Tag Archive | No or Low Angst

Comfort and Joy Anthology by Josh Lanyon, L.B. Gregg, Harper Fox, and Joanna Chambers (4 Stars)

Mar28

The title says it all as this enjoyable anthology focused on some established couples and some new couples as they tried to bring comfort to each other’s lives.

Rest and be Thankful by Joanna Chambers (3.5 stars) An utterly depressing story about two people who are down on their luck and relatively unhappy with their lives. Cam lost his job and used his severance to open an active vacation spot which isn’t as successful as he was hoping it would be. It certainly doesn’t help that he’s not the friendliest person in town and people aren’t sending referrals his way. Rob is an artist who lost his partner and is now stuck in their house due to its negative equity. He also owns a café which was never part of his dream. An unfortunate circumstance finally brings them together around the last quarter of the story. At that point, we get a glimmer of hope and an HFN ending.

Out by Harper Fox (4 Stars) Cosmo is the housekeeper-in-chief of a high-end hotel. He suffers from extreme agoraphobia and hasn’t left the hotel for over a year. Ren is a hotel guest with a bit of a mystery behind him. At one point, Cosmo is forced to leave the hotel to save Ren’s life. However, Ren really saves Cosmos’ life by being so supportive of his fears and helping him overcome them. This story was more of a mystery with some romantic elements. The majority of the story is spent learning about running a hotel. Cosmo’s character made this an enjoyable tale.

Waiting for Winter by L. B. Gregg (4.5 Stars) I adored this story. Two people have really hurt each other with their stubborn behavior and poor communication skills. However, their love for each other came through loud and clear. Winter was gruff and serious while Luke was adorable and light-hearted. Winter really screwed up by thinking he could make a major decision and Luke would follow along. Instead, they spent approximately one year being too strong-willed to accept the truth that they both needed to give a little in the relationship. The story takes place while they try to figure out if they can patch things up.

Baby, It’s Cold by Josh Lanyon (3.5 Stars) I wish the whole story had been more like the last quarter of it. Rocky is a chef and Jesse is a food blogger. These two best friends tried to move their relationship forward, but it didn’t work out. Now they have to determine if they should take a second shot at it. Although they spend the majority of the story together, they never really talked much until the end. The beginning of the story focused on an amateur cook making dinner, which was a bit boring. The rest of the story included a third guy, who was also in love with Rocky, and the head games that they played with each other. Once Rocky and Jesse finally talk to each other, we get some idea of why their relationship didn’t work out. Although, considering they were best friends, I’m not sure I really understood the issue, nor did I understand how they planned on fixing it.

The writing was solid for all of the authors making it an enjoyable anthology.

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Originally reviewed for Reading Alley. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
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The Shearing Gun by Renae Kaye (3.5 Stars)

Mar25

Hank and Elliot are both really great guys. The entire story is told from Hank’s POV, and he was pretty interesting. I would have loved to have gotten to know Elliot better. He seemed to have an interesting background, but it was never really shared in any great detail. The other characters, especially Hank’s family, added to the enjoyment of the story. Unfortunately, the extensive time spent on the sheep farm and the details about shearing made the story lag for me. I wish that time had focused more on developing the relationship between Hank and Elliot. Although they were both pretty amazing people, and they certainly connected on a physical basis, I’m not sure I understood why they fell in love with each other. Overall, it was a fairly light and enjoyable romance.

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Originally reviewed for Swept Away By Romance. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
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Rise: A Gay Fairy Tale by Keira Andrews & Leta Blake (4.5 Stars)

Mar22

Interesting take on “Jack and the Beanstalk” with a bit of magic, two very lonely men, and an enemies-to-lovers romance.  The story was a bit sad at the beginning, but this made it even more meaningful when they eventually found happiness. As children, they were both raised to believe that the other person was evil. I liked how they learned to let go of this prejudice.

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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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