Review: The Fall Guy by Chris Quinton

In 1920s New York, Pinkerton Agent John Brady is assigned to a brutal robbery/kidnapping, an open and shut case with an obvious culprit - but nothing and no one are what they seem.

Small-time crook Cesare Donati has the perfect getaway: a transatlantic cruise ship. When Brady turns up at his cabin door, Cesare knows he is out of options until they reach England.

Will London be a safe haven or a place of reckoning?

Chris Quinton knows how to write a short story.

It’s really hard to believe this book is listed as 32 pages because it struck me with the same impact as a novella at minimum. The author managed to build a world, introduce me to amazing characters and complete a mystery in those scant 32 pages.

John, the earnest and lonely Pinkerton detective and Cesare, the dreamy bad boy with a heart of gold are a great match. Their attraction to one another was instant but not rushed and moved forward as the mystery did. The mystery and evolution of the relationship paced well together and made the whole story flow.

Both characters had a ton of appeal in their own ways and I loved getting to know both of them. The writing showed me the men, their lives and enough of their backstories to understand their motives in everything they did. John is a stand up guy from the moment he’s introduced, he’s someone you wish you could know more of and Cesare’s questionable reputation makes him the perfect foil for John. Their differences could have led to a wealth of angst, but instead the two have a common goal in saving a young woman and honestly, only good guys do that, regardless of their history.

The language and pace read authentically for a historic tale, the balance was well done. Too much would have been campy but this was just enough to be fun to read.

Everything was wrapped up rather quickly and the bow it was tied in was a little too neat (especially considering we’re talking about two gay men in the 1920’s), but, the tidiness of it all was necessary considering the length of the story. So, while not high on the realistic side, it was still completely satisfying.

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

Tag Team Review: Love Happens Anyway by R.J. Scott

Hiring a boyfriend for Christmas; what can go wrong?

Derek is facing yet another Christmas where his life feels out of control. He has a new career that doesn’t feel like his, and parents who would just love to see him settled down. All he needs is a temporary buffer for the parties he has to attend, and for his parents to leave him alone. Enter, Luke.

Luke is twenty-thousand dollars short for the renovations on Halligans; his family’s bar in New York’s Financial District. A favor for a buddy has him agreeing to play the part of boyfriend to a guy with more money than sense.

But when the spirit of Christmas works its magic on the two men, and they begin to fall for each other, Derek runs scared, and Luke needs space.

It doesn’t matter what obstacles you throw in the way of love, or how much you run in the other direction, because, when you’re least expecting it, whether you want it or not, love happens anyway.

Most everyone loves the fake boyfriend trope and I am right there with them. It can go sideways quickly for me if there is too much angst overshadowing the potential happy, but Love Happens Anyway gave the perfect balance of both characters so there was no overwhelming worry about one of them getting all ridiculous and threatening the HEA I need.

The story is told in dual POV and I honestly don’t think the result would have been nearly as successful without it. Derek is not the most likable character and if I hadn’t had insight into his inner workings and just saw everything from Luke’s view I wouldn’t have been as satisfied with the relationship because I LOVED Luke and would have wanted better for him. I did have a view into Derek though and I appreciated how the author made his dramatics all his. There was no tragic backstory, just a regular loving family (albeit, they were rich as hell) with some dynamics that needed some . . . tweaking (due to the richness) to be able to communicate and really be happy, letting Derek own his confidence for the first time in his life.

So, Derek has some hang-ups that lead him to believe he needs a fake boyfriend for the holidays and Luke is in need of cash and knows a guy, and the two of them come to an agreement to get both of them what they need. Luke is a pretty stoic guy, but Derek’s somewhat fussy personality pushes all his buttons and it’s obvious when he starts to fall for Derek. Luke is everything that Derek fantasized about personified so when they inevitably started getting to know one another by bits and pieces I ate up every little breakthrough.

When the UST is finally resolved Derek opened up pretty quickly and again, without having his POV throughout, it would have been too jarring to be believable, but knowing this was what he wanted all along, it worked. They still had a ways to go to get to an HEA, but the bathtub scene alone is worth the journey.

Family is very important to both MC’s throughout and after all the revelations, the guys wanted to come clean to their families about how they met, etc. I’m glad the author made that a point to cover, it rang true for both Luke and Derek, especially with the epiphany that Derek came to with his family about their own dynamics.

Once you read the story, the cover makes complete sense and it’s really just too sweet for words. I loved how Luke and Derek appreciated each other and Derek really needed that appreciation from someone he loved and the snowman is such the adorable embodiment of that. For all that love Christmas stories and the bonus fake boyfriend theme, this is the perfect holiday story.

