Category: Humour

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Home and Away by Samantha Wayland

Lock Awe Press Presents
http://www.amazon.com/Home-Away-Samantha-Wayland-ebook/dp/B00Z7KJUCW/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1435979338&sr=1-1&keywords=home+and+away+samantha+wayland&pebp=1435979339508&perid=1EF5M5WW6F8WD3CFYSMT
home and awayBlurb
You can build a team, but you have to find your home.

Rupert Smythe is fond of many things. Callum Morrison isn’t one of them.

Rupert is a quiet, thoughtful business man and, sadly, a total wimp. Maybe not the ideal candidate to run a professional hockey team, but he signed on to do it anyway. As his life has reminded him on an almost daily basis since, this isn’t the most brilliant idea he’s ever had. And that was before Callum showed up.

Being in the spotlight is just part of being a professional athlete, but Callum needs a break. He arrives in Moncton unannounced, determined to help grow the team he just bought, and under the assumption he’d be welcome. Possibly he should have tried to make a better first impression.

Callum figures he can push through the rest of the summer, never expecting two kids, a host of friends, and his growing feelings for Rupert to derail everything he has ever believed about what he wanted, and what he could have.

Review
Rupert is a co-owner of a hockey team, but deathly afraid of hockey players. He is forced to work with them on a daily basis and manages well enough until Callum, the brother of the other co-owner bardges his way into his life when Garrick (the brother) is called away.
Callum is an in-the-closet hockey player and gruff on a good day, insufferable on his worst.
When Rupert’s little brother goes missing and is subsequently found, Callum rushes in to help Rupert collect him and then get him set up in his new home.
Callum comes from a large family and is great with kids, Rupert is an only child and raised by nannies. Together they make a great team helping poor Oliver acclimate to his new life. While doing so, what started as enemies morphs slowly into lovers.
Callum has never had a boyfriend, only hook-ups, he can’t come out because he fears there is no room for a gay hockey player in the NHL.
Rupert knows his time with Callum is on borrowed time but can’t help falling in love one day at a time with the gentle giant.
**
This book is so rich and full of emotion. I fell in love! There are so many layers. Callum is essentially a virgin – it’s been four years since he’s been intimate with anyone (for a specific reason) and never has he had more than a hook-up in a bar.
Rupert is growing through his own painful past experiences with large men and has no experience being a father.
Oliver is a four year old who was essentially abandoned by his uncaring mother and spends the first several weeks mute.
Christian is a boy Callum and Rupert meet through a Scout service skate lesson. He’s twelve, believes he’s gay and is the only son of a very homophobic drunk.
From Samantha’s previous book, … Net (see review on this site), Alexi and … show Callum how safe it can be to be gay and a hockey player.
There are some very obvious plot holes and some things that you just have to suspend your disbelief – but the slowly building love story and the heart warming relationships that develop between Oliver, Callum, Rupert and Christian are amazing.
The dialog is witty, Samantha does an excellent job of showing and not telling and the secondary characters are just as rich and well developed as the primary characters.
I cannot recommend this highly enough, even to those of us non-hockey fans.
Though it is a standalone, I highly recommend reading Crashing the Net first because it adds a bit to the back story and it’s a really good book! (Reviewed on this site previously.)

6 of 5 hearts

amazing

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Hook, Line & Sinker (Hard Hats #2) Audiobook by Piper Vaughn Narrated by Jack Fleming

Dreamspinner Presents
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6638
HookLine&SinkerAUDMEDBlurb
When they were teens, Castor McCormick was the bane of Blake Kowalski’s existence. Their mutual animosity led to summers filled with rivalry. Now, nearly two decades later, Cas is moving back into the neighborhood to live in his grandmother’s old house. Blake tells himself he isn’t interested in seeing how snarky little Cas grew up, but when his mother dupes him into visiting his former nemesis, he finds out “pretty” can evolve into “sexy as hell” on the right man.

Cas didn’t think he wanted to see Blake again. No one has ever pushed his buttons like the arrogant boy he remembers from their youth. Turns out, the adult version of Blake still gets him hot under the collar—and everywhere else. With Blake on leave from work to nurse an injured leg and Cas taking time to move and unpack, they form a tentative friendship that turns into a sexual affair neither man can deny. But when Cas’s job sends him out of state to deal with a difficult client, their new relationship will be tested, and if they fail, Blake’s broken leg might not be the only thing to end up scarred.

