Hot Lips is the last of The Hot Cannolis series. It is written by Tara Lain, when the original plan was to continue to coauthor , with Eli Easton, all four books was halted by Lain’s personal health issues that had Easton and Lain dividing up the last two stories.
She mentions all this in the prologue but I bring it up again because unlike the other books, Hot Lips seems the only story removed from the encompassing “embrace” of the Canoli compound and family we’ve come to love. Even Tito, one of its main characters, is an enigma. His personality , with those vague hints of shyness, a lack of history, and a real disconnect to everyone in the Canoli family, wasn’t that interesting.
The reader, through every book, has no idea, who this shadow is.
That’s completely opposite of every other novel where we had a semblance of the person we were to meet going in. Here? Nothing.
Lain assembles Tito’s personality like a puzzle at the same time she’s crafting her storylines, and I’m not sure it works. It’s not a smooth or fluid construction.
Tito ‘s character has endured trauma. Has PTSD, has become housebound. Has another identity. Lain piles onto Tito multiple layers of elements that don’t have “page time” for full treatment. There’s mystery, kidnapping, stalking , and other elements that would act as trigger warnings.
Then there’s Ari Cohen, the undercover Detective. He’s huge, sweet, has a great cat. I mean he’s a good character but his role within the Canoli “universe “ is barely there when Uncle Rick asks him over to talk to Tito. Which is a real stretch here.
I think that’s part of my issue here. All the preceding books felt like a part of a family. They naturally flowed together. They had history, substance , a firm foundation that the storylines and characters stood upon.
This easily could have been a standalone with nothing to do with the Canolis. It felt like the author kept pushing to make connections to the series instead of letting it be what it was, it’s own novel.
So it ends up being something that almost succeeds but doesn’t because it tries so hard. Sweet romance with trigger warnings.
The Hot Cannolis series:
◦ Fireman’s Carry (The Hot Cannolis #0.5) by Eli Easton
Sometimes there are too many closets to come out of.
For two years, Tito’s been hiding from his past in the midst of his uncle and aunt’s big, crazy, compound full of relatives in a tiny town in California. Now his past’s come to get him – and threatens not only Tito’s life, but to reveal the secret that will get Tito kicked out of the family he loves. Time to fight back! Ari Cohen, a tough cop on the hate crimes task force, knows about hiding and fighting, since he spends his life undercover searching out bad guys. Ari’s got a big secret too that perfectly matches Tito’s –both in and out of bed. But don’t play hearts and flowers yet. The price they have to pay for the match may send them running back to their closets – if Tito can stay alive long enough to get there.
HOT LIPS is a M/M romantic suspense mystery, packed with sexy secrets, danger, family love, and a crazy, one-eyed cat
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Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.
Dusk’s Devotion is a terrific way to wrap up this western romance trilogy with its roots in another hockey romance series.
Locey ties up all loose storylines and manages to end the nasty ongoing feud that’s been a persistent flashpoint point of so many troubling events between the two major neighboring ranchers.
Told from one point of view, that of Kyle Abbott, long time ranchhand/irrigator and well established character from the preceding books.
It seems to be winter, the prodigious amounts of snow falling is about right for a Wyoming winter, especially around the Tetons. And the storm that blew in on Kyle as he went out to the furthest part of Blue Ice Ranch to feed and water the herd of cows pastured out that way until they could be brought in for calving and market.
I got into this section of the story. I love the Tetons, have ridden out there, and find its beauty beyond compare. Whatever the season. But to stay in Wyoming and be someone who has to work outside during the winter takes a certain fortitude. And love for the land which Locey captures very well.
It’s out at this remote cabin where Kyle’s staying, that as a blizzard arrives, so does a visitor.
What a fantastic idea and dramatic element!
It has so many different aspects to the idea of this entrance and it’s ramifications.
Shep McCrary comes from that despicable neighboring family of ranchers known for their bigotry, racism, homophobia, and actual crimes committed against the local indigenous peoples.
