Review: Pins and Needles by A.J. Thomas

The truth is rarely seen on the surface, and getting to it might mean digging deep…

After a devastating accident and a long stay in the hospital, the last thing petroleum engineer Sean Wilkinson wants to deal with is the settlement the oil company tries to force on him. He’ll never be able to work in his field again, his education is all but useless, and his surgeons are pessimistic about whether he’ll ever walk again. He needs someone in his corner, but most lawyers take one look at his tattoo-covered foster father and turn their backs. It’s just Sean’s luck that the one attorney willing to give him a chance is also the hottest guy he’s ever seen.

As a trial lawyer, Nate Delany has a lot to prove—to his father, the world, and himself. Sean intrigues Nate, and he struggles to reconcile the gifted tattoo artist he can’t stop fantasizing about with the quiet, brilliant engineer. His investigation reveals facts left out of the accident report—including an illicit affair, greedy coworkers, and a vicious corporation that will do anything to protect its bottom line. When Sean’s life is threatened, winning Sean’s case, and his heart, becomes a lot more dangerous.

Sean's life is dramatically derailed when an accident occurs and nearly saws him in two. He's left having to reconfigure his life and future and battle the potential of never being able to walk again. When the man who essentially raised him reaches out for legal assistance against the oil company whose ship Sean was on (and who Sean had just started officially working for days before), he meets Nate, who is as stubborn and proud as he, sans the tattoos.

Nate is tired of living in the shadow of people taking credit for his work. Against his father's wishes, he leaves the firm behind and heads out on his own. His first case? Well, certainly not what he expected, and the attraction to Sean is immediate.

Through twists and turn, the men seek answers (all while trying to stay alive.)

“Come on, let’s go for a walk and—” He stopped and slapped himself in the forehead. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…. I’m just sorry.”
Sean chuckled. “They didn’t reprogram my brain to avoid normal figures of speech when they gave me the wheelchair. We can go for a walk.”

Something that I love about A.J. Thomas is that they manage to provide what feels like authentic representation. While not differently abled in the same way as Sean, I have my own physical battles. I felt for Sean as I went through the story and watched him give a middle finger to societies standards for who he can be. I chose the quote above because I think it provides a good example of that in a way that is accessible.

The story has steam, but it is certainly not steam-powered (see what I did there?) It is very much so plot-driven and I really found myself enjoying it. I had predicted at least one of the aspects of who was behind a lot of mayhem, but didn't have it figured out completely. I will say that while A.J. did a great job of making such a complex field and science more understandable, there were times I was still like "what the what?" - and that is part of what took my rating down some. Lucky for everyone, I am not an engineer. We'd all be screwed.

The epilogue felt a bit rushed, but I did like where it went and I don't know that it would've made sense for the story to be extended. It just ended up coming across as reading a 1,000 word paragraph in 20 seconds. Whoooosh.

In the end, this is a solid story by a solid author, and I definitely enjoyed the complex characters, enjoyable side characters, and subplots surrounding family for both Nate and Sean.

A review copy was provided.

Giveaway + Blog Tour: Suspicious Behavior (Bad Behavior, #2) by L.A. Witt & Cari Z.

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Tag Team Review: No Pressure (Accidental Roots #2) by Elle Keaton

Joey James has given up on his ‘Prince Charming’. There is no such thing, he needs to be realistic about his chances of finding a lasting relationship. A chance encounter with a former school mate at the local grocery store changes everything-maybe.
Before Joey can decide what to do about it, he is swept into a terrifying scheme. Forced into helping a dangerous stranger in exchange for his family’s safety, Joey begins a perilous journey into the criminal underbelly of Skagit. He will do whatever is needed to protect his family.

Buck Swanfeldt had a secret crush on Joey James in high school. Buck’s social anxiety and two-year age difference made it impossible for him to approach Joey then. Life since high school has been challenging, and lonely. Eight years later, fate brings them together and Buck decides to act. He utterly fails. He would have left it at that, except fate seems to be intent on pushing Joey in his direction, and clearly, Joey needs someone at his back.

Dark, sordid secrets hiding in Skagit are bubbling to the surface, danger lurks in unexpected places. Buck has never been anyone’s hero but something about Joey has him throwing caution to the wind. Together the two men take on a dangerous force greater than themselves. But sometimes our worst enemy is ourselves.

