Say Everything by Gina A. Rogers (4 Stars)

Jun3

A story about love and forgiveness.

Gregory has finally decided to try to move on from his past. He’s putting these memories, in the form of clothes and games, on Craigslist, hoping to sell them. Chad, the potential buyer, is a party planner and is excited to take the 1980’s memorabilia off Greg’s hands. As a simple transaction turns into a romance, Greg will have to decide if he’s really ready and willing to move on from his past or else risk losing Chad.

A good part of the plot revolves around finding out exactly what happened to Greg in his past to cause him to be so afraid of falling in love. Greg is a huge trivia junkie and loves to share fun little tidbits of information. There’s a nice sense of humor to this story especially around the timing of this sharing. Chad is a sweetheart who everybody seems to adore. We get a pretty good idea of their relationship based on the things they do together, and some nice glimpses into their daily lives.

The sex scenes are raunchy and slightly kinky with some mild spankings thrown in for good measure. I liked their conversations and the creative way the author pulled the 1980’s theme into the story at various points. I also loved watching Chad help Greg recover from his past.

This amusing and heartfelt story, with love leading the way to forgiving one’s self, was a very enjoyable read.

cover

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

Once a Brat (Kinky Cupid #1) by Kim Dare (5 Stars)

Jun2

Very enjoyable erotic romance with a touch of fun! On the longer side of a typical Dare short, this work really showcased her talented writing style. Although it was light on dialogue, the inner thoughts of these two very interesting characters was entertaining. Bret was definitely a brat in his thoughts and actions, and it was a quite the kick to be inside his head. Marcus was a little bit more serious, but really seemed to enjoy Bret’s antics. It made for a great relationship.

As usual, Dare always seems to bring some unique element to each of her stories. The way she addressed the importance of a safe word or action was perfect!

Includes BDSM play including spanking, gagging, and bondage.

cover

Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
Book Blurb

Nothing Ventured by Jay Northcote (4.5 Stars)

May30

Aiden Watson has just been tricked into running the Mad Mucker, a challenging obstacle course. Fortunately, Matt is going to help him train for the event. As they work out together, they quickly become friends and then lovers. Unfortunately, Matt isn’t out and they have to keep the relationship a secret from their friends and family.

Aiden and Matt are both interesting characters. Since it’s only told from Aiden’s point of view, we didn’t get to know Matt as well as I would have liked. Aiden was a nice guy who didn’t have anything but bad memories when it came to relationships. Both of these guys decided they could easily hook up on a regular basis for enjoyable sex without any concern about taking it further. However, both of their hearts had much different ideas.

I really enjoyed watching them train together, and it served as an interesting backdrop to their developing romance. It also gave them plenty of time to work through their emotional issues and have plenty of steamy sex.

The only thing I didn’t understand was why Aiden wasn’t interested in a relationship with his best friend, and frequent sex partner, Pete. They seemed to get along extremely well and enjoyed having sex together. Although he had the same relationship with Matt, I didn’t see any better chemistry there. I think additional dialogue between Matt and Aiden would have solved that concern for me.

I really liked this sexy, fast paced romance and adored this author’s writing style.

cover

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

Claimings, Tails and Other Alien Artifacts (Claimings #1) by Lyn Gala (5 Stars)

May28

A sensuous tale about the universal language of love.

Liam is a human trader and linguistics expert working on an alien planet inhabited by Rownt. His main contact is Ondry, a Rownt he has been trading with for the past several years. Little does Liam realize that Ondry has been courting him all of these years, and life is about to change drastically for Liam.

Liam was such a beautiful and amazing person. He was treated horribly by his family, and he certainly doesn’t feel appreciated by the government that is employing him. He has a love for words, and the highlight of his day is trading goods with Ondry while learning more about the Rownt language. Ondry believes Liam is his “palteia”, similar to a cherished submissive in a permanent relationship.

Although we are only given Liam’s point of view, the amount of dialogue in the story made it very clear how much Ondry adored Liam. I loved watching them try to understand each other by really taking the time to get to the meaning behind the words they used. The language barrier forced them to have deep discussions allowing them to get to know each other better. Liam is petrified that Ondry will eventually tire of him like so many others had done in the past. Ondry certainly has his work cut out for him, but he’s up for the challenge. Although similar in build, the Rownt have a few physical differences, including a tail, that lead to several extremely steamy scenes.

An engaging romance with an added focus on the language of love.

cover

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