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Goblins, Book One
Melanie Tushmore
Catching Fire
Suzanne Collins
From the Inside Out
Talya Andor

Rebound: Bonus Chapter

Rebound: Bonus Chapter - Chris Scully Loved it. Short picks up a year after Emmett and Sky meets. The two haven't seen each other since but have kept in contact with each other via phone and email.
SPOILER ALERT!

Avalon Moving On

Avalon Moving On - Wesley Jade I had an issue with the story. The writing was fine and I would have rated higher but I was so disappointed and aggravated by how the story turned out. I just couldn't ignore that Avalon slept with his best friend/sister's fiance. Yes, his best friend initiated it but the guy was still engaged to marry his sister and it happened the night of his best friend's bachelor party. Avalon seemed like he loved his sister but I can't imagine participating in such a betrayal and not at least coming clean to my family or parting ways completely.

Love and Cupcakes

Love and Cupcakes - Kris T. Bethke Had some minor grammatical errors, it could have used a beta read or editor.

A short friends to lovers story. Evan has been in love with his best friend Mac? For a years but the feeling didn’t seem mutual and Evan contents himself with just knowing Mac is in his life. Then Mac calls late one night in a bit of a panic because the bakery supplying his grandfather’s birthday cupcakes won’t be able to. Mac enlists Evan’s help, and Evan being the friend he is agrees under some conditions. Evan never expects Mac to kiss him in-between baking.

No real surprises in the story the blurb pretty much summarizes the whole story but it was a fun story to read and see unfold. Mac and Evan’s interaction was nice. I didn’t expect Mac to be so crass but I guess being a firefighter wording isn’t an issue.

Rebound

Rebound - Chris Scully Emmett Byrd has just gotten out a twelve year relationship and is facing the prospect of celebrating Christmas all on his own. His friend who was supposed to offer him some comfort and keep him company after he got Emmett to fly in and visit him, has abandoned him for his on again off again boyfriend.
Sky Miracle Whittaker shows up at Emmett’s friend’s door. Emmett thinks Sky is one of his friend’s many rebounds. But being drunk, Emmett just allows him in to get whatever he’s left in his friend’s bedroom. He never intended to fall asleep and he sure as heck never expected Sky to still be there the next morning, making him some breakfast...in fact he doesn’t know what to make of Sky.

It was nice story and I wanted more of it. I was a bit dissatisfied with how it ended but I loved that Sky handled I liked that Sky wasn’t scared off by Emmett’s attitude or cynical remarks regarding relationships, men and his friend in general. Sky was truly a sweetheart and Emmett when sober came off as a nice guy too. If the author ever decides to revisit these two characters I would totally be invested in reading it.
SPOILER ALERT!

Reckless Seduction

Reckless Seduction - Amanda Young 3.5 Stars

I read the second edition.

Reckless Seduction

Nineteen year old Cody Bradbury has had a crush on his uncle’s best friend, Dante Santiago (32 yo), since he was fourteen. When the invitation to his uncle’s much acclaimed gay club Halloween party falls into his hand Cody thinks he’s hit the jackpot. He’s ready for some fun and if his uncle’s bestie happens to be there he wouldn’t mind losing his V-card.
I wanted a bit more romance but for erotica it was pretty darn good. The heat level was incendiary. Cody was bratty but not overly. He knew what he wanted and he was more than willing to push for it until he got it. Dante, I enjoyed seeing him giving a good fight and trying to resist Cody’s charms. There was just the right touch of taboo in the story.

That being said, it seemed like all the guys in Cody’s life had huge appendages between their legs. I mean Dante was described as “biggest d*ck outside a porno” and Cody’s roommate, Josh, had a behemoth d*ck. It was just weird and a tad contradictory on Cody’s part. Who had the bigger phallus?

Reckless Behavior

Picks up 6 months after the end of Reckless seduction. Cody and Dante are in a relationship but it seems to be an open one where they pick up guys to have menages. While, Reckless Seduction, was told mostly from Cody’s POV; in Reckless Seduction, we get more of both MC’s POV.
Dante seems to be dissatisfied with the direction he led their relationship in. While Cody seems to have embraced the threesomes, Dante has grown tired of it. What Dante doesn’t know is that Cody has grown tired of the arrangement too. He wasn’t really built for anything but monogamy but fears his lover will tire of him if he shows his reluctance. When he finds someone else in Dante’s house, Cody thinks the worse.

I liked the story but I could have done without read the double penetration scene and their first foray into a threesome. The mess with neither Dante nor Cody communicating was a tad aggravating/frustrating. I really wanted to shake some sense into them both.

