Anniversary Shenanigans: Cate Ashwood Giveaway!

Cate Ashwood is here today with a heartwarming story and a stellar giveaway too! Read on to find out more!

Thank you so much to BMBR for having me and Happy 5th Anniversary! I am so excited to be here today to be a part of the celebration.

This month also happens to be an anniversary of sorts for me, too. November is when I met my best friend, four years ago. We actually met through NaNoWriMo, on the regional message boards. She messaged me to say hello and it turned out we were basically soulmates just waiting to meet.

I’d always been jealous of those people who’d had the same bestie since they were kids—my husband and his best friend met way back in middle school—but after I graduated, I lost touch with most of the people I’d grown up with. I moved away for school and the city I moved to wasn’t really one of the friendliest. It was tough to meet people who had the same interests as me, and so for a long time I hid between the pages of books.

But those books are what led me to meeting some of the best people I’ve ever known. Most of my friends are writers or readers, and I met many of them through events and conferences in the m/m world.

I am so grateful to have found this community and the people in it. We really are like a family!

I count myself lucky every single day that this is what I get to do for a living. I write the stories I love, stories I’m passionate about, the stories I want to read. This month I have a brand new one coming out, too! It’s called Bishop Ridge, and if you’ve read Alaska, it’s the second book in the series.

The thing I love so much about this series is that I’m really getting to explore relationships beyond just the romantic pairing of the main characters. There are so many interconnected friendships and relationship dynamics, and being that it’s a series, I get to delve into them a little deeper than I would in a standalone.

Logan appeared in book one, and he’s back in this book as one of the main characters. Jackson is his love interest and I had a lot of fun with him. He’s kind of a loner… he doesn’t make friends easily, and in the beginning, he’s good with that. He also seems to have picked up some friends along the way, without even realizing it was happening, and one of the characters who popped up suddenly started trying to steal the show for me, and in all likelihood, will end up with his own book.

Bishop Ridge released November 16th and will be available free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers!

Here’s what it’s about:

They found exactly what they weren’t looking for.

Logan:

I had almost everything I’d ever wanted—career, friends, my own easy life in Sawyer’s Ferry, Alaska. I’d given up on filling in the missing pieces long ago. Now, I was more than satisfied with the perfectly practiced, perfectly predictable routine I’d created for myself. At least until Jackson Daly walked into my clinic.

Jackson:
Working the rigs is temporary. Everything in my life is. Jobs, cities, and the guys I take home—nothing sticks, and that’s exactly the way I like it. After four years in Alaska, I’m itching to pick up and leave. I’m ready to move on and start over someplace new, until a one-night stand I can’t seem to shake has me breaking all my own rules.

Now as I get closer to walking away, my reasons for leaving seem blurrier than ever, and for the first time in my life, there could be something worth staying for.

We unicorns would like to thank Cate for her generosity in helping us celebrate 5 years of unicorning! She is giving away 3 copies of Bishop Ridge to 3 lucky winners (or another book of your choice if you’d rather).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway is open until 12:00AM (EST) 12/6/18. Shortly thereafter, we will contact a winner!

Please respond to the winning notification within 48 hours or we will choose another winner. Good luck!

Don't miss entering in our month long unicorn giveaway HERE! It ends 12/1/18!

Review: Home Skillet (Culinary Kings #1) by Cate Ashwood & Sandra Damien

Sometimes the only way to move forward… is to go back.

JAMES

I don't know what's more shocking—the sudden end to my marriage, or the fact that I'd married a woman at all. But now I'm broke and homeless, kicked out of my Upper West Side apartment while my ex-wife walks away with everything we've ever worked for. So what's an executive chef stripped of his dignity gonna do? Go back to Jersey with his tail between his legs, that's what.

BEN

I can’t say that spending a decade pining after my best friend was the best use of my time. While I'd pretty much become an expert at the whole unrequited love thing, I'd resigned myself to the fact that Jimmy and I were never gonna happen. But when Jimmy turned up on my doorstep in his hour of need, I jumped at the chance to offer him my bed—er, couch. I mean, what are friends for, right? Now that he's released from the shackles of matrimony, I can't wait to show him exactly what he's been missing out on all these years. What I didn't anticipate was him showing me that maybe I'd been missing out too.

I love second chance romances and Home Skillet ticked all the boxes there. James and Ben have been best friends for, well, pretty much ever and I could easily feel their connection in the writing. The story is told in alternating POV’s, which is good because the two of them have very different styles of communication and I don’t think they would have been as well fleshed out as they were with just one side of the story. Especially with James. If I hadn’t had his perspective I would have been way fussier with him than I kind of already was.

