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The One Who Saves Me (Home #6) by Cardeno C. (5 Stars)

Aug16

Positively phenomenal! A unique spin on the friends to lover theme with an amazing relationship-based story.

Andrew Thompson and Caleb Lakes meet and become the best of friends while young teenagers. The story takes us through the next 20 years of their lives as they maintain their status as best friends with benefits. The question is whether or not they can ever move past this point.

I loved both of these very well developed characters. Caleb was sweet, charming, an amazing friend, and a very strong person. It was adorable how he always had to be dressed to perfection. Andrew is brilliant, graduating from school early and ultimately becoming a top neurosurgeon. He’s extremely kind but also very lonely due to his brilliance. He longs for a permanent relationship, but repeatedly chooses men who cheat on him.

However, when he and Caleb don’t have current boyfriends, they take advantage of their amazing sexual chemistry. All of the amazing sex scenes took place with Andrew and Caleb. Even though they both had other boyfriends throughout the story, it was mostly told to us through discussions between Andrew and Caleb. There was a lot of dialogue in this story, which is something I enjoy, and a good portion of it was told while these two were engaged in sexual activity.

It was hard to imagine enjoying a story where the two lovers aren’t truly romantically involved — at least in their eyes. To the reader and their friends, it was obvious these two were meant for each other. However, the author managed to make me believe that their relationship worked for them, and thankfully there wasn’t a lot of angst in the story. I almost wanted things to happen faster, but in all honesty, they weren’t ready for it. By the time they figured it out, I was crying happy tears!

If you enjoy an amazing friends to lovers with benefits theme with great dialogue, strong characters, and an interesting life journey, this more than fits the bill.

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

A Wild Ride (The Bullriders #1) by Andrew Grey (4 Stars)

Aug15

Losing control while riding the bull can be deadly, but losing control in a relationship can lead to a wonderful prize.

Dante Rivers is one of the top bull riders in the rodeo circuit. He hooks up with Ryan Abbott for a single night of steamy passion with a touch of submission. Ryan is an investment advisor who is ironically called by Dante’s grandfather to help with some estate issues. Dante and Ryan begin a relationship but it was not without its challenges.

I really liked Dante and Ryan. They were strong and well-developed characters. Both of them were extremely caring people, which was shown repeatedly with their actions. For instance, their compassionate treatment of Dante’s grandfather was very endearing. They had some issues with accepting help from each other, but it just gave the relationship a more realistic edge.

The time spent at the rodeo and at the clothing store signing autographs were really interesting. It gave the reader a pretty good idea of what’s involved with the sport. The bull riding, including the mechanical version, was described almost too realistically, making it feel as if you were flying in the air at times.

Dante’s grandfather also played a major role in the story, and he was a sweet guy. Dante and Ryan had some amazing sex, but there wasn’t really any heavy D/s in this story. There was an excellent epilogue which took place one year later.

Overall, this story was a very sweet and sexy romance without a lot of angst.

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

Rush Around the Clock by Silvia Violet (3 Stars)

Aug13

Sometimes we just don’t realize how lonely we are until the right person comes along and changes everything.

Finn McMurphy teaches school, takes care of his dogs, and makes sure every remaining moment is filled to the point of exhaustion. Crawford Bixby just moved in and can’t help but find Finn adorable. Now Crawford just has to convince Finn that there is more to life than running from one event to the next.

Finn was such a nice guy. Still living in his family home, he’s trying to pay off the debts incurred while taking care of his ill mother. Unfortunately, he was too nice for his own good, and he let too many people push him around. This included Crawford to a certain degree. Crawford was bossy and controlling, but it appeared Finn needed this. Finn never would have dated Crawford if Crawford didn’t force the issue.

The story focused on the two of them trying to connect while dealing with Finn’s school events. My biggest struggle with the story was that it focused on the middle school issues, which weren’t that exciting, instead of developing the relationship more.

Sweet romance about making time for the more important things in life.

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

Always MJ by SJD Peterson (4.5 Stars)

Aug12

Encouraged by Jared, his best friend, Matty steps out of his comfort zone to meet, in person, the guy he had chatted online with for the past 6 months. An interesting look into their relationship follows while they decide if they can make it work.

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Book Blurb