Review
Blake and Castor were competitors as kids. When Blake gets injured and is forced to move back home to his mother’s house, and Castor moves in to the house across the street, they find that as adults they have more in common than they thought.
They begin a relationship fairly early on, fairly easily. Things are going well, they’re getting pretty hot and heavy in fact, when Castor gets called out of town for business for several months. They try the long distance thing and that seems to be working, until Blake decides to surprise Castor with a visit and ends up suspecting Castor of cheating.
Castor can’t be with someone who doesn’t trust him and they break up.
Fortunately, after some soul searching, they realize the mistake they’ve made and agree to try harder to make things work.
**
This is book two in the series and though I generally LOVE Piper Vaughn’s books, this was a little disappointing. I found things were just a bit too easy. The sexual tension was released early on and things between the two move along fairly easily until the big break up. The resulting make up is really down-played and though I do believe they get their HEA it wasn’t really well-developed by the end of the story.
Her writing, as always, flows smoothly and the character development was excellent. If you are in the mood for a relatively low angst story with lots of hot sex, however, this is definitely the story for you. It is very enjoyable if not amazing.

Audio

The narrator Jack Fleming did a really nice job. I loved the assertive voice he gives Blake. He didn’t do a lot with the voices but they are each distinct and I enjoyed his take of Blake’s mother.
I think the audio adds to the overall entertainment and makes the experience even better.

4.25 of 5 hearts

4.5

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Vampire Wishes by Teegan Loy

Amazon Presents http://www.amazon.com/Vampire-Wishes-BFP-Secrets-Collection-ebook/dp/B0108J1EWA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435977723&sr=8-1&keywords=vampire+teegan&pebp=1435977725004&perid=0ZC36YNV4EZ8QAPM7TXG
vampire wishesBlurb
Griffin McKellan has a secret . . . actually, more than one.

He wants to take a class at the local university, but he’s got more than studying on his mind. Griffin’s enamored with the professor, Jackson Grady. He’s spent months spying on the guy, but now he has to meet him face to face.

And even though Griffin wants nothing more than to teach the professor a thing or two, there’s a huge problem standing in his way.

Vampires don’t usually date their food source.

 

Review
Grif is a youngish vampire, recently allowed to be on his own. He falls in lust/love with Jackson one night while out hunting.
He discovers that Jackson is a professor at the local university and convinces his sire that he can handle being around humans long enough to take his writing class.
Jackson is attracted to Grif, but is hiding something. He pushes Grif away despite their mutual chemistry.
Grif finds out what Jackson is hiding and offers to solve his problems by converting him, now Jackson has to decide what the next step will be.

**
I thought the character development was nice, the basic story line interesting and overall it was an entertaining short story.
There was way too much time spent waffling about between Grif and his friend Kieran and not nearly enough developed between Grif and Jackson.  I didn’t get the sense that they were a good couple as we barely got to know much about Jackson at all.

The overall effect was a fairly shallow, and unsatisfying experience.

2.75 of 5 hearts

3

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Emily’s Magical Bejeweled Codpiece by B. Snow

Dreamspinner Presents  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6568

EmilysMagicalBejeweledCodpieceBlurb

Tom, museum curator and expert in Renaissance jewelry, doesn’t think his boyfriend Peter is “The One.” Peter is perfectly happy with Tom, but Tom is obsessed with the artist Benedetto Emilio Nesci—exciting, passionate, extraordinarily talented… and dead for over 400 years.

Tasked with researching a bejeweled codpiece, Tom abandons his professional ethics—and his sanity—to try on the codpiece and is transported halfway around the world and back in time, right into Florence, Italy and Nesci’s workroom.

After his initial panic subsides, Tom seizes the opportunity to allow Nesci to seduce him, but Tom discovers not everything about the sixteenth century is as romantic as he’d imagined. Getting back to the modern world and Peter becomes Tom’s only wish, but desire and reality are two completely different things, and Tom might not get what he wants this time around.

Review

Tom is given a codpiece from an “old pervert”’s estate. The piece is actually a museum quality artifact with a special “magical” quality. Somewhat like a strange lamp, when rubbed it takes the wearer to the maker back in time, in Italy.

Tom’s experience there shows him just how lucky he is to live where and when he does and most importantly, with whom.

**

What I really appreciated about this short story was the sensory information distilled. Through Tom’s exploration we move from the visual through the tactile to the auditory and finally olfactory. Tom is vaguely put off by his lover’s unwashed hair at the beginning of the story and by the end he realizes that the healthy “musk” of his lover is actually a turn-on when you love the guy.

