Review: Changes Going On (Changes #2) by Kaje Harper

Three men, one summer of media, mentorship, and murder. 

There's a reason Scott Edison came out as gay and poly on national TV— now no one can try to push him back into the closet. But as his men and his hockey team deal with the fallout from fans and paparazzi, moving forward isn't as easy as he'd hoped. 

Will Rice was looking forward to a quiet summer, sharing the work with his guys and giving Scott a refuge from the spotlight. He's hired a couple of young ranch hands, and finally feels ready to give back some of the mentoring that turned his life around decades ago. But good fences won't be enough to keep trouble off the ranch. 

Casey Barlow left the Sheriff's Department on his own terms, out and proud. But when the new sheriff is murdered— and Casey's one of the few with a watertight alibi— he's asked to investigate, and he can't resist. He's determined to solve the murder, and still take care of his men on the home front. Then one murder becomes two… 

It's a summer of risks and challenges, and working together is the only way they'll make it through.

Changes Coming Down, the first in the Changes series ended on a bombshell that closed all the loops but left the door wide open for more. I do appreciate when that happens when I’m committing to a series. Not to mention committing to characters that I’ve become so enamored with. Scott, Will and Casey are such perfect pieces that fit into their relationship puzzle in the best way. I already knew I was in for the Changes series, maybe a quarter of the way into the first book. Kaje Harper built the foundation so well, it’s a true character driven story, so I want to read about them for the long haul, regardless of what’s going on in their lives. 

And hey, what do you know, there’s a lot going on in their lives. Given how Changes Coming Down ended, with Scott coming out to the world, it’s no wonder. Sometimes it can be tough to pick up where you left off while waiting for the next installment of a series, but the recap was just enough and melded with the beginning of Changes Going On seamlessly. 

Three characters with three story arcs that intersect and weave could be overwhelming, but on the contrary, the stories complimented one another and added even more depth to the already fully fleshed out story. Scott is dealing with the PR fallout of his coming out. Will is finding his place and reconciling with his childhood. Casey is back to work in law enforcement in a role that suits him well. I love how the author builds up each character individually, so I feel like I know them as independently as well as in the context of their relationship. And given they are in a throuple relationship, the separation is so important to be able to take them seriously as characters and not just a vehicle for a three-way.

Each one of the guys bring many things to the table in their relationship. Scott is the light that Will and Casey need. Casey is intense and Will is stoic, they need Scott to remind them to enjoy the little things. Will, oh my sweet, wonderful Will, is a rock. We should all be lucky enough to have a Will in our lives in some capacity. My hear always aches for him a bit and I was so thankful to be able to read his history. It explained why my hear ached every time! I knew he had a rough start, but damn. The fact that he grew into such a good human says so much about his strong character. I just want more people to see him like Scott and Casey do. Casey is the great protector (not that Scott and Will need that necessarily in a literal sense) but everyone needs to feel safe and I think Will and Scott need that especially. 

There was bonus action and mystery to go along with all the evolution happening in the relationship. Like I said, the series is character driven, but there is still plenty of plot to round out the individual stories. There is plenty of conflict, but it’s external and to be expected considering everything happening. The positive and negative are there, anything else would have been, unfortunately, unbelievable. Especially for Scott. The relationship between the three of them is solid. They communicate verbally and physically, so that no matter what is happening, there is confidence that, at the end of the day, they can come home both physically and metaphorically.

The secondary characters are strong, they added to the plots organically and the young ranch hands were the perfect vehicle for Will to define his purpose beyond ranching. His heart is too big and needed more outlet. Did I mention that I love Will? I love Will. 

Everything wrapped up well in Changes Going On and I don’t know if there will be a third book, but I do hope there will be. In the meantime, I’ll just hope that the series shows up in audiobook format so I can revisit the guys in another way.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**

Review: Roman (Demon Rising #1) by Hurri Cosmo

 

I belong to a Demon Lord. His name is Roman. He’s tall, strong, has long dark hair, a deep sexy voice and, let me tell you, absolutely f-ing gorgeous. Yep. I even wear his ring. Third finger, left hand. 

Except – its’s not a wedding band. Far from it, actually. It simply means I’m his submissive. 

Well – it doesn’t really mean that either, although I wish it did. 

No. The ring’s function is only to give me “sight”. Being human, once I had it on, I could suddenly see Roman’s stupid lost legions; very nasty scary things that would as soon kill me as look at me. And because I wear the ring, guess what? It’s now my job to recapture all those creatures for him. Yay me, right? 

At least I get to be close to Roman… sometimes. 

But, to tell you the truth, I was tricked into putting this damn ring on by Cathy, some random woman I met at a park, who unfortunately likes Roman, too. A whole lot. She brazenly flirts with the demon every chance she gets and right in front of me, too. Crap, it pisses me off. In fact, she brags she was the one who found me, got the ring on me and then offered me up to Roman like I was a T-bone steak or something. 