Both Ben and James work in the culinary world and while it could be said that James works in the culinary arts it could also be said that Ben has a job in a kitchen. James is passionate about his career and sacrificed Ben for that passion. I didn’t like that. I understood it, but that didn’t mean I had to be on board with it. James and Ben were bone buddies from way back and James ended that so he could marry a woman and further his career. He and his wife had a business transaction, nothing more and frankly, I just can’t wrap my romance-loving-brain around it.

Ben was in love with James since forever and it was just plain sad to read his perspective a lot of the times. Dude had it bad and James was all about James. Right up until he lost it all and had to get his proverbial house in order. I think that’s where my issue was. James changed because he had to, not because of some innate desire to connect with another human outside of a kitchen, and that too made me sad.

Ben was snarky, funny and charming. I liked him even if his self deprecation was a little much at times. When James (Jimmy, to Ben) left, Ben put his life on hiatus and lived from paycheck to paycheck, hating his boss and one-night-standing his way through the gay clubs in town. So, on his side it made me wonder, what would have happened to him if Jimmy wouldn’t have come home to him because he needed a place to crash? Would he have still been a miserable job zombie or would he have finally grown up and become something better for himself?

I loved the premise for this story and the characters were flawed but had hope. Part of what I love about second chance stories is the inevitability of the relationship and that was the one thing that was missing in Home Skillet for me. Ben and Jimmy were back together because of the life path Jimmy’s wife chose, not because the two of them finally got their shit together. Good on her, but shame and damn on the two of them (mostly Jimmy TBH).

I wanted to tell Ben to get off his ass and get himself some happy for his own well being and to slap some sense into Jimmy for being a selfish prick for so many years. BUT, all that ranting being said, the two of them do belong together and while I may be bitter and bitchy about Jimmy’s early life choices, I was pretty happy that they ended up together with a solid HEA.

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

Review: Cruising by Cate Ashwood

Best friends Dylan and Jake have been inseparable since college, but Dylan has one secret he can’t bring himself to share with Jake—he’s completely, utterly in love with him.

Jake’s friendship is the most important thing in the world to Dylan, so as much as it hurts to see him with other people, Dylan keeps his mouth shut about his true feelings. When Jake wins a cruise to Alaska, he asks Dylan to go along, but what Dylan doesn’t know, is that there’s more on offer than a dream vacation.

Can Dylan and Jake sail off to their happily ever after, or are they cruising toward disaster?

Cruising is a sweet little nugget of relatively angst free adorableness. It’s not really long enough to give a lot of character depth, we basically know Jake and Dylan in the context of one another only, but if you go into this with the knowledge you are getting a steamy little romantic interlude between these besties-to-lovers, you will end the story with a warm and squishy heart.

I was in the mood for a story with no drama and sweet feels and Cruising is exactly that. The story switches POV’s by chapter so you know what both characters are experiencing throughout which was a total treat. It was sweet to read how Jake and Dylan pined for one another while still being completely clueless. The author did a really good job of showing how they felt for one another through their thoughts and actions. There were a lot of speechless moments as one of them would get bowled over by a look or a smile and it was just too damn cute.

Jake and Dylan have been in love with each other for pretty much ever, but have been going on and on as best friends because neither wants to ruin the best part of their lives. So while the cruise itself isn’t necessarily a meet-cute, it is an adorable device to bring the two of them together. Finally! And while it didn’t go exactly as Jake had planned, the outcome still worked. There was some obligatory morning-after trepidations, but it didn’t go on for too long, and as I said, the dual POV’s keep the reader in the loop even if these two still had to work through their worries. The story did need a little something to keep it from being too sweet and the smidges of anxiety kept it out of saccharine territory.

While I may have wished for a bit more depth to each of the characters, I can attribute that to really liking the bits I did get to meet and that’s a good thing. When the story ended I was all smiley and probably said “D’awwwwwww” out loud. Keep this story on standby when you need a sweet book hug with a healthy dose of heat.

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

Review: Textual Relations by Cate Ashwood

Evolutionary psychology professor Henry Hathaway is ready to spend his birthday the same way he does every year: a good teeth cleaning followed by dinner with his brother. But when he receives a wrong-number text confirming the details of a date, he does what any considerate person would—he goes to meet them and explain why they've been stood up.

