Review: Unlikely Reunion (Improbable Bonds #1) by Lily Michaels

Erik’s adolescent crush becomes a very adult relationship at his high school reunion.

Seeing his former bullies starstruck is definitely on Erik Stevens’ agenda for his high school reunion. Hooking up with someone is not. He has resolved to end the meaningless sex that has dotted his life, even though it fed his need to dominate. Now he is looking for a man—a submissive—for a relationship that will last forever.

But Erik hasn’t counted on Kyle.

For ten years, Kyle Lincke has cursed his repressed sexuality that, in high school, kept him from acting on his crush…Erik. As soon as he receives Erik’s RSVPed ‘yes’ to the reunion, Kyle begins working up the courage to finally act on his desires, difficult for him to do following a disastrous break-up.

But six weeks of exploration into BDSM and small steps toward a deeper relationship are thrown into jeopardy when Erik’s fame threatens their bond—and Kyle’s fragile psyche.

Occasionally I like to get out of my comfort zone and try to new things. Sometimes they work out. Sometimes they don't. The blurb was a siren's call promising kink and public sex wrapped up in a second chance bow that proved too tempting too resist.

However, this wasn't my cuppa. It's a little too saccharine, a little too instalove, a whole lot underdeveloped and the kink was virtually nonexistent.

However, I feel certain there is an audience for "Unlikely Reunion". Fans of Sean Michael will love this to pieces with its 64 'mines' in just a scant 123 pgs and its warp speed ascent to the boom boom in the first chapter!

Another potential audience is the new to MM crowd who are looking to dip their toes into MM waters and who perhaps have an affinity for a certain über famous "BDSM" series featuring a somewhat bratty heroine who is new to kink and a bit... temperamental?

Even though this was a miss for me I'm certain there is an audience for it. I'm just sorry it wasn't me but as always my opinions are my own and YMMV. I'll be off back to my comfort zone now.

An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Review: A Boyfriend for Christmas by Jay Northcote

Archie's posh parents want him to meet a nice girl--how can he tell them he's fallen for a bad boy instead?

Closeted, innocent and lonely, Archie Arandale longs for someone special in his life. A Christmas party organised by his wealth management company is the last place he expects to meet the man of his dreams.

With his leather jacket, tattoos, and piercings, Cal Turner turns heads the moment he walks through the door. He definitely isn't looking for a boyfriend, but Archie's hesitant charm captures his attention, and sneaking off during the party to have a little fun can only make a dull evening more interesting.

After their reckless and thrilling encounter, Archie is keen for more experience and Cal is happy to oblige. The need for secrecy means this can only be a casual fling, yet as they spend time together in the run up to Christmas, their feelings become more intense than either of them had bargained for. How can Archie find the courage to tell his family about Cal, when Cal's the exact opposite of the 'nice girl' they've been hoping for?

Contains: A closeted virgin, a tattooed biker, class differences, a dramatic coming out, a very inappropriate Christmas gift, and a happy ending (of course).

Cal and Archie couldn’t be more different if they tried.

Archie - rich, shy, inexperienced, from a cold family, and very much so closeted.

Cal - working class, tattooed bad boy, has a great mum, and doesn’t hide any part of himself.

Yet from the moment they lock eyes at a posh Christmas party, the mutual desire in undeniable. Cal brings out the daring side of Archie, and for the first time in a long time Archie feels free.

The two men come to an agreement - no strings attached. Archie gets to explore what he’s been missing out on, and Cal is more than happy to be his teacher.

I have to hand it to Jay Northcote - these were some killer sex scenes. The two men aren’t only just sexy together, but fun and willing to explore. The bit of kink and Archie’s submissive streak were very pleasant surprises!

But the simple arrangement gets complicated pretty quickly. It doesn’t take Cal and Archie long at all to begin wanting more than just a romp in the bedsheets.