He’s not one readers are immediately going to get involved with, unless the conditions are right.
Well the conditions are right.
Although it takes a minute, Shep and his Dun stallion invade Kyle’s cabin, and then the blizzard keeps them all there.
I wish we actually had more of their developing relationship during the time they had alone. Instead we get a good start, then told of the passing of time, boom , someone is knocking on the cabin door with food and times up.
What should have been drawn out and intimate moments is over too soon imo.
Understandable, as there’s a bunch more exposition to get through.
It’s back at the ranch. Where multiple characters are processing feelings about seeing a hated McCrary in their midst. There’s also some sort of minimal communication about a future between Kyle and Shep because of family issues.
No spoilers.
And then there’s still major thefts going on to be solved as well as past enormous ones regarding the dinosaur digs to uncover.
So that’s quite a few storylines to process and then resolve.
Locey does, everything gets a investigation, there’s a huge dramatic development that’s potentially devastating, and a final expose’ that solves everything.
I only wish that ending and the culprits had felt more fleshed out , and believable. Not the rationale but the people. They felt too one dimensional to care about.
That’s a bit of a shame because the story is well done . It just has a lot of work to carry as the last book in the trilogy. I loved the romance! I just wish that had been given more focus.
If you love contemporary romance with a cowboy twist, this is a terrific series. Put it on your TBR list!
Blue Ice Ranch (previously named Prairie Smoke Ranch series)
Can love warm the hearts of two enemies facing the wrath of a Wyoming winter storm?
Kyle Abbott is slowly discovering that being midway through his thirties and being married to your job isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. There has to be more to life than random hookups, horses, and cattle. If only he could find a person who excites and ignites his passions like everyone else has at Blue Ice Ranch, he’d be a happy man. He hopes. Confused about his life, he volunteers to spend a month out with the cattle to sort through his bewilderment. Knowing there’s a blizzard on the horizon, Kyle sets out fully prepared and ready for anything.
Anything except the unexpected arrival of rival rancher Shep McCrary. When the half-frozen man shows up at the remote cabin where Kyle has hunkered down with the herd, his conscience demands for him to allow Shep to come inside. Offering food and warmth to another human being is the least he can do, right? Even if the man is a swaggering, hateful jerk who’s far too pretty for his own good and knows it. When the two are forced to spend time together, Kyle begins to see that there is more to Shep than he ever imagined. He might actually kind of like the pompous creep at times. Whoever said there was a fine line between love and hate sure knew what they were talking about…
Dusk’s Devotion is the final book in the Blue Ice MM contemporary western romance trilogy with enemies-to-lovers, a blizzard, lots of forced proximity, family dynamics, suspense, a mystery solved, and a happy ever after.
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Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer
Killer Honeymoon wraps up the second series for the detective couple of Sawyer Key and Royce Locke. Their story starts with the wonderful Zero Hour trilogy and now, temporarily at least, concludes with their wedding and a honeymoon almost to die for in this last story of the Matrimony and Mayhem trilogy arc.
What a truly entertaining story Killer Honeymoon proves to be. Walker incorporates all the elements that we expect from the couple’s relationship, humor, thoughtful introspection, respect, and deep abiding love as well as a heathy sex life, and weaves a tale of murder carried out in a tiny resort town. One that they’re honeymooning in.
We get a moving wedding, a hilarious jaunt to their destination, and then a lakeside mystery and murder worthy of any fabulous cozy!
Walker never lets our focus off of the fact that it’s Sawyer and Royce’s honeymoon, with all the resplendent joy and happiness they have in the fact they are each other’s husbands, with a new future and family ahead of them. We get to revel in that along with them.
Whether they are investigating a element of the murder, or a break in, some aspect of the fact they are newly married threads into the picture. It’s lovely. Plus the manner in which they establish a pattern to investigate just says partners in every way. Walker’s writing is so amazing here pulling all the elements together on so many levels.
