Tag: romance

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#BookReview: To Be Honest by S.M. James

… This Is An Awesome Story. If you enjoyed a certain other coming of age gay romance that was in theater earlier this year, you’ll enjoy this book as well. Even if you haven’t been exposed to that other story, give this one a try if you like romance and/ or coming of age and/ or road trip stories – this is a solid entry into all of the above categories, that happens to involve two guys at a prep school falling for each other. Very much enjoyed this book, excellent vacation/ beach read (which is when I read it, on a cruise). Very much looking forward to the rest of this series.

This review of To Be Honest by S.M. James was originally published on November 15, 2018.

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#BookReview: Full Disclosure by DJ Jamison

Full Disclosure: It is solid. This was the introduction to a new series that, given the usual tropes of romance series, I’m not sure how long the author intends to carry beyond the obvious sequel that releases later this week. Which is sad, because Jamison weaves a solid story of a down on his luck real estate agent meeting up with a security agent who is possibly on his last gig. The danger part of the suspense is tangible, though I was able to determine at least one element of the mystery somewhat early. Overall, great book and I’m looking forward to the next one. 🙂

This review of Full Disclosure by DJ Jamison was originally published on September 16, 2018.

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#BookReview: Worth the Risk by Jamie Beck

Absolutely “worth the risk”. In this conclusion to the St James series, Jackson, middle son, is dealing with the repercussions of the end of Worth the Trouble and has decided to leave town for a few weeks to sort out his issues. He heads to Vermont, and just as he is getting into town he almost literally runs into Gabby during a thunderstorm. He’s a mess, and she has a kid. But this is a romance novel, and these are our leads, so you know where this is going. As always in this series, very real handling of the various situations, and I really do love the decisions Jackson ultimately comes to. Great conclusion to a great series.

This review of Worth the Risk by Jamie Beck was originally published on September 11, 2018.

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#BookReview: Worth the Trouble by Jamie Beck

Even Better Than The First. To me, this story was even better than the first book in this series, Worth the Wait – which was excellent in its own right. Cat and Hank’s interactions seem just as real, and given what both are dealing with, even more personally impactful for me. Without going into detail on this review, suffice it to say that I am thankful that these types of issues are being explored in a romance novel, as often they are not. So very many kudos for that and for the excellent-as-usual story and writing. 🙂

This review of Worth the Trouble by Jamie Beck was originally published on September 9, 2018.

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#BookReview: Worth the Wait by Jamie Beck

Excellent Romance. This is a hardcore romantic drama, quite different in that respect from my typical romance fare of late – and an excellent example of why I like the entire breadth of the genre. The author is a touch more realistic than some of her peers, and it shines here. Both leads are believable, and the supporting cast – most of which is destined to appear in future books as leads themselves – are fully fleshed out for purposes of this story as well. (Obviously for those featuring in future books, we should get better views of them there.) Very much looking forward to the next book in the series – indeed, I’ve already started it.

This review of Worth the Wait by Jamie Beck was originally published on September 5, 2018.

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#BookReview: The Comfort of Secrets by Christine Nolfi

Are Secrets Really Comfortable? In this tale, we meet Cat and Ryan. And Ryan… both has secrets and has people holding secrets from him. In at least some ways, I can certainly identify with Ryan due to at least *some* similar situations (though to be clear, not an abusive parent myself). In this tale of family triumphing all, the more pessimistic among us might be tempted to label it as much fantasy as any swords and sorcery book, but aren’t romance books supposed to take us out of the real world and give us a happily ever after? And in that, Nolfi does a great job. The Sirens may be a bunch of wacky old biddies, but they do form a memorable cast of supporting characters – ones who almost steal the show from the central couple. Very much enjoyed this book, and very much looking forward to reading the other two books in the trilogy. (Yes, I started in the middle. :D)

This review of The Comfort of Secrets by Christine Nolfi was originally published on August 24, 2018.

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#BookReview: Circumstantial Evidence by Lisa Clark O’Neill

Follow The Evidence. This book flows well from the previous book, much like the previous book did from the book before it. Here, we delve further into the story of Will and Cam, who first met up in Admit One. But this time, the stakes are higher than they’ve been in Sweetwater. Ever. There was a kid that was murdered, and right when Will thinks he finally found his man… it turns out, his evidence was too circumstantial. There is another killer on the loose. And Will just put his burgeoning family square in its crosshairs… Excellent conclusion to this particular triliogy, while also more concretely (finally) tying into the author’s other works. Looking forward to exploring more from Ms. O’Neill.

This review of Circumstantial Evidence by Lisa Clark O’Neill was originally published on August 12, 2018.

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#BookReview: Admit One by Lisa Clark O’Neill

Good Theatre. With this book, we pick up about a year after Mr. Write left off. Mason (Dixon) Armitage has come back to Sweetwater with a singular mission – to woo the woman he can’t stop thinking about. But the woman in question… well, she’s over him. Or so she thinks. Overall solid romance, if a tad slow, and with an intriguing mystery to boot. But there *were* a couple of slips of continuity where a character forgets things they knew just pages earlier. Still, very recommended read, and looking forward to seeing Will and Cam develop more in the next book.

This review of Admit One by Lisa Clark O’Neill was originally published on August 11, 2018.

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#BookReview: Mr. Write by Lisa Clark O’Neill

Mr. Right. This was my first book from O’Neill, it won’t be my last. This one isn’t your typical romance book in that there are enough things going on that for a while it is difficult to determine which couple this book is ultimately about. After a point (call it 25-33% or so in?) it becomes more clear, and the both the romance and the suspense begin heating up. Overall a great look at small town life with big personalities, and a great romance. One note: Goodreads says this book is 522 pages. It never feels anywhere near that long – it feels like the time flies by as fast as books with half that page count or less.

This review of Mr. Write by Lisa Clark O’Neill was originally published on August 8, 2018.