Sunday, January 7, 2018

New Release Review: Remember When, by Harper Loga



Title: Remember When


Author: Harper Logan

Publisher/GR Link:

Genre: MM Contemporary
Vice: Amnesia, GFY

Rating: 4.5 stars

Lock this book up: Three steamy keys!

Length: Novel

Satisfaction: HEA

Cover Impressions: Adorable and sexy!

SynopsisWhen Cuke awakes in the hospital, a piece of him is gone. Three years have disappeared from his mind, and he’s doesn’t even recognize his life - or the people in it. And then there's this super hot guy who appears to be his boyfriend...

Bouj will never be able to erase the memory of Cuke's skull cracking against the pavement during a typical game of basketball. He'd do anything to help his roommate piece his life back together, but he runs into an awkward situation when Cuke seems to think Bouj is his boyfriend. He knows he should correct his friend's mistake... and yet, something stops him.
Will Bouj realize that his feelings for Cuke run deeper than heterosexual affection? And even if they find love in each other's arms, will Cuke ever remember how they got to this point?
(Remember When is a is a 50,000-word steamy M/M friends-to-lovers romance with low angst, no cliffhangers, no cheating, and a guaranteed happily ever after!)


Impressions: This book was a greta way to stay warm during the insanely low temperatures we had in Boston.  I read it in one day, mostly because I really liked Cuke and Bouj, and I wanted them to get their HEA!

I love a good amnesia story, but what I particularly liked about this one is that it didn't play on the old lies or misunderstandings.  I never lost my love for Bouj, and I loved how sweet and open he was as he started to learn more things about himself and Cuke!  This was the best of amnesia +GFY or (OFY!) and I loved every minute of it.  

There was a subplot that I didn't connect with as much, partly because it's not something I usually like in books, but I don't want to give it away.  I don't think it was necessary to the story, and it didn't detract from my love of the characters at all.

Sunday, December 31, 2017

5 Star New Release Review: The Fortune Hunter by Bonnie Dee

The Fortune Hunter

Title: The Fortune Hunter

Author: Bonnie Dee

Publisher/GR LinkGoodreadss

Genre: MM Historical

Rating: 5 Stars!

Lock this book up: 3 keys!  Its hot and keeps the pages turning

Length: Novel

Satisfaction: HEA


Cover Impressions: What is not to love??

Summary: A man with nothing finds everything.
Abandoned at birth, WWI veteran Hal Stanton faces bleak employment prospects in post-war London. Desperation spurs him to reinvent himself to hook a wealthy wife, one he will be devoted to even if he feels no real passion. But when he meets his fiance’s cousin, Julian Needham, it’s all he can do to keep his heart in check and his eye on the prize.

From the moment he’s introduced to the charming stranger Margaret plans to marry, Julian suspects the man’s motives yet fights a relentless attraction. He’s determined to reveal Hal as a fraud but must handle the matter delicately to protect his sweet cousin’s feelings. A weekend at the family estate should allow time and opportunity for him to expose Halstead Wiley.

Even as the men match wits in a battle of attempted unmasking, powerful sexual attraction threatens to overcome them both and win the day. Can a true love connection possibly grow between these adversaries without destroying lives and loved ones?

Review: I have been a fan of Bonnie Dee for ages, and I was so excited to get a sneak peek at her newest release, and I was not at all disappointed!

In the Fortune Hunter we meet Hal, desperate to make his life into something better than he has had, he is looking to join the Needham household, a landed gentry family.  When he comes to meet Julian, the cousin of his betrothed, sparks fly.  Hal is so wonderfully sweet and strong, and Julian is so proper and yet so much in need of love and acceptance.  Ms. Dee masterfully walks the line with each character, and these men jump off the page.  I understood Hal and yearned for him to find the stability he had always been denied, and I wanted Julian to find the love he had denied himself.

The secondary cast of characters were great additions, and I loved the setting of the novel which really captures high society in the midst of major changes and adaptations.  I loved the nuances of the setting that really made this novel so realistic.

I cannot recommend this novel enough, especially for historical fans.  If you are an MM historical fan, no doubt your already know Ms. Dee by her work, but make sure not to let this one slip by you!