*warning may need a tissue!

This book is a work of fiction intended for mature audiences only.

Wow, I liked this even more than the first one! The characters, especially Joey and Buck, were engaging and I was able to relate to them on a deep, personal level. The storyline that was carried over from book 1 was wrapped up here in a satisfying and realistic way. Joey was a bit TSTL at times but it worked for me because it's in his nature to care for others, even to his own detriment.

Buck, now... Buck has earned a special place in my pocket and in my heart. Buck's a gentle giant. He's so innocent and awkward and he stumbles over his words when trying to talk to Joey and I just love him so. There's an instant attraction between him and Joey that has Buck so far out of his comfort zone he doesn't know whether to scratch his watch or wind his butt. It was a delight to watch him gather up his courage to pursue Joey, who, frankly, didn't need any encouragement. Buck is hotness personified (think Thor with the temperament of Gentle Ben). He's so adorable I just want to eat him up!

One of the things I loved the most about this book is the realism. Even with a fantastical storyline of mobsters, kidnapping, trafficking and whatnot, everything rang true to me. The relationship was anything but rushed and the fact that Buck realized he needed time on his own to get his head on straight and actually seeking out therapy before pursuing anything further with Joey was so refreshing to read.

Now, the blurb warns that tissues may be needed. I didn't agree with that at first. In truth I didn't agree with that for 98% of the book. But, damned if I didn't cry at the end. They were happy tears, but I did experience some serious facial leakage.

Elle Keaton is proving to be a masterful storyteller and I'm eager to see what she does next. This author is one to watch for, folks. The lady has some serious talent.

Okay. Well the truth is, this book was on my review list. I read and reviewed the first book and loved it - but I've got about a third of the way into it and am struggling with this one.  Sometimes, if I'm struggling I go and look at others' reviews, to see if I can work out what it is I'm missing - or sometimes to see if I'm the only one with the problem! 

In this case, one of the first reviews that came up was that of fellow unicorn and FABULOUS reviewer, Jenni Lea. God-dammit, I must be wrong, because, as you can see, she adored this book. Now, I'm still struggling to get into it, but it's been on my review list for a while so I wanted to get my outta date reviews up to date. Rather than just DNFing and giving the broken-heart review (I don't like to rate if I've not finished unless there is a strong reason why I've DNF'd) I asked Jenni Lea if she'd mind me posting her (fabulous) review, along with my DNF one. Of course she didn't because she's amazing like that!

 I'm not saying no to this book forever, but for now it's a case of it's not you, it's me. Read Jenni Lea's review and she'll tell you all about her lvoe for this book.

A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.
For more information see Goodreads.

Review: Coasting (States of Love) by Yvonne Trent

What happens when you need something but don’t know what it is? Why not look in a place you never heard of?

Out and proud elementary school teacher Cal Hamilton thought he was happy in Philadelphia, but after a breakup, he steps back to reassess his life and discovers something is missing. He gets in his car and drives south with no idea what he hopes to find. The flip of a coin leads him to a small town in Mississippi—practically a different world from the city where he grew up.

Police officer Billy Labarre keeps his sexuality mostly to himself, but he knows just what he needs to fill the hole in his quiet small-town life: the right man. Unfortunately attitudes toward gay men still leave a lot to be desired in the rural South, and it’s hard to meet someone. It’s not likely his perfect match is just going to show up out of the blue….

New author Yvonne Trent's Coasting is a sweet contemporary novella that features a Philadelphian teacher Cal Hamilton and Mississippian police officer Billy Labarre. Since his summer is free, Cal goes on a road trip of sorts after recently breaking up with his boyfriend of five years. He travels down south and goes where his gut tells him... after a flip of a coin.

Ocean Springs, Mississippi is where he ultimately lands. The small town is booming with tourists and there is no room at any local hotels. Officer Billy offers a room at his empty house to crash at. Though Cal doesn't know he's met the officer of the law at the time, he accepts the stranger's kind offer.

Thus begins the start of a very tame and easy relationship. Within 48 hours, the two make permanent decisions and have off page sex. The relationship forms within the first 33% and nothing else happens but repeating that Cal will stay in Mississippi.

