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Gumption & Gumshoes by Alex Kidwell (5 Stars)

Aug29

Love doesn’t always wait for us to be ready for it.

August Mendez just inherited enough money to quit the job he hates and live his dream as a detective. He’s struggling, and mostly taking pictures of cheating spouses, but he’s much happier now. Sam Ewing is his grumpy but sexy office landlord. He’s bitter after his divorce, and basically living his life as a lonely bachelor. August gets his first big case, and Sam ends up helping him out with it, leading to the beginning of their friendship and romance.

I am putting these two characters into my favorite couples list. They both had their own issues, whether it be low self-esteem or self-imposed loneliness, but when they looked at each other, they only saw perfection. Their love and adoration for each other was so romantic and sweet. I tear up just thinking about how perfect they were for each other. The fact that August was a chinchilla shifter didn’t even faze Sam. I was a bit afraid that a chinchilla shifter story wouldn’t work for me, but I actually found it adorable. The way it was weaved into both the case and the romance was perfect.

I’m not a fan of a character who is divorced because it’s too much of a reminder that a happily-ever-after isn’t always forever. However, I liked how the author treated the divorce and the prior relationship by using it to convince me that Sam had really changed. I actually believed that any issues he might have had in his prior marriage were resolved and wouldn’t negatively affect his future with August. The length of the story allowed us to see the two of them together quite a bit with plenty of great dialogue and steamy sex scenes.

This book is perfectly titled. It was the real life example of somebody who had some gumption. Even with his low self-image, which Sam tried so hard to correct, August still had enough spunk to go after what he really wanted in life. I just adored this humorous, sexy love story, and I highly recommend it.

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

Pretty Poison by Kari Gregg (4 Stars)

Aug28

Two strong-willed shifters overcoming obstacles in order to spend their lives together.

Noah fell from a balcony when he was a young child. Since many of his packmates thought he should be put down, his family left the pack and tried to keep him out of sight. Wade is the new alpha of the pack, and he wants the family to meet their obligation of providing a mate. More importantly, he wants Noah to be his mate. Told in a world where shifters live among humans, there was an interesting aspect to this story about the medical treatment of the two different species.

The plot revolved around proving to the pack that Noah would make a good mate for Wade. The entire story is told from Noah’s point of view. Unfortunately, he’s led an extremely sheltered life due to his injuries. He spent most of his time hidden away while recovering from multiple surgeries, avoiding the shifters that wanted to kill him and running his web-based business.

The blurb suggests that there is dubious consent in this story, but I didn’t really see it that way. Since this is taking place in the shifter world, and Noah was excited to be with Wade, I thought the beginning of their mating worked very well. I really liked Wade and thought that he was a good leader. I also thought that he cared about Noah and went out of his way to do special things for him. There were quite a few sex scenes, but outside of the knotting that took place, there wasn’t anything kinky in it. Since these two liked each other, the sex was extremely hot.

The secondary cast of characters was interesting and definitely added to the story. I only wish less time had been spent on Noah’s health issues and instead focused on the development of his relationship with Wade.

A very sexy shifter romance with two strong characters strengthening their mating with the odds stacked against them.

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

Wes and Kit by Hollis Shiloh (4 Stars)

Aug27

Interesting and enjoyable characters meet under unfortunate circumstances and fall in love. Very sweet story romance with a mystery running in the background. I would have liked a bit more dialogue with Kit and Wes, but I still felt like I got to know them well enough to believe the connection. I really liked how the different issues with their hearts were presented. I also adored their spunky dog, Lolly, who always managed to make me smile. All sex takes place off-page, but there was plenty of cuddling. Although this couple gets their HEA, the mystery isn’t resolved yet and continues in the next story which I will definitely be reading.

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Book Blurb

Parting Shot (Matter of Time #7) by Mary Calmes (3 Stars)

Aug26

How many changes are you willing to make in your life in order to make a relationship work?

Duncan Stiel is an undercover cop who was seriously abused as a child, including witnessing a murder. Aaron Sutter is the billionaire who is fighting his own father to maintain ownership of the family empire. While Duncan struggles to stay alive, after facing one attack after another, he is also struggling to determine how he and Aaron fit together.

The entire story is told from Duncan’s point of view, and nothing really seems to bother him. He is almost killed several times, including being tortured for days on end, but it doesn’t deter him from jumping right back into the thick of things. I found the activity surrounding the drug trafficking and proxy fight very confusing. There were a lot of different characters involved which also perplexed me.

I really struggled with Duncan’s relationship with Aaron toward the beginning. At first, it seemed to be entirely based on sex. They then spent quite a bit of time apart for a reason that I didn’t really comprehend. Once they get back into their relationship, the story moved along much better. It also stepped out of the realm of reality when Duncan and Aaron work a case together.

I was really hoping to get to know Aaron better. He had a major attitude in the previous books, and I really wanted to see that fully developed. These two guys had a lot going against them, but they were both willing to make adjustments to their lives in order to make it successful.

Both of these characters were in the previous stories, but it’s not necessary to read them to follow the plot. However, it will make more sense if you do. You also get to see some of the previous characters in this book, which was a treat. I loved this series, and highly recommend the first 6 books, but this particular story didn’t work as well as the others for me.

If you enjoy complicated plots with plenty of activity, cops and danger, this steamy romance could work for you.

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