Author: Morgan

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Never Wrong by Chris McHart

MLR Press presents:  http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?book=CMNVRWRN

never wrongBlurb

Jeff was raised to believe love between two men is wrong. Or is it? Can love ever be wrong?

When Jeff meets the much younger Dean, he only knows he wants him, consequences be damned. But things are not as easy, especially after Jeff’s ex calls and announces big news.

And Dean? He thinks the new neighbor is hot, but he’s not interested in something more than a rebound fuck. That’s what he tells himself, at least.

But lust isn’t a good basis for a relationship, more so since Jeff isn’t sure whether he can deal with being gay.

Love is never wrong, but can Jeff accept that?

Review

This book is mostly about Dean, not Jeff, despite the blurb. Dean is a young guy who just got dumped by his older boyfriend and moved into an apartment of his own for the first time. In the process of moving in he meets Jeff, a guy 20 years his senior, who lives in the same building. Dean likes older guys and is at first bummed because he thinks Jeff is straight but then psyched when Jeff kisses him.

Jeff is a cop who was in a relationship with Cheryl for 11 years and just recently decided to break up with her because he thinks he’s gay (though he hasn’t had any male relationships yet). He meets Dean and is immediately attracted to him, but thinks he’s too young and Jeff has a hard time committing to the “gay” part of himself.

Dean and Jeff start a “relationship” but warily because Dean is on the re-bound and Jeff is exploring gay sex for the first time and neither are good at communicating with the other. Jeff is also hit with a shocker from his ex-girlfriend (she’s pregnant and it’s probably Jeff’s) that makes him question what he’s doing with his life.

Luckily, the attraction between the two of them is strong enough to try to make a go of it, because Cheryl isn’t done with her shocking news and the couple end with a HEA and a new family.

**
First, let me say that the writing style of this new (to me) author was good. There were a lot of meaty ideas in this story and it had some great potential. However, there were so many plot difficulties that I couldn’t give this a great rating.

For one, I didn’t feel a lot of “love” between Jeff and Dean, even at the end. They didn’t do much together besides have sex so I didn’t feel great about their relationship. Jeff was worried about their ages but I never saw that issue really resolved. Dean felt Jeff wasn’t really committing to him (Jeff wanted to share in parenthood but was reluctant to even move in with Dean) and that issue was never really resolved either.

Another difficulty I found was that I felt that Jeff’s transition to being gay wasn’t explored very well. I really thought there wasn’t enough introspection or discussion of his previously “straight” categorization and that his wishy washy relationship with Dean wasn’t enough to convince me that Jeff was fully invested in the new lifestyle.

I also thought Jeff’s parents acted very strange, as did Cheryl. I can’t imagine her behaving as she did (both with just wanting to abandon her child and not telling them the ultimate truth about the pregnancy).

I thought the whole child thing was not realistic at all. Both Jeff and Dean were very cavalier about having a baby and seemed to do little to prepare for it and there was no discussion at all about how any child would be taken care of. I also couldn’t understand why Jeff wouldn’t want Dean to move in with him if they were committing to parent Cheryl’s child together.

One last small gripe… the gay “virgin” sex with a younger more experienced guy… it should have been great – lots of stuff to work with in terms of fantasy material – and it ended up being pretty lackluster.

So…though I liked a lot about this story in terms of potential, I don’t think it fulfilled it’s promise.

2.5 of 5 hearts

2.5

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A Paranormal Chipmunk Christmas by Jackie Nacht

MLR Press Presents http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?book=JN_CMCHR

chipmunk christmasBlurb

A vicious horde of chipmunks? Dallas and Gunner knew that meeting their mate’s family wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. How could it be when they had eighteen brothers and sisters? This bear and wolf are about to be put to the test—surviving this family holiday. Will they be able to escape just the four of them or will they be taking some of the siblings back to White Pine…involuntarily?

Review

This super cute little holiday story brings both Dallas and Gunner into the crazy chipmunk household for Christmas. Needless to say there are lots of funny moments, some hot smexy times and a very sweet “gift exchange” at the end. If you’ve been enjoying the series so far you won’t want to miss this little story.

I loved it!

4 of 5 hearts

4

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You Belong to Me by Edward Kendrick

Dreamspinner Presents: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5728

 

belongBlurb

Corey Byrne loves his family—as long as he only has to see them once a year. Since he’s not out to them, it makes things… tense. Returning to his job at a homeless shelter after Christmas, he finds someone has left him a very expensive present. Soon, he begins to get messages from the anonymous gift giver. Then Corey’s friend Brad is murdered in Corey’s apartment and undercover detective Scott Reed is assigned to protect Corey. As they work together to find the killer, they realize they’re starting to care about each other. However Scott is unwilling to act on his feelings unless Corey comes out to his family and coworkers. As the threats from the stalker intensify, Corey is forced to admit that love is too precious to hide from. Perhaps now is the time to be honest about who he is and accept the possibility of love in return—before it’s too late.

