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Mark Cooper Versus America (Prescott College #1) by Lisa Henry & J.A. Rock (5 Stars)

Aug10

Opening up your heart and mind can lead to clarity and acceptance in your relationships and life.

Mark Cooper was forced to leave his home in Australia to follow his Mom and her new husband to Pennsylvania. He now has to rush a local fraternity, and he’s not happy about it. Deacon Holt happens to belong to the fraternity next door, but he isn’t going to let a little rivalry keep him from hanging out with Mark. Now these two need to see if they have enough of a connection to build a real relationship.

Mark Cooper is such an angry person at the beginning of the story, as he’s trying so hard to please so many other people. He does it in a way that certainly doesn’t make him appear spineless, but I did feel sorry for him. He has no idea what he really wants out of life yet.

Deacon is the level-headed guy that always seems to know exactly what to say and what to do. He knows what he wants out of life, and he’s determined to get it. He has to deal with his Mom who has some serious OCD issues, including constantly imagining the worst case scenario. He did a great job trying to help her deal with her issues, while at the same time realizing that he could never solve her problems for her.

It was really interesting watching these two characters learn about themselves and make a conscious effort to accept certain traits while trying to bring about change in other aspects. Watching Mark realize that his attitude was triggering some of the problems with other people was really eye-opening. He slowly realized it wasn’t really him against the world. He was simply getting his own attitude reflected back at him. Seeing Deacon accept that he likes being the guy that provides support to others was also interesting.

These two together were smoking hot. The sex scenes were off the charts, although the fisting scene was a bit too realistically painful to read. I really liked both Mark and Deacon at the beginning of the story, but I loved them by the end. This was a decent length novel, and yet I still wanted more. The ending was wonderful, but I would also love at least another glimpse into their lives.

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

Like and Subscribe by Jay Bell (5 Stars)

Aug10

Very sweet story about the beginning of a romance. I liked the imagination the author showed with the plot. Two engaging characters who discover that they fell in love with an image instead of a person.

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Free on Smashwords.

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Dead Man and the Restless Spirits (Dead Man #1) by Lou Harper (5 Stars)

Aug7

Spirits and romance mix in this fast-paced, enjoyable story.

Denton Mills can see the spirits of those who have died. It has made his life a bit challenging, but it’s about to get a lot better after he meets Bran Maurell. Bran is a witch who cleanses homes and has a very prickly personality. Denton and Bran start to work together and also begin to have feelings for each other. But Bran has a secret, and he’s afraid Denton will leave once he finds out.

Denton was a great guy with a lighthearted personality. I liked his partner, Joy, and enjoyed watching them interact on their web design business. Bran was a challenge at some points with his grouchy personality. At the same time, I liked that he never really changed outside of smiling a bit more and starting to warm up a little. It made the story much more realistic.

As we learn his secrets, his issues make perfect sense which just made him more lovable. Most of the sex in this story takes place off page. However, there is a bit of kink involved once you learn Bran’s secret. This definitely made the little bit of sex extremely steamy in a unique way.

I loved the paranormal elements and how they played perfectly with the romance angle. There were a few different cases they took on which kept the story moving quickly without ever getting overwhelming or confusing. The most emotional moment in the story, which had me in tears, actually took place between two of the spirits.

There were some minor open ends in the story which make me hope I’ll see these characters in future stories of the Sanquine series. Denton plays a role in the first story in the series, but it wasn’t necessary to read it before this one.

I highly recommend this sweet paranormal romance with quirky characters and some really touching moments which made for a delightful read.

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

Glitterland by Alexis Hall (5 Stars)

Aug4

With its addictive, emotional writing-style, this story about one man falling in love while living with mental illness was almost too realistic, but well worth the read.

Ash Winters is an intelligent author who is also bipolar and suffers from panic attacks and depression. For anybody who has ever lived with somebody suffering from any of these disorders, you’re already aware of how challenging life can be for that person. However, listening to somebody share detailed experiences as they move through their emotional battles is both painful and enlightening. At times it felt as if you were living through the nightmare of his panic attacks and full blown depressive bouts. The entire story is told from Ash’s point of view, and as he walks us through his challenging life, he also shares some of his joys. However, until he meets Darian, he really doesn’t know what happiness means.

Darian Taylor was truly one of the sweetest and most accepting people. He was able to look to the true heart and soul of a person, and look past their many faults. He had such a simple approach to life and love. It did take me a bit of time to get used to his very heavy accent and speech patterns. There was quite a bit of interesting dialog between Ash and the other characters. The romance with Darian was believable with plenty of conversations and interactions. The sex was both steamy and enjoyable. Ash was a bit of a jerk throughout the story, and although he always explained his poor behavior, it was challenging at times to understand why Darian would care for him. However, Darian rarely let Ash’s negative attitude affect him. It certainly wasn’t an easy path to get there, but Ash and Darian get their well-deserved happily ever after. There were also several other interesting characters including his agent, Amy, and his friend, Niall. I would love to see a second story with Niall, especially to get another glimpse of how Ash and Darian are doing.

This was a truly intriguing story with rich character development and a huge emotional pull that I’m very glad I read.

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A free and brilliant epilogue, Glitterland Aftermath, is available from Riptide Publishing.

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