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Ghost of a Chance by T.A. Chase (3 Stars)

May24

Second chance at love but with a ghostly twist!

Padraig Monaghan was killed in a brawl 10 years ago and has been wandering the world as a ghost ever since. One night, after witnessing a mugging resulting in death, he unexpectedly assumes the body of the dead man. Stepping into a bar for a drink, he runs into Gareth Reilly, the man he had developed a crush on 10 years ago.

Gareth is celebrating his birthday alone, yet again, when he is approached by a man he doesn’t recognize except for his wonderful eyes. Feeling adventurous, he takes Padraig home, thus beginning the second chance for their romance.

I really enjoyed the characters and liked that we heard from both of their perspectives. Although Padraig was a bit of a rebel in his youth, he was always a good person in his heart. Gareth was a sweet but shy person who developed a crush on Padraig while they worked together on the docks 10 years earlier. After reconnecting with each other, there were several steamy scenes while they got to know each other. The romance would have worked much better if the two had formed some sort of friendship during their first infatuation with each other 10 years earlier.

If you enjoy second chance sweet romances with a few paranormal twists, this is a very enjoyable story.

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Originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
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Heart of the Race by Mary Calmes (5 Stars)

May23

Best friends and soulmates, but life is taking them in different directions. Can they find their way back to each other?

Brian Christie has been in love with his best friend, Varro Dacien, since they were kids. Brian wants to lead a simple life giving back to the community. Varro is a daredevil who doesn’t feel alive unless he’s racing on his bikes. Through flashbacks, we see their history together and feel their pain at not being together today. Brian is finally ready to settle down in his life and accept that Varro can’t really be his, but Varro has a different idea.

The entire story is told through Brian’s eyes which worked extremely well for this tale. Brian didn’t have an easy to start to his life, but almost everything has worked out for him except for making Varro his partner in life. Brian was an amazing person with a sweet and caring nature. He had a wonderful voice for talking about his life in the past and present. His love for Varro was solid and unwavering.

Varro was a complete adrenaline junkie from the day he was born. He was an interesting character, and once all of his actions were explained, I loved him as much as I did Brian. Watching Brian pine for Varro was difficult at times and had my heart breaking for both of them. Once they finally truly confront each other, it was pure magic. The epilogue was perfect!

If you enjoy a heart-felt romance with some angst and a significant emotional connection, then I highly recommend this lovely story.

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

A Shot at Forgiveness by Cardeno C. (5 Stars)

May22

What happens when your high school tormentor wasn’t really the bully you thought he was and instead had a major crush on you?

Isaac Jones is a major basketball player who supposedly tormented Rafi in high school. Rafi Steiner is an attorney who is doing well and doesn’t need Isaac back in his life. But Isaac thinks Rafi is the person he’s meant to spend the rest of his life with, and he’s willing to fight for that chance.

The story was told from Rafi’s point of view, and he was a great character with a sarcastic sense of humor. Rafi is intelligent, hard-working, and a bit lonely. Although he has some good friends, he hasn’t fallen in love yet. Isaac might be a major star, but he wasn’t arrogant. Instead, he was kind, loving, and a bit possessive. At first glance, it didn’t make any sense that Isaac liked Rafi based on how he treated Rafi in high school. However, as Rafi starts to remember some of the nice things Isaac did for him, the story took on a different feel. It was almost like a reminder to the rest of us not to let negative feelings cloud our pasts and block the good memories.

There were several extremely steamy sex scenes during which these two continued to grow their relationship. The conversations were wonderful, and I really felt like I got to know the characters. The story takes place over a reasonable period of time, and we get a glimpse into what their future would be like together.

I really enjoyed this wonderful steamy relationship story with a great sense of humor and interesting characters!

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

By Design by Lisa Worrall (3 Stars)

May21

Making your dream come true might not mean as much if you lose your lover in the process.

Robbie Cooper recently opened up his own tattoo parlor. It’s great that the business is extremely busy, but it’s causing serious problems with his boyfriend. He needs to figure out how to keep his dream alive while also keeping the love of his life close by his side.

This is such a challenging storyline to write. During the entire story, you have to either believe that Robbie is cheating on his boyfriend, or that there is something else going on. Unfortunately, if it doesn’t work, then the steamy sex scene is upsetting instead of exciting. The story needed something more to make it really work. Rob spends quite a bit of time giving Shane a tattoo, but they didn’t have any deep and meaningful conversations during that time. A nice discussion might have helped the believability factor. I really liked Rob, and I could feel his frustration with wanting to take care of every customer while also wanting to have a life again. We didn’t learn very much about his boyfriend except that the person was tired of Rob working late. Shane was sexy and sweet, and their sex scene was pretty steamy.

A cute sexy short with a little bit of mystery surrounding the anonymous sex partner.

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