Review

Corey is in the closet and plans on staying there until a dead body forces him to ask his brother for help and reveal his secret. His brother recommends the help of an undercover cop, Scott who eventually wins Corey’s heart and convinces him to give love a try.

There was a bit more “mystery” to this than romance and there were some areas where “suspending my disbelief” for the sake of the story became difficult, but it was overall a sweet romance and an interesting thriller.

3 of 5 hearts

3

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A Wedding to Die For by Xavier Mayne

Dreamspinner presents:  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5808

wedding dieBlurb

When a high-profile gay celebrity couple asks two of the city’s most established vendors to provide cake and flowers for their wedding and they refuse, a resulting boycott threatens to shut them down. It’s up to the next generation in the family-owned businesses to save them from ruin. Justin Capella, baker’s son, and Roman Montgomery, floral scion, work together to plan the gay wedding of the year.

Justin and Roman haven’t seen each other since that fateful day in third grade when a single kiss shocked Justin and sent Roman to boarding school. As fate would have it, Justin and Roman rediscover love while working on the wedding. But disaster might pry them apart again.

Troopers Brandt and Donnelly are working with a statewide task force for the rights of LGBT citizens—all while searching for a killer wedding planner. As guests at the “wedding of the year”, they are the first responders when all hell breaks loose. In investigating, the troopers are led to a shadowy figure they believe seduced Roman into doing his bidding. But the real murderer will cover his tracks at all costs, including Roman and Justin’s lives.

Review

We start off with the planning of a wedding between two high-powered gay men in a town where gay marriage is still not completely accepted. Shopkeepers want to deny services to the couple so the law has to intervene and force compliance of equality laws – thus Brandt and Donnelly are called in. This is great as they are planning their own wedding (with the hilarious help of Bryce and Nestor of course!) so it’s convenient that they get to interview florists, bakers, etc in the name of justice.

There is a bit more to the “mystery” in this story and some really shocking developments occur that will keep you on the edge of your seat and near your Kleenex box! Xavier Mayne definitely had some “messages” to spread with this book, including the questionable “equality” gay couples have in our society despite more and more laws supporting gay marriage.

In addition to the on-going romance between Brandt and Donelly (which continues to be ooey gooey sweet and super hot sexy!) there is the relationship between Greg and Peter the wedding couple and the budding romance between Roman and Justin (childhood beaus split apart for years due to bigotry and fear.)

If you have been reading this series you will find this book was a bit more “heavy” than the prior two and yet still just as funny, tender, sweet and entertaining, if not more so.

I really love this series and the couples we meet each time and continue to follow and can’t wait for more.

4.5 of 5 hearts

4.5

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Teaching Professor Grayson by Kade Boehme and Allison Cassatta

Dreamspinner presents  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5715

teaching profBlurb

Christian Grayson is a professor of sociology who comes from a close-knit Southern family steeped in values and tradition. He left Tennessee using education as his excuse for escape, when he truthfully only wanted the freedom to be who he truly was. But at age forty, he’s still in the closet and still adheres to the morals his father, a Southern Baptist minister, raised him with. This includes saving himself for Mr. Right.

CJ Hata has been under Christian’s wing since his freshman year. A genius, pure and simple, he’s a senior now and no longer needs to report to Professor G, but he still seeks his teacher out occasionally for a friendly chat.

When Christian accidentally outs himself to CJ while pouring his heart out about his dying father, CJ feels totally out of his element. He convinces himself to put forth his best effort because the man he’s been crushing on for four years needs a friend. In the meantime, everyone around CJ is stumbling out of the closet, but the one person he really wants to come out has barricaded himself in with the bible and his family’s expectations.

Review

This is a very gritty story about judging and values and how our families shape us and what society expects from us and how we have to overcome all that to be who we are.
CJ is not a very lovable character. He’s acerbic and condescending and sometimes pretty immature. He has moments of immense sweetness and that’s what attracts Christian.

Christian is a confused, closeted man forced into a role that he sort of believes in but also one he finds too constraining. He falls for a student and then falls out of the closet to be with him. In the meantime his super religious father dies and he has to face what that means for him and how he lives his life free from that judgment.