As always, the surrounding cast is a solid aspect of the story. They are well defined and just plain terrific characters. From the cranky Frank to the spiraling Evan, each is believable.
It’s a neat mystery and is wrapped up in a suspenseful, edgy climax. Outstanding.
The ending is so good. And leaves us and them in a great place with the ability to make a return sometime in the future. Honestly, we need now to see more of Dolly.
Walker has two more books in the works that relates to this universe, one specific to the end of this story.
The next will be Topher Carnegie’s story (and Julian Fine’s) in About Last Night. Expect to see that September 20, 2022.
Then finally Emilio Mendoza and Abe Beecham get their romance in Just Say When. That’s out on December 20, 2022. Be still my heart!
That’s two novels to look forward to!
And I expect Walker’s not done with these guys just yet.
I’m highly recommending this and all the series novels.
Read them in the order they are written for the full character relationship development!
Newlyweds, Royce Locke and Sawyer Key, embark on a honeymoon road trip where their biggest threat should be dodging drunk tourists on golf carts. But their arrival on South Bass Island lands them in the middle of a contentious battle between lifelong islanders and a property developer who won’t accept no for an answer. Tempers soar as the barometric pressure drops, signaling a dangerous storm brewing on the horizon and across the street. Minding their own business becomes impossible when a homicide wrecks their vacation and puts Royce and Sawyer in the path of a twisted killer.
Will their honeymoon be two tickets to paradise or a one-way trip to the morgue?
Killer Honeymoon is book three in the Matrimony and Mayhem trilogy, the second story arc for Royce Locke and Sawyer Key. ** New readers should start with the Zero Hour trilogy before reading Matrimony and Mayhem. ** Killer Honeymoon is a continuation of Royce and Sawyer’s happily ever after as they move into the next phase of their lives—professionally and personally. Though some storylines span the trilogy, this book does not end in a cliffhanger. Heat, humor, heart, and homicide abound. You have been warned. 18+
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Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.
It almost hurt to write this review because it wasn’t the one I was really expecting to write. I have loved this series since Rachel Reid began it. And a diehard fan of Shane and Ilya since they premiered in Heated Rivalry, a favorite novel among many here.
So like so many readers and fans of both author and Game Changer , I’ve been eagerly anticipating the series finale and the novel which would bring some closure to the 11 years long closeted romance of Shane and Ilya.
What I didn’t expect was that I felt the first 25 percent of the book, perhaps more , was such a slog, that I came close to putting it down completely.
The characters I had connected with were missing. Chemistry gone. Shane was the one I had the most issues with. Self involved, complaining, non communicative. Other than sex, I couldn’t see what Ilya saw in him. The relationship and dynamics from Heated Rivalry had dimmed and the sparks doused.
I couldn’t believe this was it.
It wasn’t until the halfway mark, when dramatically the narrative picked up, and their relationship became energized once more that I was invested in their lives, romance, and the story.
There had been serious elements introduced. Depression, family history, suicide. But it was one-sided narratively speaking. And it served to only connect us to Ilya and his shaky emotional status. Leaving Shane in a removed story bubble, away from the relationship and the feelings connecting us to Ilya.
The emotional ties only reached back out after the story was halfway through.
Then we got safely back on established familiar relationship ground. One we recognized from Heated Rivalry, but with personal growth accounted for.
Shame it took that long because the remainder of the story was excellent. It wove plot threads from Role Model into the storyline here, making terrific use of those characters and elements.
Reid also found the missing humor, to intersperse with the serious issues of LGBTQIA+ athletes acceptance in sports, outing, and, the stress of being a pro athlete on relationships.
The last section of The Long Game was everything I’d hoped for and wanted for this couple. It turned into the perfect way to send them off.
I just wish it had happened sooner. That the book was a complete Gordie Howe Hat Trick instead of a one goal win.
But I’ll take it. I’m sorry to see the series end. Just as I am to see the end of every hockey season.