Well – honestly – that part’s okay. 

However, there’s something else going on. Something big. Because there’s another gorgeous Demon Lord in our little earth realm and he will stop at nothing to capture Roman’s loose legions for himself. Not only that, seems he’s out to catch me, as well. 

Huh. My name is Micah and things just got very interesting. 

I’ve read quite a few books by this author and have had a fun time getting caught up in the worlds she creates. The Oletti Shiftters series is a goodie! So, I knew I was a fan of her, generally angst free tales, and the paranormal ones specifically. Roman sounded very intriguing, how do you make a demon a romantic hero? I need to know these things. 

Well, apparently a surefire way is to make the other MC less likable than a demon. The start of the book was strong and the paranormal aspect had a good level of creepy to get me hooked. Unfortunately, Micah, who should have been a sympathetic character, really wasn’t. I liked him until he interacted with other humans for the most part. The conversations didn’t flow and it felt like conclusions were jumped to on the regular. I felt like I must have missed integral portions to interactions that would have made some of the banter make more sense. 

The demon side of the world building was confusing and I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the best at following along sometimes, especially when I’m wrapped up in characters, but since I really wasn’t this time around I ended up with a lot of unanswered questions. Why was Micah the chosen human? Why was the plant just around his house? The legions? I needed a better, more logical, fully fleshed out description of those things. I went through my notes on my Kindle and found I marked spots with just question marks after a while. I kind of just gave up and flowed with it all after a bit. 

I wanted to root for Micah and Roman and I do believe the two of them were really into each other. I don’t really know why, but there was a lot of good lust flying around. Most of the time I forgot Roman was supposed to be a demon and probably some of that came from my preconceptions of what a demon should be. I expected more evil to be honest, not mentions of cuddling. I think I would have been way more accepting of Roman if he would have been just about any other paranormal creature. He definitely didn’t come across as evil or a tormentor from the fiery depths of hell. A little darker than some characters, sure, but not demonic. Micah referenced debating whether Roman was “good” or “bad” on multiple occasions and even said “Why were they so fucking secretive and devious and...and…”. I couldn’t help but think, “ummmm, DEMON, soooo, definitely bad and also DEMON, sooo, duh! But yeah, anything but a demon would have worked much better for me for the way Roman was written. 

I could have done without Cathy completely. She was just a shell of a character and there to be the token woman bitch. Comments directed at her ended up being pretty sexist and unnecessary. I get she was the catalyst for a lot of the evil bits, but her presence cheapened said catalyst and detracted from Roman and Micah. I would have much rather read how the two of them truly connected rather than have her character muddy the waters. 

My very last note was at 94% and it was “the answer to everything is ‘because’”. I can only work with that so much myself and really only if the rest of the book is strong enough that I just don’t care. Unfortunately Roman wasn’t strong enough for me, so the unanswered questions stood out. The typos didn’t help either, I didn’t need another thing pulling me out of the story. 

Overall, Roman wasn’t a win for me. That doesn’t mean it won’t be for you or that I won’t be reading more from this author. One personal miss for me doesn’t make me forget how much I’ve enjoyed others books from this author and I look forward to reading more from her.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**

Review: Hallelujah by Kim Fielding and F.E. Feeley, Jr.

 

 Can you hear it? 

Whispering in the dark. 

Secrets only the dark knows. 

Joseph Moore, choir director for the First Baptist Church of Lenora, Nebraska, has secrets of his own. Terrible, lonely secrets. One that involves natural human desire. One that calls forth powers he cannot begin to understand. Both with the potential to destroy him and those he loves. 

Now the world is changing. The darkness, the shadows, the ghosts, are closing in—and Joseph and his lover, Kevin, are being stalked by a merciless demon, hell-bent on possession. 

Can you hear it now? 

There in the dark. 

It's whispering your name.

Every book I’ve read by Kim Fielding and F.E. Feeley, Jr. separately have been memorable, these two authors together brought my reading journey to another level. Hallelujah reminded me why I love to read, the all encompassing experience was overwhelming in the best possible way. I told the family they were on their own because I had book rapture happening and I would be unavailable for 374 pages, plus reflection time. 

Hallelujah is quite a ride. There is a lot going on, a lot of themes, a lot of action, a lot of realizations, a lot. The authors balanced and tied everything together so perfectly the story never felt too busy or at loose ends. Every sentence and action had a purpose for Joseph and his journey. 

There are many religious undertones (and overtones, if I’m honest) to Hallelujah. Religion is an integral component to the story and while the specific faith is personal to Joseph, the overarching theme is much more broad, encompassing the basics of good vs. evil and redemption and forgiveness. 