Asher Wescott hadn't expected his blind date to go well, because when do they ever? Henry shows up instead, and things are suddenly looking up.

Socially awkward and attached to his routines, Henry is nevertheless one of the most charming and kind men Asher has met in a long time.

Too bad he's not Henry's type.

An accidental date, an impulsive kiss, and a few conflicted feelings later, can Asher get Henry to see the world—and him—in a different light?

This story is, in a word, adorable.

It’s a quiet story and I appreciated that. Angst can be overrated and sometimes I just like to read a tale of character driven self-discovery and love without a lot of extra noise. Textual Relations is told from Henry’s perspective and he’s not the most socially aware guy around. It’s not surprising when you get to know him through the descriptions of his routines, but it’s obvious he’s a good guy. He’s just a bit introverted and has trouble making real connections with other people.

He gets an accidental text on his birthday and because of the aforementioned “good guyness” he doesn’t want to leave the person waiting on their blind date hanging. So, Henry meets Asher, Asher meets Henry and the two of them end up having an amazing first not-a-date. Sure, Henry is clueless, but it’s in an incredibly charming and understandable way. To be fair, he did mention to Asher about an ex-girlfriend and a modicum of surprise that Asher was gay, so while their time together definitely reeked of a date, a really good date, I could see why Henry didn’t put it together given what I’d learned of him so far.

Asher was smitten with Henry from the beginning and I did love that he was the pursuer once we learned a little bit more of Asher’s past. He wasn’t a player per se, but he was not one to stick around for anything. The world is full of places to go and things to do for Asher, basically the opposite of Henry, and the fact that he wanted more of Henry was perfect. Being that the story is told completely through Henry’s eyes, I didn’t get as much of Asher as I would have liked. At the same time, I didn’t feel like I was missing anything vital, I just really liked him.

If the story were told from both POV’s though, it would have been a different story and it would have to be much longer. I liked it just how it was set up though, because it made Henry and his evolution the focus. And while it may have been a bit fairy tale I definitely got the message from him that labels can keep a person from getting to where they need to be. Henry’s only real turmoil came when he analyzed himself and tried to figure out “what he was”. Understandable considering his line of work, but when he let that go and just focused on how happy he was with Asher and how life and love could be full of passion he really came into himself.

Henry grounded Asher and Asher inspired Henry and I loved reading all their interactions and banter. Textual Relations will go in my comfort read file to be pulled out again when I need a warm fuzzy and some purely joyful self-discovery.

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

Review: A Fallen Heart (Zero Hour #2) by Cate Ashwood

After his last disastrous relationship, Joseph Ford has absolutely no interest in getting attached again. Concentrating on working as a trauma nurse and keeping his life as simple as possible are his only goals. Unfortunately, his plans could be derailed by the charming, sexy Nash.

Things are looking up for paramedic Ridley Nash when he transfers to Station 217. He gets along with the crew, likes his partner, and is finally on a team willing to accept him—gay and all. It’s everything he’s always wanted, but when he meets Ford, Nash knows his life is about to get very interesting.

As Ford and Nash find themselves stuck in the middle of a homicide case, things become more complicated. For the last year, the mutilated bodies of teenage boys have been showing up all over downtown. With no leads, the police are getting desperate. One of the victims is found alive, and he’s the best chance the police have to catch the killer—if only they can get him to talk.

Will Nash be able to catch Ford when he falls, or is there too much standing in their way to make it work?

There were things that I liked about this book and up to the last 20% it was looking like a 3 heart read. 

Nash is the best part of this book. He's an EMT with a heart of gold. He's laid back, cares about his job, his patients, does his best to get along with his co-workers, puts others at ease and has a generosity of spirit that's readily apparent. I liked him a lot.

He meets Ford who's an ER nurse and sparks fly. It's clear they're both attracted to each other but Ford keeps putting Nash off. This is where things started to come apart for me.

Ford's previous boyfriend was a dick. Ford's feels were hurt. I get that it's hard to get back in the saddle after getting kicked in the teeth. What I don't get is the globalization that he's defective and unloveable. He keeps making references to repeatedly picking the wrong guys, but never gives specifics. In order for this woe is me I'm too damaged to ever have a relationship trope to work for me I need specificity above and beyond because reasons. I need to feel it. I need the author to make me invest in a pervasive lack of self-worth otherwise I'm going to side eye its triteness.