I’ll look forward to the next Rachel Reid with the same enthusiasm as the start of the new season and run for the Stanley Cup as well.
If you’re a lover of hockey romance, contemporary romance, and the works of Rachel Reid, this series is for you. I’m highly recommending it.
Game Changers Book 1: Game Changer Book 2: Heated Rivalry Book 3: Tough Guy Book 4: Common Goal Book 5: Role Model Book 6: The Long Game
The sequel is finally here! Shane and Ilya’s story, first seen in Heated Rivalry, continues in this long-awaited hockey romance from Rachel Reid.
“Everything you could want from this magnetic couple! A passionate, sexy, emotional sequel that grips your heart! Shane and Ilya forever!” —#1 NYT Bestseller Lauren Blakely, author of Hopelessly Bromantic
To the world they are rivals, but to each other they are everything.
Ten years.
That’s how long Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov have been seeing each other. How long they’ve been keeping their relationship a secret. From friends, from family…from the league. If Shane wants to stay at the top of his game, what he and Ilya share has to remain secret. He loves Ilya, but what if going public ruins everything?
Ilya is sick of secrets. Shane has gotten so good at hiding his feelings, sometimes Ilya questions if they even exist. The closeness, the intimacy, even the risk that would come with being open about their relationship…Ilya wants it all.
It’s time for them to decide what’s most important—hockey or love.
I really debated about that rating because this is an fantastic series and , from a overall perspective, it deserves a 5 rating.
However, this collection has a few elements that, as a group I feel tended to take away from the anticipation and potential of a powerful finale.
Give Him Hell, Hellhound Champions #3, is actually my favorite of the three. Nick’s story has it all. A traumatic adolescence, a damaged man who’s history has given him a mission in life that’s as much mystery as he is. It’s full of found family, magical beings, a great relationship, and , really, a huge amount of character growth.
Nick and Hellhound Jedrek are perfection. And now I understand all Nick’s Alpha appearances in the other series. This book is that foundation.
Now to the rest.
Nothing Gained and Stop at Nothing are the two books that essentially tie up Sawyer’s Chosen One storyline. Sawyer needs to complete his circle of Guardians, get his guide, figure out how to defeat his brother , and win the war.
So huge! Right? There are some fantastic elements here. Ones that mix mythology, spirit animals and communication, even past lives to a very fascinating degree. How does someone correct past mistakes if past knowledge has been purposefully erased… by them? Interesting , deeply complex questions. With equally labyrinthine answers. That takes two books to unravel.
Great stuff.
Other beautifully crafted sections? That regarding the wounded, wary Guardian Dakota. He was so well written, so intriguing that you wanted more. Of his history and that of the family we got introduced to. They were all so interesting and unique.
And that was a issue with the last Guardian. All the other great Guardians had powers, some had wounded backgrounds, fascinating personalities, and, honestly, a visible reason to be a part of the Guardian circle. And not just because each represents a Element. The last missing Guardian? Cute as a button but made no sense other than as a “plug-in “ storylight character, who’s aspect could go comedic “high maintenance twink” or “adorable boy toy”. No history. No layers.
Even his “animal “ had me scratching my head in the manner he called it/them.
But even that part , as one dimensional as it is compared to all the other Guardians, doesn’t seem as overdone as all the ongoing multi-partners sex scenes.
When they started, it was sexy and a way to cement the polyamory relationship between Chosen One and his Guardian mates. It made sense.
But here, as the danger grew overwhelming, the partners were wounded, tired, even hospitalized, the orgies never abated. Research continues around them, or on top of them. People get called away from them and return to them.
It makes them less sexy. More like slot A into Slot B type of activity when the amount of sexual activity exceeds story plot. It was almost at that level. A “really.. again?” type of sex scene.
A lightweight major character , too many sex scenes seemed to slow the narrative’s forward motion as it moved towards its tumultuous and scary series finale.
