Review: Good Together by Valentina Heart

A legacy of bullying and insecurity has left its mark on Troy, affecting all his interactions in the present. Adam is an ex-hockey player turned tattoo artist who knows what he wants and isn't afraid to go after it. But no matter how hard he tried, time and again he sends the easily scared Troy running.

Though both are nearly convinced it could never work between them, they agree to give it one more try. But then bad luck and fate conspire to leave Adam floundering to reach Troy while Troy worries over losing touch with Adam.

When a good premise doesn't translate to the finished product.

*sighs*

My first Valentina Heart is safe to say: an all around bust. Told in alternating 1st POV, the story is mainly about Troy, a 28 year old programmer who wears the scars from high school bullying which dictates his social interactions with others. He had a weird breakup with an incestuous lover, carries a sort of torch for his ex's brother/lover and goes back and forth with being shy, direct and scared. Troy meets 38 year old Adam, an ex pro hockey player, tattoo artist and they barely talk. They have minimal, cut off interactions for a number of weeks with periods of no conversation. And when they did talk it was like reading nails on a chalkboard, their dialogue was rough.

This story tested my rarely used DNF. I knew I was in trouble from the first paragraph in the prologue when the contemporary character referred in 1st POV he went through his "morning absolutions". Ablutions is an antiquated choice for someone to use as a teenager in high school. The dialogue, the internal thoughts read formal/stilted/translated.

My rating isn't based on the editing or lack thereof due to the fact I read an ARC. I hope the finished product had a strong edit: pacing was weird, the use of flashbacks weren't effective, the main characters' relationship was diminished by the aforementioned issues. If the pair had chemistry--the odd hot and cold thing Troy did was a turn off--it could have made the story better.

If I had to describe the story it was like jumbled pieces of different puzzles that were forced to fit...but it didn't work.

I don't know if the secondary characters were from past books, but it read like it. I didn't come in knowing their backstories - the twin lovers or rock star/tattoo artist couple with a little kid. Something was missing to make this story work, it focused on weird tangents like a cell phone accidentally dropped in a toilet as a plot device or flashbacks of Troy being bullied but no explanation as to why 'Helen' was important. The flashbacks would have worked better either all in the beginning or edited different to use as a comparison or guide into why Troy was the way he was. And Adam's POV did nothing to move the story along, everything on his end was forced and odd. I went into this book knowing nothing about the main pair and I ended knowing nothing about this pair as a couple...except for the sex which was a personality implant for the both of them.

Why not just 1 heart or DNF? I'd rather DNF something worth it. Even if it didn't have all the issues, Good Together would probably be a 3 - it's too short for the issues that the shy main character had to possibly work through. And the character development failed for both men. Just saying things that you have doesn't mean the characters are layered.

The best things about Good Together are why it's rated 1.5 Hearts: 1 Heart for the cover and blurb, 1/2 Heart for the very late sex scene (didn't fit how the characters were portrayed but I can't knock wall pounding)

Otherwise, this story was a big:

I'm not writing the author off. I'll check out her paranormal books, if this book's sex scene is to be an indicator, they might be better.

A copy provided via Netgalley for an honest review.

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Review: As Spring Rain by Valentina Heart

Gabriel is hell-bent on self-destruction. Every man he chooses is a man who will hurt him, and when he can't find others to do it he turns to hurting himself. Whatever it takes to bury the wrenching, forbidden, but inescapable feelings tearing him apart.

But everyone has a breaking point, and when his twin brother Michael comes to pick up the pieces something will have to give before there aren't any pieces left…

Warning: this story contains incest

Michael and Gabriel live together and have been lusting after each other for years. But neither one does anything about it because of the whole twin thing. Ya know, it can be frowned upon. Not here though!

Gabriel's character is so self-destructive and angsty. Everything becomes an issue, an issue that he can't fix without Michael's help. He's completely co-dependent on his brother. All of this I would be okay with but... Is it because of his parents? Or because of his want for his brother? Or all of his exes? Is he depressed? I'm not sure. It was unclear why he's such a mess. There was a lot of telling about Gabriel's bad choices and determination to hurt himself. All of the background was focused on his road to self-destruction, but I still never got a real grasp on who he is and why he's this way.