While the transition from strangers to tentative kind-of-boyfriends happened quickly, it was very sweet. The two brought joy and comfort to each other, which each man needed in his own way.

I thought it was absolutely precious how Cal gave Archie the bit of confidence he needed to feel comfortable trying all the experiences he’d wanted for so long - whether that was in his personal or professional life.

As is to be expected, the big stumbling block is Archie’s family. I thought that dynamic was handled well, and realistically.

Also kudos to Lottie for being much more than originally meets the eye! And to Danny and Fiona for being amazing friends.

The happy ending was sweet, but was just missing a bit of oomph. A bit more relationship development throughout the book would have been nice to really tie everything together.

Overall, this was a sweet and sexy holiday romance; easy to read and fairly low on the angst.

A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Color of You by C.S. Poe

Bowen Merlin— yes, that’s his real name—accepts a position in the quaint town of Lancaster, New Hampshire as the high school band director. He leaves New York City for the snowy countryside of New England just in time for the holidays. With class, homework, after school activities, and a surprise Christmas concert to plan and rehearse, Bowen is plenty busy. And since he’s never had much luck with romance, factoring in time to find Mr. Right isn’t a priority….

Until he meets the proprietor of Snowy Ridge Apple Orchard, Felix Hansen. Suddenly, true love seems like a possibility for the first time in Bowen’s life. The two are a perfect match and fill the skipped beats of each other’s hearts. But as wonderful as Felix seems, he’s harboring scars that could end their budding relationship when someone in town goes to great lengths to sabotage their careers.

If Bowen is to survive the holidays, he’ll need to lean on old friends and new, convince Felix he’s worth any hardship, and prove they can come out of the catastrophe stronger if they do so together.

I fell in love with Bowen immediately upon meeting him. How can I not love a snappy, snarky, toppy ginger who dresses fabulously and teaches music? Then I met Felix and I fell in love again. How can I not love a handsome, quiet, lumberjack-looking walking wet dream? Then these two came together and I knew this book was written just for me.

The evolution of their relationship was a treat to read. On paper they’re opposites and really shouldn’t have anything in common, but they were the kind of opposites that are more like puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly. They had so many little moments as they got to know one another and those are my favorite parts of character driven romances. The pace was ideal, especially given Felix’s history. They had to ease into their togetherness, anything else would have read false. More of Felix’s hurtful past is revealed and it’s heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time and the hope is all because of Bowen. Bowen was truly a Felix whisperer and reading about Felix coming out of his shell made my Christmas heart happy.

The secondary characters gave the MC’s extra depth that boosted my love for this story. Felix’s son was so well written. I can attest how rewarding it is to live with a teenage boy so writing a believable one is a gift. Especially one like Alan. He’s a typical teenager, but he’s also a gifted musician and he lives with misplaced guilt because of what he and Felix have been through. He’s protective of his dad and has a lot of respect for Bowen so I really enjoyed reading their relationship grow as well. Bo’s BFF Scarlet is awesome and the two of them were meant to be BFF’s just as much as Bo was meant to be with Felix. The little snippet of how they met as kids was adorable.

This author is a master of chemistry (you know what I’m saying if you’ve read the Snow and Winter books) and man, do these two have the heat in spades. I LOVED reading the buildup as they slowly discover just how well they are matched up in their kink spaces. Not that it’s kinky per se, but you know how delicious it is when characters have neeeeeds and they meet their perfect match who has complimentary neeeeeeds? That’s what this is. It takes preconceived notions about what someone should like because of how they look and chucks it out the window, making it quite the compelling and steamy read and solidifying the connection between Bo and Felix.

I would have been all over giving this one five stars but the last quarter didn’t pace the same as the first three quarters of it. Shenanigans happened and things ramped up really fast, resolved quickly and then . . . HEA, it was a little jarring and I felt like Bo and Felix were taken away from me for a bit and I didn’t want that. I would have been fine without the outside craziness or the craziness turned down a smidge, or paced differently or something. But then it would have had to have been considerably longer and would have taken me away from Bo and Felix even more, and that’s not an answer I would have been happy with either. The resulting feels from the town were great and I loved the love there, I just could have done with everything be a little less at that point.

