Audiobook Review: Live for Love (All Cocks #5) by T.M. Smith

Beauregard Boudreaux is a native of New Orleans Louisiana, born and raised there, he never thought he would ever stray far from home. The untimely death of his first love left Beau lost, adrift, looking for a place as far away from the pain as possible. Initially, he came to New York to visit a friend, the city growing on him, so he decided to stay. His law degree comes in handy at the LGBT Center he runs, but his bar is his baby.

William Richards grew up in Chicago, his family oddly normal and very accepting of his sexuality. Modeling paid the bills, gigs across the country as a model, male entertainer and a personal trainer giving him the opportunity to see the world. He hasn’t experienced loss or pain as Beau has, the common denominator between them is the loneliness. As All Cocks big, brooding bottom Connor, William has found friendship, family and an outlet for his craving to be more submissive than men of his size and stature usually are.

The two men are perfect for each other, their tastes and lives align and the writing seems to be on the wall. But Beau has a secret he shares with a choice few, a secret that not only threatens to keep them apart, it’s deadly. Determined to keep a wall between himself and William, Beau fights the attraction, pushes William away every time he steps closer. Can one man’s determination and strength be enough to tear down a wall that holds back decades of pain and darkness? And if he can, will either of them survive the flood?

Disclaimer: This book is the fictional story of a man living with HIV. I have put a lot of time and effort into presenting this story as true to fact as possible, without going into gory or gruesome detail. If this subject is a trigger for you, you may want to skip this read. But my hope is that you give Beau a chance to capture your heart as he has mine, and William’s.

Listening Length: 5 hours and 26 minutes
Narrator: Joel Leslie

Reviewer: Shee Reader

Well, I just finished listening to this joyous book, and now I have to try and tell you how good it was? Spoiler alert: it was awesome!

I’ve read and listened to all of the previous books in the series, and though it was great to touch base with characters, couples (and the thruples) from previous tales, it would work perfectly as a stand alone. Beau is a lovely quiet, stoic character who successfully pushed people away after losing the love of his life. As such, I was pleased that he was seeing a therapist (who we met earlier in the series and who is successfully living in a polyamorous relationship). Beau had such strength and sadness that I was rooting for him from the outset. That said, I still wanted to kick his ass for almost losing William due to his pig-headedness! Beau’s self enforced isolation was no match for the ever tenacious William. William is a low angst character, who worked as an All Cocks model/performer in order to give himself what he needed. I loved his character, and the fact that he relentlessly pursued Beau even when he was being a jackass!

Their pairing is perfect. William’s strength and resolve were so inspiring, and Beau was a hero to many of the young people at the LGBT youth centre. Again, as in previous stories, the strength of relationships amongst the supporting characters gave Beau and William the family they chose for themselves. The book is quite delightful from start to finish, and didn’t shy away from the harsh reality of life for an HIV positive man, the subject was dealt with beautifully by the author: no over dramatisation, and all the accurate facts. The realism was almost choking at times.

As always, the performance by Joel Leslie was legendary! Awesome voice characterisation, outstanding versatility and all the passion and joy I have come to expect from Joel.

All in all, this is a must listen!

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

Audiobook Review: Unbreak My Heart (Unbreak My Heart #1) by K-lee Klein

Brett Taylor has been doing just fine living in his little world of grief and pain for the past three years—thank you very much. Losing someone special is life changing, and Brett doesn't understand why everyone and their damn dog thinks they can get all up in his business about moving on. He's accepted his job going from musician to rancher without relying on anyone else's opinion, and he doesn't need some city kid coming into his life to break the habits he's been practicing—grief, isolation, and a whole lot of Jack Daniels.

JT Campbell was on a quest to escape his old life, and to figure out who he is and where he belonged as he moved from one meaningless job to the next. He wasn't looking to save anyone, let alone a secretive, hotter-than-hell rancher who wore his heart on his sleeve. He likes working for Brett, but it's been made perfectly clear that any relationship other than professional will never see the light of day.

But when JT's lust turns to love, and he gives in to his desire to find out what makes Brett tick, will his patience and support result in Brett lowering the walls he's built-up enough so JT can unbreak his heart?

Listening Length: 10 hours 27 minutes
Narrator: Nick J. Russo

Reviewer: R *A Reader Obsessed*

This was a classic second chance romance made all the better by having it feature a likeable, brooding cowboy and the young stranger who captures his heart.

Brett has been wallowing in grief and guilt over the death of his partner 3 years ago. He’s functional but barely, often drowning his sorrows in good ole Jack Daniels. When his overbearing, meddling mom brings home a guy she found on the highway, Brett is none too happy nor impressed.

JT hasn’t really had it easy either. He’s long been searching for something. What exactly, he’s not quite sure. He just knows that he’s his own person and because his family couldn’t accept that, there was no reason to stick around. Somehow, JT finds himself on Brett’s ranch, and he’s willing to try it out for awhile. Why not, right? He never anticipates falling for his gentle grieving boss.

