Missed Connections: I Swear to You by Sloan Parker (4 Stars)

Dec7

Forgiving a break in trust is not easy, but it can be worth it in the long run to be with the love of your life.

Grady and Mateo have been best friends since first grade. They are now enjoying their final year at college together, and one fateful night, they take their relationship to the next level. Unfortunately, while Mateo was more than willing to keep it moving forward, Grady couldn’t deal with possibly being gay and so he walked away from Mateo.

Once Grady is finally willing to accept that not only is he gay, but that he left the love of his life and best friend, he goes in search of Mateo. Mateo isn’t the same person he used to be and has suffered greatly since they last saw each other. Now Mateo has to determine if he can forgive Grady, and if they can have a life together again.

I loved Mateo and thought that he was such an amazing person who was trying so hard to do the right thing. He wasn’t afraid to stand up for what he believed in. Grady came across as somebody who was initially very spoiled, but was now finally maturing and accepting how horribly he treated his best friend. I wasn’t sure I would be able to forgive Grady, but the author managed to make me love him and hope that the two of them would get back together.

I enjoyed the heartfelt conversations that they had and especially liked watching Grady open his heart completely. These two were also definitely smoking hot together. The story takes a nice little turn and throws in a roadblock to their future happiness. It has to do with how Mateo spent the last 6 years. I was very surprised at the reason for Mateo’s scars and thought the author did an excellent job with this bit of mystery.

Although I finally forgave Grady, it was very hard to think of Mateo’s life for the past six years and not get a bit depressed. His entire social connection was basically ripped away from him because of Grady’s cowardice.

An emotional take on the friends-to-lovers theme with a bit of mystery.

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

Bloodline by Barbara Elsborg (5 Stars)

Dec6

I really enjoyed this action-packed adventure-filled book with wit, romance, and excitement.

An evil and brutal king rules the faeries, but Micah is determined to take him down. Unfortunately, the king captures and brutally tortures Micah. The king needs a tattoo as part of his coronation and kidnaps Inigo, the best tattoo artist around. Fortunately, Micah and Inigo help each other escape, and now they will work together to bring the rightful king into power.

Micah, a faerie, and Inigo, a vampire, are instantly attracted to each other. They were both funny, sweet, and always looking out for each other once they started their mission. After spending time working together to accomplish their goals of getting rid of the king, it became clear that they were falling in love with each other. There were enough conversations and actions to make this believable. I felt bad for these two guys dealing with so many problems, but I loved watching them work together.

I didn’t read the first book in the series (Jumping in Puddles), and although it didn’t impact my enjoyment, I’m going to rectify that. My only issue was the level of violence at the beginning. There were a few torture scenes, including forced oral sex, that had me cringing.

I felt like I was watching this story happen in front of me. I was completely caught up in the excitement and action while at the same time thoroughly enjoying the romance.

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

Making it Personal (Personal #1) by K.C. Wells (4 Stars)

Dec5

There was one point during the story that had me livid about what I thought was going to happen next. Fortunately, I was wrong. At that point, I realized that even though the plot was a bit over the top and unrealistic, I actually cared about what was happening to Blake and Will. Overall, an enjoyable story, heavy on the sex, that takes place in a publishing office.

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Book Blurb

Indigo Footsteps, Spatters of Red by J. Fally (4.5 Stars)

Dec2

This action-packed thriller takes place after zampies, a combination of vampires and zombies, start to infect the world. Josh and Carter are slayers, highly trained by the military, who spend their time trying to destroy the zampies. They are deeply in love with each other, and wouldn’t think twice about saving one another’s lives. I enjoyed watching them spend time at their home in sweet bliss before going off on assignment. The action kicked into high gear and had me on the edge of my seat as they tried to kill a large group of zampies hiding at the Alamo.

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Book Blurb