Review: Deal Maker

Deal Maker by Lily Morton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fantastic follow-up to Rule Breaker. More light-hearted than the first book, with laugh out loud moments, this story still has its serious moments. This is so well written, the author has found the balance needed to take serious subjects, keep them serious but not over shadow the story. The story flows between the fun and humorous moments and the deep, introspective ones. Neither one taking you out of the story.

The story here picks up with Jude, last seen in Rule Breaker as Dylan’s model roommate, in the afterglow of a casual hookup with Dean. Flaky Dean, who has a few very lonely working brain cells. Everything is good, until the ceiling collapses and the upstairs bathtub comes to rest in the middle of Jude’s apartment. Needing a place to stay, Dean offers up his step brother’s house, telling Jude that he’d make the arrangements. Of course, this never happened, so Jude shows up to find a pink house and finds Asa in that pink house. Asa, the famous actor. And his son, Billy. The house is in slight chaos, Asa has lost his assistant and needs a new one. In exchange of a room, Jude will fill in. If he’s capable. Asa has dealt with models before; his hopes aren’t high. The building of the relationship begins here and slowly builds with every misconception, conversation and interaction. The banter between Jude and Asa has a little snark and is fun to read.

The cast of secondary characters is amazing. Billy is wonderful, at times seeming older than his years. as is Peggy. Amos is such a curmudgeon that he’s a hoot! Dylan and Gabe make an appearance here, and it was wonderful to see them again.

This is book number two in the series. It could be read as a standalone, but you’ll get much more from the story by reading book one first. And actually, you want to do yourself a favor and read it. I loved it and you will too. This author has become an auto buy for me, she is that good.


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Review: Rainbow Rebel

Rainbow Rebel by Lina Langley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A friends to lovers story, with an interesting premise. Jordan has a matching making business, and he’s good at it. Until his friend Harry signs up. Harry, who hasn’t connected with any of the matches Jordan has sent his way. A sleepy confession, changes everything between them. And Jordan is confused by the words and how they affect him.

Good read, loved both Jordan and Harry. The angst of a teenage nephew added to the story. How Jordan handles the talks between himself and Adrian is very well done. Overall an enjoyable read.


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Review: Christmas with His Omega: MM Non Shifter Alpha/Omega Mpreg

Christmas with His Omega: MM Non Shifter Alpha/Omega Mpreg by Lorelei M. Hart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Through no fault of his own, Pierce had to leave the Alpha he wanted as his own. When the couple he’s acting as a surrogate for back out, he heads back to the town he left so long ago. He’s going to keep this baby, he already thinks of the baby as his own. So, he’ll raise it by himself. He’s sure that Rhone has moved on.

Rhone is tired of being the lone single among his circle. But he’s already giving his heart to an omega, Pierce. He can’t believe that Pierce is back and pregnant as well. When he finds out the circumstances of Pierce’s pregnancy, he’s ready to step in. He’s not about to let his omega go again. And as far as he’s concerned that baby belongs to them both.

Wonderful written, with a great story-line, this story just leaves you feeling good.


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Review: Playing With Love

Playing With Love by Ava Thorpe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

All Ash has ever wanted to do was play hockey and have his dad be proud of him. At least he has his career in the NHL. And if keeping that career means not being able to acknowledge a boyfriend, so be it. Hockey is worth it, right? Four years ago, he gave up Cam for hockey, so it must be worth it.

Cam’s been traded, to the team Ash plays for. The same Ash that chose his career over him. The same Ash he’s tried for four years to forget. The same Ash that he couldn’t possibly still love, right? Or is this a second chance for them both?

This is an amazing book. The story is well written, the plot pulls you through the pages. The characters have depth and feel like real people. You feel the emotions of the characters right along with them. And there are all kinds of emotions in this story, happiness, sadness, anger.

This author did such a great job with the world surrounding hockey, pro athletes and the prevailing attitudes in locker rooms. I am looking forward to the next story by this author.


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Review: The Powerless: Part Two

The Powerless: Part Two by Lina Langley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The story has improved, as you get more information and a better grasp of what is going on. There are still a lot of unanswered questions, some about Tore and some about the relationship with Teo. But I wonder if the story is too complex to have been broken down into the little snippets we get in each part. Because you’re reading such small pieces of the whole, it can be hard to keep the continuity flowing.

