Review: Prince of the Playhouse (Love in Laguna #3) by Tara Lain

Title: Prince of the Playhouse (Love in Laguna #3)

Author: Tara Lain

Publisher/GR Link: Dreamspinner,  GR

Genre: MM Contemporary

Vice: OFY, theater, secret pasts

Rating: 4 stars

Lock this book up: 3 keys.  This book is hot and the sexy times support the great romance.

Length: Novel

Satisfaction: HEA

Cover Impressions: Adorable.  I love these covers.

Best Line: “You did it.  You decided what you wanted from life.  I just happened to be lucky enough to be hanging around when you did.”

Synopsis: Driven by his desire to become a successful fashion designer and concerned with hiding his questionable past, Ru Maitland lets his obsession with action movie star Gray Anson on the big screen replace his social life. Then obsession and reality collide when Ru is asked to design fashion costumes for a special performance of Hamlet at the Playhouse in Laguna starring none other than Gray Anson. Gray turns out to be a compelling mix of shy and brash and, despite a high profile engagement to a female socialite, the signals Gray sends Ru have his libido doing the salsa.

Gray Anson has what most people only dream of—great wealth, huge fame, a job he loves. For that, he’s given up any semblance of privacy and the right to say no to the thousands of people who depend on him and the millions who love him. He sees everything he’s ever wanted just outside the bubble of his life, but how can he make the compromises needed to embrace it? When Ru’s shady past crashes into Gray’s paparazzi-haunted present, both men have to learn that sometimes the only acceptable compromise is the truth.

Impressions: I love this series and I won’t admit to the volume of my squee when I saw this on the “Coming Soon” pages of Dreamspinner.  This novel is a great addition to one of my favorite series. 

I have to admit, I don’t know that anything can beat out book 1 in this series, but each new book brings me back to the characters that I love and gives me a brand new couple to adore.  I really liked Ru in the past book.  He is sassy and stylish and carries an iron will.  When he got his own story, it was great to see more of what has made him who he is, and to see how he balances his past and his present.  I loved that he was getting the professional respect he deserves, and his story was much more complex than I anticipated.

One of the biggest difference in this book is that Gray is out to himself, but deeply closeted due to his family and career.  As we got to know him and his intricacies, it really made me understand and empathize with him.  Gray was sweet and sensitive, and I enjoyed his evolution.

This was a great book, and despite Ru’s story, it was a little more lighthearted than the first two.  As an English teacher, I loved all of the Shakespeare jokes and comments.

Don’t miss this installment in one of the best series being written right now!

New Release: Between Ghosts by Garret Leigh

Title: Between Ghosts

Author: Garret Leigh

Publisher/GR Link: Riptide, GR

Genre: MM Contemporary

Vice: War, Military

Rating: 4 stars

Lock this book up: 3 keys.  The sex is hot and fits the story

Length: Novel

Satisfaction: HEA

Cover Impressions: I like it. 

Best Line:  "Nat shivered, exposed and laid bare, but for the first time in his life he didn’t give a shit. “I’m okay. It’s just being with you, like this, I can’t hide . . . from you, from anything.”

Synopsis: In 2003, journalist Connor Regan marched through London to add his voice to a million others, decrying the imminent invasion of Iraq. Eight months later, his brother, James, was killed in action in Mosul.

Three years on, Connor finds himself bound for Iraq to embed with an elite SAS team. He sets his boots on the ground looking for closure and solace—anything to ease the pain of his brother’s death. Instead he finds Sergeant Nathan Thompson.

Nat Thompson is a veteran commander, hardened by years of combat and haunted by the loss of his best friend. Being lumbered with a civilian is a hassle Nat doesn’t need, and he vows to do nothing more than keep the hapless hack from harm’s way.

But Connor proves far from hapless, and too compelling to ignore for long. He walks straight through the steel wall Nat’s built around his heart, and when their mission puts him in mortal danger, Nat must lay old ghosts to rest and fight to the death for the only man he’s ever truly loved.

Impressions:  I always love Garret Leigh’s work and I was very excited to read her latest release.  I felt very connected to Connor right from the start, and I could immediately feel his connection to Nat.  I really liked seeing some of Nat’s view of their connection, and as the novel progressed I felt that both of those pieces worked very well together to give us a full sense of the story and a perspective on their deepening feelings.

I found the military aspect to this story to be fascinating and very believable.  I hadn’t known much about the military experiences of British soldiers, and I found the combat scenes gripping and gritty.  Leigh must have done the necessary research because I was completely pulled into the story, and I found myself itching to get back to my kindle!

The love in this story is a slow burn with periods of explosive sexual energy, which is appropriate to the situation.  Leigh can write a heart wrencher, and though this book was still filled with emotion, it was about men at war, literally fighting for their lives.  There isn’t a lot of sentimentality allowed in those situations, and I am glad that the love story really suited the setting and context. 

Despite the gritty setting, this story centers around two men who find each other and get the love and closure that they both have been needing.  I loved every page, and I was sorry when it was over!

Highly recommended. 

New Release: Getting Him Back

Title: Getting Him Back (Ethan and Wyatt #1)

Author: K.A. Mitchell

Publisher/GR Link: Carina Press, GR

Genre: MM Contemporary

Vice: New Adult, OFY, Dark past

Rating: 4 stars

Lock this book up: 3 keys.  The sex is hot and supports the plotline.

Length: Approx. 133 page Novel

Satisfaction: HFN

Cover Impressions: Adorbs!

Best Line: “Big time stupid love with a guy who was always going to need to be convinced that things didn’t have to suck.”

Synopsis: Ethan may have followed his high school sweetheart to college only to get dumped his first day there, but he's not going to let that stop him from exploring all his new life has to offer. Sex-only hookups, his photography, new friends and a campus-wide game of zombies vs humans all help keep his mind off his broken heart and move him toward building a new, better life without his ex.

And then there's Wyatt. Mysterious, grouchy—hot. And possibly not gay. But Ethan's not going to let that stand in the way of figuring out what makes Wyatt tick. New college goal? Get Wyatt into bed and into Ethan's life.

Step one: arrange a "tutoring" date. Step two: "accidentally" bump into Wyatt as often as possible. Step three: explore the sexy body under that ever-present hoodie. And when their friendship deepens into something neither of them expect, convince Wyatt he's not just a pity fling or a one-time hookup, but that Ethan is in it for the long haul.

Impressions: This was an adorable New Adult romance.  This was a sexy, fun read, and even when it dealt with some tricky topics, it always kept me entertained and hopeful for these two guys to find their HEA.

This story deals with Ethan’s realizations that first love isn’t always the fantasy it seems, and Wyatt’s journey to realize that first love is sometimes just as amazing as it seems.  Wyatt has a mysterious past, and things that he is afraid to share, and it was wonderful to watch Ethan learn that not every challenge in his life is the worst thing that can happen to someone.  

Ethan was adorable, but Wyatt really grabs your heart strings and pulls you into the page.  There were some great secondary characters, and an engaging and dynamic college setting.  Wyatt and Ethan get their HFN, but I think there is more story to tell, and I cannot wait to revisit them and learn even more about their journey to their HEA.