Tag: second chance at love

Review: Broken In by B.A. Tortuga

Rating: 5🌈

Broken In, B.A. Tortuga’s new release , is definitely my favorite of all her most recent stories.

It’s got all the elements I expect from a B.A. Tortuga tale, but elevated into well developed, beautifully defined book, where every aspect of the story and all the characters damaged past histories flow smoothly into a believable reunion and grounded heartfelt loving future.

The start doesn’t reflect the depth the story and characters will achieve as the story unfolds. First it’s a bit of the men’s combined past, their failure as Greyson Hayden is asked to leave his home and his lover of many years due to his alcoholism. Kyler Lassiter has packed up Greyson’s bags and told him to get help, get sober. Because he doesn’t love Kyler enough to do it together.

It’s a heartbreaking scene for all it’s shortness.

Fast forward to a successful now sober Greyson Hayden who’s returning to the small town he left as a drunk and the ex who asked him to leave.

Tortuga doesn’t shy away from the very human mixed bag of emotions Hayden is bringing with him to town. Tortuga writes believable people, and that means that they come with feelings and thoughts that aren’t always very admirable.

It’s all Greyson to begin with in the narrative. He’s been through the program, he’s got a sponsor he’s working with (we meet him later), he’s realistic about being a alcoholic. But he’s also someone who’s still hurting over the past. Right or wrong.

And just when the reader wants to give him a kick in the conscience about who’s to blame for his actions, Greyson himself gives himself a mental talking to, and corrects course.

Because he’s become a responsible adult. He’s grown up. And just like that , human foibles and all, you are in this man’s corner.

Which is exactly what the story and character needs when the reunion happens.

I won’t spoil Kyler Lassiter for you and his part of the story. It’s huge. It’s so emotional. It’s also realistic in keeping with the character and the setting. But how I love that man. He might be one of Tortuga’s finest characters.

I’ll leave it at that.

Showcased here at the highest level are the following elements:

⁃ The author’s ability to fully explore with grace and sensitivity important topics such as alcoholism and disabilities within the framework of her characters.

⁃ Tortuga’s regional knowledge of the land and culture to enrich the story and characters by creating a foundation so real it’s never in doubt.

⁃ This extended to the love of horses as well as bulls here. The horses were a living, breathing part of this book. I felt them as much as the people. Same went for Snow.

⁃ Food. Enchiladas, breakfast burritos, stuffed sopapillas, tacos, “Christmas flat enchiladas with an egg”, stuffed sopapilla with ground beef, guac, and Christmas”, and just like that my mouth is watering and I need to have a seat in that restaurant with them! Then honey and fried bread. Hmmmm.

⁃ Tortuga’s cellular level talent with colloquialisms. There’s the familiar Lord have mercy and God help me, but also the perfect

“Pie crust promises.”

Broken In by BA Tortuga

If that doesn’t describe a promise that’s temporary I don’t know what does.

I found a new one here, asking for Christmas as in:

““Do you want green, red, or Christmas?” “Christmas, please.” Ky beamed at him. “I love both types of chile.””

— Broken In by BA Tortuga

Again, don’t you just want to go ask for some of whatever they are having just to say that?

The author’s ability to craft dialogue that’s grounded in the region, as well as the people is outstanding. It contributes to pulling us into their lives, the universe, and all the emotions playing out in the situations they find themselves in.

One last thing. The realism as it pertains to the medical aspects of this story. That’s a raw deal for so many people who live in area like the ranches here where care is so spread out that what’s offered is almost nonexistent. It’s a reality faced here inside the story and for many in real life.

Combined with all the other elements here, it makes Broken In by BA Tortuga one of the most amazing contemporary romances I’ve read lately.

I’m highly recommending this. It went very quickly, including that wonderful epilogue.

Add this to your list of books to read!

https://www.goodreads.com › showBroken In by B.A. Tortuga – Goodreads

Greyson Hayden wants to prove to his ex that he’s made it. He’s a successful stock contractor with a couple of million dollar bulls, a ranch owner with more acres than he can count, and he stopped drinking when Kyler kicked him out. He’s had a lot to prove, but now he’s back in town to show Kyler that he has. And maybe rub it in.

The hardest thing Kyler Lassiter ever did was let Greyson go, and he’s lost a lot in his life, right up to his legs in a terrible accident. He’s willing to let Greyson one up him if it makes the man feel better, but when fate throws them together again in the most bizarre way, Ky isn’t sure he’ll survive it, or having to lose Greyson again when it’s all said and done.
Can these two hardheaded cowboys learn to forgive each other, and themselves in time to find something lasting, or are they more broken than broken in?