Growing up in an agnostic household, I was able to understand everything in theory, but I’m sure I was missing some of the visceral reactions someone who grew up in a religious upbringing might feel. I googled and learned a lot, something I always appreciate from a book, and I can’t decide which background would be more beneficial when reading Hallelujah. I bought a copy for a friend (he’s no longer actively practicing any formal religion, but he did grow up in a faithfully religious household) and we’re going to mini bookclub this one. 

There is so much more though too. If organized religion is not your jam, don’t let that keep you from Hallelujah. It’s part of who Joseph is in his core, and that part of him is clear and accessible to the reader. It explains a lot about the decisions he makes and the loyalties he keeps. 

I could go on and on and on about specifics and characters, but you get the gist from the blurb and part of the beauty of this book is meeting each of the characters for the first time. Reading the evolution of the relationships and interactions is the meat of this book. Sure, the horror is most definitely real, and most definitely horrifying, but we know evil because we know good and the characters here are so humanly good. Not perfect, perfect is boring and a falsehood. But inherent goodness is real and a real part of this book. 

Joseph. He’s so fully fleshed out, that I’ll remember him for a long time to come and he’ll make me reread this book. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to him when the story was done, even though the story was done with all the bits wrapped up in a bittersweet package. After everything the group had been through I wasn’t sure how Hallelujah would wrap, or if it even could, but damn, the authors did an amazing job of ending the story and being true to each of the characters.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**

Review: Hemingway's Notebook (Love Across Time #5) by Jackie North

Soulmates across time. Two souls connected by destiny.

In present day, Jake, lonely and cut off from his parents, travels to the Chamberlin Inn in Cody, Wyoming to work on extra credit for his college seminar.

In 1932, Sebby labors at the Chamberlin Inn for pennies a day, wishing with all his heart for a better life.

While taking photographs in the room where Ernest Hemingway once stayed, Jake is flung back in time to the year 1932. There he meets Sebby who is living on the edge, half starving, a victim of the Great Depression. He’s been dodging rent collectors, getting behind on doctor's bills, trying to care for his ailing Pop.

Sebby falls hard for Jake with his movie star smile, but knows something is different about him. Jake wears strange clothes, talks too fast, and doesn’t look like he’s gone hungry a day in his whole life. He’s also the handsomest boy Sebby has ever seen.

Jake is drawn to Sebby’s dark eyes, shy smile, and gentle heart. Sebby is like nobody Jake has ever met. And though the year 1932 scares him to his very core, he needs to decide. Go home? Or stay and weather the Depression with Sebby, whom he has grown to love.

A male/male time travel romance, complete with hurt/comfort, true confessions, a shared bed, first time romance, the angst of separation, and true love across time.

I have to preface this by saying I generally run away like I’m on fire when presented with time travel romances. Not that I don’t like them; when they are done well I like them too much and dammit, 10 year old me was not prepared for the heartbreak that was Somewhere in Time. I didn’t even really get romance at the tender age of 10 (or probably more like 12 since we watched it on TV), yet the movie still killed me to death.

The premise on this one made me want it though, I was intrigued by the Hemingway angle and while he’s a very secondary character, the author did not disappoint in tying him in seamlessly to the plot. The author also did not fail in effectively killing me almost to death with another damn time travel romance. Sweet cheezus I was stressed out every time Sebby or Jake entered the room Hemingway stayed in and with good reason! I did have good feels about where this story was going and thankfully Jake’s ending was not Richard Collier’s. I’m still irritated with my mother for making me watch that movie with her.

Anywho, childhood bitterness aside, this character driven tale was beautifully told and the depiction of Sebby and his father’s life was so vividly described that I had one of those amazing book experiences where you forget you’re even reading because you are so in the moment with the characters.

Jake is a present day everyman. He’s a really good guy, but not remarkable and that is no dig at Jake. He did have a crappy family life and was at somewhat of a crossroads as he was ending his university tenure and about to head out to the real world. And the mood from him was not about the excitement of possibilities, but more of a melancholy resignation.

When he traveled back in time after being in the room Hemingway stayed in and talking himself into a position at the hotel working with Sebby and staying with Sebby and his Pop, he eventually came into his own. While Jake make not have been remarkable in the present day, in the past he slowly found his feet and became the man he was meant to be because he became the hero that Sebby and his Pop deserved.

For awhile I felt a little disconnected with Jake and I think at first it was because Sebby was such a sympathetic and likable character. Sebby was my focus and I viewed Jake through his eyes, but also knew his backstory, so my view was a little at odds with Sebby’s. But, once I saw Jake’s confidence grow and watched him become the man that Sebby saw, and resolve himself to a new future, he became fully fleshed out for me and the evolution of his character worked perfectly for the story.

The supposition of Hemingway’s involvement and the very tidy ending were not the most believable, but I really didn’t care considering how much I liked all the characters. I wanted that ending for them, for all of them and I decided to just kind of swept my disbelief under one of Mrs. Johnson’s braided rugs.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**

Review: My First, His Last by Fearne Hill

Seb has spent his university days hopelessly in love with one of his unattainable best friends. Sweet, kind and handsome, he has been too shy to admit his desires for other men. Finding himself living in London, alone and inexperienced, he turns to his friends to find him a suitable partner.