He and Nash spend virtually all their free time together and things are going SO WELL! The strongest point of the book was their relationship development. The connection between them is clear, the sex was hot enough, Ford even gets along well with Nash's parents. There were any number of great moments and then Nash (very naturally) utters the L word and Ford freaks.

I can actually buy this reaction, because LOVE... WHOA. But when Ford trotted out the whole I can't do a relationship because I'm defective it felt like a lazy plot device that had me looking for the check. 

That coupled with the 180 from I can't to I can that happened at headspinning speed made it seem like an alternative fact of which I am not a fan.

I was surprised by the thriller storyline and I would not have been mad if this plot had been more prominent. A serial killer has been wreaking havoc by carving up homeless kids and Joel somehow escapes. He and Ford form a bond immediately. All of their interactions were heartwarming and had me hanging on Joel's every word for clues. The case isn't solved and there is definitely a to be continued. I have a suspect in mind for who could be the ring leader, though I kind of hope I'm wrong. To be honest, I may read the next one just for the thriller aspect alone.

Also, I didn't read the first one in this series and had no trouble keeping up with who the secondary characters are, all of whom contribute to the narrative to varying degrees. 

I'd still recommend this to MM romance fans despite my lackluster reaction to it since mileage will inevitably vary on the trope I took issue with.

A review copy was provided.

Find out more on Goodreads & Dreamspinner Press.

Review: His Fairy Godfather by Cate Ashwood and Nico Jaye

Since the death of his father, Trick Grigsby has fought to keep his head above water. Following in his father’s footsteps as a talented architect, he hopes to work his way up at the firm. Unfortunately, the company’s new owner barely resembles the man who was once Trick’s father’s best friend. Trick’s days are filled with drudgery and cruel remarks from the man who was supposed to be his mentor—along with his two sons, whose only jobs seem to be making Trick’s life miserable.

But all that is about to change.

Edwin Goodmaker struggled through his fairy godparent curriculum, but his mother—the reigning Fairy Queen—has a simple solution: Edwin will go to New York City and get some practical experience. When he meets Trick, Edwin knows he’s found a worthy charge, and he’s sure he can help Trick achieve all of his heart’s desires. Edwin falls for Trick, but with everything standing in their way, a fairy-tale ending might remain nothing more than a dream.

Adorably flufftastic! I wanted something light and fun and that's exactly what was delivered. A cute Cinderfella story, complete with an evil step-dad type figure and a fairy godfather.

Edwin was a fairy godfather in training and is sent to New York to get some hands-on experience. As soon as he ran into Trick, Edwin knew he found his charge.

When he ran into Trick, his new charge was working at a job he hated for a terrible boss and his two sons. I can't believe how badly he was treated at his job. He was barely getting by and was underappreciated. Actually, he wasn't appreciated at all. He was constantly insulted. Trick had his reasons for staying at the firm, but even after his explanation, I still didn't understand why he would stay in such a bad environment. It was a tad far-fetched. But, hey, this is a Cinderella story, after all!

Edwin was pretty much clueless about life in New York. He was adorably naive and so damn endearing. Always smiling and always willing to help. I just wanna squeeze him! Apparently, so did Trick. I loved that their relationship had exactly zero angst. From strangers, to friends, to boyfriends, there wasn't any unnecessary drama. Just adorable dates, a magical Thanksgiving, and Christmas cuteness.

This modern-day Cinderfella story is full of fairy godfather magic with the sweetest HEA. Grab your hot cocoa, a blanket and prepare to snuggle up.

A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Find out more info on Goodreads and Dreamspinner Press.

Audiobook Review: Tasting Notes by Cate Ashwood

There's nothing that can't be solved over a glass of excellent wine.

Joseph "West" Weston has paid for his wealth and success with long hours at the office and no personal life to speak of. Meetings, conference calls, and paperwork dominate his waking hours and have kept him from honoring the promise he made to his late grandfather years before.

 After leaving the Marines, Robert "Rush" Coeman returns to his hometown and settles in as a Christmas tree farmer. His life is quiet and simple, and he likes it that way. When West arrives in town and buys Rush's parents' vineyard on a whim, that simple life is turned upside down. The animosity between them is palpable, but Rush shelves his preconceived notions in order to protect his parents' legacy. He agrees to help West learn how to run the vineyard, and Rush soon realizes that love doesn't necessarily come in the package he expected.

Listening Length: 6 hours and 12 minutes
Narrator: Michael Pauley

I loved the setup for Tasting Notes, the blurb is delicious and it’s been on my TBR since it came out. I was all grabby hands when the audio version came up in the clubhouse and I’m so glad I got to finally get the story of West and Rush.