This is a MM cowboy romance with tough love, tough luck, and lots of learning to be something new.

———-

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

Review: Roped In (Lone Star #2) by Jodi Payne and B.A. Tortuga

Rating: 4.5🌈

Jodi Payne and B.A. Tortuga’s Lone Star series is back with a second chance at love story between former young sweethearts who meet up ages later just when the timing might be right for them to get their HEA.

A longer story, Roped In has the necessary history and time that allows businessman, Jude Sharpe , to reconnect with his former love, rodeo champion , Rope Canutt, just as he’s getting ready to retire.

Jude, a widower and single father to 7-year old Silas, is a man who loves his son, enjoys his job, but is missing that love he shared with his husband who died of cancer. Jude is a well-rounded character, easy to recognize, and connect with. A good man and great father.

And Silas is a utter joy to meet and read about. Especially as he changes, committing totally to the ranch and life in Texas. His goats, his chickens. Adorable.

Rope Canutt is not one of those rodeo cowboys who’s dreading retirement. Instead, Rope has listened to his body, all the injuries and steel plate in his head, and recognized that it’s time to get out while at the top. It’s his last tour for his sponsors and to finish in the money.

It’s a portrait of a smart man , seasoned by years on the tour and the pain of old injuries. It’s a great character and he meshed well with his old flame , Jude.

The walks in the neighborhood in NYC, the visits in the kitchen. It’s a real pleasure watching the men get reacquainted with each other’s lives, seeing the sparks fly, and Rope start to love Silas.

The dramatic moments here are more about instances that happen in daily life. The huge decisions those that couples make when they decide they will make a future together.

The story, the romance, the family, they are all very realistic and wonderful.

It’s a perfect ending. And those that have come to love these cozy romances as well as readers who love contemporary love stories will throughly enjoy this.

I’m highly recommending it.

Lone Star series:

🔹Tending Tyler #1

🔹Roped In #2

Buy the Book: Amazon

Synopsis:

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but sometimes distance makes people drift apart.

Rope Canutt has announced his retirement from bull riding and is making the most of his final year on the circuit, riding the big shows and resting in between so he can finish the season on a high note. He isn’t sure what’s next for him. He has no plan yet and nowhere to go, especially since his family sold their ranch a few years back.

Jude Sharpe remembers Rope fondly from their younger days in Austin. Mostly he remembers how hot the rodeo cowboy was and how much fun they had hooking up every time their paths crossed. That was a long time ago, and Jude’s been married and lost his husband to cancer in the years since they’ve seen each other. Now he’s raising a son alone.

When bull riding comes to New York City, Jude’s consulting firm uses their private box to entertain clients from Houston, and Jude brings his son Silas along to see the show. Rope is riding and Jude hopes to introduce Silas to a real bull rider. They’ve each lived a whole lifetime apart, and Jude and Rope aren’t sure how much they have in common anymore. So will they be drawn to each other when their paths cross again?

The books in this series are standalones and can be read in any order.

Review: Unraveling The Threads of Fate by Alice Winters

Rating: 4.75🌈

Unraveling The Threads of Fate by Alice Winters is an excellently written, highly suspenseful tale that contains a lot of moments of extreme anxiety and dread. It stretches over the all events that should be happening to the people in the universe here.

I say should because a major element is that one character, Alex Coleman, school teacher, has a gift. He can see invisible threads stretching from person to person. Red threads ties a person to their soulmate. But the black threads he also sees ties them to the one who will kill them. It’s a talent he’s had his entire life and one he’s hidden.

In this universe, those with special gifts are tested and tracked, starting at a early age. But Alex’s abusive childhood with a destitute drug dealer allowed him to evade it.

Bishop King, scion to a wealthy businessman, once was the only friend Alex had growing up, until a horrific event drove them apart.

Bishop too has a special talent. He can walk in people’s dreams. But in Alex’s dreams, he’s got the power to do more, see more.

When they meet again, at Career Day at Alex’s school, they set off a set of events that have a rippling effect for a multitude of characters as Alex and Bishop fight to find and change their fates, pulled along by the threads Alex is seeing.