The story is nice. There is no angst, no major plot. The story coasts with a sugary ease and not much else. There are readers for this type of read. Not faulting them or this story. I felt it could have easily be finished within 20 pages. A lot of filler about eating, touring the Mississippi bayou and simple sugary sweetness.

The most developed character: Mississippi.

We get to learn the bayou, the food and the culture in the small town. The reader gets to go along as Billy plays tour guide to Cal around his hometown. You get to read his love for his state through and through. *shrugs*

Since the relationship fell into insta-love category, there wasn't much else to help any growth to either main character. The same feelings that they share after a few days continue when the story time jumps months later. Billy is out to those who are close to him but keeps PDA non existent due to where he lives. Cal doesn't mind.

The writing isn't bad. It's nice.

Just like the characters. Nice.

A city guy just ups and stays in a stranger's house without worrying about the possibilities? Nice, I guess for him. As a city girl, I just don't get it. Or the fact five years of a past relationship doesn't get explored for any semblance of depth for the character or snapshot of where Cal's head is at that he could just so easily jump into bed with another man. It's nice not to have to worry about those things.

Nice is there to keep everything even keeled. Nothing and no one rocks the boat or brings any interest to the story. There is a market for nice, non-explicit, no angst sugar. Readers who enjoy that...nice will wallow in Coasting.

Nice, nice, nice.

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.

Giveaway + Blog Tour: The Druid Next Door (Fae Out of Water, #2) by E.J. Russell

E.J. Russell & Riptide Publishing are her to promote the second in the Fae Out of Water series! Be sure to enter the stupendous giveaway by leaving a comment! Good luck!

About The Druid Next Door

Professor Bryce MacLeod has devoted his entire life to environmentalism. But how effective can he be in saving the planet when he can’t even get his surly neighbor to separate his recycling?

Former Queen’s Enforcer Mal Kendrick doesn’t think his life could get any worse: he’s been exiled from Faerie with a cursed and useless right hand. When he’s not dodging random fae assassins in the Outer World, he’s going toe-to-toe with his tree-hugging neighbor. And when he discovers that the tree hugger is really a druid, he’s certain the gods have it in for him—after all, there’s always a catch with druids. Then he’s magically shackled to the man and expected to instruct him in Supernatural 101.

All right, now things couldn’t possibly get worse.

Until a mysterious stranger offers a drunken Mal the chance to gain back all he’s lost—for a price. After Mal accepts, he discovers the real catch: an ancient secret that will change his and Bryce’s life forever.

Ah, what the hells. Odds are they won’t survive the week anyway.

Available now from Riptide Publishing. http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/the-druid-next-door

About the Fae Out of Water Series

Once upon a time, there were three brothers, nobles of the Seelie Court of Faerie, who set out to seek their fortunes. The eldest—

Scratch that. Rrrrrewind.

Nowadays, when tales are told in 140 character bursts on tiny LED screens, rather than spun out by the glow of a midnight campfire, even Faerie’s elite have to get with the program.

The Kendrick brothers have traded longbow for briefcase, battle steed for Harley, and enchanted harp for electric guitar.  But while they’re finding their feet in the modern world, instead of finding their fortunes, they stumble straight into love.

#faeoutofwater

Check out Fae Out of Water! http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/series/fae-out-water

About E.J. Russell

E.J. Russell holds a BA and an MFA in theater, so naturally she’s spent the last three decades as a financial manager, database designer, and business-intelligence consultant. After her twin sons left for college and she no longer spent half her waking hours ferrying them to dance class, she returned to her childhood love of writing fiction. Now she wonders why she ever thought an empty nest meant leisure.

E.J. lives in rural Oregon with her curmudgeonly husband, the only man on the planet who cares less about sports than she does. She enjoys visits from her wonderful adult children, and indulges in good books, red wine, and the occasional hyperbole.

Connect with E.J.:

Website: ejrussell.com

Blog: ejrussell.com/bloggery/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/E.J.Russell.author

Twitter: twitter.com/ej_russell

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ejrussell/

To celebrate the release of all three books in the Fae Out of Water series, one lucky winner across all three tours will receive a GRAND PRIZE of a $50 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on September 23, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the Druid Next Door tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Review: Grounded by Aidan Wayne

Between raising his daughter Camille, his work as a full-time pastry chef, and his hobby of capoeira, Baz’s life is pretty full. He may be a little lonely, but he’s too busy to think about it all that much.

