Tag Archive | Light Sexual Content

Fear, Hope, and Bread Pudding by Marie Sexton (4 Stars)

Dec18

Very touching, emotionally-charged story about two men who desperately want to adopt a child.

Jon Kechter and his husband, Cole Fenton, want to bring a child into their family. Cole is struggling with his desire to grow his family, but frustrated that he doesn’t have any true control over accomplishing it. At the same time, Cole is dealing with his mother who apparently wants to try to be part of his life again.

The majority of the story is told from Jon’s point of view. However, there is a brief period where Jon’s father shares his views. Jon is a pretty straightforward, simple character whereas Cole is much more lively and entertaining. Although their relationship was already established in “Strawberries for Dessert”, I would have liked to have seen more of their interactions as a couple. Too often it felt like Cole didn’t fully share himself with Jon. The beginning was a bit maudlin since Cole was always upset and on the verge of depression. The majority of the story was spent watching them live through the stressful ups and down of the adoption process.

There was also quite a bit of drama as we got to know Cole’s mother better and watch them interact with each other. As Jon and Cole got closer to reaching their dreams, it was easier to get lost in the emotions of the story. I certainly shed quite a few tears for both happy and sad moments. Although this can be read on its own, I think it’s much more enjoyable if you read the entire “CODA” series so that you really understand where all of the characters are coming from.

I recommend this beautiful heartfelt story that engages the heart and mind.

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

Inside Out by Andrew Grey (4 Stars)

Dec15

Strength on the inside is just as important as strength on the outside.

Bull Krebbs, part-owner and head of security at the local nightclub, hasn’t been in a serious relationship in a long time. After rescuing Zach Spencer from being trampled, they begin to spend time together. Now they have to work through Bull’s interesting work history along with family drama to determine if they can get their happy ending.

Bull had the perfect personality for head of security and former mercenary. However, the rough exterior was just covering the protective sweetheart that he really was. Zach was adorable, but at the same time, he had an inner strength that has carried him through a challenging life. I really enjoyed watching these two slowly get to know each other. Bull was such a romantic guy with Zach, and they had some really nice dates. The comic book angle was cute with Zach featuring Bull as the superhero in his first book.

When Bull’s past comes back to haunt him, it got a tad unbelievable. The excessive use of the word “growl” also got to be a bit much. Zach’s uncle and Bull’s mom gave us an idea of what these two dealt with growing up, and it wasn’t pleasant for either of them. It was lovely that they were both able to see the beautiful souls beneath each other’s exterior shells.

This was a very enjoyable story about two people who fit together nicely, and it easily kept me turning the pages.

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

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

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