Winters, in her inimitable manner, with wry, sarcastic, haunting, and heartbreaking dialogue and scenes gives us a scary and thrilling tale of fate altered at breakneck pace, a murderer on the loose, and two find trying to outwit both a murderer and plot they can’t understand, and deal with a abusive past that threatens them.

With alternating flashbacks that are chilling in their cruelty and ability to deliver the blows that continues to be felt in the future, and a present where dreams are nightmares of blood, black threads, and death, that the author manages to bring romance and fun into this is amazing.

All the characters are fantastic. It includes Alex’s sister, Cali, who he raised. Her friends. Even the adults the surround them, good and bad.

It’s a vile and fascinating mixture.

But watching them trying to figure out how to change the date of each person and event, it’s thrilling and scary and heart racing.

And that ending is so very satisfying.

I believe this is a standalone.

So pick it up and enjoy a great thrill ride!

I’m highly recommending it.

https://www.goodreads.com › showUnraveling the Threads of Fate by Alice Winters – Goodreads

Alex
Some people are born lucky.
Then there’s me, destined to be loved by the man who knows my darkest secret.
My gift has followed me my entire life—the ability to see the threads of fate. I can see the red thread tying together two people destined to love one another.
But my gift has another side to it. A darker side.
I can also see a simple black thread tied to the fingers of those who aren’t aware of it, connecting them to the person destined to kill them. And when I look down at my own finger, I can see the red thread stretched over to Bishop King. The man who is my soul mate.


But then why is the black thread also wrapped around our fingers?
Bishop is sweet and caring, and I can’t stop my heart from loving him. I just need to thwart fate before it separates us forever.

Bishop
I swore to never let myself be drawn back into Alex’s world, but the man is funny and charming and the moment we’re together I fall back into the familiarity we shared as teenagers.
I know this time is different; he’s hoping that I can help him walk through his dreams to figure out how an innocent girl is going to die.

While his dreams tell of the future, mine allow us to find the truth. But what happens when we save a life and change fate–will it affect our own future? I can’t keep myself from falling for Alex, but what if helping him leaves one of us dead?

Unraveling the Threads of Fate is a standalone romance with action, mystery, humor, and a happy ending.

Review: Listen (Single Dads #5) by R.J. Scott

Rating: 5 🌈

R.J. Scott has written an beautiful, emotionally moving story, one that happens to include a romance, with her latest installment in the Single Dads series .

Listen revolves around the potential adoption of a 3 yr deaf child by investigative journalist Nick Horner. Nick, a widower and single parent to three children, is someone we meet earlier when he’s still deeply grieving the loss of his husband to cancer, and depression has his spiraling.

At that time he meets Elliot Curtis, teacher at St. Joseph’s. Nick’s actions at the time and their interactions have repercussions later on. Nick’s background , his thoughts give us a thorough perspective of the man himself. Especially when we see him together with his children. We grieve with him and connect with him.

Elliot is an amazing character. Scott has poured a huge amount of research of Deaf culture into Elliot and his family. It shows as Elliot comes across so realistically as a CODA or child of deaf adults. Many aspects of the ramifications of this are reflected in Elliott’s memories as a child, as ASL as his first language, to his feelings as being the only hearing person in his family.

This is such a remarkable element. It’s not just Elliott. It’s also Elliott’s family but most importantly it’s Teegan, the 3 year old. It’s concerning her needs , how and what a deaf child needs, develops, and what decisions she might make for herself in the future. In addition, she’s been in foster care and a victim of FASD. Teegan is a child as winning and real on the page as they come.

And none of it feels like a info dump . Indeed , it’s all folded into a fantastic book of deep love, concern for a child , and the family who wants to adopt her. It’s a joyous romance that will slowly become about two men forming a new family.

I heart this book and it’s wonderful characters so much.

Scott has a outstanding, warm-hearted story of second chances, family and love in Listen. It’s one I’ll be rereading and one I’m highly recommending!

Happy Reading!

Single Dads series:

◦ Single #1

◦ Today#2

◦ Promise #3

◦ Single Dad Christmas

◦ Always #4

◦ Listen #5

◦ Pride#6

https://www.goodreads.com › showListen (Single Dads, #5) by R.J. Scott – Goodreads

Synopsis:

He only wanted to make the best home for his new daughter; he never meant to fall in love with the man who might steal her away.