When his cousin Alaina introduces him to Terry, another capoeira student, Baz is instantly drawn to him. Though quiet and withdrawn, Terry ends up being a fun, interesting person who Baz can’t help but fall for. And when Baz does things, he doesn’t do them halfway.

Terry is a successful voice actor and a talented martial artist. But the fact that he’s shy, on top of being a trans man, has kept him from really dating. He likes Baz, he does—he just doesn’t want to mess up their friendship by failing at romance. Still, Baz is nothing if not stubborn, and Terry is willing to give things a try.

This story is pretty fluffy. I usually prefer a bit more depth with my stories but I didn’t mind this one as something light and short to fill up a few hours.

Baz is a really great character, and I enjoyed reading about him and his daughter, Camille. Their interactions were adorable, and I felt the author captured the nurturing side of Baz really well. He put himself out there with 100% surety that even if things didn’t go his way, he at least gave it his all. He handled his daughter with patience and care, and it was nice to read this type of father/daughter relationship instead of the strained relationship which is the usual trope.

Terry was a bit opaque. I felt like his character development was a bit stunted. I don’t know if this was intentional or if it was because we were always in Baz’s POV but I felt like I needed a bit more from him to feel good about the relationship between them.

I did enjoy the way they both navigated the relationship while trying to take care of how it may impact Camille. The author also managed to capture how children can be irrational and extreme when things change for them. This came across strongly in the story.

This was a fairly short story, 120 pages, but I felt like it captured the relationship between Baz and Terry and gave us enough solid foundation to believe in a HFN.

I enjoyed the author’s writing style and would recommend this as an easy read with a very supportive and easy going main character (Baz). Unfortunately Terry was under-developed and needed a bit more to make me love him as much as Baz.

A review copy was provided by the publisher for an honest opinion

Blog Tour + Giveaway: Runner (The Runner #1) by Karma Kingsley

Karma Kingsley and IndiGo Marketing host the Runner Blog Tour! Learn about the new author in the interview, check out the excerpt and enter in the NineStar Press eBook giveaway!

Title: Runner
Series: The Runner, Book One
Author: Karma Kingsley
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: August 21
Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 79300
Genre: Contemporary, age gap, celebrities, hurt/comfort, interracial, mild BDSM, movie industry, spanking, toys

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35713191-runner

Synopsis

Alex Banez is a runner for a Los Angeles film set. When he has a chance encounter with executive producer Atwell Richards, he finds himself falling fast and hard. Atwell is rich, powerful, gorgeous, and everything Alex never thought he would have. But Atwell also has a dark side and an inflexible need for control that threatens to suffocate everyone around him.

Alex has to figure out if he can love Atwell without losing himself.

Excerpt

Runner
Karma Kingsley © 2017
All Rights Reserved
Chapter One

“Dammit. Son of a…” Alex shook out his hand, holding back a curse as he blew a puff of cool air onto his burning fingers. The skin on his knuckles reddened and sizzled, and he clenched his jaw as he waited for the pain to subside. Goddamn new directors and their tea fetishes. He’d burned himself nearly a thousand times since the new management team had taken over the set. He was certain his hands were merely bone and burn marks, as the last of his skin had certainly just sizzled off.

Taking a deep breath, he carefully placed the scalding hot cup of Orange Jasmine onto a tray with two others, both varying pretentious flavors of tea. His new bosses from Maryland, flown in to save the current film from going up in flames, had a particular palate for teas.

Alex had thought they were joking when they requested that he place an order for the list of nearly fifty different flavors of the beverage, but the cold, sharp looks from his collection of recently arrived employers had quickly assured him that being a “tea connoisseur” was no laughing matter. He’d nodded in obedience and quickly hopped on the task, having to call in nearly every favor owed to him for the more exotic brands. He’d thought that was the hard part, until they had taken to requesting that he deliver them a new flavor of burning hot tea on the hour. In addition to the other millions of tasks he had to complete, he now had a timer attached to his waist, set to beep every fifty minutes and remind him to hydrate the arrogant devils that controlled his paycheck.

