vet school?

Did I believe in him? Yes, sort of. In a where did his degree come from kinda way. Did I like him? Hmmm, maybe. More so as I started to see the men together. It was their dynamic and relationship that sold me , as well as his relationships with his best friend, Sugar, that connected me with Dmitri.

Excellent work with his less than stellar personality and character growth.But his profession needs work.

The characters that support them are amazing. Whether it’s the bar owner, Vincent, a vet himself, and the best friend, Angel. The dogs too, like Sweetie the service dog and Dmitri’s border collie, Moby.

So read the this book and it’s companion, A Christmas Outing, a sort of epilogue to this couple’s relationship, if you’re a fan of the author’s and extremely tolerant of editing errors and continuity mistakes.

However, if those things are book stoppers for you, I’d suggest you skip these. Not even the diminutive shortcut for Dmitri remains the same throughout the novel. SMH.

*some scientific researchers do tend to use animals in their experiments so I do wonder how much research herself Wasp did here. Just a thought.

Books in the Veterans Affairs Series

Incoming – Troy & Dmitri novel
A Christmas Outing – Troy & Dmitri novella

Paper Hearts – Mikey & Benny novel
Paper Roses – Mikey & Benny novella

Bronze Star – Jay-Cee & Chris novel

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showIncoming (Veterans Affairs, #1) by A.E. Wasp

Description:

A veteran and a veteranarian walk into a bar.

Army veteran Troy is everything Dmitri’s ever wanted in a guy: gorgeous, smart, and funny. He likes dogs, he has the sexiest trace of an accent, and his kisses set off fireworks in Dmitri’s entire body. Too bad Troy is looking to stay in Red Deer Dmitri is getting the hell out of this small town as soon as he can.

Still, they might be able to work it out, but Troy has secrets he won’t tell, and the demons he’s running from are hot on his heels. When sparks fly on a hot Fourth of July weekend, both men find that the past is not easily left behind, and the future is never as clear as you hope.