Nick and his husband had always wanted a big family, but when cancer took Danny six years ago, Nick was left a single dad of three. He never considered his broken heart would heal enough to add to his family, but as soon as he meets Teegan he knows he wants to adopt the little girl. Born profoundly deaf, Teegan has been rejected twice already in the adoption process and hasn’t found her forever home. Nick wants to be her hero—her dad—and create a world that is safe and happy for her. He knows he wants to make her life perfect—he doesn’t know how to go about it or understand the best thing to do for his family, and he needs help. Enter Elliot, and Nick finds himself falling for the frustrating, sexy, inspiring, and caring teacher who can make things right.

Elliot is wary of helping the man who appears more interested in public opinion than the needs of his own family. But, learning that Nick, wealthy and entitled, is now adopting a deaf child, Elliot knows this is a step too far and strides into battle. As the child of deaf adults, Elliot knows he is the best person to advocate for little Teegan and, if needed, he is determined to intervene and halt the adoption. Nothing and no one will get in Elliot’s way when it falls on him to protect Teegan. Not even love.

This single dad story features a widower struggling to make things right, a teacher battling for a child’s wellbeing, an adorable toddler, three loving siblings, and a home with a view of the ocean.

Review: Spooky Business (The Spectral Files #3) by S.E. Harmon

Rating: 5 🌈

Spooky Business finishes up the amazing paranormal trilogy from S.E. Harmon. The author manages to pull off an absolutely perfect series finale that ties up all of Rain Christiansen and Daniel McKenna’s relationship issues satisfactorily as well as finalizing the cases the Brickell Bay, Florida PI squad (and the FBI) were investigating.

As with everything Rain seems to come into contact with , it’s all connected once more in Spooky Business but the how’s and why’s are so complex and the methodology to getting the answers so labyrinthine that the reader is so deeply involved with the investigations (yes, multiple) that when the true danger to Rain and Danny becomes apparent, it’s not from the person everyone would suspect.

How surprising ! And shockingly perfect! And it makes for a needed character growth that begs for a sequel trilogy. Especially given that ending!

An aspect of these stories is that Harmon never lets us forget the person and lives behind the ghosts Rain encounters. A conversation with a ghostly cantankerous grandmother turns into an unexpectedly poignant and loving moment. And I’m sniffing when I least thought I would.

The investigations are filled with raw emotions, moments of pain, confusion, and death. Ghostly and the very realistic.

Harmon also finds humor and threads it throughout to mitigate the themes of murder and death the plots deal with.

Amazing writing, incredible characters, storylines that are complex and beautiful in their way. This is a series you won’t want to miss. Including this fantastic finale.

Read them in the order they are written for relationship and storylines development.

I’m highly recommending this and the series.

The Spectral Files : 3 of 3:

✓ P.S. I Spook You #1

✓ Principles of Spookology #2

✓ Spooky Business #3

https://www.goodreads.com › showSpooky Business (The Spectral Files, #3) by S.E. Harmon – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Being insatiably curious is a good way to end up dead.

Rain Christiansen, cold case detective and reluctant medium, is very aware of that fact. But when infamous serial killer Thomas Kane wants to meet, there’s no way Rain can say no. He also can’t refuse Kane’s offer—find his missing wife, Delilah, and he’ll reveal the location of his victim’s bodies.

Rain has never turned down a good quid pro quo, and he doesn’t intend to start.

The hunt for Kane’s wife leads to yet another cold case, three copycat murders, and an investigation where nothing is as it seems. Soon, Rain is dealing with a ghost unlike any he’s ever dealt with before…a ghost capable of doing things he shouldn’t be able to do. How can Rain control something he doesn’t even understand? And what will he do when the unknown threatens the safety of the most important person in his life?

Rain is starting to realize that he can only battle the supernatural with the supernatural, and that is spooky business indeed.

Review: Principles of Spookology (The Spectral Files #2) by S.E. Harmon

Rating: 5 🌈

Principles of Spookology is an excellent story , and I expect it’s the perfect bridge between the first story where Rain Christiansen, FBI profiler, is a man undergoing huge changes in his life when we meet him. And the final book .

The first? Rain quit his job, went home to Miami . He was denying his ability as a bridge between life and death to help the ghosts he’s seen since early adolescence achieve peace and move forward. Here? Now he’s actually accepting or at least understands he needs some guidance or training of his abilities. Plus the stability in reconnecting with his family and lover has given him the support and strength to work with his paranormal talents.

This story is as much a bridge showing the growing depth and strengthening relationships that Rain is pulling around him in his return to Miami and home as it is the unusual missing persons/murder cold cases his department is working on.