Happily running a small art gallery and juggling his hectic social whirl, smart, outgoing Kiefer doesn’t realise anything is missing from his love life until he is introduced at a dinner party to a gentle young man named Seb.

My First, His Last is a 10,000 word M/M romantic short story. It can be read as a stand-alone piece, although Seb and Kiefer are subsidiary characters from the Johnson Road trilogy, three full-length novels charting the lives and loves of a group of friends at university and beyond.

This is a really short tale about Seb and Kiefer from the Johnson Road Trilogy. I have not read any of those stories, but My First, His Last did it’s job and made me buy the first one so I could get more of these characters. And I’m not just talking about Seb and Keifer, but also the MC’s from Johnson Road, who were the secondarys in My First, His Last.

So. while this story starts while Seb and Kiefer are well on their way, the book starts with them on their first date, the author did a bang up job of giving me enough backstory organically so I didn’t feel completely lost and thrust into the middle of something and floundering through the pages. But, I will say I wanted more. There’s enough potential meat here to make a full length novel I would have loved to read.

The story reads very realistically romantic considering it’s length and I think you can really only get that feeling with fully fleshed out characters, which these two guys definitely were. Plus I was shown things as they evolved, there was little to no “telling” needed to get me up to speed.

The buildup of the dynamics between Seb and Kiefer is so well done and the honesty towards the end when they are together in Kiefer’s gallery is sublimely written. Kiefer’s struggles were real and Seb’s reaction was perfect, it was just such a perfectly beautiful scene, I’ll read this shorty again just to experience it one more time.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**

Review: Coffee, Tea or Me by T.L. Travis

For Howie, the lonely barista, he longed for the dream life. Husband, house with a white picket fence, 2.5 kids and a dog. Sadly, all he could get were meaningless one night stands leaving him feeling…empty.

Jackson Milsap, the introverted writer, quietly pined for Howie from the corner of the café. Stepping outside of his comfort zone and asking him out on a date sent his social anxiety into overdrive. That was until the day he came to Howie’s rescue, forever changing both their lives.

This story was part of the Between The Covers limited edition anthology.

Coffee, Tea, or Me is a short little love story about two men who were stuck in their ruts, feeling alone and complacent in their lives. The tale has an opposites attract flavor with MC’s who are good people who deserve good things.

Howie is a barista with low self esteem who has been crushing on a customer, Jackson, for as long as Jackson’s been coming to the coffee shop. Jackson has been wanting to ask Howie out for just as long, but he’s shy and while he’s a writer and can use all the good words on paper, out loud to another person is a different deal.

The set up is ideally perfect for a short story. I was ready to dig in for a whole lot of cuteness with these two. Once the scenes were set though the story tended towards more telling than showing and the showing in a short story is an absolute must to make the bits you get give you the substance you need.

Don’t get me wrong, Howie and Jackson were perfect for each other. Howie’s lack of confidence made me a bit nutters after a bit, but Jackson was totally fine with it and at the end of the day, that’s really all that matters.

The story is a sweet distraction when you want some angst free, super sweet love between two deserving MC’s. The story may not bring any new themes or twists to the party, but it will make you happy for Howie and Jackson.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**

Tag Team Review: Caulky (Four Bears Construction #1) by K.M. Neuhold

Ren is in desperate need of a rebound fling. Lucky for him, the smoking hot contractor he hired has just the tool for the job.

The last thing I want is another relationship or another broken heart.

All I need are my bees and the occasional hookup to scratch the itch.

Okay, maybe meeting up with my hot contractor weekly is a little more than occasional. And maybe the way I’m starting to feel about the guy I’ve been anonymously chatting with online should concern me.

But CaulkyAF doesn’t want to meet, and Cole doesn’t want anything serious, so what’s the worst that could happen?

**** Caulky is book 1 in the Four Bears Construction Series and can be read as a stand-alone. This is a funny, steamy MM story guaranteed to make you laugh and swoon. Absolutely NO cheating and NO love triangle. This series does NOT contain shifters, it's the OTHER kind of bears.

Shee Reader - 5 Hearts

This is a gorgeous book! I adored both Cole and Ren (although Cole was possibly too good to be true?) and the online chatting angle is adorable.

Ren’s ex did a bit of a number on his self esteem and he can’t face another relationship. He’s after hot sex and that’s exactly what he gets, at first. The pesky feelings soon follow!

I liked the story and the writing. The characters are enjoyable and endearing, whilst being fun and Ran was pretty relatable, amirite? The dialogue is cute and I loved Cole getting teased by his business partners. Ren’s best friend is a bit of a hot mess too, and I’d love to see him get his HEA (hopefully with one of the other bears?????)

