Unfading, Devyn Morgan

Title: Unfading (parts 1-3)

Author: Devyn Morgan

GR Link:  GR

Genre: MM Contemporary

Vice: Tattoos

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Lock this book up: 3 keys,  there is enough sex to suit the plot

Length: Serial Novella

Satisfaction: HEA

Cover Impressions: The looks is clean and professional

Synopsis:Logan Walters is used to attention. He waltzes through life in his tight jeans slung low on his hips, everyone's appreciative eyes upon him. He can practically hear hearts break when walks out on his conquests. Once he decides to get a tattoo, he knows it'll make him feel complete - all grown up. Except in a heartbeat, Logan - beautiful, arrogant Logan - is nervous, and he can't understand why. 

Connor Dixon gave up on finding true love. An award-winning tattoo artist, he's traveled across the country, guesting at many parlors but never staying too long. His last relationship ended like they always have: his boyfriend was cheating on him. But his reservations fly out the window when he sees Logan for the first time. Is he really falling for this guy, so cute but so vulnerable at the same time? 

Logan and Connor can't stop the intense mutual attraction and what inevitably follows, but it's not all smooth sailing. Bad habits die hard, and Logan's insecurities rise up to deal a devastating blow to their budding relationship... 

Impressions:  I had a hard time with this series, and though the writing was strong, and I liked some aspects, I had an overwhelming dislike for Logan, and he never redeemed himself in my eyes.  I found him to be so selfish and shallow, that it was hard to hope for an HEA involving him.

Connor was a likable character, and I ended up wishing that he might get sick of Logan's attitude and find his own Mr. Right.  

Despite this, the writing was strong, and other people might have a better time connecting to the text than I did.  

5 Star Book Review: Confessions of a Wild Heart

Title: Confessions of  Wild Heart

Author: Kade Boehme

GR Link: here

Genre: MM Contemporary

Vice: OFY, Abuse, drag, angst

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

Lock this book up: 4 out of 5 keys. The sex is hot and supports the romance. 

Length: Novel

Satisfaction: HEA

Cover Impressions: Love it. 

Best Line: "I was lost those last few months in the military, scared shitless I'd die...Then I got home and the only sane thing I had, the only thing I looked forward to was hearing from you."

Synopsis: US Army PFC Jase Emery, on leave in Germany, sees Ase Ramirez for the first time with a camera to his face. Ase’s wild child ways provide a welcome distraction for Jase. But their weekend of fun ends abruptly when Ase’s conservative family catches them. Through email, Ase and Jase are able to keep the link open. But that too comes to an end.

Jase was never able to live up to his parent’s expectations like his brother was. He didn’t stay and work the family ranch, or marry. He saw the world. His return from serving in the Army changed nothing, he wanted to be free to live his own life. But the death of his father and his mother’s failing health force him to come home, hide his bisexuality, and live a life in the closet as a local Sheriff Deputy so he can take care of his family. This was to be his life… Until Ase returns.

After his family caught Ase and Jase together, Ase worked hard at getting the heat off himself. His occasional thoughts of Jase and their amazing weekend dwindle as life and family take the forefront and fear drives Ase to make huge mistakes.

When Ase and Jase come face to face again, it isn’t easy. Insecurities, and a hurt that have only grown with time make it hard to see the future.Can their friendship blossom into something more? With Ase’s wild side reappearing from the shadows and major trust issues, can he and Jase, with huge obstacles of his own, learn to forgive, move on, and find a peace they both so desperately want… together?

Impressions:  I've read, enjoyed and reviewed several of Kade Boehme's books, and though I have enjoyed them all, this one is something special.  With We Found Love, Boehme explored issues of mental health and created a darker setting for love to blossom.  In this novel, he continues to break hearts and put them together again when he created these complex, hurt, and strong characters who are fighting for their HEA.  