Though he wasn’t in the business for the money. God knows he wasn’t in it for the money. The shit job came equipped with equally shitty pay, but this was where he needed to be. Starting from the bottom was the only way to get to the top.

He picked the tray of mugs up and balanced it on his palm, keeping it steady with the light touch of his other hand. He plastered on a smile and moved forward toward the three men sitting confidently in chairs labeled with their individual titles. None of them mattered. They all outranked him.

“Oh, the tea is here,” one of them exclaimed, turning in his chair to reach back for one of the glasses.

Alex opened his mouth to warn him that he was taking the wrong glass. He’d arranged them in the order that they sat, so as not to forget who ordered what, but his effort was futile as the man brought the cup to his lips. He took a sip and immediately spit it back into the cup.

“Is this Pomegranate Raspberry?” he asked angrily.

“Uh, yes. But it wasn’t—” Alex started to answer but was quickly cut off.

The man stood up from his chair. He wasn’t an intimidating man. His features were light, his hair platinum blond, and he was barely half Alex’s size, but he was obviously used to having power and money and thought that his size was more threatening than it actually was. His gaze burned furiously into Alex. “I specifically asked for Red Velvet. Did you think that I wouldn’t taste the difference? Do you think that I’m an idiot?”

Alex stared back at him openmouthed. He had no words. He wasn’t even sure how the two questions correlated. He would never be able to taste the difference between any flavor of tea, ever, and he certainly didn’t think himself an idiot. “Well, it’s just—”

“It-it’s just—” the man mocked him. “Just go, runner.”

Alex stood frozen, still staring at him, and mortified by his outburst.

“I said go, before I find your replacement. Hopefully, one that can read the label on a bag of tea.” The man waved him off as his two companions watched silently. Alex gathered himself. He closed his mouth and turned to leave them to bitch about him and his incompetence. He clenched his teeth together. If you want to be in one of those director chairs one day, then you better damn well keep it together, he reminded himself. He was the set’s bitch boy for now but one day, he’d be running the show. One day soon.

Author (Quickie) Interview

After reading your book 'Runner', it made me super curious to know how you got into writing racy novels?

Well, I got into writing racy novels because that's what I've always read...well, steamy novels, fantasy novels and heaps of nonfiction. But I haven't quite grasped putting together fantasy novels just yet-- I’m a horrendous world builder--and I don’t have the platform or know-how for nonfiction.

The specific ‘racy’ bits Runner came about because, I've just always been intrigued by power play novels but I've never liked that one person always had to give up ALL of their power to the other. So, Runner is sort of built into the concept of power play but where both characters have sort of unbending personalities. So instead of having a high character and a low character, everything sort of meets at a slant.

What is the thing that inspires you the most?

I take inspiration from a lot of things, my life experiences, TV shows, books, things I see people do at Walmart...Inspiration is everywhere.

I guess if I had to choose a most inspiring thing, I’d go with a Maya Angelou quote: "My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, compassion, some humor and some style."

Do you listen to music when you write? If so, what kind?

I don’t listen to music when I write. I’m one of those people that needs complete silence. But I do sometimes hear songs that inspire stories. For instance, I’ve listened to The Chief album on repeat since it dropped and I desperately want to write story based on the album, or write Jidenna’s memoirs, either works for me.


Purchase Links

NineStar Press: https://ninestarpress.com/product/runner/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B074MHC49V
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/740853
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/runner-karma-kingsley/1126944941
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/runner-32

Meet the Author

Karma is a wine-enthusiast, feminist, activist, humanitarian, vegetarian and just all around liberal and that often seeps into her writing. She loves any place with white, white sand and blue, blue water and an endless supply of prefix-mo drinks (Moscato, Mojito, etc.).

Author Links

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Karma_Kingsley
Email: KarmaKingsley@gmail.com

Tour Schedule

8/21 Love Bytes Reviews www.lovebytesreviews.com
8/22 Erotica For All http://eroticaforall.co.uk
8/22 Wicked Faerie's Tales and Reviews http://wickedreviews.blogspot.com
8/23 The Novel Approach http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com
8/23 Boy Meets Boy Reviews boymeetsboyreviews.blogspot.com
8/23 Happily Ever Chapter https://www.facebook.com/happilyeverchapter
8/24 Bayou Book Junkie http://bayoubookjunkie.blogspot.com
8/25 Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words https://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords.com
8/25 MM Good Book Reviews https://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/

One lucky winner will receive an ebook of their choice from NineStar Press


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Urgent Care (Hearts & Health, #3) by D.J. Jamison

Nursing student Xavier James is shocked to run into the first man to ever break his heart while at a gay club. His ex is sexier than ever, but Xavier is not going down that road again ... only, when they end up working together at an urgent-care clinic, his willpower will be tested.