All that being said . . . Bo and Felix, I heart you. I love your Christmassy lives and your delicious chemistry. I would love to read more about you, so if you could whisper in your author’s ear, it would be much appreciated. Thankyouverymuch.

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

Review: Maestro by M. Crane Hana

Gay and happily married, Leo has helped manage a large, influential nonprofit arts foundation over the past ten years. He has built a friendly rapport with the elderly billionaire who began it, but he has enemies within the foundation.

Leo’s birthday is on February 13, and that has always meant candles on heart-shaped cupcakes and birthday cards with “Happy Valentine’s Day” crossed out. To celebrate, Andrew, Leo’s mystery writer husband, arranges a tryst for Leo with Mel, a gifted violinist who is one of Andrew’s biggest fans.

What started as mere pleasure becomes a three-part harmony as Leo, Andrew, and Mel explore the ways their kinks and needs mesh—until Leo’s enemies attempt to use evidence of the liaison to force him out of his job.

Loved this set-up for a threesome. It was so different to anything I’ve read before. Andrew and Leo are married and have an open relationship... well Andrew does. They have an agreement where Andrew can have as many ‘trysts’ as he likes as long as he uses a condom. Leo knows Andrew will be coming back to him at the end of the day… or the next morning, so he’s happy with the open relationship. Leo has only ever been with Andrew and is happy to keep it that way, that is until he meets Mel (also called ‘Irish’). Mel is one of Andrew’s trysts, and his birthday present to Leo.

A few things felt off with their relationship, despite how much I liked the premise of an open relationship. Even though Andrew having trysts is a mutual decision and agreed upon, Leo still uses words such as ‘cheating’ and ‘being faithful’ which made me feel like that's how he saw it, that made me uncomfortable. It’s like he had only agreed to the open relationship to make Andrew happy, not because he was comfortable with it.

Then the connection between the three was fairly rushed, but I generally give leniency in that regard to novellas because there is just not enough time to establish a strong relationship. That being said I liked the way these three interacted with each other, each character was unique and I could clearly see what Mel could add to Leo and Andrews relationship.

The sexual tension and build-up to the threesome was well done. We got to see Leo’s thoughts and concerns about entering into a threesome for the first time and Andrew reassuring him. There were some subtle D/S tones in the sex which was hot. Also a pretty sensual blindfolded, food sex scene which was delicious in every sense of the word.

There was a weird sub-plot about Leo dealing with some homophobic pricks at work which I was half interested in, but this took up too much of an already short storyline. Also, Leo’s work issue resolution was the last scene of the book instead of the three establishing where they'd move on from their night together. It felt a little incomplete.

Definitely a solid HFN. All in all a fun, sexy, unique threesome novella, with a few little niggly issues.

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Purchase Links:

NineStar Press: http://ninestarpress.com/product/maestro/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Maestro-M-Crane-Hana-ebook/dp/B01BK0NI52

Interested in knowing more about the author and peek at Maestro? Check it out below!

Author Bio

M. Crane Hana lives in a flat place filled with cactus. She writes romances in all flavors, spends too much time world building her sword & planet fantasies and space operas, and makes museum-grade artifacts from cultures that never existed. Publishing credits: (as Marian Crane) ‘The Blood Orange Tree’, Such A Pretty Face anthology, Meisha-Merlin 2000. ‘Saints and Heroes’, Thrones of Desire anthology, Cleis Press 2012. (As M.C Hana) Moro’s Price M/M erotic romance space opera, Loose Id 2012. Novel-length erotic romance and mainstream fantasy and science fiction work represented by literary agent Cherry Weiner.

