Tag Archive | 5 Stars

Twin Flames (Sumeria’s Sons #1) by Lexi Ander (5 Stars)

Oct6

What if the soul mate chosen by the gods doesn’t end up being the one that completes you?

Tristan is a Lycan descendant who suffers from believing he is mediocre. He has discovered his Twin Flame, the one person destined to be his, cheating on him. Tristan has requested that they be permanently separated. This is rarely done since it can lead to Tristan’s death. After the separation, he must try to find a way to go on with his life.

The story was not a strong romance and instead focused on building the world and delving deep into Tristan’s life. Tristan was a fascinating character with an amazing ability to tell a story. He had his heart broken by the one person in the world who should have loved him through eternity. Fortunately, his best friend, Ushna, stood by him during his dark recovery period. Ushna helped Tristan come back to life, and his commitment to Tristan never wavered. I would have loved to have gotten to know Ushna better and watch them develop their relationship, but Ushna didn’t talk very much.

The unique world the author created was very interesting and easy to follow. The ending clearly continues into the next story, but I didn’t feel frustrated that it was too much of a cliffhanger.

Engaging storytelling kept me hooked from beginning to end, and I’m really looking forward to the next entry in this series.

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

Controlling the Burn by Tonya Ramagos (5 Stars)

Oct4

Controlling the burn of a fire makes sense, but controlling your heart’s burning desire is never a good idea.

Drew Ward is the newest member of an elite group of smoke jumpers. Wesley Payton is a senior member of the same team and 20 years older than Drew. Drew has wanted Wesley since he first met him over a decade ago and has just been biding his time. Now that Drew met his professional goal, he is focused on his personal goal of making Wesley a permanent part of his life.

The life of a smoke jumper is explored in detail in this story. In addition to learning about their daily training, we are also exposed to what takes place during a real forest fire. The fire scenes were exciting and nerve-wracking since you could really feel what was happening but weren’t sure of the outcome. Although it made it more authentic, the constant use of fire jargon also hurt the flow of the story just a little bit.

The romance between Drew and Wesley was very sweet. Although Wesley was anxious about starting a relationship, he didn’t stand a chance against Drew! Drew knew what he wanted, and had the patience to work through Wesley’s concerns. There were a few steamy scenes, a lot of good conversations, and some interesting interactions with the other jumpers. Overall, it was a touching romantic story with some great suspenseful scenes!

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

A Forbidden Rumspringa (Gay Amish Romance #1) by Keira Andrews (5 Stars)

Sep29

Isaac was an extremely engaging character, and listening to him tell the story kept me hooked from the beginning until the end. This was the first book I’ve read about a gay Amish couple. Although there were enough details to give me a better idea of how they lived on a daily basis, I didn’t think it overwhelmed the story. Instead, it helped to give a real sense of the challenge for Isaac and David to have a relationship. Needless to say, there was a lot of angst in this story leading to quite a few tears on my part. Although there was a definite happy ending for the couple, there were enough open issues to make me excited about reading the next story in their saga.

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Book Blurb

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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Book Blurb