Tag Archive | Light Tears

A Mended Man (The Men of Halfway House #4) by Jaime Reese (5 Stars)

May30

Aidan and Jesse have not lived easy lives, especially after they both suffered significantly at the hand of kidnappers. They have become extremely close after working together for several years, but they haven’t moved past the friendship stage. Jesse is hospitalized after being attacked by his kidnapper, and Aidan realizes just how much he depends on Jesse for his own emotional stability. These two have a lot to overcome, but they both know it will be worth it in the end.

It was heartbreaking hearing what these two people went through during their lives, and I was brought to tears several times during the story. I loved the slow pacing and the length of time that it covered. It made every moment, every kiss, between these two more believable and emotional.

Quite a bit of the story revolves around the task force that Aidan serves on and the crimes that they are working on. I’m not a big fan of crime stories, but I liked the way the task members interacted with each. I could easily see several stories letting us get to know more about these guys.

The only reason I can see this book as part of the Men of Halfway House series is that some of the characters are related. Although it can be read as a stand-alone, every book in this series is amazing and well worth reading.

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Book Blurb

Winter Ball by Amy Lane (4 Stars)

Mar17

A lovely winter treat with two friends realizing they were truly meant for each other.

Skip (Christopher) Keith is a nice but very lonely guy who didn’t have a great childhood and now doesn’t have any family. Fortunately, he coaches his recreational soccer league and has a small group of friends because of it. He’s known his best friend, Richie Scoggins, since they went to tech school together. Skip is great at calming Richie down, and Richie makes sure Skip enjoys life. Richie works for his dad’s junkyard, but he doesn’t really have a great life either. His dad’s new wife and step-brothers make life challenging for Richie, but misplaced loyalty to his dad keeps him working there.

One night, Skip and Richie get carried away while in a car and the results completely change their relationship. Now they have to figure out whether this can be permanent or not. Neither had been with another guy before, and coming out to their family and friends could definitely have negative consequences. The majority of the story was built around Skip and Richie getting to know each other better even though they were already really good friends. This included plenty of sex, but also plenty of conversations. There was plenty of drama with Richie’s family and some fun with Skip’s job providing tech support.

It was a sweet story with relatively low angst for this author. I shed a few happy tears when these two recognized their love for each other with some heartfelt comments.

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

Whistle Blower by Dev Bentham (5 Stars)

Feb24

Two lonely men discover friendship and love even though they fight it all the way.

Ben lost his husband, the love of his life, after 25 wonderful years together. For the past two years, he’s been living his lonely life running an outdoor adventure resort with his sister-in-law, Miriam.

Jacob is finally a junior partner at his law firm. He worked so hard to get to this point, but it was to the detriment of all of his relationships. He’s never been in love, but he’s finally starting to think it was a mistake not to share his life with somebody else. When he discovers that one of the other partners might be engaging in shady activities, he decides to investigate. He ends up at Ben’s resort, and the instant attraction between the two of them is the beginning of a lovely relationship.

Ben brings a lot of history and memories of his husband into the new relationship with Jacob. Ben had been with his husband for 25 years, all of Ben’s reflections are positive without any regrets, and Jacob is never seen as a replacement. For these reasons, it never bothered me that Ben spent a lot of time thinking of the past. I really enjoyed watching the two of them enjoy being with each other over the months that the story takes place. They made a beautiful couple, and it came through in their thoughts and actions.

The investigation of the potentially corrupt partner gave Ben and Jacob reasons to see each other. Since both of them were fighting the idea of spending their lives together for understandable reasons, it was great for them to have an excuse for bonding time.

I really enjoyed this beautiful romance between two mature men who had to learn how to move forward with their lives.

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

Surrounded by Crimson (Sumeria’s Sons #4) by Lexi Ander (3 Stars)

Jan20

Tristan’s life is becoming more dangerous, but love will carry him through the tough challenges he will face.

The author created a very rich, detailed world with an interesting history. The majority of the story seemed to be focused on building the world instead of further developing the characters or their relationship. I would have loved to have seen more time spent with Tristan and Ushna.

Tristan started to exert some of his power when he returned to his original home to face the prisoners that attacked his village. I loved watching him show his strength and abilities in order to protect those he loves. His pregnancy continues to trouble him leading to some of the lighter moments in the story. He had a knack for complaining in a humorous way. The plot revolving around Nikita/Brian from the last story continues and strengthens in this story. The saga seems to be headed in the direction of a menage relationship. The Gods and Goddesses continue to interfere and cause trouble, but they also keep things interesting. Ushna and Tristan continue to be on solid footing with their relationship. Their love for each other is shown repeatedly through their actions.

This series must be read in order due to the complexity of the world and relationships and the timeline the story follows. Although this wasn’t my favorite of the 4 books so far, it was still an interesting story and must be read if you’re following the series.

Tristan and Ushna continue their adventure as they build their bond, family, and community.

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

Tristan has agreed to bond with Ushna, but there is still much to do and returning to Tribe Enkidu puts everyone on edge. Tristan is being stalked like prey, all the while fighting depression as he mourns the loss of Nikita, and enduring a battle of wills with the Elder Council over his birthright. The pleading of his adoptive daughter only adds still more stress to the situation.

Stumbling onto a secret prison while searching for Ushna leads Tristan to risk everything to free a lost God. But breaking the tie to his Flame has more repercussions than Tristan knew and the assistance of a forgotten Goddess and a centuries old lover may not be enough to save him.