The cases themselves have a way of reinforcing the growing talents of Rain as well as revealing weird information and aspects of the paranormal world that Rain was clueless about.

The author mixes everything together, the romance, the murdered characters who are now ghosts, the poignancy of their cases, the oddball humor and love of the Christianson family, with the structure of law enforcement investigations and death.

It’s fascinating, gripping, and a read you can’t put down. Well written, terrific characters, marvelous plots!

And it’s all leading up to a horrifying case involving a mass murderer on death row, who is asking for Rain to visit him in the last story,Book 3, Spooky Business.

I can’t wait to see how Harmon ties up all the plot threads, brings true acceptance to Rain , his relationship, and a modicum of respect for his Paranormal unit .

I’m moving swiftly on!

I’m highly recommending both preceding stories of this spooky trilogy! Love a romance with a ghostly aspect? Here’s a series you must put on your TBR list!

The Spectral Files : 3 of 3:

✓ P.S. I Spook You #1

✓ Principles of Spookology #2

◦ Spooky Business #3

https://www.goodreads.com › showPrinciples of Spookology (The Spectral Files, #2) by S.E. Harmon | Goodreads

Synopsis:

No one said being a medium would be easy.


Rain Christiansen, former FBI agent and current cold case detective, is starting to think it’s the hardest job he’s ever had—and the most important. He’s determined to accept all the changes in his formerly well-ordered life, but that means embracing a whole lot of weird. There’s no instruction manual for meshing his work with his medium duties, and he’s painfully aware that he’s flubbing the job. So are the ghosts, who are becoming increasingly impatient. And stronger.


To complicate matters, he’s not sure what these spooktacular developments mean for his relationship. It certainly seems like Daniel McKenna, his partner in work and life, is in it for the long haul. But Rain can’t help but wonder how long that patience will last…and what he’ll do if Danny decides the intrusive ghosts are just too much.


Rain thought accepting his supernatural gifts would be the solution to his troubles. But he’s starting to realize his problems are just getting started.

Review: P.S. I Spook You (The Spectral Files #1) by S.E. Harmon

Rating: 5🌈

I have had author S.E. Harmon on my auto buy for a while now but somehow I missed this spectacular 3-book paranormal series ! I’m rectifying that now and just finished the marvelous P.S. I Spook You.

It’s the first story in Harmon’s The Spectral Files trilogy about a FBI profiler who can communicate with ghosts (he’s a bridge from living to the dead), the Detective he’s loves, and the cases they are involved in.

P.S. I Spook You lays down the complicated history of and between both men.

Rain Christiansen, FBI profiler, left the man he loved, his family, and hometown of Brickell Bay, Florida behind when he thought he was going crazy, seeing ghosts, ghosts who were talking to him. So he ran…all the way to NYC. A new job, drugs, and a doctor who said it was something to be cured.

Detective Daniel McKenna, cold case cop who was left behind with no idea why the man he loved up and ran to NYC.

Harmon details two damaged, haunted men who still are deeply in love with each other. She gives us a remarkable hippy family for Rain that’s a delight and one for Daniel that’s slowly revealed over the course of the book.

But it’s the amazing cold case of a missing girl that reunites them that really makes this story soar. Harmon’s ghosts are so poignant, from the smallest details in their expressions to the changes that happen as memories return. Harmon’s ghosts become tangible and real. Paranormal beings that need help , and Rain is so slow to accept the role he’s obviously been given.

This is a incredible element and I’m heavily invested in how Rain is going to grow into a role that’s he’s so new and unprepared for.

That goes for his partner and their relationship. Harmon’s characters react very humanly. Denial, the avoidance, then communication. Yet you can see the future areas where this “talent” of Rain’s is is quickly becoming a issue between them.

I was so hooked on the characters and storylines I was reading into the early hours. Then started on the next before I just had to stop. These people just got to me.

If you haven’t read this trilogy already? It’s an absolute must. Outstanding plots, fantastic characters and well developed relationships. It’s all here.

Ok I have Principles of Spookology to finish and then it’s onto Spooky Business. I can’t wait. Read all three in the order they are written to understand the plot and characters progression and development.

I’m highly recommending them all.