Regardless..........

hot twins are HOT.

Their first scene together was intense. It was raw and gritty and sexy. It was dirty and real and messy. It's what I was waiting for. All the build up led to one passionate scene. 

But then, what? Michael is all better? I don't believe it. I think I saw that there's going to be a sequel and, goodness, I hope so. This needs a better conclusion than BOOM! they have sex and everything is grand. Michael has way too much to work through for it to end here. 

Did I like it? Well, I couldn't put it down, but I wouldn't say I enjoyed my experience. There was too much hurt for me to find this enjoyable. I was intrigued and I want to know more, so yeah, I recommend it. Make sure to read the blurb and the triggers first.

 A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

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Jenni Lea's Guilty Pleasures

Ahhh, guilty pleasures.  We all have them.  Those books that cause you to blush embarrassedly when you purchase them and you hesitate before letting anyone know you’re reading them, if at all.

I have two guilty pleasures.  The first is shifter fluff.  The second… Mpreg (I know!).  I couldn’t even begin to tell you why I love these types of books so much.  Just that they are good escapism and they leave me with the warm fuzzies.  And when I come across a book that has both?  Hoo boy!  I’ve died and gone to heaven!  

I want to share a couple of them with you.  Who knows, maybe you will like them too.  Maybe you will even share them with your friends.  No need to be ashamed.  C’mon, I told you my guilty pleasure. 
 What’s yours?



SHIFTER FLUFF

Two years ago, the small Southern Ohio town of Isherwood seemed to change overnight. Businesses were abandoned or sold and townsfolk just up and moved away. Now, those who were left behind are trying to keep their lives afloat on the hope that things will improve someday.

Finn Webb is one of those people. His construction and remodeling company he runs with his sister is one of the largest employers left in town. He’s felt his world teetering on the edge of failure for so long, that saving an injured dog is a bright spark of life he’s happy to hold onto.

Cas Maine has come to Isherwood because that’s where the road led. He’s tired, hungry and desperate for the acceptance and safety he once had in his birth pack. But crossing into town sees him shifting into his wolf form and unable to shift back. Then he’s hit by a car only to be rescued by his one true mate.

What follows is a series of events where a job outside of town lets Cas and Finn grow closer while also leading to the uncovering of numerous secrets held by several inhabitants of Isherwood. Everyone has a stake in this. And the stakes are high...

You know, this book surprised me.  I started reading this expecting it to be the everyday normal shifter fluff but it wasn’t.  Oh yes, it was fluff, but with a twist.  I thoroughly enjoyed the new and refreshing spin on the classic shifter that Missy Welch has created.  

I liked the fact that although we have Alphas in the story they weren’t the all-powerful beasts that you normally read about.  They had flaws and weaknesses too.  

I also liked the fact that everyone was so completely normal.  There were a lot of different personalities showcased but none of them were over the top and it really made the storyline flow smoothly.

I did have a few niggles though.  The villain in the story wasn’t, in my opinion, very fleshed out.  We never learned why he did what he did and what was different about him.

But!  There was a lot of good feels in this story.  There were quite a few times I laughed out loud and even a moment or two I had tears in my eyes.

All in all this was a very enjoyable read and a nice surprise. 


MPREG

 When his children are taken away from him without living at all, Merin is at the end of his rope and still has to save Rin from the clutches of sorrow. But not even in his grief can he find peace, because the attacker is plotting and his newly united kingdom must prepare for war against a vicious invading army.

Will working together save the kingdom—and their family—from giving in to the continuing challenges? Can love truly conquer all or will their enemies finally achieve victory? 

What a surprisingly wonderful story!

With as much antipathy as I felt towards the first book, King’s Conquest, I feel an equal amount of enthusiasm for this little gem. The difference in the writing between the two is so great it almost seems as though they were written by two separate authors. The words flowed with an eloquence that reflected the maturity of not only the main character Merin, whose point of view we get firsthand, but that of the author as well.

For those of you that quit this series after reading the first book I say give this one a try. You may be pleasantly surprised at what you find.