An ARC was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

One Call Away

One Call Away (Soulmates #2) - Felice Stevens Noah Strauss use to be a popular model but he gave it up after he suffered a tragic ordeal. Now older, Noah is a psychiatrist and a radio host of a gay advice segment. He spends his day and night helping others.

Oren Levitt is lawyer who specializes in estate and trusts. He’s also an orthodox Jew. When he’s coerced into calling into Noah’s radio show as a prank, he feels quite bad. Needing to make it up to Noah, he calls back after the show ends.

From the first time Noah talked to Oren on air, he’s felt invested in helping the man who never identified himself by name, but when Oren suddenly ends the call he doesn’t think he’ll ever hear from the caller again. Then Oren calls after the show ends and apologizes. Noah offers to be a friend to Oren. The two get to know each other but as their association grows, Oren is assuaged with guilt about the truth behind his first call to Noah’s show. When he confesses the truth, Oren thinks he’s ruined everything. Nothing about these two are simple but together they might just be able to come to terms with the issues that plague them.

This was a slow burn romance. There were times I found the story just dragged and it kind of became a little boring. I don’t mean to disparage anyone or to discourage readers from reading this but it just didn’t hold my attention very well. I ended up breaking the reading up into three days (something I don’t usually do).

I liked that the author included orthodox Jews in this story. I didn’t know much about the culture and their norms except for whatever I learned via tv which isn’t a lot. I liked getting to know the characters and gathering their back stories and where they were at the moment in their life. Their interaction with family and the support they received. I liked that the author made a distinction between perception (what we perceive as the truth) and reality (what is truth) when it came to how family and friends felt about each other. I have to say I was curious about Blake and Jeremy’s situation and I would like to read their story. I was also a tiny bit curious about Harlan and if he would turn over a new leaf.

This is only the second story I've read by this author and I think I'll need to check out more of her stories.

A free copy was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

Faux

Faux - E.  Davies Sam suffers from OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). He’s 20 yo and carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. After his mother’s passing, he drops out of college to return home and inherits her diner. He’s just a guy trying to juggle working, provide a stable environment for his 16yo brother and make ends meet while dealing with his own issues.

Denver is the head of the charity, Plus. Readers would know him from the previous books in the series: [b:Flaunt|33844763|Flaunt (Plus #1)|E. Davies|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1484244506s/33844763.jpg|54782073]and [b:Freak|33884702|Freak (Plus #2)|E. Davies|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1484672356s/33884702.jpg|54846025]. He’s HIV positive and much too busy running the charity to have much of a social life. With the encouragement of his friend and coworker, Kyle (one of the MC’s in Flaunt), Denver mixes up his regular routine and ends up getting to know Sam.

I'm not usually a fan of May/December type romances. Denver is only a decade older than Sam and it doesn't really feel that apparent. Sam is pretty mature for his age considering he had to to accommodate the turn his life took. Denver is a sweetheart and I liked that he understood and offered support to Sam. This was a pretty easy read but I liked that the author tackled and gave informed readers about undetectable HIV status.

An ARC was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

Kissing Lessons

Kissing Lessons - Susan Laine A sweet read and I never knew so many different names for kissing. I loves the romantic build and of course the learning experience with the characters.

The Glass Slipper

The Glass Slipper - Alex Morgan A take on Cinderella. It's not the best one I've read. I felt the story was rushed and it was just a weird-ish read. There was a lot of sex for such a short read and I didn't believe the happily ever was really in the works for Cillian. I felt like his role might have been more of a pet or plaything until as the royals passing fancy even if the ending was a bit more concrete than that.
SPOILER ALERT!

Angel's Feather (Flyer Chronicles, Book One)

Angel's Feather (Flyer Chronicles, Book One) - Alina Popescu Earth has broken too many alliances and has just dug themselves into some dire straits. The result is being monitored by Flyers, angels or beings with wings who met out punishment to those who break rules.

Adam is one of the inhibitors of earth. He has eidetic memory. Unlike many he feels it useless to fight the Flyer and believes its better to abide by the simple rules that have been enforced on them. He believes it better to put his energy elsewhere, like making sure there's enough food and resources to go around.

Michael is lead Flyer and is called the Punisher. He mets out punishment to anyone caught trying to build a ship to get off earth.

When Adam is sixteen he witnesses the Punisher end his father's life. But he wasn't sad about it instead mourning for the pain Michael has to experience meting out such punishment.

I won't say more because it's such a short read and goes by so quickly. I loved the world building and learning about the world Adam and his mother have to suffer through and but how much they want to make it a better place. I loved that they tried when so many factors weren't working in their favor.