The Spectral Files 3 of 3:

✓ P.S. I Spook You #1

◦ Principles of Spookology #2

◦ Spooky Business #3

https://www.goodreads.com › showP.S. I Spook You (The Spectral Files, #1) by S.E. Harmon – Goodreads

Synopsis:

SSA Rain Christiansen used to be the agency’s golden boy. It just takes one moment of weakness, one slight, tiny, itty-bitty paranormal sighting, and all of a sudden, he’s the agency’s embarrassment. His boss gives him one last chance to redeem himself – go down to Brickell Bay, play nice with the local police, and leave the ghost sightings behind. Rain is determined to do exactly that, even if it kills him.

Cold-case Detective Daniel McKenna’s latest investigation is going nowhere fast. Five years earlier, high school student Amy Greene went missing after leaving her part-time job and was never seen again. Daniel is glad to finally have the FBI help his department requested, even if it does come in the form of his ex.

It doesn’t help that Rain is pretty sure he’s falling in love with Danny all over again – if he ever stopped. Add to that the frustration of seeing ghosts at every turn while he works a case that’s stalled in its tracks, and Rain is starting to wonder if second chances and happy endings are just for fairy tales.

Review: Love Me Again (Stonewall Investigations:Blue Creek #1) by Max Walker

Rating: 3.75🌈

Love Me Again represents a new author and a new contemporary romance series for me, both I’m always on the lookout for.

It was the description that caught my attention. I love a second chance at love, lovers reunited romance! Plus this had the added attraction of one of the men with retrograde amnesia! So he didn’t even remember the one he loved and hurt!

Oh the anticipation.

Max Walker did a wonderful job creating the small town of Blue Creek, past home to returning detective Austin Romero, back to set up a branch of Stonewall Investigations there. It’s also home to his old secret high school boyfriend, Charlie Marsh. The one that broke Austin’s heart and drove him away to find himself in NYC.

Now Blue Creek is about to become the stage for the homecoming drama when the men meet again after all these years.

Charlie is especially engaging as someone missing a huge chunk of his past. Walker makes us understand how frustrating this condition must be, how angry and hard it would be to continually be reminded that all around you are people who remember events and things about you that you cannot. This trait makes Charlie so vulnerable and easy to connect with.

Austin is someone who’s gone through so much after he left Blue Creek. He grew up and past the adolescence pain and he’s put it behind him. That too rings true.

There’s so much to really love here and invest in. That’s the romance.

There’s also a mystery and that’s an element where I have some issues.

Romance outstanding. Mystery? Hmmm. The villain is obvious. He might as well be twirling a mustache and wearing a shirt that says “I did the deed”. Austin is a seasoned investigator from NYC. Yet, here in Blue Creek, he doesn’t act like one. No backups, runs into danger, doesn’t check for the villain. Sigh.

So it takes a certain suspension of belief when it comes to the whole mystery element of the story. There’s action, drama, and a happy ending!

This book also has a great pet store the Stonewall Investigations work above and a fantastic parrot character! I hope he’s a permanent one!

Another detail?

I had no idea that the Stonewall Investigations series branches out to other cities with its series and couples. Good to know. As someone new to this universe, I would imagine the characters crossover between series. I’ll have to check out the others to see.

I’m definitely continuing onto the next in the series, Ride the Wreck. There’s another couple and, of course, another investigation.

I’m recommending this for the love story. It’s an awwwww.

Stonewall Investigations: Blue Creek

◦ Love Me Again #1

◦ Ride the Wreck #2

Love Me Again by Max Walker – Stonewall Investigationshttps://www.goodreads.com › book › show

Description:

AUSTIN ROMERO:

No one’s fast enough to outrun grief.

Trust me, I’ve tried. I ran away from the city and took a job as the lead detective back in my old home town of Blue Creek, New Hampshire. I expected to bump into past ghosts, but I never expected those ghosts to reopen old wounds.

The biggest ghost of them all: Charlie Marsh. The man who pushed me out of this town in the first place.

He was also the man who had stolen my heart when we were teens, and who now couldn’t even remember a single day we had spent together.

Which makes it exceptionally awkward when he becomes my first client.

CHARLIE MARSH:

An accident stole seven years of my memories, robbing me of experiences, lessons, people.

It robbed me of my first love. I couldn’t remember who Austin even was, much less when and where we shared our first kiss. So when I bumped into the most jaw-droppingly handsome man I’d ever seen, I had no idea we already shared an entire galaxy’s worth of history between us.

Second chances aren’t always easy, and this one only gets more complicated after finding out that my ‘accident’ wasn’t an accident at all, and it seems like someone wants to finish the job.

Good thing I’ve got a hot detective’s number on speed-dial.