On the one hand this story really speaks to a lot of issues and handles them in a way that is more realistic than a lot of romances tend to be. On the other hand it was so gritty that I didn’t feel as connected to the characters in a way that I felt either bonded to them or invested in their outcome. I never really liked CJ and though I felt bad for Christian I didn’t really connect with him either. I definitely didn’t see them as a couple that would stand the test of time. Not because they couldn’t or wouldn’t, but because the story didn’t spend enough time showing me their compatibility. Instead it was more internal dialogs and moving through Christian’s own lifestyle choices and decisions and CJs growth of his socializing skills.

I really wanted to love this – there was so much promise in the topics and in the potential for very angst-ridden yet hot, 40-year-old-virgin-sex… but I just didn’t feel a strong enough connection with either MC to feel very attached to their love story.

Overall I give it 3 of 5 hearts for having a lot of promise.

3

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As a side – the cover really didn’t match the story in that CJ is not a happy, smiling, shy, young guy but an old cynic of a guy in a young guy’s body and instead the professor is the shy, retiring guy.

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Billionaire with Benefits (Romancelandia # 2) By Anne Tenino

Riptide Presents: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/billionaire-with-benefits

BillionaireBlurb

It’s just a friend thing.

Before confessing his gayness to his best friend, Tierney Terrebonne’s sex life is -strictly restroom. After confessing his gayness to his best friend . . . it doesn’t improve much. Why bother trying when the man he’s loved for fourteen years (see: “best friend”) is totally unattainable? Good thing Tierney is an old hand at accepting defeat; all it takes is a bottle of bourbon. Or fifty. Repeat as needed.

Dalton Lehnart has a history of dating wealthy, damaged, closeted, lying, cheating, no-good, cowardly men, so of course he’s immediately attracted to Tierney Terrebonne. Fortunately, Tierney is so dissolute that even Dalton’s feelings for the man would be better described as pity. Which becomes sympathy as they get to know each other. Followed by compassion, concern, caring, and hopefulness as Tierney struggles to change his life. When the man comes out very publicly and enters rehab, Dalton finds himself downright attached to Tierney. And as everyone knows, after attachment comes . . .

Uh oh.

But post-rehab Tierney can’t handle more than friendship, so Dalton should be safe from repeating his own past mistakes, right? Right?

Review

This is the sequel to Too Stupid to Live and in it we get to see a bit from Sam who is still doing psychology via Romance books (which is fun), but mostly this is about Tierney and his growth from giant douche-knob to boyfriend.

We are supposed to find Tierney annoying and he is, but he’s got some good reasons to be that way and in the end he redeems himself into someone Dalton-worthy.

This is a long book, a bit more serious than some of Anne Tenino’s other books, a bit less in the sex scenes, and sometimes more difficult to get through than book one (definitely more angsty), but as always, Tenino is an excellent writer and delivers a great story.

It wasn’t my favorite of her books, but it was still very good.

3.5 of 5 hearts

3.5

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Red Dirt Heart 4 by NR Walker

NR Walker presents http://www.amazon.com/Red-Dirt-Heart-ebook/dp/B00RUQXD9W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1420778681&sr=1-1&keywords=red+dirt+heart+4

red dirt 4Blurb

Moving from a Texas ranch to an Australian Outback station was a life changing decision for Travis Craig. Though it wasn’t really a decision at all. Something in his bones told him to go, though he had no clue as to why.
Until he met Sutton Station’s owner, Charlie.
Loving Charlie shouldn’t have been easy. The man was stubborn, and riddled with crippling self-doubt. No, it shouldn’t have been easy at all. Yet somehow, falling in love with Charlie was the easiest thing in the world.
Loving him was easy. Living with him, teaching him how to love in return and, more importantly, how to love himself, was not.
But Travis knew all along it’d be worth it. He knew the man with the red dirt heart was destined to be his. Just like he knew the red dirt that surrounded him was where he was supposed to be.
In the final instalment of the Red Dirt Series, we see Charlie through Travis’ eyes. We see how much he’s grown and how much he loves. We go back to Texas with them, and we see Charlie get everything he truly thought he never deserved.
Red Dirt Heart 4 is Travis’ story.
And this is the story of not just one red dirt heart, but two.

Review

OMG! If you are following this series this entire book is just one big glorious epilogue to make your heart sing!

Told from Travis’ point of view, we see how our neurotic friend Charlie looks through the eyes of the man who loves him dearly. Charlie has come so very far… he is finally accepting the engagement… he dances in public with Travis… he will do the quiet PDA… he loves his extended family unconditionally and wants to spread that love to other kids (in the neighborhood and throughout)… he finally admits he is worthy of the love he receives and is willing to bank on it.

