Archives

A Better Man (The Men of Halfway House #1) by Jaime Reese (4 Stars)

Oct20

A great beginning to a new series about people moving on with their lives and romances after leaving prison.

After just getting out of prison himself, Matthew Doner wants to provide a safe place for other new releases. He can provide the funds, but he really needs somebody with a lot of construction experience to make the necessary repairs to the building he purchased. Julian Capeletti desperately needs to work again before he gets kicked out of his apartment. Fortunately, he also happens to be extremely talented at all of the things related to building a home. These two discover that working together is only the start of their relationship.

Matt and Julian are both kindhearted souls. Unfortunately for Matt, he has a pathetic father and a horrible mother who attacks him every chance she gets. Luckily, his aunt spent a lot of time with him and loved him unconditionally. Julian is adorably sexy and loves to tease Matt. Julian also suffered at the hands of his family, but was fortunate that his mother was amazing until she died too soon. Since neither of these guys are very communicative, it makes it really hard for them to move their friendship forward. This was the biggest challenge for me with this story. The majority of the time was spent in their heads or in conversations with others. I really wanted to see more in-depth and emotional discussions between Matt and Julian. There were so many missed opportunities where we could have been watching them get to know each other better.

Nevertheless, it was still a smooth flowing story that was interesting to read with some touching, emotional scenes. I was surprised and thrilled at how fascinating I found the discussions about the construction work on the house. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series.

A sexy romance between two lonely guys trying to make the most of their lives by giving back to others.

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Originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
Book Blurb

Covert Delivery by Draven St. James (3 Stars)

Oct18

A strange Easter egg treasure brought them together, but they will have to work through their personal demons to open their hearts to love.

Aspen Starr desperately needs to get out from under his father’s control. A strange package arrives, giving him the chance he needs to start a new life. Upon meeting his new boss, Garren Thomas, the sparks instantly fly between the two of them. Unfortunately, Garren doesn’t like to get involved with somebody at work. He actually doesn’t like to get involved with anybody. Aspen will have to work hard to get Garren to bring down the walls around his heart.

I enjoyed getting to know both Aspen and Garren on an individual level. They were well-developed characters who both had a deep down desire to help others. Both of them had very sad childhoods, and yet they tried to take that pain and turn it into a way of helping others. I enjoyed watching them work together doing psychological evaluations, and I found it interesting to learn a little bit about this area.

I loved when they hooked up at the bar by pure chance. This was followed by the first of many steamy sex scenes. I just wish that they could have spent more time together after that and formed a connection. I just didn’t get to know them enough as a couple for me to get emotionally connected to them. The ending became a little melodramatic when one of the patients became violent. At least it served as a reason for Garren to finally admit that Aspen brought a true sense of happiness to his life.

An erotic romance with family drama and an interesting insight into the world of psychology.

Originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
Book Blurb

A Courageous Ride (The Bullriders #3) by Andrew Grey (4 Stars)

Oct15

The third story in this enjoyable series brings us the tale of Indigo, a bull-rider who was seriously injured and forced to quit the rodeo circuit. He converts his family ranch into a dude ranch to keep it afloat. Marshall comes to the ranch for a break from his stressful life. The two are instantly attracted to each other, and began to spend quite a bit of time together which I really enjoyed. These two definitely had careers that didn’t mesh well together, but it was also realistic to believe that they could find a way to make it work. Their interactions were realistic and enjoyable, and I was rooting for them to find a way to be together. I loved the way the author pulled it all together at the end. I adored Indigo. His injury altered his life, and although he wasn’t thrilled that it happened, he didn’t focus on the negative repercussions. Instead, he decided to make the most of the opportunity he was given with the ranch. I loved Marshall. His dedication to his craft, even in the face of constant rejection, was admirable. I enjoyed learning a little bit about what happens behind the scenes with the conductor of an orchestra. Tighter editing would have made this story stronger. Drifting off into too many unnecessary details hurt the flow of the story just a bit.

Overall, another great addition to this series, and I’m looking forward to the next one. Although it can be read as a stand-alone, I recommend the entire series.

Originally reviewed for Swept Away by Romance. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
Book Blurb

More Than Everything (Family #3) by Cardeno C. (5 Stars)

Oct11

Amazing tale of love where true happiness comes in the form of an extended relationship.

I absolutely loved every minute of this story and simply couldn’t put it down.  The blurb made it clear what the story was about, but the opening helped to cement that, while you might be in for a bumpy ride, the ending would leave you with a smile.

This was not your typical menage tale.  We spent the beginning of the story watching a young Charlie and Scott fall in love. Initially told from Charlie’s point of view, you can’t help but fall in love with him. Charlie was this wonderful character who you could easily imagine being your best friend. He was funny, engaging, and completely true to himself.   Watching Charlie and Scott spend several years together in high school was very touching and gave us a deeper understanding of their lives and their relationship. Scott was one of the nicest guys around, and it was heartbreaking when he had to move away.

Charlie eventually hooks up with a somewhat ornery Adan. Although Adan was too immature and insecure to keep Charlie, it still broke my heart when Charlie finally left him. It was helpful getting Adan’s point of view during this time so you could understand what he was thinking when he made some really bad decisions.

Flash forward to when the three of them meet once again, and we get our final happy ending. It wasn’t easy, but it takes place over a longer period of time allowing both Charlie and the reader to forgive Adan and Scott and agree that they finally deserve Charlie. In typical Cardeno C. style, the sex scenes are always smoking hot and fit in perfectly with the story.

I laughed, cried, and got upset while reading this story. I was completely engaged with the characters and their lives, and I highly recommend this to readers who enjoy a unique romance.

 

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Originally reviewed for Swept Away By Romance. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
Book Blurb