Tag Archive | 4 Stars

Brandon Mills Versus the V-Card (Prescott College #2) by Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock (4 Stars)

Dec9

I loved the first book in this series, “Mark Cooper Versus America“, and I was really looking forward to this one. I definitely liked it, but it was laced with such a horrible tragedy, that I can’t say it was always fun to read. After being molested by his teacher, Brandon has never fully recovered. We live through the terrible memories with him over and over again. I adored Brandon and Alex. While I felt like I got to know each of them individually, I really think they needed to spend more quality time together to convince me that they were meant for each other.

Unfortunately, Mark Cooper, who was one of my favorite characters, was almost a caricature of himself and his antics served as an unwanted distraction from the relationship between Alex and Brandon.  There are plenty of fun things taking place throughout the story to keep it engaging. There is very little sex in this story, but plenty of marijuana use.

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Book Blurb

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

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

Beyond Duty by SJD Peterson (4 Stars)

Nov22

Can two career marines move their relationship forward now that they are able to truly be together all of the time?

Gunther “Gunny” Duchene and Macalister “Mac” Jones have been in the marines for their entire careers. They have also been in a hidden relationship for a good portion of that time. Due to the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law, they are finally able to freely admit to the world that they are in a relationship. They will have to deal with the issues that arise from telling the service and their family, but more importantly, they will have to learn to be together fulltime.

I loved Gunny and Mac. They were extremely strong, intelligent, and caring men. They weren’t afraid to share their feelings with each other. The majority of the angst was completely outside the relationship, which is one of my favorite stories. I loved watching these two support each other as they finally share their love with the rest of the world. I also really liked that they were an established couple, albeit hidden, for a very long time before the story took place. It added depth and history to their relationship. However, since this was the first time they were openly together and living in the same home, it still had the feeling of the early stages of a relationship.

The characters were a little too similar, making it challenging to differentiate them sometimes. I also really wanted to know what they were going to do in retirement. I never doubted their happiness and knew without a shadow of a doubt that these two would spend the rest of their lives together. I was just hoping to get a better idea of how they would spend their time together.

I really enjoyed this unique military romance looking at two sexy lovers who are planning out the rest of their lives together.

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