Bolt-Hole by Amy Lane (3 Stars)

Sep22

A friends-to-lovers romance between two young men trying to break into their careers.

Terrell Washington is black, gay, and unable to find a job with his college degree in journalism. He is also very bitter because of his lack of employment and events from his childhood. His best friend, coworker, and idol, Colby Meyers, is kind, fun, and seems to have the world on a plate, but he’s white. Terrell must determine if he can accept Colby’s apparent love for him.

This was a sweet, low-angst romance between two friends. The relationship develops while they are working together at a local restaurant. The loving sentiments that Colby expressed repeatedly were heart-warming. Watching Terrell finally believe that somebody could love him was beautiful. The time they spent together having fun and hanging out was also enjoyable.

Unfortunately, most of the humor didn’t make any sense to me. There were also so many exclamation points that it made it feel like the characters were forever yelling excitedly. Terrell’s constant reference to the fact that he was black and Colby was white became downright annoying. This story really needed Colby’s POV to even out the negative mood created by Terrell and his insecurities. Understanding where Terrell came from and how he was raised, was critical to understanding the story, but it was repeated so often that it became the focal point of the story. The murder mystery was interesting as a backdrop to the story until the ending which went over the top and didn’t quite make sense.

Overall, the romance was sweet and the mystery was acceptable as a backdrop to the plot, but the spirit of the story was just a bit too negative.

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Originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
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Cataclysmic Shift (The Aloysius Tales #3) by Tara Lain (3 Stars)

Sep19

Shifters and witches and humans all fight together for love.

Aloysius is a cat who also happens to magnify the strength of one of the most powerful witches in the world. Unfortunately, after being attacked, he becomes a human with no memory of who or what he is except his name–Alain. Luke Elliott is a veterinarian with a secret past, who prefers animals to humans until he discovers Alain. They quickly fall in love, but must determine if they can live with each other’s pasts and futures.

Aloysius/Alain is endearing as both a cat and a man. Luke is a pretty lonely person who thinks he can spend the rest of his life just taking care of the animals and avoiding his past. As soon as these two meet, they both seem to agree that they were meant for each other. It was a little awkward listening to Alain make cat noises and watching him clean himself while he was in human form. The sex wasn’t really kinky, but some of their discussions around it were a bit strange to a certain extent. The story moved quickly while alternating between the action, sex, and friendship scenes. I liked how the author managed to weave Luke’s interesting background into the activities taking place surrounding the witches and their struggle for power.

I didn’t read the first two stories in this series, and I think it would have made it more enjoyable if I had. Characters from the earlier story played a pivotal role in this book, and since I really enjoyed seeing them, I’m sure I would have loved them even more if I knew their history. Overall, I enjoyed this fast-paced story with a sweet romance and plenty of suspenseful action scenes.

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Originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
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BAMF by S.J.D. Peterson (5 Stars)

Sep17

The story starts off with a nice bit of kinky sex, and then quickly turns into a suspenseful and exciting romance. I enjoyed spending time with them as they got to know each other and their relationship progressed. I appreciated the realistic ending as it related to both the suspense and the romance.

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Walk With Me (Home #8) by Cardeno C. (5 Stars)

Sep16

A brilliant crush-to-friends-to-lovers story that brings an end to one of my favorite series.

Seth Cohen is a young rabbi who is very devoted to the people in his town. He always puts their needs first, and works relentlessly to help out whenever possible. Unfortunately, this doesn’t leave with him with a lot of free time. However, he always makes time for Eli. Eli Block has adored Seth since the day Seth served as the counselor at Eli’s summer camp. Once Eli is an adult and the two reconnect, Eli and Seth easily become best friends. This is a lovely relationship story with well-developed characters who are not only funny and charming, but also sexy and loving.

Every chapter is introduced with a unique wedding invitation. There were so many funny moments in this story with the characters and the outrageous weddings that Seth officiated. Eli was a absolute stitch when he was younger and constantly hitting on Seth. As he matured, he turned into an amazing person who loved music and shared his talent with others. Eli loved Seth with all of his heart and was always there to take care of Seth without ever being asked. I loved that the story takes place over a long period of time. Since Eli was so young when he met Seth, the duration of their friendship made their eventual romance even more realistic. Seth was very hesitant to move his friendship with Eli into any kind of romantic relationship for several reasons; all of which made perfect sense. One reason was that Seth had previously only been involved with women making him question why he was developing feelings for a man. I loved being inside Seth’s mind as he worked through his acceptance of his romantic love for Eli.

Although Seth is a rabbi, this is not a religious story. Although Seth has loved both men and women, this is not a story focused on bisexuality. This is simply a beautiful relationship story about two people who truly love each other to the bottom of their souls.

It’s so hard to see a series you love come to an end. The author writes amazing character-driven stories, keeps with this formula, and delivers another winner. I highly recommend this amazing romance with unique characters that truly come to life.

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