Review: Zero Hour Trilogy by Aimee Nicole Walker

Rating: 5 🌈

This is my first time reading a trilogy compilation on Kindle and I’m absolutely sold on the format. It especially suits me as someone who loves to binge read a series.

The trilogy , which consists of Ground Zero, Devil’s Hour, and Zero Divergence , is well suited for this format in that the stories flow almost seamlessly, one into another. Had it not been for the title and brief description inserted between the books, it would read like one huge novel. A fantastic one at that.

I’m not going to rate individual stories. One doesn’t excel or deserve a lesser rating than another. They are all exceptional.

The trilogy tracks the relationship, both professionally and personally, of Detectives Sawyer Key and Royce Locke, starting from the moment Sawyer Key joins the MCU of the Savannah PD and becomes the unwanted partner of Royce Locke.

Locke, is still grieving the loss of

a partner who was his best friend , and who committed suicide. A tragedy that’s still having major ramifications for Locke and his partner’s family.

They meet on the crime scene of a sensational murder with little time to adjust to the new situation or each other.

Walker immediately gives us an intense situation and two incredibly complicated men. And let’s the sparks fly. For three books.

Each man has a realness to him. Sawyer is a widower who is still coming to terms with the loss of a beloved husband to cancer. His grief is visceral. And yet very private. It works so well to pair him with Royce who has not come to terms with his grief and confusion over the death of his friend and partner. That issue will take him three books to work through.

Neither man stands alone. They are surrounded by incredible family members, dynamic characters from their precinct, and people we will come to know and love even more dearly in the series Sinister in Savannah.

Here we see Royce and Sawyer meet and introduce Rocky, Jonah, and Felix to each other. We meet Kendall Blakemore for the first time as well as Avery and see how he was pulled into Jonah’s orbit. Even the Marshals make their appearances here. This trilogy is our roadmap to all the series and single stories that come afterwards.

But the best and heart of the books is the growing relationship between Sawyer and Royce. The developing feelings, the situation about their relationship on the job, Royce’s closeted status, so much that evolves over the course of three complex cases and engrossing storylines.

Walker’s got the police procedural down, the hard work, the questions and paperwork. The long hours and the excitement when it looks like it might pay off. The author had me on the edge so many times here , the suspense was overwhelming!

However the joy of reading all the books right through is that you get your payoffs . You see the characters evolve, the relationship grow and deepen. And then become utterly gratified when at the end, you’re as happy as they are when the author writes The End.

Plus you have the added satisfaction of knowing there’s a second trilogy called Matrimony to come.

Be still my heart.

Are you a binge reader like me? Or just like to have all your books ready to go? This is a must have, must read! I’m definitely recommending this trilogy! And the author if you haven’t found her already!

https://www.goodreads.com › seriesZero Hour Series by Aimee Nicole Walker – Goodreads

Ground zero, noun: the center or origin of rapid, intense, or violent activity or change.Heat, humidity, and homicide are things veteran detective Sawyer Key expects to encounter on his first day with the Savannah Police Department, but the hostile reception from his new partner catches him by surprise. Sawyer isn’t a stranger to heartache and recognizes that Royce Locke is a wounded man who’s reeling from a devastating loss. Relentless and patient in all things, Sawyer is determined to make the new partnership work. Savannah, Georgia is known for her quirky people, oak trees draped in Spanish moss, and antebellum architecture. Beneath the Southern charm and hospitality, festering hatred and violence is soaring with the summer temperatures. Locke and Key find themselves at the epicenter when their first case involves the death of a former shock jock who appears to be the victim of vigilante justice. Opposites in nearly every way, the two detectives set aside their differences to take back their city and restore law and order. From this reluctant truce, an intense attraction grows that will either tighten or shatter their tenuous bond. Falling for his partner spells inevitable disaster, but Sawyer’s always been a sucker for wounded things. Sawyer could be the key to the life Royce has always wanted, if he’s brave enough to trust him. The fuse is lit, the clock is running, and the zero hour is upon them. Tick tock. Ground Zero is the first book in the Zero Hour series, which follows Locke and Key’s investigations and evolving relationship.

Ground Zero has a happy-for-now ending with no cliffhanger. It contains mature language and sexual content intended for adults 18 and older.