Email: cranehanabooks@gmail.com
Website: www.cranehanabooks.com/blog
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MCHana2
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MC-Hana-293621984123226/
Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/CraneHana
Tumblr: http://cranehana.tumblr.com/

Excerpt

M. Crane Hana © 2016

All rights reserved

Above the din of subway crowds and canned music, Leo heard a thread of sound so lovely and incongruous he stopped in the turnstile. Somewhere out on the platform amid the echoing tiles and concrete, someone attempted Gershwin. On a violin. Rather well. From only a few bars, Leo placed Porgy and Bess.

“Sir? Are you okay?” said one voice among the stalled commuters behind him.

Then another: “Get moving, man. We don’t got all morning!”

Leo risked some nastier comments when he backed out of the line. He “accidentally” rapped the angriest of the commenters with his briefcase on the way. Once free, he stopped caring about the subway, his job, and the meeting. Only the music mattered, as it shifted into “Rhapsody in Blue” before he rounded a corner.

A broad-shouldered young man in worn khakis and a tan flannel shirt made love to a violin. Rapt, swept up in a world of his own, the violinist paid little attention to the commuters hurrying along. The black vinyl instrument case lay open at his feet, its scarlet lining forlornly framing a few scattered one-dollar bills.

Leo felt insulted on his behalf. Then he looked beyond the young man’s beautiful hands to his face.

Freckled ivory skin. Short red-gold curls brushing against a clean-shaven square jaw. A full mouth currently set in concentration and such long copper eyelashes, fluttering half-closed in musical ecstasy! Leo had seen the man before, but couldn’t place where or when.

The violinist lifted his chin and stared right at Leo, through him, seeing only the music. Until Leo moved, and the other man’s pale blue-green gaze went from Leo’s face to the scarf draped around Leo’s shoulders. One note, not quite missed, revealed the violinist’s sudden intake of breath. Then he smiled hesitantly over the last bars of “Rhapsody.”

Leo recognized the violinist’s incongruous tie, the fall of ice-blue silk jacquard woven in the same crystalline Art Deco pattern bordering the scarf. His husband, Andrew, had commissioned them together, two ties and two scarves, matching a motif they’d both loved since honeymooning in Barcelona. It wasn’t likely the old haberdasher had made a duplicate set since then.

So, Andrew gave the boy his tie? Leo shuffled through possibilities, settled on “they already know each other,” and waited for a sick jolt of jealousy to claw up his spine. He and Andrew, they’d had their rough patches early on. What couple hadn’t? Instead, low heat settled in Leo’s belly, as he thought of his husband and this young man together.

Where the hell did that come from? He’d known about Andrew’s rare, careful trysts. A one-man guy, Leo had never wanted to be involved in them before.

The redhead was something special, and oh, that music! No wonder Andrew had been frisky. Andrew’s recovering libido was a gift Leo wanted to experience over and over, whatever the cause.

He could so clearly imagine his husband and this milky-skinned musician, twined together in bed. God, yes. If it had already happened, good for them. If it hadn’t, it needed to happen. Preferably with Leo in the room. Hell, in the bed, please.

He swallowed and forced himself to fall back into the music. Leo swallowed, trying to throttle down this new, overwhelming need.

Train cars emptied, a few more people paused for a moment or three, but the latest crowd didn’t break ranks in their march toward the subway exits. Finally, Leo and the violinist were alone on the platform.

After one final trill of music, the redhead lifted his bow from the strings. “Mr. Leo Ellson?” he asked in a Northern Irish lilt, before swallowing.

Review: Cardinal Sins (Hidden Gems #2) by Lissa Kasey

Paris Hansworth, star whore turned senator and the most powerful man in City M, has been hiding his terminal illness for years. Searching for a way to reverse the toxic environment that’s killing him, Paris stumbles upon a lost research facility, and a merman named Rain.

Years alone have made Rain long for companionship, and the beautiful man on the other side of the glass intrigues him. But Rain speaks the wrong language, and is decades out of touch. He isn’t quite sure what to think of the new environment he’s been thrust into.