I really appreciated that this book included lots of good clear communication, even if that wasn’t present in all their contact.

I will be looking out for the rest of the bears to get their HEAs, hopefully soon!

I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.


Ann - 4 Hearts

Such a sweet tale of bears and bees. I do like that scenario much better than birds and bees. No offense to birds, but they definitely can’t compete with bears. Ever.

I really liked how the author drove the characters down their paths, both separately and together. The story came from two different places, but they melded together seamlessly in the end. Ren/Rebound and Cole/CaulkyAF had chemisty for days straight from the first meeting. Or, I should say, the first meetings. As the two of them met more than once, in person and again online.

Firstly they met in person at a bar and had a hot-as-all-hell one night stand that scratched all their itches and then some. And thennnnnn, they met again as Contractor and Customer. The attraction they felt clashed with the discomfort at coming face to face with the person they never thought they’d see again, but that’s where the fun was. The correct level of angst was delivered with the push and pull as these two had to interact in RL.

At the same time there were online convos between Rebound and CaulkyAF. These were my favorite interactions (not counting the ridiculous levels of steam delivered during their in-person interludes). They became friends online and I think that was the catalyst for them to let all their commitment fears go because they realized how good it feels to have feelings.

It was really sweet, especially since we, as the readers, are privy to the big secret that they MC’s aren’t. It made for an easier read and removed the miscommunication frustration that can sometimes happen. It also gave the guys more well fleshed out personalities because I got to see them in more than one social light as well as be in their heads. Honestly, I really wanted to like Cole more than I did in person. On paper, he was a total treat, but that much cockiness isn’t my flavor. But, his interactions as CaulkyAF with Rebound and later as the more emotionally mature Cole, I absolutely loved him. He was open, honest, considerate, vulnerable and all the other good adjectives.

I’m here for this series and can’t wait to read each bear tale as they come along.

Review: The Dishevelled Duke (A Little Bit Cupid #4) by Catherine Curzon and Eleanor Harkstead

Will a photographer be swept off his feet by a duke who’s more dishevelled than dashing?

It’s Valentine’s Day and it’s Billy last shift at The Chelsea Bunn. His photography career never took off, so it’s time to leave London, parcel up the leftover heart-shaped cakes and head back home to Hampshire.

Rumpled Charlie and his two mischievous dogs are Billy’s favourite customers, so when Charlie turns up at closing time with a mysterious wrapped gift and the offer of a whirlwind trip on the London Eye, Billy can’t say no. But Charlie is keeping a secret that could turn Billy’s world happily upside down.

As the snow falls over London and the big wheel grinds to a halt, Billy discovers that wishes aren’t just for Christmas.

This charming little love story knocked my knickers clean off with its cuteness. It’s just the story I want to read for Valentine’s Day, it’s ultra romantic and has loveable characters. Plus, no real angst to speak of! Let’s all hug.

Billy is a photographer giving up his dreams of the London art scene and is heading back home to Hampshire. Of course he’s sad to be leaving his aspirtions behind for now, but another thing that breaks his heart is that he’ll be leaving his favorite customer from the coffee shop where he works behind, without having a chance to say goodbye.

Charlie comes into the coffee shop with his beloved pups on the regular and he and Billy are quite obviously smitten with one another. But, they are both a little shy, and it takes a kick in the booty by Cupid to bring these two together.

Charlie makes the first move and honestly, reading the banter between these two is freakin’ adorable. It’s sooooo sweet, but also balanced with realistic chat so it’s not sickeningly sweet, it’s just . . . just right.

The story makes a turn toward fairytale status via the London Eye when Charlie convinces Billy to go for a spin, literally. As the two share leftover heart shaped treats from the coffee shop, Billy gets a call from the gallery owner where his photos are hanging that will change his life. Once he hangs up, Charlie and Billy get to chatting, confessions are made and it’s like Cupid himself shot all the arrows at them at once because from here on out, the two of them are bombarded with happy accidents and I didn’t care how realistic they may or may not have been, I wanted all the arrows. All of them.

This tale goes on my ‘reread’ holiday shelf.

**a copy of this story is provided for an honest review**

Review: The Moment (A Little Bit Cupid #3) by Pelaam

When Jason takes the chance on a blind date, it’s then that his eyes are finally opened.

Wealthy winery owner Jason is happy to claim that he’s too busy to have a love life or a romance. He has all he needs with his personal secretary taking care of his business life and an old friend looking after the yacht where they live.

When he’s invited to a Valentine’s masked ball, Jason asks his assistant Kris to find him a date for the evening. To Jason’s shock, instead of someone Jason knows and is comfortable with, Kris sets him up with a blind date—one he claims will be a perfect match. Trusting him, Jason agrees.

His date appears dressed as Princess Buttercup, and Jason is surprised at just how comfortable he is with the unknown person. 

But when Buttercup is abused by another party attendee, Jason follows his distraught guest and his eyes are fully opened.