But at this point, I would like to know what the final outcome is between Teo and Tore. If they’re successful in Teo’s quest. So, yes, I’ll be looking forward to part three.


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Review: The Powerless: Part One

The Powerless: Part One by Lina Langley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a serial story, and this is part one only. Because of that, a review is hard to do. You don’t have the complete story to base your judgment on. Now the blurb was very intriguing. The story fell a little short for me, lacking the background to the characters and the world this story is set in. There is enough there to tease you though. I don’t know if this will be addressed in the next parts of the story or not.
Now as far as the Teo and Tore, the part of the story about their relationship was good. And the basic plotting of the story was well done. Overall, it’s a good story to read, but I might wait till all the parts are done and read at once.


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Review: Unexpected Christmas

Unexpected Christmas by Nell Iris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An unexpected gem of a sweet little Christmas story. Daniel has had enough of his homophobic and bigoted uncle spewing hate at his mother and himself. He storms out of his mother’s house and into a snow storm. Only then does he realize he’s left his jacket behind. Resigned to walking into town, he hears a truck and flags it down. He’s thankful it stopped until he sees the big bad boy driving it. Ax murderer or death by freezing? He’ll take the ax murderer. On the way into town, Axel must make a detour to take care of his niece, with Daniel tagging along. This begins the relationship that develops between Daniel and Axel.

This could be classified as insta-love, and yet it didn’t have that feel to it. There’s a lot of depth and warmth to the story and the characters as well. The relationship develops slowly, over the course of a year. This was a well written and thoroughly enjoyable story.


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Review: Safety Protocols for Human Holidays: A Holiday to Remember

Safety Protocols for Human Holidays: A Holiday to Remember by Angel Martinez
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A fun and quirky little Christmas tale set on a space ship with species of all kinds. And there is one lonely human onboard. When the Human Jen is deemed to be not to be behaving as before, the Captain of the ship orders Growlan Raskli, as the only other ‘lactating placental species’ on the ship, to investigate why Human Jen is not acting right.

Growlan Raskli sets out to find out as much about humans as the data allows. While on her journey of discovery, she finds that she is developing feeling for Jen. And that Jen returns those feeling. And through talking to Jen, she comes to realize that Jen is missing the holiday season that happens on Earth. So, to remedy this, she along with the rest of the crew, set out to give Jen the whole of Earth’s winter holidays rolled into one.

As with all this author’s stories, the world building is superb. The aliens are well written, you have no trouble picturing them. There is a lot of humor, a little snark, and moments that make you feel good. Wonderful story.


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Review: Undercover Star

Undercover Star by Jackie Keswick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An enjoyable story, with a little intrigue and mystery. Detective Inspector Josh is hunting an art thief. One that knows who killed his partner. For several years Josh has put everything else on the back burner hunting this thief. He doesn’t have time for life, much less a love life of any kind. Then his boss comes up with the crazy idea of using a rock star to help trap this thief, knowing that Matisse can get Josh into a charity event where Josh has ensured the thief will show. If Josh’s boss has another agenda in mind while pairing these two, he’s not going to say so.

What follows is a story about looking past what you see on the outside and seeing the real person. Josh must learn that the star persona isn’t really who Matisse is. Just as Matisse must figure out if he can be true to himself. In both his music and personal life. That maybe Josh would be worth coming out of the closet for. There’s a lot of push and pull between Josh and Matisse before they figure it out.

The story is well plotted, and keeps you turning the pages. Loved both Josh and Matisse, they were well rounded as characters. And I loved the secondary one, like Montgomery and Marissa as well. This is a fun, fast pace read. Thoroughly enjoyed it.


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Review: Just Jack

Just Jack by Meredith Russell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a wonderful remake of the classic story about Jack Frost. Jack has been done with love for a very long time, like decades long. After his heart was broken the last time, Mother Nature granted his wish and frozen his heart. And frozen it has stayed, until Leo.

Leo has always been accused of giving his heart away at the drop of a hat. But this time, his heart is broken after walking in on his boyfriend cheating on him. Maybe he should be done with love too. Rushing away from his now ex-boyfriend, he has an accidental meeting with Jack. Jack has caused his usual mayhem and Leo has slipped on the ice he created and cracked his head. Jack is concerned by what has happened to Leo. That never happens. And for the first time, Jack’s heart might be starting to thaw.