Trent Cavendish made a huge mistake at age 18 when he walked away from his first love. Twelve years later, Trent is rattled when his friend suddenly dies. He takes a hard look at his life, realizing how empty it has become. Determined to re-evaluate his priorities and make amends, he returns to his hometown to win Xavier's forgiveness and maybe even his heart.

Times have changed. Instead of the sweet but tame boyfriend he left behind, he finds a smoking hot man dressed in bits of lace and silk. Trent's good intentions turn to lust, and love isn't far behind. But Xavier is wary. The villain of his memories is proving to be a decent guy, but has he really changed or is Xavier just a new goal to chase?

Standard disclaimer from the in-house MANTIES enthusiast: there were MANTIES and I maybe squealed some. <----total lie. I squealed like a pig. 

I will probably squeal some here too. And there could be a pic or two. Because, y'know, MANTIES!

Jamison is a new to me author but as soon as I saw the words "lace and silk" in the blurb my heart did a recognizing a kindred spirit pitterpat. I hit the request button faster than you can say sing thon-tha-tha-tha-thonggggg even though this is the third book in a series, but this book can be read as a standalone. There are secondary characters that I'm fairly certain were featured in the previous books but nothing happened that left me scratching my head. So go forth and get your MANTIES on, peeps!

Xavier and Trent were high school sweethearts. They planned to attend college together then go on to med school but life happened and Xavier didn't feel like he could leave his family at the time. This wound up hurting them both and caused a rift to form between them.

Twelve years later Trent finds himself at a crossroads and mired in a "mid-life crisis" of sorts subsequent to the suicide of his close friend. He realizes surgery has become the focal point of his life and maybe that's not such a good thing. So he decides to try to win back the heart of the love of his life and make some changes, mainly of getting out of the OR and interacting with patients who are actually conscious.

Xavier is working on becoming an RN when Trent returns and he puts Trent through his paces. It's clear that Trent's leaving was a pivotal moment in his life; it shattered his trust and everyone since has felt the brunt of that mistrust.

One of the things that makes this trope work for me is a slow burn rather than jumping right back in where things left off and not addressing the precipitating event. Jamison did a great job re-establishing their connection, showing their desire for one another and making me believe they belong together.

She also fleshed out both of these characters well showing their personality characteristics. They compliment each other personality wise and both are receptive and responsive to the other's perspective. Xavier also has close familial ties whereas Trent's parents are and have always been distant, so that is yet another way they're good for each other which always resonates with me.

What am I forgetting? Oh! The MANTIES!!!!!! 

They were GRRRRRRR-EAT! *growls*

Xavier is big and muscular from his landscaping day job but he likes a lil silk and lace to help him get in touch with his feminine side. He also likes to put on a bit of makeup from time to time. *stumbles* And then he pulls his dreads up in a man bun! *thud*

I wasn't mad at it. At all. Neither was Trent. I so SO like it when there is MANTIES acceptance and appreciation. Nothing worse than MANTIES shaming. Xavier is not shy about what he likes and neither is Trent and their sex was stellar. I particularly liked that scene when the MANTIES got destroyed. Oops. *slow grin*

There are two things I found odd the first being the D/s stuff. All of that was clunky and awkward. I'm not sure how or why Trent believed Xavier was submissive. Maybe because he always bottomed when they were together in high school? I'm not sure but I'm guessing Xavier's 9" cock had something to do with that deal which leads to the second thing I found odd. Xavier can recognize that he's changed over the last twelve years but the concept that Trent could too seems to elude him. His inability to recognize the growth of someone else when he's being smacked in the face with the evidence of that growth seemed incongruous with his intelligence and his character.

Those minor quibbles notwithstanding this is a must read for MANTIES enthusiasts! And the peeps who enjoy second chance romance. And MANTIES enthusiasts!

One to grow on.

A review copy was provided.