Both these men are attracted to each other, and both fall hard and fast, but that doesn't mean those feelings are easily accepted. There’s definitely too many obstacles and issues standing in their way, so their dance is quite a long one. JT is patient, understanding, and willing to do whatever is needed so as to not spook Brett further into more self destruction. Brett’s internal struggle is a big one, as he tries to reconcile his conflicting feelings about wanting happiness and moving on.

These two together were very, very nice. I enjoyed their banter and interactions - tentative at times, uncontrolled at others. The UST, the foreplay, the culmination? Yep. No complaints here. There is of course the obligatory plot reveal that causes all sorts of drama. You know it’s gonna happen, there’s many hints at it coming, and it explodes quite messily. Of course it does. However, this is fiction and romantic fiction at that. After a cathartic painful reveal, things are finally allowed to heal.

This is one of those instances where the audio actually raised the rating for me, as Nick J. Russo excels at bringing out the charismatic, subtle southern charm that is all Brett. This is a highly emotional story, one that is full of grief, self recrimination, and reticence, all the way to hope, lust, happiness and eventually love. Russo gets every single one of these nuanced emotions just right, along with showcasing Brett’s rawness in his devastation, his anger, along with all his vulnerabilities and doubts. Know too that JT and the other supporting characters are richly portrayed as well, their personalities distinct and fully realized. I’m truly impressed.

So yes, this was definitely a story about second chances, however scary and thrilling they may be. Emotionally touching and sexy, this was made all the better by a truly heartfelt narration.

Thank you to the author/publisher for the audio in exchange for an honest review

Guest Review: Smitty's Sheriff (Hope #3) by Cardeno C.

Todd is too flakey. Richard is too stubborn. Together, they're perfect. A May-December couple get a second chance at love.

Retired soldier Richard Davis wants a stable life in a quiet town with a forever man. Becoming the sheriff of Hope, Arizona, accomplishes two of his three goals, but instead of finding a serious partner, he falls for too-young-to-be-committed and too-flakey-to-be-serious Todd Smitty. Richard won’t find the right man if he’s obsessed with the wrong one, so he walks away from Todd.

It’s lust at first sight when Todd meets his sister’s army friend. He sets his sights on the worldly, strong, stable older man, and the more time he spends with Richard, the harder he falls. But after three years together, Richard cuts off all contact with no explanation.

When a mutual obligation requires Todd to move into Richard’s house, he’s thrilled at the opportunity to earn a second chance. Ignoring Todd from across town was hard enough. Can Richard resist temptation under his own roof?

Reviewer: Shee Reader

Oh my word, I’ve been waiting for this book since Jesse’s Diner (Hope book 2) came out and we met Richard refusing to answer his phone to the-reader-didn’t-know-who, but now I’m guessing it was Todd Smitty!

Richard is a very strong and complex man. He makes up rules for himself and is pretty inflexible about crossing lines. Then there’s Todd (who we first met in McFarland’s farm - Hope book 1) who is light and carefree, fun loving and enthusiastic. The perfect antidote in fact to Richard’s brooding.

Richard tried to suppress his desire to own Todd completely, which is what Todd truly wants. I adored the fact that these two guys are the perfect yin to each other’s yang, just as I have come to rely on from Cardeno C. The story is well crafted, with less of the incredibly sharp sassy dialogue of some of CC’s books, but with plenty of character development and astute understanding.

Todd knows his own limitations, but when the men are bound together in responsibility, Todd commits time and energy to working out what went wrong between him and Rich, and working out how to fix it. The absorbing thing about these guys (and one of the things I most love about CC’s writing) is that they really talk to, and listen to each other.

I enjoyed seeing characters from the previous books getting a mention, and we get a little teaser for what I hope will be Hope book 4!

It is a quick fix of happy loveliness being a pretty quick read, but is no worse off for that. I absolutely loved it.

Highly recommended.

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

Review: Secrets of You (Sunshine and Happiness #4) by Skylar M. Cates

It’s never easy to find redemption.

Carrying scars and regrets, River Darcourt avoids too much intimate contact. Among his friends, he is known as a quiet loner. Forget about love. It’s not something he will consider… until sweet, young, and tempting Morgan Hayes becomes his housemate. River closed his heart long ago, but the attraction is impossible to deny.

Morgan Hayes needs a change. He is moving out of his critical father’s home and in with his friends, including his secret/not-so-secret crush, River. Having feelings for River is a terrible idea. But what is a guy to do when the annoyingly sexy mechanic is just across the hall?

While Morgan has overcome ugliness and is ready for love, he’s just not sure River ever will be. They have both experienced pain in their lives. So Morgan dares River to take a chance, and love will either break their fractured hearts in more pieces or, just possibly, make them whole again.