I'm a bit of a sucker for self sacrifice stories and I really enjoyed this one. I loved seeing Michael and Adam fall in love and what lead up to Adam's and Michael's choices. I really wished this was a longer story and am looking forward to the next installment.

An ARC was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
SPOILER ALERT!

Burn

Burn - T.J. Klune Liked that we get both Felix (Atticus/Addy) and Seven’s POV on how it was growing up and having to wait for the right time to be together. It really allowed the readers to get a feel on both characters and what type of hardships they had to face. It was lovely to finally get to see them reunite.

Some characters were more likable than others in this. The twins, Tick and Tock, I found annoying. Otis’s role in all this and his fate in protecting Seven tore at my heart. Thaddeus, Felix’s father sounds like a great guy. Felix’s horror story of having the sex talk was hilarious. Well, I thought so anyway.

The writing was fantastic and some prose were beautifully written. I was curious with how it ended and want to see how Felix will change.

Knight of Ocean Avenue

Knight of Ocean Avenue - Tara Lain Narration for Shaz was a bit too swarmy/nasally to my ear and it detracted from my enjoyment. They kind of reminded me of Woody Allen and didn’t work for me. I just couldn’t get used to it. The same went for Chaz best friend/assistant. Everything else about the narration was great though. I liked that the narrator tried to make the characters each distinct and showed off their personalities. The reading was clean and smooth and well-paced.

Story wise it was a bit slow but I liked getting to know the characters. Billy was a sweetheart and had the heart of gold. I loved that he had such a great moral compass. I really enjoyed the last few chapters in the book.

The Master Will Appear

The Master Will Appear - L.A. Witt This was a captivating and well-written story about the love between young Ryan and debonair fencer and professor Mikhail. The story covered several interesting issues such as the wealthy’s perception of normal which oddly was eerily in line with how my W.A.S.P friends project themselves, the age gap between lovers, the dominant/submissive roles and different levels of BDSM, different perceptions of love, and of course how we must fight for love.

The author peppered the story with plenty of BDSM and deliciously steamy love scenes. Mikhail is the strong, stalwart, stable and caring Dominant. The story starts because of their mutual fencing interest. Ryan comes of as an aggressive arrogant young fencer and Mikhail sees his potential. We are taken through Mikhail helping Ryan improve his fencing skills, Mikhail’s support as Ryan struggles for freedom from his toxic family and various other instances of Mikhail supporting Ryan and showing his love for Ryan. The story carries us through the development of their love and Ryan’s growth into a strong independent man capable of loving someone.

Mikhail’s indulgence of Ryan’s sexual fantasy leads to a pivotal upset in their relationship. After a bit of heartache and reflection, our couple unites, married and live happily ever after.

At some points, I thought the story would never end, but each chapter was pivotal to Ryan's development as a happy lovable character.


I did note 3 editorial/grammatical issues that threw me off and I believe the story would benefit from the revision of these.
● Chapter 12: “as much coach” read weird sand made much more sense “as my coach”
● Chapter 12: “maybe i was just halfway out of his mind” didn't read correctly in the context of its entire paragraph, the entire sentence made more sense as “maybe I was just halfway out of my mind”
● Chapter 37: Ryan was in Eric when Jack joined in, but the author accidentally said Caleb was under Ryan in the Lucky Pierre (“prompting a low moan from Caleb”) but about a paragraph later mentioned it's Eric, Ryan and Jack while “on the other side of the bed, Tom, Anthony and Caleb were quite…” please consider fixing these in the final release.

An ARC was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

A Warlock's Surprise

A Warlock's Surprise - Erin M. Leaf Saw mpreg and it decided for me that i should give it a try. I actually liked it a little better than the first book. It was interesting how the baby was birthed. The conception was interesting in a way but I still feel like the story development was lacking. It's a short story so it suffers the usual rushed feeling you get sometimes.
SPOILER ALERT!

A Warlock's Best Friend

A Warlock's Best Friend - Erin M. Leaf It was like a soup/stew that didn't have time to develop any flavor. It was a bit rushed and I questioned the validity of Dakota and Leo's relationship development. How did Dakota and Leo not know they were soul-splice? They're childhood friends so they grew up together. I find it hard to believe that the kiss was what changed everything when they were probably in psychical contact a lot as kids/teenagers. It just didn't work for me and I couldn't believe there was anything to their relationship but sex. Dakota is suppose to be this awesome warlock but he barely uses his magic. Even when he's being hounded by his boss he didn't try to redirect her to something else with magic.

I just saw that there is a Book 2 today and I'm not sure if I should give it a read or not.