As a virus spreads through the city targeting City M's most private residents—A-Ms—Paris realizes he’s out of time. He’s willing to sacrifice everything, even his own life, to stop it. But Rain might just be the missing DNA link to explain the mutations created in the last plague, maybe even the cure.

Watching Paris race to save his friends, Rain knows he's found someone special and will do anything to stay by his side. But the past Paris thought he’d escaped is seeking revenge, and he’s forced to adapt yet again, possibly even becoming a monster. He only hopes Rain will still want him.

This is a hard one for me to rate. There is so much to like about the second installment in this series-great world building, great suspense, great storytelling, great characters so much greatness! But there is one issue and that is it's unfocused.

Let me just stop right here and say after reading Hidden Gem there was one secondary character that stood out and that was Paris. Paris's rags to riches story coupled with his domineering personality and no nonsense attitude spoke to me. When I read the blurb and realized it was not only going to be Paris's story but there was to be a merman... well, let's just say I kinda whigged out. A tiny bit. In a completely dignified way.

Paris is a senator now and an influential one but when he first came from the South to the North he worked as a whore at the Hidden Gem. His Southern family is affluent and chock full to the brim with asshats who made every effort to make his childhood and adolescence a living hell until finally kicking him out to fend for himself. He was rescued by Bart and has gone on to make his own family of rescues and strays.
Paris is also a dom but the BDSM strikes me as superfluous to the plot thus I'm not going to prattle on about it.

He uncovers a long forgotten near frozen facility with an aquarium which contains a merman named Rain who is the sweetest! I kinda wanted to stick him in my pocket but the whole no water in there would be problematic. And he's smitten with the pretty man a.k.a. Paris. 

Such is life.

It just so happens that Paris has recently bought a former casino (Cardinal Sins) with a huge empty aquarium.

For science Paris and his team bring the merman and all the other fishes to Cardinal Sins. Of course he and Rain are drawn to one another, but Paris has a debilitating illness which is incurable and is literally on his last legs, so he simply takes comfort in being able to see Rain on a regular basis. 

Where things began to falter was the virus that's sweeping the North which brings many A-Ms and psis to Cardinal Sins for treatment by Paris's on call doctor, Quinn Vitoric, including Shane which means Aki and Candy and his newest acquisition, Ivy. Quick side note:  a glossary of terms would be appropriate. I'm not sure if it made it into the final published version, if not it would be a good idea for the next installment.

Anyhoo... where was I? Oh right, subplots.

These two subplots got so much page time that they overtook the main. I found myself rushing to get through those chapters so I could get back to Paris and Rain. The subplots are interesting held my attention. I especially loved all the shifted Shane looking for Mate (Aki) and even howling mournfully for him. They are crazy, stupid in love and it's cavity inducing in it's sweetness. I am kind of a sucker for a possessive, growly alpha though. 

#NoShame

I know they're meant as set up for the grand finale as well as the next book, but there is such a thing as letting the teasing for the next book overwhelm the plot of the current one and that negatively affected my enjoyment. 

The other casualty of these subplots was minimal relationship development between Rain and Paris. The romance is more of an afterthought. The sex is mostly awkward. But the HEA at the end came out of nowhere and I found my suspension of disbelief button on the fritz.

The last 30-35% was much tighter and more what I was looking for which is Paris being a BAMF! If the whole thing had been that focused this would easily be a 5 Hearter. As it stands, I'm somewhere between 3-4 Hearts.  


In all likelihood, I will read the next one. Take that for what it's worth.


As always, your mileage may vary.

A review copy was provided by the author for an honest review.

Find out more on Goodreads.

Review: Not Safe For Work by L.A. Witt

They’re a match made in the dungeon…until their secret gets out.