This story is as cute as its cover suggests it will be. I agree though, the cover isn't your typical cover from this genre, but I like that and it makes complete sense by the end of the book.

Everyone loves a fake boyfriend trope - don't they? There is something endlessly sweet about knowing they are pretending but that it's going to turn real by the end of the book (I mean what kind of story would it be if it didn't turn real?) . As long as the twists and turns aren't forced angst then you know it's going to be a lovely read, and with an author as talented as RJ Scott there is no worries about cheap-author tactics.

Luke is a great MC, and though Derek is perhaps not so likeable at first glance, Derek suits him; they work well together. There is a dynamic between them that just draws you in.

This is an enjoyable story, one that can be read and loved anytime of the year. This book is not just for Christmas! I recommended it! 

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

Review: Eight Nights in December by Keira Andrews

A geek. A virgin. One sexy holiday.

Orphaned Lucas figures spending the holidays with his obnoxious roommate’s family in New York City is better than staying alone on campus upstate. He ends up sharing a room again, this time with his roommate’s brother, Nate. Geeky photographer Nate isn’t at all what Lucas expects. In fact, he’s incredibly sexy—especially when he invites Lucas into his darkroom...

They hide their attraction during Hanukkah celebrations, but behind closed doors, Lucas and Nate can’t keep their hands (or mouths) off each other. Nate’s only looking for a bit of holiday fun, and amazing sex with a hot virgin definitely fits the bill. Yet as the candles burn, Nate and Lucas begin to realize eight nights will never be enough.

I am ridiculously in love with holiday stories, it’s my vice and I’ll read them all year long. I love Christmas stories best of all, and I’m sure that’s because that’s what I know, but what a treat to read a story about Hanukkah for a change. Not that I haven’t read a Hanukkah themed story before, there just aren’t nearly as many or nearly enough.

I think Eight Nights in December will stick with me because of how well everything meshed together organically. The MCs were amazing, but the family dynamics and the importance of the traditions to them all were just as integral to the story as the romance, giving Eight Nights in December more depth than most holiday novellas.

Speaking of MCs . . . . Lucas was the kind you root for from the moment he comes on page and he’s just an all around good person you would feel lucky to have in your life. I love his sense of empathy and his goals to live life as his true self. He doesn’t have it easy after the loss of his dad, but he doesn’t wallow, he grieves as one would expect while at the same time looking forward. He covers the gamut of emotions in a restrained, realistic way and the author showed me what Lucas was going through without telling me in overly dramatic prose.

His college roommates younger brother Nate, who he ends up rooming with when Nate’s mom refuses to let him spend winter break alone, is also a treat to read about. He’s the quiet, bookish one in the family as opposed to his jock star of a brother. It was obvious his family loved him, but it was also clear he was lonely in his own home. His passion, photography, was regarded as a hobby and he kept his sexuality a secret as he feared the repercussions of coming out. I really liked him from the beginning and he also broke my heart.

The two of them end up deciding to have a holiday fling as Nate does not DO the boyfriend thing. Who am I kidding, they didn’t decide, they couldn’t really keep away from each other and Nate found the fact that Lucas was a virgin completely delicious. These two have some hardcore chemistry and their interludes were both hot and sweet. Now Lucas DOES want to do the boyfriend thing, but he’s not about to ruin a good thing, so he keeps his yap shut the best he can.

The adorable thing is that they are obviously both way more into each other than they let on and there’s enough give and take of emotions and flirtations to keep the story hopeful throughout even if they aren’t rushing their way to any declarations. The angst was short lived and kept to a minimum and I was so glad to read through Lucas and Nate’s communication because it actually kept them moving forward to being happy.

They do keep everything a secret and that did add an element of excitement to their trysts, but when things starting getting real the secret became harder to keep and something had to give. It did and it was the perfect of resolutions. It may have been a little too perfect, but it’s exactly what I would have wanted for them, so I loved it pretty hard.

Another gem in this story was the epilogue. When I finished the last actual chapter prior to the epilogue with a plethora of percentage left I was bummed because I wanted more and I was expecting the token HEA, but the author did right by these guys and gave a beauty of an epilogue that was more than just a couple of pages of closure. I got to read about Lucas and Nate as a real couple and got to know them in that new light. I absolutely loved that it covered their time, their growth, the family and Hanukkah again. It felt like the story came full circle.

I've added this one to my holiday reread list.

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