Toby and Dalton

Toby and Dalton - Aria Grace, Chris McHart 1.5 stars

If you have never read mpreg and want to try, I suggest this novel not be your first one into the subgenre. Please note that there are a lot of spoilers in this review. I usually love mpreg novels and this one has a lot of potential to be an amazing novel but it just didn’t work for me.

As it is now, it was really confusing because the timeline of the story is vague and other lacking details caused further confusion thus prevented this from being an outstanding mpreg [or even non-mpreg] novel. It was like a well written mix of different disjointed arcs and the storyline tying all the awesome ideas together was forgotten so the reader is just lost and trying to figure what the world is going on with the story. This could be an amazing mpreg novel with a great plot if the storyline and events were more cohesive and elaborated.

In the beginning, we find out Toby is a bobcat shifter and an omega, but what is Dalton? It seemed lacking when Dalton suddenly develops erectile issues and then goes into Truly Yours claiming he’s ready to end his membership because of this medical condition. This could’ve been better utilized as his lack of emotional involvement with his dates is impacting his ability to maintain an erection and maybe it was a pivotal moment in his life and sign something needs to change so ergo enter Toby.

They fall into bed on the first date which is somewhat in line with the whole mates-cannot-resist-each-other and the authors does a great job summarizing them growing closer over several dates. I would’ve liked to read more about what they did for a living, if they were part of the same pack or different pack as these would’ve been vital facts to help carry us through the suspense portion of suddenly finding out about omega shifters being murdered. Were these omega shifters part of the same pack? Were they all cat shifters? A little clarity would’ve made it a lot easier to figure out where the story was taking us.

Due to a sudden mention of omegas being murdered, Toby, Dalton and his best friend try to attend a pack meeting and Toby and his best friend are sent away. How are the other omegas being protected? We find out randomly at this point that his best friend either works in the tech field or as a hacker – regardless he has enough skills to be a hacker. I feel like random vital facts are randomly dropped throughout the novel and it’s a struggle to enjoy the novel for all its surprisingly twists and revelations.

Toby get impatient and decides to come back after an unspecified amount of time with a slight baby bum and nausea that conveniently occurs when he is back with Dalton. Upon his return, we read about being under attack by panthers. We find out that omegas can only get impregnated if they are a true mate coupling. How can we get to nearly the halfway point and our couple didn’t even have an inkling they could be mates, nor have the readers learned anything to make them love these two main characters!?

They are back together – yay. Our story isn’t much of a story if they aren’t together... Again, an indeterminate amount of time passes and we read about Dalton withholding sex for fear of hurting Toby and their baby. HOW MUCH TIME has passed since we found out about the panthers!? How much time has passed since Toby returned to Dalton? Why did the panthers attack? The continuation of panthers’ possible attack could be the cohesion into a sequel about his best friend, Jason and his love interest. This withholding of sex situation obviously resolves itself happily.
Chapter 15 is the ONLY chapter in which an amount of time is mentioned – 2 month later and Toby and Dalton has moved to “the compound”. What is the compound? We readers of shifter novels clearly know what a compound could be, but it is very hard to understand without any prior mention of Toby and Dalton being part of the same pack, without any mention of what type of shifter Dalton shifts into, without any mention of what types of shifters the organization Truly Yours caters to. Based on this sudden mention of their compound, a reader can draw the illogical conclusion that Truly Yours caters ONLY to one shifter pack and the shifter pack is huge as neither Toby nor Dalton have ever met, and the compound is like a freaking prison since it was never mentioned before. We do find out that Dalton works with wood because he is working on building the bassinet.

Another thing that bothered me was that the authors wrote “Toby has been so sweet and docile since becoming pregnant.” They slept together on day one. Toby filled out his Truly Yours profile as “passive.” I felt that their sudden mention of his personality like he is usually more assertive was unfounded during his aggressive kneading of dough scene – even if it was supposedly from Dalton’s perspective because hello! They slept together and possibility conceived form their first time. There is NO basis for this sentence and totally ruined an otherwise good scene for me. The scene was awesome but the mention of his sweet docile personality as if it is an effect of his pregnancy was contradicted by their Truly Yours agency sign up scene where Toby didn’t have a clue but to describe himself as “passive”. There were no other scenes endearing us to Toby having an assertive personality outside of “pregnancy hormones.” This seriously could be such an awesome story, but unbelievable how disjointed the plot was.

The ending probably gave the most descriptive mpreg C-section delivery I’ve ever read. Most times the childbirth scene is more about the emotions and not about the room details/ setting up for the surgery. Baby Stella is born and thankfully I no longer have to pull my hair out trying to understand the special plot behind boy meet boy, boy gets pregnant, boy gives birth – special plot and character elaboration/development which would make readers come back for Truly Yours 2, or Truly Yours 3, etc.

A free copy was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.