Blake does a outstanding job with formatting that momentous battle into something truly heart stopping and highly suspenseful. From that battle onward it’s a careening, wild ride to the finish. A very satisfying one too.
The epilogue is the only aspect, that has , again, just a few things that bothers me. The Guardians and Sawyer have their happy ending. But a character, who’s played a huge part in this series, and was involved in a traumatic incident, gets written off with a sentence. That struck me as all sorts of wrong and , frankly, undeserved, given his status within the group. More about his situation was definitely called for. The reader was invested in him. As was Sawyer and the group. I don’t get it.
Other characters also just disappeared. I don’t know if it’s Into future storylines and novels but precious time was spent here getting us involved in them so don’t we deserve to know more?
I think what was missing overall in the last Chosen One stories is a sense of narrative flow and emotional balance. Sex scenes over plot and character resolution. A rush story wise because so much went forward quickly , narratively speaking.
And this is why I had issues with the rating. I read them together, and whether that made the issues I had more glaring or not, I won’t know. The whole series is incredible. The maxed out battle and finale absurdly fantastic! A true “I’m crying, hold your breath “ battle!
Then there’s Sweet Spot.
The fourth is a standalone novella , about Guardian Eduard’s widower father, Augustus, and the young man he meets on a island getaway. It’s a second chance at love, age gap sweet story with a slice of kink. I love it.
I’m highly recommending this series. You would be reading the last Chosen books in the order anyway so you might as well read them in this collection and get the wonderful other books as well.
The other series in the Chosen One Universe are ongoing which I’m thrilled about. That’s Magical Mates and Chosen Champions. Stay tuned for more Chosen goodness.
For the first time, Macy Blake’s two bestselling paranormal fantasy series are being published in a three-volume mega-verse box set!
Each volume will feature three full-length MM novels with dragons, hellhounds, vampires and more, with never before published bonus material. All in reader-requested chronological order.
Volume Three:
Give Him Hell: Hellhound Champions Book Three
Nick Smith is a man with a mission: find the place where he’d been held captive as a child and discover what happened to the kids he left behind. He needs answers, especially since he discovered he can shift into a lion. Instead he finds a huge Viking of a man with flaming eyes who threatens Nick’s shaky hold on his control. When Nick’s past collides with a powerful, evil force causing havoc in the supernatural world, Nick races to find who is responsible for the current rash of dark magic. With a hellhound at his side, what could go wrong?
Nothing Gained: The Chosen One Book Four
With the truth finally revealed that Sawyer is the son of a powerful goddess, Sawyer must find the strength to fix the broken magic in his world. There’s only one problem: he has no clue how to do it. Even with six of his eight mates at his side, Sawyer doubts he has what it takes, especially as he is growing weaker by the day. With his newest guardian hiding in the shadows, Sawyer has to find the answers before it’s too late, for both him and his mates.
Stop at Nothing: The Chosen One Book Five
Rising forces of darkness are attacking faster than Sawyer and his mates can mount a defense. It’s time to fight, but Sawyer has too much to lose to risk disaster. The final pieces of the puzzle are falling into place, but they leave him with more questions than answers. He heads into the final battle without the knowledge…or the power…to win. Sawyer only knows one thing: he will stop at nothing to keep his mates safe.
Includes bonus short story:
Sweet Spot
When the goddess tells Augustus Eastaughffe to go to the mountains to find what he needs, he’s more than happy to comply. The billionaire griffin is in the midst of a deepening mystery and expects to find some of the answers he seeks. Instead, he finds a captivating human who proves to be sweeter than any he’s ever met.
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.
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.
Thick As Thieves is the Aster Valley finale and it’s a wonderful story to bid the series goodbye with.
Best friends to lovers is a great trope and Lennox gives us two endearing characters who have known each all all their lives, being each other’s one to go to in all times.
Never is that more true or needed when Parker Ellis’ wedding day is shattered. His bride dumps him as he’s getting ready to say I do.