Bored senseless in a meeting, architectural modeler Jon McNeill amuses himself with a kinky dating app on his phone. Then the app matches him with another user…who’s six feet away. Suddenly Jon finds himself on the same page as someone way above his pay grade: millionaire property developer Rick Pierce. His firm’s biggest—and hottest—client.

The app isn’t kidding either. They’re a perfect match. Jon’s a Dom, Rick’s a sub, and bondage is their thing. Both guys are well into their forties, know their way around the bedroom, and definitely appreciate a good suit. And the best part? They’re a match outside the bedroom too.

But office relationships aren’t easy to keep a secret. When the truth comes out, Jon is certain he’s about to get fired. Instead, his bosses throw him a curve ball—an ultimatum that puts both his job and his relationship in jeopardy.

Warning: Contains literal and figurative sex machines, blindfolds, a sub being punished during a business meeting, enough rope to tangle up a millionaire, and a Golden Girls marathon.

I really don’t like being the voice of descent, but I honestly feel like I walked into a steakhouse mouth watering for a NY strip and the only thing on the menu was hamburger. 

The blurb on this book called to me and I answered! I was ready to giddyup all over it and the cover too. It stumps me as to why L.A. Witt’s solo kink doesn’t work for me, but it’s time for me to just accept that as fact and press on. Because Not Safe For Work did not work for me.

Things took a nosedive at 17% when the “dom”, Jon, failed to get his kink on. Let me just speak plainly, if I had a willing submissive in my dungeon for the first time and we’d already had “the talk” I promise you the first thing on my laundry list of things to do would absolutely, unequivocally NOT be fucking him. He would be getting tied up like a Christmas turkey and tortured into a writhing, begging, sweaty mess. So when this joker had him stripped and kneeling and all he could think about was butt sex…

Let’s just say my respect for him took a nosedive as did my interest. I tried to step away a couple times in the vain hope that would reinvigorate my interest.

Unfortunately, that was not in the cards.

In fact, every time I came back and Jon would make a reference to himself as a "dom" or Rick “needing” a dom I inevitably found myself throwing the stink eye and making snide comments. 

This book hardly qualifies as BDSM, hence I'm giving it the sugarkink tag despite the wax play, chastity, a fuck machine(!) and rope bondage. Mostly because they were all over in a blink and highly dissatisfying. They have far more vanilla sex than anything else. I appreciate SSC and open communication, but at a certain point…

Seriously. They talk and talk and talk and bored the bejesus out of me. I know it’s supposed to be “relationship development” but it’s about as interesting to read as an audit. What's worse is both of these guys are dull. So dull. I don't care how fantastical you are, the minutiae of daily life is never interesting especially not when you're Joe Schmo.

Another thing that annoyed me was the geriatricness. These guys are in their 40s going on 80 the way Jon makes it sound. He creaks and pops and grunts (not for the obvious reasons) more than my 91 yr old grandma. I felt like I needed to set up a Go Fund Me account for his rapidly approaching nursing home needs.

He’s sure not going to be able to afford it since he’s martyred himself into “having to” pay for all three of his children’s graduate level studies. I appreciate generosity but don’t be stupid and bankrupt yourself. There’s something to be said for working for your own education and, thereby, having a greater appreciation for it. Far be from me to get between a martyr and his/her cause though.

Instead he works himself into the ground in the oddest workplace micromanagement setting, possibly, ever. If I didn’t know better I’d say that CEO has a creepy stalker crush on Jon. It’s weird and never made sense to me.

All the interoffice nonsense added to the tedium. Why do I have to read about foam core and Xacto knives ad nauseum? I know it's a workplace romance but I could've done with a whole lot less workplace. Rick is bored by his job so how is it I’m expected to be blown away by the exciting world of architectural modeling?

And the conflict resolution was a little too Disney for me to buy.

Dual perspectives may have been more appealing since Rick struck me as less... grating, but by the end even he and his constant stuttering were on my last good nerve.