This story is so well written. It’s a gentle, easy read. Loved both Jack and Leo as characters. And the way the author built the relationship between them. Love the cast of secondary characters as well, Ruby was a hoot. Truly enjoyed this story.


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Review: Ganymede: Abducted by the Gods

Ganymede: Abducted by the Gods by Wendy Rathbone
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’m having trouble with my review here. This was an okay book, but I was never invested in any of the characters. Also, this is supposed to be a romance, but for me the romance didn’t show up until I was already three-quarters of the way through the book. Ganymede and Sable are the romantic couple, but they don’t get together until that three-quarter mark. Up until this time, Ganymede has been with Zeus, which isn't really a romantic relationship at all.

Otherwise, the story itself is well written, but the pacing is slow. It does have an interesting mix of mythology and sci-fi. And the world building was incredible. So, it was an okay read for me. Others might love it.


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Review: But to Love More: A Holiday to Remember

But to Love More: A Holiday to Remember by Foster Bridget Cassidy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sweet, feel-good Christmas story. Going home for Christmas is always fun for Mel. But with all his siblings there, hectic isn’t even close. So, he escapes to his best friend Aldo’s house. It’s a second home to him. Complete with Aldo’s little brother tagging along. But it’s been six years since he left, and the little brother isn’t so little anymore. And Carlos is interested in him. As they connect, Aldo is anything but happy as his best friend and little brother may get together. Although his heart is in the right place, what he does to stop them jeopardizes his friendship with Mel. A gentle reminder from Mel about Aldo’s own relationship with his wife makes him step back a bit.

All the characters had a real feel and were just like families everywhere. Loved Aldo’s and Carlos’ Nana. For me, this story ends with more of a happy for now/let’s see how this works than a happy ever after ending. That means I would love to read more about Mel and Carlos, see where their relationship goes.


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Review: Watermelon Kisses

Watermelon Kisses by Freddy MacKay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A short, sweet story with a look at a different culture and one of their holidays. Amir and Esmail have immigrated to the US. Living in a foreign country is hard enough, but living it with PTSD makes it that much hard. With the patience of Esmail, Amir is slowly getting better. To do something nice for his husband, Amir gathers what he needs to celebrate a holiday from home, Shab-e Yalda. He needs them both to remember that even after the darkest night, the sun always rises.

Beautifully written, you empathize with Amir and you’re so glad that he and Esmail are able to love each other. They are wonderful characters.

I loved that the author gives a short history of the holiday and includes some of the recipes made in this story.


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Review: Forever With You

Forever With You by Londra Laine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow. This is an emotional story, there are places you will shed a few tears. You will have the emotional moments of “oh” at the cuteness of Jay. It is an emotional rollercoaster. But I loved every up and down. It does have a trigger, a past tense reference to a rape. If this is not a trigger for you, this is so worth the read.

Kelly has so much going on in his life. His two jobs, care of his brother and dance classes. He doesn’t have time for anything more. Certainly not a man in his life. The only man he’d consider is his boss. His boss, who hates him.

Andrew has lusted after Kelly since the day Kelly applied to the company. So much so that he’s gone out of his way to not give Kelly the time of day, except when it’s work related. Until the day Andrew kisses Kelly. This starts the relationship between them. But as with all relationships, there are things in each of their pasts they need to be honest about. And things they need to work together to get through.

This author has done an amazing job of taking a very serious subject and not making it either too light or too heavy. It is a part of the story, but just a part. And while it is a key part, it doesn’t over shadow the rest of story. The characters are well rounded, showing a range of emotions. The secondary characters are such an important part of the story as well. This is an amazing book. I will be looking for others by this author.


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Review: Releasing Death

Releasing Death by Kenzi Bonde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is book seven in the series and you could read it as a standalone, but to get the backstories and relationship correct, you need to read this series in order. And there are triggers here, past abuse. Done to a great number of characters in this story. So, you will get angst, you will laugh some and cry some. But the story here is one of healing, of believing in your own self-worth. Of growing and caring. Of never giving up.

I loved Kasey and Joel from the first. Both are damaged from the life they were forced to live. Neither believes they have anything to give another or are worthy. Kasey has watched Joel abuse himself by giving himself to whoever would have him, but now he’s done. From the time they first meet, Kasey has loved Joel. But if Joel keeps breaking his heart, how can Joel claim to love him back? What follows is the work they both must do. The work of healing, for themselves and to make a relationship work. Throw in a few surprises, a twist and turn, this is a compelling read.

