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Second Hand (Tucker Springs #2) by Heidi Cullinan & Marie Sexton (5 Stars)

Sweet but clueless, Paul Hannon never felt like he came first for anybody. Can El Rozal, a man that knows all about second hand things but nothing about relationships, convince Paul that he’s first for him?

Paul is stuck in a new town with a rental home he can barely afford after being dumped by Stacey, his ex-fiancée. He’s in a job that is one step below where he really wants to be. His house is full of stuff that he couldn’t afford to buy in the first place, but did it to make Stacey happy. He has the brilliant idea to get rid of his stuff at the local pawn shop where he meets El, the owner. El is immediately smitten with Paul, and finds ways to make sure that they can spend time together. The story focuses on the development of their relationship while dealing with the ex-fiancee and family issues.

I loved this story! I enjoyed the new-friends-to-lover theme with El and Paul spending a lot of time together just hanging out before it turns into something more. Paul is pretty gullible in so many ways, but he’s so sweet that you just want to protect him. El, who doesn’t believe in relationships, truly enjoys being with Paul and genuinely cares for him. They spend quite a bit of time “dating” which I always find very romantic. Paul’s acceptance of his desire for El was very realistic especially given his long-term relationship with Stacey. Once they pass the point of friendship, the sex was extremely erotic and steamy!! Although characters from the other Tucker Springs series appear in this story, it isn’t necessary to read them in order. I’ve enjoyed all of the ones I’ve read so far!

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

The Trouble with Tony (Sex in Seattle #1) by Eli Easton (5 Stars)

Enjoyable romantic mystery with a unique setting for the plot makes this a keeper!

Seattle P.I. Tony DeMarco, a former policeman who was injured on the job, is trying to solve the case of a murdered woman. He finds himself posing as a patient at a sex clinic where he gets treated by Dr. Jack Halloran, formerly a skilled surgeon before getting seriously injured in combat. Tony ends up being honest about a real problem he’s having with sex which leads to all sorts of interesting activities. As Tony tries to solve the case, and Jack tries to help solve Tony’s sexual problems, they quickly realize they are falling in love.

I really liked these characters. Tony and Jack were both strong and sexy, but they were also really nice guys who were always trying to help others. I really felt like I got to know the characters and thought that they developed a pretty solid relationship with each other. Having the story take place at a sex clinic was interesting and certainly not something I’ve seen before. It worked well here and actually lead to some pretty steamy sex scenes. I usually don’t care for books where they meet under false pretenses, because it’s usually followed by a very stressful point where they have to decide if they can ever trust each other again. Fortunately, the author worked it out perfectly. A nice epilogue brought solid closure to everything.

This is the kind of story I love! It grabbed me from the beginning, and I didn’t put it down until I was done. I loved the sense of humor surrounding the interesting mystery, the steamy sex, and the likable characters.

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

Semper Fi by SJ Frost (5 Stars)

Powerful and emotional short story that brought me to tears. I fell in love with both of the characters and enjoyed watching them fall in love with each other.

Link to free download.

 

Book Blurb

All In & Woman with a Dildo by Cardeno C. (5 Stars)

Two sweet & smoking hot freebies on author’s site with a friends-to-lovers theme. Best friends since they were kids, one kiss changes their relationship forever in “All In”. A glimpse into their future shows the strength of their love in “Woman with a Dildo”.

Link to All In

Link to Woman with a Dildo

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