Julian Thick is there to pick up the pieces and Parker, after it’s called off. Julian takes Parker to Aster Valley to his new cabin to recover but both men get far more then they anticipate when hidden feelings are revealed.
This is a great story with many aspects to it. Parker has to examine his past history with his former fiancé, determine exactly why he let himself be lead into a engagement, and then rediscover the feelings he buried about his best friend.
Julian has loved only Parker. But Julian has watched him for years with someone else who was female, thinking Parker was straight. That pain is buried deep within Julian now.
There’s issues of trust, examinations of sexuality, friendship, and , of course, finally, declarations of love.
Other couples from the previous books make appearances here too.
It’s funny, genuine, romantic, and lovely.
Plus Lennox brings in characters from her next series Knockwood Aviation for us to get a glimpse of. There’s two men I really want a romance for.
If you’ve been a fan of this series like me, grab up this story and give it a happy send off.
If not, it can still be read as a standalone, it’s just richer with a context.
I’ve been in love with my best friend since forever. Okay, fine. Like, kindergarten. It started out platonic, obviously, but then became… nope. Still platonic. The problem is that Parker Ellis has been straight since forever. And that makes it difficult to convince him the two of us are meant to be together.
And now there’s no point. All is lost. He’s gone and gotten engaged to his high-school sweetheart which means I have to grin and bear it while pretending to be the happy, supportive best man while he prepares to commit his life to a woman I can’t even fault. She’s great. We’ve all been friends forever. I know he’ll be happy with Erin, just not… just not as happy as he could be with me.
Parker:
I’ll admit. Sometimes I press the easy button. Like when Julian Thick had offered me half his sandwich back in grade school after noticing I didn’t have any food. Or when I’d needed a date to homecoming in tenth grade and Erin told me she was it. Or when I’d used the one thing that came easy to me, skiing, to get my college tuition paid for. Or when Erin had showed back up in my life six months ago and told it was time to marry and start a family…
But for the first time in my life I’m facing something that’s not at all easy. It’s my wedding weekend and I’ve just been left at the altar. Not only that, but when my best friend whisks me away to drown my sorrows in a snowy cabin in Aster Valley, I accidentally discover Julian’s been keeping secrets. Big secrets.
The kind of secrets that lead to hot experimental kisses in front of a blazing fire, tenative physical exploration in a way I’d never imagined before, and the kind of intimate, true confessions I’d never even dreamed of between me and the one person who’s always been my true home.
But after twenty-plus years of thinking of Jules as my friend without benefits, is it truly possible to change who we are to each other? There’s no easy button this time, but I’m willing to do the work. I only wonder if Julian is ready to trust I really mean it.
Thick as Thieves can be read on its own or enjoyed as part of the Aster Valley series.
Truth or Dare finishes the Dare To Try trilogy and it’s a wonderful book. Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine have our couple, Kieran and Bash, take a realistic look at their jobs, evaluate what’s truly important to each of them, take into consideration the opportunities for each of them to make the move to each other’s state, and then make a decision that’s right for them both.
How I love an adult story with adult perspectives! No huge drama, just real life issues (even though one here is fabulously wealthy), and typical ways (pro and cons list) to help solve them.
It’s beautifully written, great characters, has a road trip I wish we’d gotten more of and a sexy red hot costume party … fans self.
I love these men and this trilogy will have me seeking out the series from each author that some of the other characters came from. I’m now a big fan of both.
Yes to recommending this trilogy, and yes to the authors!
Truth or Dare is the final book in the Dare to Try trilogy and should only be read after Dare You and Dare Me.
Lieutenant Kieran Bailey never saw his life anywhere but the bustling streets of Chicago—but then again, he never saw his life with a boyfriend, either. That all changed when he fell in love with bombshell CEO Sebastian “Bash” Vogel.
But it’s one thing to fall in love. It’s another to try to build a life together when you live hundreds of miles apart.