I'm not going to perpetrate and say I hated every single second of this book. There were times where I found myself thinking, 'that was sweet' or 'that's admirable realism', but by and large I found this book unsatisfying. And a chore.

Apologies for any butthurtedness that this review may cause. Unpopular opinion is entirely my own.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


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Review: Eyes Wide Open (Totally Five Star #1) by Lucy Felthouse

An ordinary girl catapulted into an extraordinary world meets two even more extraordinary men—but what will she do when she discovers their sexy secret?

Fiona Gillespie moved to London shortly after graduating to take advantage of the opportunities the capital could offer. However, months later, she’s still living in a horrid flat and working in a grimy East End pub. The problem is, she doesn’t really know what she wants to do, career-wise. So when she happens upon an advertisement for a job at a plush Mayfair hotel, she jumps at the chance. A great deal of determination and a spot of luck land Fiona her dream role.

But working at the Totally Five Star London is just the beginning. She adores the role and flourishes, impressing her bosses and making her increasingly determined to climb the career ladder.

While her career is flying, though, her love life is non-existent. She hasn’t even thought about men, never mind met or dated one for months, so when she bumps into two gorgeous businessmen in the hotel, she’s surprised to find her head has been well and truly turned. Even more surprisingly, they flirt with her—both of them! She’s drawn to James and Logan, despite feeling that they’re way out of her league.

When a misunderstanding leads Fiona to James and Logan’s sumptuous top-floor suite, she has no idea what she’s about to uncover. Scenes of people-trafficking, drug-pushing and wild sex parties all appear in her active imagination. Yet what she actually sees is something she’d never even considered before, something that piques her interest.

After discovering their sexy secret, what will she do with this new-found knowledge?

Reader Advisory: This book contains elements of BDSM, anal sex and double penetration. 

Duped Again!

I believe this is a case of it's me, not you. This is not a novice author and her ratings are high, so I thought I'd give her another go. But, I believe it's time for us to part ways. Her writing style and my reading preference have a slight... difference of opinion.

There is simply far too much focus on mundane details for me. There is interior decorating and then there's hoarding. The vast majority of Eyes Wide Open reads like a travel brochure extolling the grandeur of the Totally Five Star hotel and/or a love letter to London. Were I contemplating my next vacation destination I'd be compelled to consider adding London. Unfortunately, vacationing was the furthest thing from my mind when I chose Eyes Wide Open.

The entire story is told from the perspective of a vapid and insipid protagonist that I believe could do with a mood stabilizer. The first 20% was spent with her angsting over possibly not getting an entry level PR job at the hotel rather than character building. I wondered if there were a specified word count because a great deal of it was spent informing me of inane "facts" like water preventing dehydration and the importance of eating prior to drinking a bottle of champagne unless your objective is to get ugly drunk, all of which had the effect of making this 182 pg book feel like a 791 pg book. 

However, all of this pales in comparison to the fade to black m/m sex scene. See that singular there. Not plural, you'll notice. One scene! And after the two studs took care of her and were about to get the party started the damn lights got turned off! 

I'm not sure how a book containing an established couple in Logan and James could contain no MANLOVE, and by MANLOVE, I mean butt sex. But somehow there was only one nap worthy blow job. Actually, the sex as a whole was uninspired and predominantly filled with the insipid one's leaking lady garden when what I was looking for was Pound Town with a side of lady garden. 

The kink is humdrum as well. Logan's the dom, James his submissive and Fiona, a novice, is learning that she's a switch. Sort of. If you like BDSM 101 or very little kink in your kink then you will enjoy this book. There is a bit of flogging and spanking and a PVC school girl outfit that gets some mileage.  

I know nothing of these characters or what makes them tick nor do I understand what they see in Mary Sue, I mean Fiona. There's little to no chemistry between them and more telling than showing. Fiona is adored by everyone so much so that she has a coughing fit in a restaurant that almost garners the local news being called. Naturally, she's all, "shucks, fellas. You can't be interested in plain, lil ole me!" despite all evidence to the contrary. Logan and James are in some sort of business together that is lucrative since they can stay at the best most fabulous hotel OF ALL TIME a.k.a. Totally Five Star. They have sex a few times and then suddenly they're in love and want to be an established triad? My suspend disbelief only stretches so far and it did not include stretching to an HEA.