I won’t spoil it for you, but the epilogue of this epilogue book but it’s so worth the wait!

This is an amazing end to an amazing series and I just loved it to pieces – 6 of 5 hearts.

amazing

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All That Heaven Will Allow By DW Marchwell

Dreamspinner Presents: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5713

heaven allowBlurb

Jimmy Campbell has owned his own bar for the past twenty years. While his past is troubled, his present and future make life worth living. He has good friends, more than enough money, and he volunteers—along with his Yorkie, Bozo, and his Maine coon cat, Miss Alicia—at the local hospital every Friday. He couldn’t ask for more. That is, until he meets Derek “Dizzy” Roberts.

Derek is a musician who tours the country with his band. He’s an ex-cop, was married once, and has the bitter ex-wife and two spoiled children to prove it. He’s finally living his dream, and that includes bedding all the groupies who think he’s every bit as good as his music. He doesn’t worry much about the future, until he meets Jimmy.

The two men begin a long-distance romance, sneaking weekends here and there, until a tragedy forces them to realize they might lose the only thing they both want–a future together. Now, they’re asking for everything heaven will allow.

Review

Jimmy is 45 and owns a bar. He’s heard every pick up line there is and he’s tired of it. When Derek “call me Dizzy” hits him with yet another line he lets him have it with both barrels. Interestingly enough, Derek respects this and comes back again, this time with sincerity.

Derek, who is 51, and Jimmy move their relationship forward fairly quickly, but still slowly since they are only together for a couple of days every 3 weeks or so due to Derek’s schedule. Instead, they get to know each other through actual letters and some calls and emails and texts.

There are a few hurdles to overcome: Derek’s career, Jimmy’s reluctance to ask for what he wants, Derek’s ex-wife, and then a tragedy at the end. But … overcome they do and we get a very HEA.
**
I have not read anything by this author before but I sure will now! I loved this! It was sweet, tender, romantic, just fantastic. I thought the characters were real and well portrayed (if a little optimistic in some parts – especially the bedroom) but overall very real and sincere.

I love older MCs and these guys were great, both needing each other so much and so appreciative of what they’ve been given.

I really loved this and give it 4.5 of 5 hearts.

4.5

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Red Lettering by Barbara Geiger

MLR Press Presents: http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?book=BGREDLTR

Blurb

Colin’s boyfriend Ren was flamboyant and fabulous, in or out of drag. Colin has been mourning him for seven years. When Colin walks into the local diner, he doesn’t expect to see Peter the flirty waiter dressed as a waitress. Colin wants to let Peter go, but somehow just can’t do it. It’s Halloween, the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest, and Ren still has a lot to say. Peter’s been hurt before, and Colin has truths of his own to face, but with Ren’s help, maybe they’ll have a shot at more than a one night stand.

Review

This book took me several tries and in the end I just couldn’t get into it. The writing style is difficult to follow at times. The overall story is complex and flitting back and forth between current time and memories.

I won’t give it a rating as I admit I stopped reading at the 30% mark due to confusion and frustration with the writing style.

DNF

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The Sensualist & The Untouched by Susan Laine

Dreamspinner presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5822

sensualistBlurb

Being over thirty is not an issue for Corey Paige. Being frigid and a virgin, however, is a huge problem for the only son of a newspaper magnate. No matter the risk, Corey’s intent on resolving both problems in one go.
Enter Lucian Allard, a wealthy hedonist with a notorious reputation at club Boudoir—and an unconventional sexual mentoring program for those who suffer from dysfunctions. As the two men begin a sensual journey to awaken Corey’s libido, Corey’s frigid body isn’t all that begins to melt. His untouched feelings also spark to life.

Though a family emergency puts a halt to awakening Corey’s senses and desires, Corey and Lucian grow closer as friends. Then an unexpected kiss from Lucian in Corey’s most desperate hour changes everything. Now Corey must decide if the program is still an aid or an obstacle to two lonely men trying to maintain a professional detachment but falling hopelessly in love.

 

Review

This is my first Susan Laine book and it won’t be my last. She is an excellent writer who spends pages developing her characters so that we really know each of them intimately.

She has a writer’s eye for detail and a nice touch with phrasing.

The story moved a bit more slowly than I would have liked and is a bit longer than the usual m/m novel, but it was all for a purpose.

Sometimes the dialog felt a bit contrived but overall I thought it matched the MCs.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more from this author.

4 of 5 hearts

4

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