Tag Archive | 5 Stars

Driving into the Sun by Dev Bentham (5 Stars)

Apr6

A beautiful romance develops during a journey across the country.

His former lover and boss caused Dusty Walker to lose everything, including his license to work in the financial world. He finds a ride with a stranger, Joe Black, to take him back home to his family. Fortunately, Joe turns out to be the savior Dusty needed. At the end of the trip, they need to decide if what they have with each other is real and lasting.

Dusty is such a nice person that it’s hard to believe he’s in his current situation. We learn it’s because he tends to make too many bad decisions. After anxiously watching him make another one, I was left to wonder if he would ever grow up. Although Joe has also made some major mistakes in his life, he has finally matured and is ready to start over. I loved watching Dusty and Joe slowly get to know each other while they drove together. Their heartfelt conversations and actions toward each other were beautiful and inspiring. There were several thoughtful discussions around prejudicial beliefs and behaviors. There were also moments with other family members that added some interesting drama to the story. As they developed deeper feelings toward each other, I was on edge wondering how they could make things work out. The author provided us with the perfect epilogue.

A beautiful story that gives new meaning to a road trip.

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Originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
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How to Train Your Dom in Five Easy Steps by Josephine Myles (5 Stars)

Mar19

Easy might be an exaggeration, but it was certainly worth the effort.

Jeff White is 100% straight and intends to stay that way. He has finally admitted that he’s a sadist, but he’s having a very hard time finding a new lover after the breakup of his 15-year relationship. Eddie Powell is a huge pain-slut who is having a very hard time finding the right man. When Jeff decides that he needs some training to be a good Dom, a mutual friend connects the two of them. The question is, what will happen after the training is over?

Jeff’s fear of doing anything at all that might be considered gay is palpable. On the outside, he is extremely rude and has no idea how to filter anything before speaking. However, on the inside, he is actually a very considerate and thoughtful person. Fortunately, Eddie catches on to this right away and sees the potential of a relationship with Jeff. Eddie is a cheeky, adorable sweetheart who runs his own graphic design business. These two were a perfect fit when having scenes together.

There is a lot of serious play taking place in this story including several instruments of pain, like an electro-therapy wand and a tawse, along with significant humiliation. Eddie obviously enjoyed everything, and it came through loud and clear. On the other hand, Jeff was an absolute baby when it came to receiving any pain at all, but he loved dishing it out.

In addition to the scenes, these two had quite a bit in common, and it was great to see them develop their relationship. I liked watching Jeff constantly questioning whether each act he performed would be considered gay or not, until he finally accepted the truth about himself.

A fabulous trip into the minds of a sadist and a masochist who were fortunate enough to find each other.

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Originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
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Misfits by Garrett Leigh (5 Stars)

Mar16

A sweet, but angst-filled, romance with three men trying to find their place with each other.

I loved all of the characters, and I really enjoyed the restaurant angle of the story. Tom, Cass, and Jake were all misfits in their own way brought together by Jake. He became the glue they needed to bond together. I didn’t know much about Tourette’s Syndrome before, but I liked how the author kept it as a natural part of the story. It didn’t define Jake, and instead it was just something he lived with.

This was definitely not your standard romance story, and watching Tom and Cass try to work through their poor communication skills was heart-wrenching. Tom seems to be the strongest of the team, and he definitely likes to be in control of everything, but it’s really just a front. He’s desperate for more attention from Cass. He wants to take care of Cass, but he also wants more from Cass than it seems Cass is capable of giving. Cass seems like he just doesn’t love himself mostly due to how he was treated while he was young. He’s also holding onto the past in a way that isn’t letting him grab the future he has with Tom. It was nice to see these three people help each other heal in their own way, and accept that they were deserving of better. I loved that we got all of their points of view by the end of the story. It really helped to understand where they were all coming from.

All of the guys are extremely talented and hard-working. I loved how the author wove their talents so that they worked and played well together. Not really an overt romance, but you knew they really loved and cared about each other because of the things that they did for one another. It’s not that it was high angst, but it also wasn’t a happy feel good kind of story either.

I was trapped in the vortex of their messed up lives, wondering how on earth this would resolve itself in a believable way. Needless to say, I was very happy with how everything worked out.

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

The Romance Reviews Readers’ Choice Awards

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McFarland’s Farm (Hope #1) by Cardeno C. (5 Stars)

Mar12

A touching love story with the amazing character depth that Cardeno C. always brings to the table. Jared is such a beautiful person. He works hard on his farm to bring healthy food to the community where he lives. He cares about the people, and as we quickly learn, they love and care about him. Learning about his life, and how the neighbors stepped up to take care of him when he was young, brought tears to my eyes.

Watching him deal with the bratty Lucas was a treat. Although Lucas matured during the story, it was funny to watch some of his antics when he refused to admit he was lusting after Jared. I was glad we were in Lucas’ head when he was being rude so we knew why he was doing it. It just made it that much sweeter and sexier when these two finally connect.

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