When ‘the moment’ comes, will Jason grab it with both hands?

 Reader advisory: This book contains cross-dressing and references to stalking and unwanted groping.

This was a fun fantasy-level Valentine story. I don’t mean fantasy in that there were fae, dragons and trolls. No, this was a fantasy because Jason is a ridiculously rich winery owner who lives on a yacht and is one of the most personable and generous person you will ever meet, so basically, a myth. I jest. Kind of.

Forget your 9-5 nonsense and frolic with the rich and beautiful in The Moment. The fact that the characters are likable and accessible keeps this story relatable even though I couldn’t really relate to any of it. I did kind of feel like I was on this fantasy vacation while reading it though and that alone is worth the time it takes to read this short story and meet these beautiful people.

Jason is invited to a masked ball at Valentine’s and tasks his amazing assistant Kris with finding him the perfect costume and a date. Well, it’s obvious the two are attracted to one another, but even Jason knows it’s not wise to fish off the company pier. Kris finds Jason the perfect costume and the perfect blind date. Now the perfect date is dressed as a woman, I mean, there’s no question that this is a man, but Jason is intrigued with his lovely and mysterious masked blind date.

It’s obvious to everyone on the planet except for Jason who his mystery date is, but it’s way more fun to play along and read along as the two flirt and mingle their way through the masked ball. There were some unnecessary (in my opinion) abusive shenanigans directed at Jason’s date and while I didn’t like it, it was a vehicle for Jason to be a hero and he came through big time.

After the big reveal and Jason and Kris were able to get real, they got really real in the privacy of Jason’s yacht. It was really very sweet and it was obvious these two were very much in love. They’d worked together for years, knew each other well and Jason was friends with all of his employees, Kris especially.

This story may have been too much if the author hadn’t made the characters so likable. It made it easy to believe that there was an HEA down the road for Kris and Jason. Normally that wouldn’t be realistic with the boss/employee dynamic, but these are perfectly perfect people, so it will work, of that I have no doubt.

Now, I don’t normally dig on perfectly perfect people, but the author made me care about and like these guys quite a bit and this was a great Valentine dream to read.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**

Review: Valentine's Day Blues (A Little Bit Cupid Collection) by J.P. Bowie

What does it take for Valentine’s-Day-hating Bryan Colby to discover that he really loves it? Meeting Officer Ben Collins, of course.

Bryan Colby doesn’t like Valentine’s Day. Despite being told by his close friends that he’s silly to fester over something that happened five years ago, he just can’t get excited as yet another Valentine’s Day approaches.

Bryan, a rising star at the local real estate office, prefers to work instead, but is assaulted while showing a vacant property. In the ambulance, he meets Officer Ben Collins and Bryan wastes no time in letting Ben know he finds him attractive and would like to get better acquainted with him, in every possible way.

At first wary of Bryan’s flirty, come-hither attitude, Ben eventually warms to Bryan’s charm, and agrees to meet him for a coffee. But circumstances outside their control change that date to a much more sensual meeting.

After all, it is Valentine’s Day week, and romance is most definitely in the air…

Reader advisory: This book contains references to parental abandonment. There are scenes involving mugging/assault, and armed robbery with hostage-taking. This book also includes a practical joke of a sexual nature.

I love holiday stories, I really don’t care which holiday or in what context, for whatever reason they are my weakness and I’ll always pick one up to read when I’m in a rut. I was excited to see that there was a bundle of Valentine’s stories coming out and I snatched all of them, and I’m so glad I did. Valentine’s stories seem to lean toward having men who have been burned in the past and who isn’t a sucker for hard-won-love?

Valentine’s Day Blues is just that and it wasn’t just one half of the future couple who was anti-Valentine’s and anti-romance in general, both Bryan and Ben were NOT looking for love when they met. Their meeting was quite unfortunate really, Bryan is the victim of a crime and Ben is the responding officer. There was definite chemistry and Bryan was the one driving the bus with moving the flirtation forward. While he may have come off as a little much here and there, it was obvious Ben was into him too, so it was more sweet than anything else.

There was much to like about this Valenine’s Day novella, the characters are charming in their own ways, the beginning of their relarionship is unique and they had the kind of connection that is very “meant to be” and “right person, right time”, you know those kind, everything just clicks. So, I rooted for them from the beginning and I liked how Bryan was so supportive for Ben considering his career in law enforcement, etc.

I did struggle with a few bits though. I got a bit of emotional whiplash when the two of them got physical. Ben ran hot and cold and it was pretty off putting. I mean, I get it, he’s a cop, he’s not out at work and he’s getting involved with the victim of a crime. But, my dude, in the span of a few pages they went from making out, to cold shoulder, to arguing to rimming. I need more pages in between those things to digest what the hell just happened. The other problem I had was with the practical joke that was played on Bryan by his sister and friends. It was terrible, it was shitty and it wasn’t funny. I don’t blame Bryan for being bitter and pissed off. I would be and I would be forever. Bryan is obviously a better man than I.