This is the first time I’ve heard this narrator and I liked his voice very much. He has a cadence however that didn’t match well once the actual romance got started. His sentences are clipped short and it sounds very Joe Friday from Dragnet. The voice and tone ended up working well for Rush, it kind of fit his personality, but not so much for the tender moments and the rest of the characters. There were two distinct parts that really stuck with me. They had both characters opening up and those brief exchanges were exactly what I wanted for the rest of the book. The narrator let go of ‘narrating’, his voice softened considerably and he emoted perfectly. I wanted so much more of that. The fact that I noticed those parts so distinctly tells me how much it was missing the rest of the time.

For the first part of the book, Rush is a real dick. I honestly did not like the man at all and his animosity towards West was borderline assaultive. I have a hard time overcoming that in a story, enemies to lovers is not a theme I’m overly find of as it can be hard to let that go unless there is a distinct and believable reason for the hate. We don’t find out until well into the story where Rush is coming from, and while I got it, I still didn’t forgive him completely. It was just a little too much hate in the beginning and if it had been dialed back I would have been more on board with the transition to the “something more”.

Once the two got together though, the story was so much better for me. Rush is lucky that West is so forgiving and mature in his views on relationships and people in general otherwise he probably would have been shit out of luck with a future with West. I liked West a lot and probably was feeling overly protective of him because he is a likable guy and I wanted better for him than the attitude that Rush threw his way.

But, like I said, the story greatly improved and I liked how the author had Rush evolve from a secluded selfish bastard into a loving and giving partner. He had help and a swift kick in the ass from his mother which was good since he is kind of clueless in the relationship department. Once he pulled it together though it was very sweet. Subtle, but still sweet. It was at this point the narrator gave me those two moments and I was a happy listener.

This is a relatively low angst listen and I’d give the narrator another go to see if he might be a better match with a different story. The story itself is engaging and it’s worth the frustration in the beginning to get to the HEA for Rush and West.

For more information on Tasting Notes, visit Dreamspinner Press.

**A copy of this audiobook was provided for an honest review**

Review: Thirty Things by Cate Ashwood

All their lives, Finn and Nate have been inseparable, sharing everything, and when a childhood accident left Finn broken, Nate stood by his side as all his other friends left. After all their years together, there’s one secret Finn still hasn’t revealed: he has been in love with Nate since they were eight years old. Hiding his feelings for twenty-one years—terrified of what might happen if Nate ever found out—has been difficult, but losing his best friend would be worse than living with a bad case of unrequited love. Unfortunately for Finn, Nate doesn't make it easy.

Nate believes there are some things that just have to be done before your thirtieth birthday. As a gift to Finn, he plans an adventure to check off a list of thirty things to experience before hitting that milestone. Starting in Crawfordsville, Indiana, they tour the country, trying new things and meeting interesting new people. Nate’s having the time of his life, but he can tell Finn is holding something back. As the days count down, navigating the back roads suddenly seems easier than figuring out where their relationship is heading.

One thing’s for certain. There will be no turning back.

Thirty Things was a sweet, super low angst, friends-to-lovers story. So low angst that I barely felt any tension.

That's right. Friends-to-lovers... with no tension. Huh?

The premise was super cute. Finn's bestie (who was also his roommate), Nate, planned a fun road trip/adventure with a list of thirty things to do before Finn's birthday. It was a very sweet gesture and instantly made Nate an endearing character.

But other than their trip, nothing really happened. There were a lot of details that I didn't care too much about, which was annoying when I felt the story was lacking in other areas. I would have rather been reading about the characters and how they felt, instead of how the brewery they visited was set up. It made for a boring story when I think it could have been really good if there was more going on between Nate and Finn. I guess there was a lot going on, but I didn't feel any of it. Gimme some chemistry! Both guys were perfectly likable and sweet. But the tension just wasn't there, especially for two guys who have been best friends their whole lives. Not only that, but they'd been pining for each other for years. I expected crazy chemistry jumping off the pages. But... nothin'. I didn't really feel much of anything from them.

Everything fell together too easily. I have to say I was surprised with Nate, I felt like his affections came out of nowhere. They were just BFF's, and then he's suddenly all lovey and making sexual innuendos. It was like he switched characters or something.

Like I said, the guys were fine. I liked them and their little adventure was a cute idea. But that wasn't enough to save the story. It didn't all come together for me.

A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Find out more info on Goodreads.