Monday, November 27, 2017

Express Holiday Review: In Case of Emergency

In Case of Emergency

Title: In Case of Emergency

Author: Keira Andrews

Release date: 11/30/17

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Summary: After years alone, Daniel Diaz is finally ready to shake up his orderly, solitary life. He's about to leave for a cozy Christmas getaway with his new man when he gets the call from the ER that his former stepbrother has been admitted with a concussion and a broken hand—and Cole put him down as his emergency contact. Why the hell would he do that? Daniel barely knows the guy. After all, their parents' marriage lasted less than a year and it was a decade ago! 

fine
, Daniel will bring him along on vacation to make sure he doesn't starve or fall into a coma. This is supposed to be Daniel's chance to explore romance again after locking down his feelings for too long—except it turns out his could-be boyfriend is more interested in partying and being an obnoxious jerk. Daniel sends him packing, and now he's stuck with a virtual stranger in an isolated mountain cabin. 

Cole Smith crushed hard on cranky Daniel when they were teenagers. Alone with him in a romantic winter wonderland, those feelings roar back to life. Glimpsing the caring, vulnerable man under Daniel's frosty shell, he yearns to get closer. Christmas is a time for surprises, and Daniel and Cole discover a scorching connection that just might melt their hearts.

This fluffy gay Christmas romance from Keira Andrews features former stepbrothers reconnecting as adults, sexy hot-tub shenanigans, cuddling by the fire, and of course a happy ending. 32,000 words.

Review:  This book is adorable and just what I needed to get me in the holiday mood!  I have a long list of cute holiday reads for the next several weeks, and after decorating my house on Friday, this was the one I chose to kick off my Holiday TBR pile!  It was a perfect choice!

This is pure holiday fluff, but it never becomes sappy or saccharine.  It is the right blend of sweet and oh-so sexy!  

Cole and Daniel are step brothers, but really in name only.  They barely lived together, and this is much more about opposites attracting and a sort of friends (on one side)-to-lovers.  I loved watching Cole get his man, and Daniel warming up to the idea that he needs and deserves one!

Catch this adorable read soon!

Sunday, November 12, 2017

5+, BIB Star New Release Review: By the Currawong's Call, by Welton Marshland



Title: By the Currawong's Call


Author: Welton B. Marshland


Publisher/GR Link:Goodreads


Vice: Historical, Priests


Rating: 5+ stars, Best of Banned in Boston


Lock this book up: 4 keys.  This book is sexy, sensual and so romantic!


Length: Novel


Satisfaction: HEA


Cover Impressions: I love it!



Synopsis:  Anglican priest Matthew Ottenshaw receives his first posting in tiny Dinbratten, two days’ ride from his Melbourne home. Determined to honour his calling as best he can, he throws himself into the footy mad, two-pub town, navigating the dusty streets, learning the gossip, and striking up a friendship with Jonah Parks, the resident police sergeant and local bona fide hero. 
A police officer and a priest often find themselves needed at the same place, and Jonah and Matthew’s friendship deepens quickly, as they set about their business of protecting the bodies and souls of Dinbratten’s residents. When a bushfire threatens the town, and Matthew’s inexperience with fire endangers the church buildings, Jonah comes to the rescue, and a reckless kiss in the midst of the chaos takes their friendship to forbidden. 
Neither Matthew nor Jonah can go back to the way things were before, but continuing their relationship puts everything at risk: their jobs, their friends, even their lives. In the outback town of Dinbratten where everyone knows everything about everyone else, how can they ever expect to keep a secret this explosive?
Impressions: This book is really something amazing and special.

I first heard this book described as a cross between The Thornbirds and Brokeback Mountain.  Needless to say, I was sold.  What I found, was really so much more.  

The characters in this novel take on that living dimension that makes you almost guilty to close the book in case they are left frozen in time.  Jonah and Matthew captured my heart, and I felt myself lost in their story.  The setting was beautifully created and I had a vivid picture of their houses, the police station, and even the local cemetery.  The secondary characters are vibrant and realistic, even when they are causing challenges.

This is one of those books that comes along that will sweep you into its world.  It is a wonderful read, and I am sure this will be in my top ten for the year.

Highly recommended!