Basically, if some of the extremes were dialled back from 11 to say, a 5 or 6, it would have all worked better for me, especially for a novella length story. There isn’t enough page time to absorb all the emotional swings and resolve them in a satisfactory way, but that is just me and how I process contemporary stories. I can’t help but want my drama and realism to balance with story length, too much drama is just too distracting from the overall story. That doesn’t mean that other readers won’t love the pace and the passion, because Valentine’s Day Blues definitely has that.

The resolution and the epilogue were great, especially that epilogue. I totally bought into an HEA for these guys and their future looks to be much more chill than their beginning. They both deserve it and I was really happy with how their Valentine’s Day evolved for them.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**

Review: Special Delivery (A Little Bit Cupid #2) by Ellen Mint

Jack never saw this special delivery coming.

Jack Dawson has been madly in love with Tan Nguyen since high school. So when his oldest crush walks into his flower shop to place an order, Jack…runs into the closet to hide.

Valentine’s Day is the worst day for florists, especially lonely ones who just want a boyfriend at least a quarter as hot as Tan. Add in Jack having to hand-deliver a special romance basket for Tan’s secret date while wearing a bright red suit and he’s tempted to flee to Canada.

But, to his shock, this is going to be a February Fourteenth that Jack will never forget.

This quick and sweet little Valentine nugget was heartwarmingly charming and funny. I loved Jack’s inner monolgue right from the beginning while he told his back story and pined away for the allegedly unattainlable Tan.

The humor was great without trying too hard, it flowed from Jack easily and organically. Jack is an every man who has been unlucky in love and as a struggling artist he’s been working at a florist for entirely too long, at the expense of his creativity. All that being said, Valentine’s Day is hardly his favorite holiday and he just wants to survive it at this point.

He’s had a crush on the oh-so-dreamy Tan since high school and when Tan makes an unexpected appearance at the florist where Jack works, Jack is all kinds of a funny mess as he reminisces and gets through Valentines delivery hell.

Jack’s final delivery is the meat of the story and I say that unironically, as meat was had all around. Keeping in mind this is a short story, the heat is turned up to 11 pretty quickly. Believable? Not so much, but that wasn’t what I came for and I just let the believability slide because it was a happy and horny ending for both guys and I was there for it.

This is one of those shorts that left me wanting more, not necessarily because anything was lacking, but just because I could really see this as, at minimum, a novella. There were a lot of untouched plot points and Tan’s POV would be awesome to read. Still, I enjoyed this fun and sweet read for what it was meant to be and will definitely looking for more from this author.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**

Review: The Captain and the Squire (The Captivating Captains #5) by Catherine Curzon and Eleanor Harkstead

Tarquin Bough is a tweedy squire with an ambitious fiancée who controls his every move. He’s also the owner of the finest collection of saucy artefacts in the world. From Christine Keeler’s eyelash to the Virgin Queen’s dildo, they’re all safe in Tarquin’s care. 

Christopher Hardacre is a city-slicker with the tighest jodhpurs and the most smackable bottom in London. He’s given up the ratrace for a country life as captain of the village rowing team. The only trouble is, he’s lost his money to a ruthless scam and Bough Bottoms is his last hope of a home.

But Chris hasn’t reckoned on his late uncle’s will. The house comes with a sitting porcine tenant and if Chris can’t look after his newly-acquired pet pig, he’ll lose his inheritance and his last chance at happiness.

When Tarquin sees Chris it’s lust at first sight, but dare he be honest about his feelings in a village where being gay is bound to be a hot topic? As soon as Chris and Tarquin get together, it’s the hottest summer this little corner of England has ever known.

With a scheming local hotshot out to turn the beloved pig into sausages, can the captain and the squire save everybody’s bacon?

The Captain and the Squire is a total kick. The language is fun, the banter is deliciously dirty and the MC’s are just amusingly quirky. Tarquin and Christopher begin their relationship as enemies, but really don’t take long to delve into some mildly kinky games involving spanking and some right proper saucy talk. I loved the page time the two shared when they were on the same page and were shutting out the rest of Bough Bottoms.

Tarq’s family has a collection of sexual artifacts and he continues on in search of acquisitions. Chris will inherit his uncle’s estate if he can convince the Oracle of Delphi, his uncle’s pet pig to become his own beloved pet. The Oracle has been residing with Tarqs after the uncle’s death and thankfully Tarqs and Chris have become friends and then some so Chris can spend quality time singing show tunes to The Oracle.

Tarquin and Christopher are a match physically and emotionally. As much as I loved their dirty little games, who doesn’t love a man going commando in tight jodhpurs preparing for a little spanking action, I also loved the ridiculous amount of fluff the two threw each others way. Once they moved past just the physical and started falling for each other and contemplating the L word, they were adorably sappy and it wouldn’t have worked for just any characters, but it certainly worked for them. 