Devil’s hour, noun: the hour when the demon or devil who leads hell is at its strongest. Born on the wrong side of the tracks, Royce Locke is no stranger to scrapping and fighting for the things he wants. What he desires most is Sawyer Key—his partner on the force and the man he’s falling in love with. After asking Sawyer to take a chance on him, Royce will need to back up his pretty words with fearless action instead of being his own worst enemy. Someone is harassing the mayor of Savannah, and Locke and Key are tasked with finding out who. The investigation quickly takes a twisted turn, leading them to an enemy who thinks purification by fire is the only way to save the city. Scarier than The Purists’ elusiveness is their ability to turn public opinion in their favor, creating unrest and threatening anarchy by fanning flames and fear. When you play with fire, someone is bound to get burned. When menace becomes murder, the two detectives will race the clock against the devil to save their beloved city from becoming a raging inferno. Royce will need to draw on his grit now more than ever if he hopes to realize the dreams that are finally within reach. The rag is lit, the Molotov cocktail is tossed, and the zero hour is upon them. Challenge received and accepted.

Devil’s Hour is the second book in the Zero Hour series, which follows Locke and Key’s investigations and evolving relationship. This is a series that must be read in order.

Devil’s Hour has a happy-for-now ending with no cliffhanger. It contains mature language and sexual content intended for adults 18 and older. Trigger warning: Part of the storyline involves coming to terms with a friend’s suicide, which may be difficult for some people to read.

Zero Divergence, noun: no deviation from a course or standard.After a key piece of evidence goes missing, a suspected serial rapist and killer evades prosecution. More than Royce Locke’s reputation is on the line when his investigation into the failed chain of custody suggests Franco Humphries might’ve had inside help. There’s no one Royce trusts more than Sawyer Key to help him right a wrong and uncover the traitor in their midst, but can they do it before the Savannah Strangler strikes again?Relentless plus fearless equals flawless. Sawyer and Royce have come full circle-from hostile strangers to best friends and lovers. Neither a sniper’s bullet nor an arsonist’s fire could keep them apart, but what about a psychopath hell-bent on revenge? The stakes are high, and there’s no turning back now because the zero hour is upon them. Tick tock.

Zero Divergence is the conclusion to the best-selling Zero Hour series, which follows Locke and Key’s investigations and evolving relationship. This is a series you MUST read in order. It contains mature language and sexual content intended for adults 18 and older.

Trigger warning: Part of the storyline involves coming to terms with a friend’s suicide, which may be difficult for some people to read.

Review: After Felix (Close Proximity #3) by Lily Morton

Rating: 5 🌈

After Felix is the third book in Lily Morton’s Close Proximity series. I skipped over Charlie’s story because the characters of Felix and Max so spoke to me in Best Man that I needed their own story and to see how their romance played out.

I’m so happy I did because this is an amazing story. I have just continued to think over all its many storylines and elements, including the trips the characters make to various locations, and it all comes together in such an amazing romance.

We are with Felix Jackson Max Travers from the beginning of their journey when they meet at the bookstore, through their tumultuous romantic history and finally through the process of working their way back towards each other. Every scene , whether it’s funny or heartbreaking, shows such dimension to their personalities. We fall in love with them and their relationship. We’re invested in their happiness.

Then we get more. As the years pass, through excellent descriptions, we watch the characters undergoing change and growth as they figure out who matters to them, or especially if they can trust again.

Morton builds a heartwarming, believable, at times so painful story of two men who find each other, lose, then need to find a path back to each other again.

It’s truly a remarkable romance with incredible characters and a journey that’s staying with me.

I feel like I’ve found a story I’ll reread when I want a romance to curl up with. It’s in that pile of stories.

I’m highly recommending it. Enjoy!

Close Proximity series:

✓ Best Man #1

◦ Charlie Sunshine #2

✓ After Felix #3

After Felix (Close Proximity, #3) by Lily Morton – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Sometimes the best love stories come in two parts.

When Felix met handsome journalist Max Travers, it was lust at first sight. It was just his luck that he then had to develop a terrible case of feelings and got his heart broken.

However, two and a half years later, he’s over all of that. His job is going well, he has good friends, and he doesn’t lack for male company. Which, of course, is when Max has to come bursting back into his life.

Felix Jackson will always be the one who got away to Max. He’s spent their time apart regretting his actions and hoping for a second chance. When an accident lands him in Felix’s less than tender care, Max is determined to grab this opportunity. The only problem is that Felix is equally determined that he doesn’t.

From bestselling author, Lily Morton comes a story of missed opportunities, second chances, and two very stubborn men.

This is the third book in the Close Proximity series, but it can be read as a standalone.