It's cute enough and there's clearly an audience for sugarkink fluff as the ratings attest. I'll likely not be subjecting this author to anymore of my lackluster reviews since I'm not part of that target audience. 

A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.


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Fangirl Review: Polished by Alyssa Turner

It seemed like they had everything, but they didn’t have Jack.

Without question Spencer Hartley burns hot for his girlfriend, Rory, but his other desires are hidden down deep. He might blow things up for a living and climb mountains for kicks, but the scariest thing in his life is the truth about his sexuality.

Jack Rothman works hard and plays dirty. After long, demanding days in his family's engineering firm, he indulges in the pleasures of silk restraints and fine wine. Lots of hot meaningless sex helps him forget that he's suffocating, with no one to give him a reason to breathe.

When a catastrophic accident traps Spencer in a flooded subway tunnel with Jack, they need each other to survive. But something strong stirs down there in the darkness, and it's more than their desperation to live. There's a spark between them that's impossible to ignore.

Rory Campbell would love to give Spencer the one thing he doesn't have, the freedom to explore his secret desires. But how does that fit into her picture-perfect relationship? When Jack invites the couple to his sprawling Hamptons beach house, Rory realizes that she has secret desires of her own--the kind only Jack's Dominant hand across her bare bottom can satisfy... 

I'm not sure who tipped me off to this book originally, but Baby reminded me of it. I'm so glad she did because I needed a good to excellent m/m/f book after my last forgettable foray. I can't believe it took me so long to read this!

This story has great characters, pacing, and story arch. Even the conflict was believable! None of that contrived nonsense that annoys me so. 

Just in case you haven't figured it out there are girl bits.

Rory and Spencer are an established couple. They've been together 3 yrs or so. They are gaga over each other and that doesn't change, but Spencer has a secret that is holding him back from popping the question.

Rory is no dummy. She's well aware of Spencer's "secret", but she's having a hard time finding a way to address it without freaking Spencer out.

Enter Jack.

Jack is very prickly, truth be told. He comes across as an entitled brat born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He is exceptionally good at manipulating people and a self proclaimed "man whore". Underneath all the bravado he struck me as lonely and isolated. His father is a fuckwit and uses him horribly. He has no friends. Really all he has is a job he hates working for his father who undermines him at every turn, but it does serendipitously pair him with Spencer.

He and Spencer survive a harrowing experience that put them in a flooded tunnel for more than 6 hrs. They bond and the first stirrings of desire begin. It so happens that Rory is instrumental in saving them and waits above ground. The triangle starts to come together shortly thereafter and ignites once Jack invites them to his Hamptons house as a show of gratitude. 

Turns out Spencer's not the only one with a secret. Jack's dominance awakens something in Rory that I don't think she even knew was there. Spencer is a natural sub. I believe I've made my feels clear on this subject.

It's SO HOOOOOTTTTT!!!! 

That kitchen scene... 
*grunts*
I'll never look at a pot rack the same again.

Then the shit hit the fan.

Of course it did.

I would've been pissed too. I'm glad they waited for Jack to make the first move because he screwed the pooch and he... no, I needed him to be the one to grovel.

These characters are well constructed and the pacing of the story is such that I devoured this thing in a day. With my recent outbreak of reading ADHD devouring a 350+ pg book in a day is damn near a seminal event.

There are touching side stories with Rory's and Jack's family and I thoroughly enjoyed the BDSM discovery and how it affected both Spencer and Rory, but by far I think Jack's progression/transformation was the most compelling.

If you like m/m/f ménage stories you should give this a go.

Find out more on Goodreads.