How do you choose between everything you’ve ever known and everything you’ve ever dreamed of?
This series must be read in the following order: Dare You (book one) Dare Me (book two) Truth or Dare (book three)
Dare Me , the second book in the Dare To Try trilogy by
Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine picks up a few weeks after the tumultuous events in the first story, Dare To.
That ended with a miscommunication or perhaps a misunderstanding between Kieran and Bash that sent Bash flying back to his home on South Haven Island, a bridge away from Savannah, Georgia.
Dare Me picks up with Kieran alone in Chicago, devastated by Bash’s departure and unsure of his next step. And with Bash miserable in Georgia, doubting his decisions to leave and missing Kieran like crazy.
Kieran takes the necessary time here to unpack his complicated emotions over everything that’s happened recently. His awakening sexuality in his feelings in all ways for Bash, the misconceptions over a scene in the firehouse, and the fears each is facing over the future.
Then he’s off to confront his man in a wonderful scene in South Haven.
This story is high on love, communication, searing hot sexy scenes, and reconciliation!
There’s not much angst or drama. Instead you get a couple working through very relatable issues in a new relationship, trying to see how how they can mesh their work and romance when they live in two different places.
It all feels real and while they come to a conclusion at the end of the book, the how of it all will spill over to the last novel in the trilogy for a great HEA.
Kieran and Bash are a fantastic engaging couple, sexy and romantic. And the people around them are just as strong as their support.
Jon’s Boom Shaka Laka Problem is the series finale and Sherwood really shakes things up in every way imaginable before seeing Jon and Donovan settling into domestic happiness.
As indicated by the title, it starts with bombs and explosions. Real ones and ones within their relationship. One major decision by Jon that threatens to derail everything they’ve built to date, and Jon’s completely, emotionally unprepared and equipped to handle the fallout.
In the final story, all the damage that Jon’s parents and stepfather, all the deeply felt pain his childhood has instilled over the years returns and in one instant,making him cut Donovan out of a life threatening decision. For them both.
Sherwood is able to bring us into the frightening turmoil of the situation, the fear and nausea inducing arguments that occur between the men. It’s so painful and intimate.
The fact that we’ve come to care so much about these men and their relationship makes this moment of angst, despair, anger, and desperation all the worse. That there’s a bomb and bomber waiting for them too while they haven’t resolved anything between them? Heartbreaking.
The tension, suspense, and life threatening situations here are so well written as are the emotional ones between Jon and Donovan.
There are explosions to diffuse everywhere and just when you think it’s over, another complication pops up.
This is such an excellent story and Sherwood wraps up the series and Jon’s emotional issues realistically and in an unexpected and gratifying way.
It’s not the last of Jon and Donovan as they appear in Brandon’s series.
But for now they’re happy and very very ever after!
Did I love this series? Why yes I did! I’m highly recommending it !
Read them in the order they are written.
Jon’s Mysteries series:
✓ Jon’s Downright Ridiculous Shooting Case #1
✓ Jon’s Crazy Head-Boppon’ Mystery #2
✓ Jon’s Spooky Corpse Conundrum #3
✓ Jon’s Boom Shaka Laka Problem #4
Proposing vs defusing a bomb?
Defusing a bomb is much easier than proposing.
Defusing Donovan’s anger over getting on a plane to defuse said bomb? Harder than the bomb.
Jon is not liking these odds.
Is proposing supposed to be this difficult?
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Synopsis:
Jon and Donovan have a fight, as expected they’re very bad at it, things go BOOM, my kink is healthy processing and expressing of emotions, relationship lessons, life lessons, love is not based on worth, the dads are awesome, I put Jon on a plane, because I’m evil that way, personal space? What’s that?, cats, Jon has a new toy, no I’m not talking about Donovan, the bomb squad is ready to just keep Jon, roadtrip!, grandparents also rock, absolutely nothing goes according to plan
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 