I loved that we get to see most of the characters from the previous books here too. I do have to say that I still find Beau and Dean a bit creepy. But I do hope they get their own book. Because I will read it. This is an amazing, well-written series with wonderful characters. Get book one and read them all.


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Review: Love Happens Anyway

Love Happens Anyway by R.J. Scott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A cute, sweet, wonderfully warm and fuzzy, feel good Christmas story. Derek is so insecure and a failure at relationships that he’s made up a boyfriend. And that worked for him until his mom and dad insisted on meeting this boyfriend. In panic mode, he tries an agency that ‘rents’ companions, there he hires Luke. But Luke can’t be Luke, he’s Marcus because that’s the name of said imaginary boyfriend.

Injured in a building fire, Luke’s firefighting days are over. But he needs money fast, to pay bills so he can keep the bar that belongs to his family. The bank has turned him down, it’s the only reason he took the job with Derek. It has nothing to do with the spark of interest he feels. When a planned PDA kiss turns into more, can they both get past the contract and into a real relationship? Through the magic of Christmas, these two souls find love and happiness with each other.

This was a great story, well written with laughs and a few breathe catching moments when they’re at the bar’s memorial. There are a few tears for the loss of Luke’s career. It has a wonderful cast of secondary characters. I loved everything about this story.


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Review: Deep Edge

Deep Edge by R.J. Scott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sparkly, sassy and all kinds of fun are had in this book. Along with the very serious problems of addiction, dependence, rehab and the host of emotional issues that comes with that.

I love Trent. He has snark down to an art form. Just like his use of eyeliner and lip gloss. Some of it is just who he is, but some of it is the uniform he uses to get through the reality of having grown up with a gambling addict step father, who stole everything Trent had. All the while showering Trent with constant homophobic slurs. Trying his best to keep his Rainbow skating rink open and a roof over his mother’s head, he’ll do whatever he has to. This time it’s a reality show with him teaching the fine points of skating to some of the Railers hockey goons. Trent has had more than his fair share of trouble at the hands of hockey players. He’s expecting these guys to be no different. But they are, especially one named Dieter.

Dieter is finally getting his shot at the NHL. And he’s not going to let anything, like pain from a knee injury stop him. Not when he has some little pills that take away the pain. And if a couple help with the pain, well, a few more can’t hurt. Right? Anything that gets him through the day is all good. He’s one of the several Railers that are going to improve their skating skills with, of all things, a figure skater. But one look and Trent and he’s hooked.

The chemistry between Trent and Dieter starts at the first look and keeps building. But Dieter’s addiction is something that Trent needs to work through. As the saying goes, he’s been there and done that with an ex. And, also with his lying, stealing, cheating step father.

Loved Trent’s grandmother, she is such a hoot (even if she is a Flyers fan). And having the guys from the team in this story is a treat. I can’t wait for the next in this series. If you like sports stories, you need to read this. Even if you don’t, read this one anyway, as well as the rest of the series. It’s that good.


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Review: A Detached Raider

A Detached Raider by Ana Night
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Warning: This story does have triggers, there are pedophiles and rapist mentioned here.

This book has it all. Mystery and suspense as you keep reading to figure out the whodunnit part. It has its flashes of humor. It has its sad moments where you feel for the victims in this story. It has a dark and brooding cop, a out going and engaging one. There are things in both of their pasts that have made them this way. The author did a great job of showing the different ways people handle things in their past. The interactions between them has all kinds of sparks going off. When they finally give in to their attraction to each other, it’s sizzling hot. This story also has a snarky ex-partner, who is a hoot and her daughter. And this is a one sitting book. You will keep turning the pages, because you must know. You will not want to put it down till it done and you have all the answers.

At the start of the book, I did have a hard time keeping Cade and Cole straight. I did think at the start, it might have been better to have changed the name of at least one of the guys. But that didn’t last long. And the further I got into the story, the more invested I was. It has a steady pace, great plotting, wonderful characters. No one part of the story is greater than or takes over the other. The balance between the mystery and the romance is perfect. It is an all-around great read. I will be looking for other stories by this author.


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