5 Star Review: Blueberry Boys by Vanessa North

Title: Blueberry Boys

Author: Vanessa North

Publisher/GR Link: Riptide, GR

Genre: Contemporary

Vice: Stuttering, Rural life

Rating: 5 juicy stars!

Lock this book up: 4 keys…This is a hot, romantic read.

Length: Novel

Satisfaction:  HEA

Cover Impressions: I love it!  Feels like an Indian Summer day

Best Line: “I want you. I want you so much, I shake with it.”

Synopsis: Connor Graham is a city boy—a celebrated fashion photographer in New York. When his uncle’s death drags him back to the family blueberry farm, all he wants to do is sell it as quickly as he can. Until he meets his uncle’s tenant farmer.

Jed Jones, shy and stammering, devout and dedicated, has always yearned for land of his own and a man to share it with. Kept in the closet by his church, family, and disastrous first love, he longs to be accepted for who he is. But now, with his farm and his future in Connor’s careless hands, he stands to lose even the little he has.

Neither man expects the connection between them. Jed sees Connor—appreciates his art and passion like no one else in this godforsaken town ever has. Connor hears Jed—looks past his stutter to listen to the man inside. The time they share is idyllic, but with the farm sale pending, even their sanctuary is a source of tension. As work, family, and their town’s old-fashioned attitudes pull them apart, they must find a way to reconcile commitments to their careers and to each other.

Impressions: This was a pure delight.  The setting and characters were just perfect, but the love between these two men set the pages ablaze.  I could not put this book, and it swept me away on to Connor’s farm and Jed’s blueberries.

Jed captured my heart.  I felt his pain and his eagerness to be accepted and loved for who he is.  I liked the complexities of his family dynamics and the reality of rural life in Massachusetts.  As a native Bostonian who was visiting Western MA as I read this, I found it so believable.  In Boston we tend to assume that Massachusetts is an evolved place for LGBT people, and this was a reminder that laws and protections only go so far when it comes to actually feeling comfortable and accepted.  They don’t stop religious struggles and familial worries.

When Jed meets Connor it is a clash between cultures as well as identities.  I loved watching Connor believe that he was as desirable as Jed sees him, and together these men were just perfect.

This isn’t a story with crazy plot twists, exacting exes or friendly ghosts, but it IS a story about love, acceptance and family.  It was exactly what I wanted and I didn’t even know it until I opened to page one.  North doesn’t need tricks and twists- what she has is a well paced plot, a developed setting, and two amazing MC’s who will sweep you into their love story until you never want to leave.

I received a copy of this story through netgalley for my honest review.

Book Review: Fortunate Blizzard

Title: Fortunate Blizzard

Author: LC Chase

Publisher/GR Link: Riptide, GR

Genre:  MM Contemporary

Vice: Disability/Illness, Snowstorms

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Lock this book up: 3 out of 5 keys- This book will keep you warm and the sex supports a great story.

Length: Novella (175 pages)

Satisfaction:  HEA

Cover Impressions: Adorable.  I want to wrap myself up in a blanket and dive in. 

Best Line:  “Eventually he needed oxygen more than he needed to kill Marc forever, but he only broke away enough to breathe.”

Synopsis: Artist Trevor Morrison has always appreciated the little things in life, treating each day as a gift. And with good reason: he’s been on the transplant-recipient list for too long now. When he learns just how numbered his days truly are, he resolves not to take them for granted. But he won’t be unrealistic, either—which means romantic commitments are off the table.

Marcus Roberts seems to have it all. He’s handsome, financially sound, and on the fast track to partnership at a prestigious law firm. In reality, though, his drive for success has meant no time for friends or relationships. Add in the fact that his family discarded him long ago, and he’s facing yet another holiday season alone.

When the biggest snowstorm to hit Colorado in decades leaves Marc and Trevor stranded at the same hotel, a chance encounter and a night of passion leads to more than either of them expected. Finding comfort in each other is a welcome surprise, but time is not on their side. Either they find a way to beat the odds, or they lose each other forever.

Impressions: As soon as I pull out my big, fluffy blanket and my sheepskin slippers, I’m ready for some cuddle up and read novels, and I could not have asked for a better choice than Fortunate Blizzard. 

Trevor is a great character who is trying to balance is quality of life with his quantity of life.  He is strong, and yet so torn as he acclimates to the short time he has left.  When he meets Marcus, he is gifted with a perfect weekend of connection and humanity.  When he has to leave Marcus, I felt his sadness, and Marcus’ heartbreak.

I loved the connection between these two guys.  The sparks fly between them both, and I loved watching Marcus realize that he has been missing out on something that he doesn’t want to miss out on anymore.

I found this story to be so sexy, sweet and fulfilling.  I wanted to cuddle up with Trevor and Marc and never run out of pages as I clicked away.  Sadly, like all good things, it had to come to an end, but I bet I’ll be revisiting these guys again.  You don’t want to miss this winter treat!