I do believe I liked the story more than 3 hearts worth, but cheating is my no-fly zone in stories and the fact that Tarquin and Petunia were engaged for most of the story really bothered me. I could see them being engaged at the start and breaking things off, but they didn’t, Tarquin was committing to marrying that bitch even after he and Chris were soooo obviously in love.

Tarquin didn’t love his fiance and vice versa, they didn’t even like each other. She treated yTarquin horribly and I lost respect for him for taking that nonsense, whether Chris was in his life or not. When Tarq and Chris have their ultimatum/miscommunication moment I wanted to choke my Kindle. I was all, “Dammit Tarq, you stupid hamster! Human up, get your shit together and clean house!” Not even for Chris, but for his own damn sake. The fact that Chris was paying the price for Tarqs epic level of stupid was so annoying.

I get the engagement was a plot point, and necessary for the “mystery” but it detracted from Chris and Tarq for me and that was the party I showed up for, the rest could have been replaced with something less offputting than infidelity.

Thank jeebus for a righteous ending and an even better epilogue. I do believe, in the end, The Oracle is the ultimate hero of this story, but I am ever so thankful that Tarq pulled it together and that Chris is the forgiving sort in the name of love and floggings.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**

Review: Changes Coming Down (Changes #1) by Kaje Harper

For three gay men in love, opening the closet door could be a risky move.

Sheriff Casey Barlow has a slick, media-savvy challenger out to beat him in the upcoming election. Casey's damned good at his job, but he hasn't kissed the right asses, and early polls suggest voters like his opponent's style. Coming out now, let alone revealing his relationship with two men, could sink any hope of keeping his badge.

Scott Edison has a real shot at the NHL. He's playing the best hockey of his life. Whenever he can, he travels home to his gruff sheriff and their laid-back cowboy, but there are no out gay players in the NHL. As a rookie working his ass off to be called up, he can't afford to make waves.

Will Rice always figured he'd live alone, managing Graham and Annmarie Slater's cattle ranch, but a hot, young hockey player and a compact, muscled lawman rearranged his plans. Even though he's older and lanky and ordinary, he's been sharing their lives and their beds. He doesn't need to be out— isn't sure he ever wants the Slaters to know about him. Life's good the way things are. 

Then Graham and Annmarie are killed in a hit and run that may not be an accident. As Will grieves, and Casey investigates, the coming changes will shake all their lives.

I’ll be the first to admit I can be a big ol’ baby when it comes to books sometimes. I love me some horror, thrillers, the whole mess. I like to read them late at night alone to amp the freak out factor. But, my romance? I need it to be swaddled for me in fluffy clouds and baby bunnies. Some of my absolute all time favorite books are heavy on the angst, but I really have to work myself up to them. I never regret reading them in the end, but struggles in love are tough for me to deal with.

I am obviously a huge fan of LGBTQIA romance, and there are a few plot points that kill me to death and I turn extra Pollyanna about reading them. One of the biggies that hits me hardest is the characters who live in the closet, for whatever reason. Reading about the injustice of anyone not living their best life because of the potential fallout is tough for this big ol’ baby. And that’s just my privileged self sitting on my couch, reading about a struggle I will never know but want to learn to empathize with.

So, reading the blurb for Changes Coming Down, I was thinking, “Ann, this is so going to kick your sorry ass.” And it did, but honestly, I’ve read enough Kaje Harper to know that she is going to hit me with way too many feelings, but they’ll be really well balanced with some humor, hope and MCs that have me hooked from the first page I meet them.

Three closeted guys in a committed relationship is a tall order of a story. Throw in some murder mystery and that’s a lot of real estate to tie together and make flow comprehensively. But the author did it and it read so smoothly, I kind of forgot there were so many separate elements going on. Because all those elements ended up tied together very logically, the book read smoothly and it was truly hard to put down.

The biggest strength of Changes Coming Down is the bond between Scotty, Will and Casey. They all have very strong and distinct personalities, but their conversations and inner musings showed how much they cared for and needed one another. They were already established when the books starts and their history is told in bits as the story progressed, which worked completely fine for me because I already was sold on the three of them being together.

There are plenty of tense moments as their futures shift them out of their comfort zones, and there were times when I wanted to put my Kindle in the freezer to save me from potentially heartbreaking scenes, but the guys supported one another so well, since they had each others back, they basically had mine too.

They each had their moments to lose their cool too and that helped keep the story grounded. Casey had a temper that got him into trouble on more than one occasion, so Will and Scotty knew how to deal with him well. They had each others numbers througout and that strength made it all work.

The book doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, but it does end with some major changes for the three of them that sets up the second book coming soon. And thankfully it’s coming soon, because I am all kinds of invested over here. I need to know what’s going to happen with all the things, and there are A LOT of things I need to know and read more of.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**