Jase is caught between his own desires and his family obligations.  He is bisexual, but fears that there is no way he can ever have the love he wants from a man without sacrificing everything he has.  In the midst of that all is the spark he felt with Ase, and the connection that slowly developed over email, and the ember that is left when it all disappears.

Ase is a compex, prickly man.  Tattooed, Latino and gay, Ase seems to expect to have to fight, and he readily does so when needed.  Smart and tough, he seems to stand on his own two feet, but under neath his tough exterior lurks a man dealing with his own secrets, fears, and internal compromises.  Can he face them himself, and can he share them with Jase?

This books pulled me in from page one, and didn't let me go until I was clicking to the last page on my kindle.  Both of these men are complicated and scarred, and yet so strong.  I loved that Ase was not an easy man to categorize...He was fiercely queer and yet he struggles with his own challenges and obligations.  Jase really captured my heart though, and I wanted to see him help Ase learn to trust, love and open up.  In the beginning of the novel it seems like Jase is the one who will have to compromise, but as in reality, both men have a journey in this wonderful novel, and it is a pleasure to watch it.  This is certainly more angsty than some of Boehme's other works, but you will be all put together at the end, and just like for Ase and Jase...the journey is worth it!

Highly recommended 

Banned in Boston Review: 5+ Stars for Him, by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

Title: Him

Author: Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

Publisher/GR Link: GR- Release Date 7/28

Genre: MM Contemporary

Vice: Hockey, OFY, Friends to lovers

Rating: 5+- A Banned in Boston 5 Star book!

Lock this book up: 4 out of 5 keys.  This book is HOT, but the sex supports a wonderful romance

Length: Novel

Satisfaction: HEA

Cover Impressions: Very hot.

Best Line: "Loved you every summer since I was thirteen years old.  Love you even more now."

Synopsis: Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wise-cracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were eighteen? It was just a little drunken foolishness. Nobody died.

Ryan Wesley’s biggest regret is coaxing his very straight friend into a bet that pushed the boundaries of their relationship. Now, with their college teams set to face off at the national championship, he’ll finally get a chance to apologize. But all it takes is one look at his longtime crush, and the ache is stronger than ever.

Jamie has waited a long time for answers, but walks away with only more questions—can one night of sex ruin a friendship? If not, how about six more weeks of it? When Wesley turns up to coach alongside Jamie for one more hot summer at camp, Jamie has a few things to discover about his old friend...and a big one to learn about himself.

Impressions:  Though I am not a fan of athletics, I am definitely a fan of a good MM sports story...and this one was Ah-Maz-Ing!

Wes and Jamie have spent their formative summers together at hockey camp.  Wes, a prankster and the life of the party, comes from a cold, detached family.  Jamie is the youngest of a large brood of siblings, and follows Wes' high jinx summer after summer, until the night Wes fears that he pushed too far.

Years later, they reunite on the cusp of their professional hockey carriers....Jamie is looking for answers, and Wes cannot get his past, or his hopes for the future, out of his mind.  

This is a story that is filled with love, humanity and hope.   Wes, who is a tattooed bad-boy on the outside, really craves a love that he secretly worries he can never have.  Between the pull of his family, and his burgeoning NHL career, love seems like something he has to set aside, and until he is able to love and be loved by Jamie, that loss seemed like something he could live with.

Jamie pulled me into his heart as he struggled to realize that his love for Wes went beyond the pull of friendship and brotherhood.  Once Jamie opens his body and heart to Wes, he knows things will never be the same.

This is a sweet, engaging and captivating novel.  I literally could not put it down, and I was glued to each page as I got to watch two men realize that there are things in their lives that are more important than hockey, dreams, or the NHL, and that maybe they can figure out a way to keep the things they need...including each other.  

This novel was smoking hot and so romantic that it was the perfect combination of a well paced plot, strong, developed characters, and a romance that gives you goose bumps and hot flashes!

I am proud to give Him, by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy, a 5+ star rating and a Banned in Boston award for superior books!

Do not miss this book when it releases on 7/28. Clear your calendar and be ready to settle in with a great summer read!