This is available now at Riptide's side, or for general release on 11/2/15.

Book Review: Borrowing Trouble

Title: Borrowing Trouble  

Author: Kade Boehme

Publisher/GR Link: GR

Genre: MM Contemporary

Vice:  Coming Out, Kids

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Lock this book up: 3 Stars.  The sex is hot and totally supports the story line

Length:  Novel

Satisfaction: HEA- with a big, warm smile

Cover Impressions: I love it!

Best Line:  “He’d definitely never been so in love as he was today.”

Synopsis: After an amicable divorce, Jay Hill decided to move back to his rural hometown with his teenage kids. Being on good terms with his ex-wife and in laws has made the transition into single life pretty smooth. Things were good and uncomplicated. Then Landon Petty walked into his life.

Landon didn’t expect to still be stuck in his hometown working at his dad’s sawmill at this point in his life. Being an openly gay truck driver was as awkward in practice as in description. When Jay came to take over managerial duties at his dad’s business, Landon was surprised to find a friend. When Jay turns out not to be as straight as he thought, things get complicated.

When feelings for Landon shine a light on how much Jay’s life has been actually half lived, he’s forced to decide if he’ll jump in with both feet or if he’ll let Landon slip through his fingers.

Impressions:  I love Boehme’s work, and I was looking forward to this one very much.  I am happy to say that it was as amazing as I could have hoped for!

Jay is a very sympathetic character, and I found myself understanding and caring for him from the moment I “met” him.  He loves his children, and he appreciates the easy relationship he has with his ex, but as he starts to learn something new about himself, he never slipped into Victorian histrionics or denied what he was experiencing.  He has some very real challenges he needs to face, but I respected and admired that he was true to himself and all of those that he loved.

Landon is also a very relatable character.  He is at the cusp of a big change in his life, and he is ready to put his wishes and needs at the forefront of his priorities.  I liked that he was patient with Jay, but that he was honest with himself and his friends when he needed support.

What really struck me about this story, was not only was it Boehme’s inimitable romantic story with great MCs, it was alos a story that explores the complexities of being out, coming out, and falling love.  There are no saints or demons in this novel.  There are men and women who are struggling to understand something they don’t “get” while balancing their care and affection for those same people.  We see this in both Landon’s father and Jay’s exwife.  Neither Jay or Landon are perfect, but they are strong and dynamic.  In reality, these are the relationships that we often see and experience around us, and Boehme did a beautiful job of portraying these dynamics in the midst of a sweet, sexy, romance.

Highly Recommended.

New Release Review: The Shepherd and the Solici

Title: The Shepherd and the Solicitor

Author: Summer Devon and Bonnie Dee

Publisher/GR Link: Samhain, GR

Genre: MM Historical

Vice: Historical, trauma

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Lock this book up: 3 keys.  The sex is hot, steamy, and totally supports the story

Length:  161 pages

Satisfaction:  HEA

Cover Impressions: I love this whole collection, and the covers are classic.

Best Line: “Now all I think of is you.”

Synopsis: When a storm is brewing, taking shelter could be the most dangerous move of all.

One careless, public sign of affection cost Daniel Pierce’s lover his life at the hands of a hate-filled mob. Grief-stricken, Daniel retreated from society to a sheep farm in the wilds of the north. Years later, Gregory Tobin erupts into his solitary life.

Sent to confirm the existence—or the death—of the Pierce family’s lost heir, Tobin isn’t sure he’s found the right man. The gruff, shaggy hermit calling himself Jacob Bennet bears little resemblance to photographs of the younger Pierce. Tobin needs more time to study his quarry.

With lambing season in full swing, Daniel grudgingly admits he could use an extra hand. Through a long, exhausting night, they parry back and forth as Tobin probes closer and closer to the truth. And something beyond casual attraction simmers between them.

They come together in a crash of desire, but ultimately Daniel must overcome the terrors of the past to reconcile the man he was with the man he’s becoming—a man capable of loving again.

Impressions: These authors are on my auto-buy list, and this book is a perfect example of why.  In no time at all, I was swept into the world of Yorkshire, in the 1880’s, as I watched one man learn to love again, and another realize that he has just settled for too long. 

Daniel/Bennet has had a terrible trauma and in his past, and I can’t help but be impressed by his ability to reinvent his life.  I found it very believable that he would try to distance himself from all love and intimacy. 

Gregory is a ray of light in Daniel’s cold world.  It was impossible not to fall a little in love with Gregory!  He is so earnest, enthusiastic, and optimistic.  He is also intelligent and loyal, and though he may not totally realize his own worth, he knows that he can give Daniel something that they both need.

Both men grow and evolve, and I felt engaged and connected through out the whole story.  This is a great collection of books which can be read in any order, and you won’t want to miss this addition!