This series is a favorite of mine. I like that it is named Sunshine and Happiness because for the majority of the books, it’s quite the opposite but when life is dark, all you want is to bask in the contented light.

My heart hurt for River when we met him in Here for You. When we get more of River and meet Morgan in Lovers, Losers and You, I said… “I really hope that my dear sweet, yet sexy Morgan realizes who saved him… the man who smells of leather and oranges… the man on the motorcycle who is brooding over Brendan’s death and OMG! They better get a damn book because I need it. It has to be those two, HAS TO BE!” And that brings us to the present and me finally getting River’s book – WITH MORGAN - and waiting with bated breath to see how this all works out.

I won’t lie, I came into this book with high hopes. River has been this brooding and mysterious character who we know is mourning the loss of Brendan and the relationship no one knew even existed. I’ve had this book for some time but I had to be sure my angst whore was ready… My heart a mess before I even opened the book and then, I did.

Wow.

This book did not disappoint at all. It had everything and more than I could have hope for with two men who yeah, have secrets but are looking to lay them all on the table for love.

Goodness. Let’s see if rambling Red can review this with a bit of sense?

Told from the dual POV (thank Jeebus) of River and Morgan we begin the story as Morgan is moving into what I now call the Ocean Vista house of gay love and relationships because really, it’s true and it’s magical. Morgan has had a crush on River since he met him and little does our lithe design studying boy know, River has been crushing right back. But everyone is warning Morgan off his crush, worried that River will hurt Morgan with his dark and brooding ways so Morgan tries to play it cool. Try, being the operative word.

Of course we have everyone from the first three books in this one and the housemates are gearing up to attend Cole and Ian’s wedding on a cruise ship. Their honeymoon is also on the cruise ship and they have invited the boys to come along and celebrate. Marc and Tomas have planned to go and then Owen and Andrew decide last minute as well which leaves… Morgan and River alone, in the house, for a total of 14 days. Yeah, there is no way something could happen between two housemates with off the charts hot chemistry that burned my fingers through my Nook. Nothing. At. All. *grins*

I absolutely adore being in River’s head. It’s just about as angsty, anti-heroic and stupidly swoony as I thought it would be. I loved getting to see Morgan through his eyes and how much he wanted to have a relationship with him but was terrified. I hated seeing how hurt he was by Brendan’s actions with their secret relationship and how he thinks he is cursed to lose everyone he loves. River is troubled by his past and the possibility of it hurting Morgan weighed on my heart. River is such a good man, he truly is and he deserves someone who sees through all his bullshit, over his walls and straight to the heart of the oh so sexy mechanic.

And then there is Morgan, who I now will call my yoga buddy because I too have put on Prince to get down on my mat for some freaking cosmic centering. We know from the previous books that Morgan has been assaulted and that he was rescued by someone smelling of orange and leather. We know that it’s totally River but Morgan doesn’t have a clue. I loved that he was so open with River and really gave all of himself to the budding romance between them, even when River tried to deny it was happening. These two are such an amazing couple and that first kiss was gorgeous. Ugh. They just about killed me with the UST and turned me into a puddle when they finally gave in.

There is a sort of third wheel in this romance and it comes in the form of a ghost; Brendan. He’s present because he was a housemate, a friend, Owen’s brother and a fuck buddy to River but he is also competition to Morgan, or so he believes. It was heartbreaking to watch Morgan go through the emotions about Brendan and not have the courage or really feel the right to ask River what he needed to know. I am one of those readers who doesn’t mind miscommunication in her romance because it can lead to some big emotional scenes of revelation and let me tell you, this one is goo worthy.

Can I wrap these two up in the biggest hug? I mean, I love them. They are fun when they flirt, they are adorable when they’re being domestic, hot AF when they’re in bed or anywhere else and they are amazing when they both let down their walls to be honest about their feelings.

Getting River’s past was bittersweet. I have been wondering what he was hiding and the angst of his deal with Brendan was only the beginning. He’s not had the best of things but I loved the character growth and maturity we see in him with this book. The first half was so much fun with the boys getting to a comfortable point with one another and the second half was an emotional journey that had me unable to stop reading to see how they would work this out. I will just say both River and Morgan came through with respect and understanding and it was gorgeous to see it all come to fruition.

I like that though this was angsty, but not as much as I originally expected, the author added in moments of humor that fit this couple well. How they tell their housemates and friends they are together made me chuckle and the end was perfect and fitting for Morgan and River.

I am curious about a character that we met while picking out the Charity River would give the insurance money from Brendan’s accident to and whom Marc knows. Will he be a new housemate? Will he get a story? Also, will Logan ever reach out to Ennio because that just about broke my heart as well.

Sigh. Okay. I think I have rambled enough.

Secrets of You is by far my favorite in the series and if you can’t tell, I loved the hell out of it! I liked River so much when I first met him and knew he deserved to find a love that would last a lifetime and I couldn’t be happier that it’s Morgan.