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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

Twin Flames (Sumeria’s Sons #1) by Lexi Ander (5 Stars)

Oct6

What if the soul mate chosen by the gods doesn’t end up being the one that completes you?

Tristan is a Lycan descendant who suffers from believing he is mediocre. He has discovered his Twin Flame, the one person destined to be his, cheating on him. Tristan has requested that they be permanently separated. This is rarely done since it can lead to Tristan’s death. After the separation, he must try to find a way to go on with his life.

The story was not a strong romance and instead focused on building the world and delving deep into Tristan’s life. Tristan was a fascinating character with an amazing ability to tell a story. He had his heart broken by the one person in the world who should have loved him through eternity. Fortunately, his best friend, Ushna, stood by him during his dark recovery period. Ushna helped Tristan come back to life, and his commitment to Tristan never wavered. I would have loved to have gotten to know Ushna better and watch them develop their relationship, but Ushna didn’t talk very much.

The unique world the author created was very interesting and easy to follow. The ending clearly continues into the next story, but I didn’t feel frustrated that it was too much of a cliffhanger.

Engaging storytelling kept me hooked from beginning to end, and I’m really looking forward to the next entry in this series.

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

Controlling the Burn by Tonya Ramagos (5 Stars)

Oct4

Controlling the burn of a fire makes sense, but controlling your heart’s burning desire is never a good idea.

Drew Ward is the newest member of an elite group of smoke jumpers. Wesley Payton is a senior member of the same team and 20 years older than Drew. Drew has wanted Wesley since he first met him over a decade ago and has just been biding his time. Now that Drew met his professional goal, he is focused on his personal goal of making Wesley a permanent part of his life.

The life of a smoke jumper is explored in detail in this story. In addition to learning about their daily training, we are also exposed to what takes place during a real forest fire. The fire scenes were exciting and nerve-wracking since you could really feel what was happening but weren’t sure of the outcome. Although it made it more authentic, the constant use of fire jargon also hurt the flow of the story just a little bit.

The romance between Drew and Wesley was very sweet. Although Wesley was anxious about starting a relationship, he didn’t stand a chance against Drew! Drew knew what he wanted, and had the patience to work through Wesley’s concerns. There were a few steamy scenes, a lot of good conversations, and some interesting interactions with the other jumpers. Overall, it was a touching romantic story with some great suspenseful scenes!

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

The Crush Revisited (Lincoln Hill #1) by Shawn Lane (3 Stars)

Oct3

High school reunions can bring both happy and sad memories, but the future is all that really matters when it comes to love.

Brandon Collins has lived his entire life in Lincoln Hill. Although lonely in school, Brandon now has a job he loves and lots of good friends. His high school reunion has just been scheduled at the resort he manages. He can’t attend since he’s working, but that doesn’t really concern him. His biggest issue is that the person he had a major crush on in high school will be at the reunion.

Tim Olfander was the popular guy in school that everybody liked, but he was desperate to leave town and hit the big city. He dreamed of being a top lawyer working at a large law firm. Although he’s getting that dream to come true, he’s starting to realize that it’s not really making him happy. He’s working too many hours to enjoy life, and he has no time for a real relationship. As the two connect at the reunion, they slowly begin to realize that there is a chance for something more between the two of them, but only if some significant changes take place.

The majority of the first part of the book was spent with Tim and Brandon having a “no strings attached” sex affair. The two characters really didn’t have a lot of conversations, which made it difficult to emotionally connect to the almost constant sex. We did get to know the characters through their interactions with other friends. I really liked both of them, but I was really fond of Brandon, who was just a sweetheart. The friends were also fun, and I could certainly see future stories with them as the focal point.

Fortunately, the last portion of the story was significantly better. We finally got to see some real conversations between the men as they tried to make a long distance relationship work. The ending was very realistic and gave me hope that they could truly find happiness together.

An enjoyable story about high school reunions, and making changes in our lives for love.

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