I thought the story was clever and unique though I never quite got to the point that I liked Tom a lot. He was a dick – his word – throughout most of the story and though it looks like he makes a complete turn around by the end, I never quite got to the point with Peter of forgiveness.

3.5 of 5 hearts

3.5

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The Lost Angel by Lilah Davis

Less than three press Presents: http://www.amazon.com/Something-Happened-Heaven-L-J-Labarthe-ebook/dp/B00BIBB25C/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1435299570&sr=1-2&keywords=something+happened+on+the+way+to+heaven

From: Something Happened on the Way to Heaven Anthology by Samantha Derr

AppleMark
AppleMark

Blurb for Anthology

Archangels. Guardians Angels. Cherubim. Angels of death, wrath, vengeance, love, peace, and hope. Fallen Angels. Nephilim. The lore of angels is wide and varied, from battles lost and won, to duties fulfilled and failed, from men raised up to their ranks, and angels banished forever from the heavens. They can be fierce warriors and gentle guides, heralds of joy and tragedy. They are beings of fearsome power, and the highest of servants.

But what else can angels be? What happens when they soar too high or dive too low? Are they flawless in their servitude, or cursed and blessed with free will? Come read these tales of angels in some of their many incarnations…

Review/summary

The Lost Angel
Alex is a man “gifted” with being able to see angles ever since he was a little kid. Now they kinda rule his life. They kept bugging him to “do something more with his life” until he finally decided to help “lost souls” find their “guardian angels” by running a bar in a seedy part of town.

For his part, he stays out of the “helping” and sees himself as a cosmic matchmaker.

For whatever reason, the right “souls” seem to find his bar and he is almost always able to find the right “help” they need and he never – never – has a repeat customer.

One day, Alex is feeling a bit lonely – the angels really frown on sex without commitment and Alex feels nobody in their right mind would see him as relationship/forever potential – when Finley walks in.

Finely has had a run of bad luck with bad exes and is dead broke. With his last $5 he buys a drink at the bar that seemed to be calling to him. He and Alex strike up an immediate rapport and though the angels don’t seem to want Alex to get directly involved with Finely’s “problems”, Alex feels compelled to act.

Alex gives Finley a job and a place to crash for the short-term and then spends the next several weeks slowly growing to really care for the guy.

The whole angel thing is a problem right from the start, but it becomes clear that higher powers are at work and things work out beautifully in the end.

**
I felt so strongly about this story that I wanted to give it a shout out. Elizah Davis does an amazing job of giving us a real, full but still short story with well developed characters, a quirky twist on the angel theme and a lovely HEA.

I highly recommend this story and the anthology itself – more to come from the other stories as I get to reviewing them.

5 of 5 hearts

5

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A Casual Thing by Annabelle Jacobs Blog Tour with Excerpt and Giveaway

RC

Excerpt:
Ben raised an eyebrow. “I see living with Sean all these years has done some good after all.”
“Ugh,” Patrick groaned. He wasn’t that bad. “He’s my roommate, not my mum. He doesn’t make me do chores you know.” Sean was also his best friend, and three years of living together at university had made Patrick more self-sufficient, but he wasn’t about to admit it. “Anyway,” he said, walking down the hall as he spoke. “I’m assuming you’ve cleared out all your shit from the spare room?” Patrick looked back over his shoulder as he opened the door. Ben usually shoved anything he didn’t use in there until he either gave it to charity or took it down to the rubbish tip.
“Yeah, um… about that….” Ben let the sentence hang there as Patrick opened the door to the spare room and stopped in his tracks.
Okay, so it wasn’t full of Ben’s stuff, but it wasn’t empty either. The bed looked recently slept in, the quilt pulled up sort of straight but the pillows at odd angles, as though it had been made in a hurry. A couple of shirts hung on the wardrobe door, and the desk had a laptop on it and some toiletries that definitely belonged to a guy.

Ben appeared behind him, scratching at the back of his neck, but not looking particularly bothered. Patrick waved a hand around the room and raised his eyebrow. “I guess I’m not staying in here, then?”
“Sorry, it only happened a couple of weeks ago, and I forgot all about it. But he’s only here for another two weeks, so you can sleep in my room while I’m away.” Ben gestured to the door opposite and picked up Patrick’s bags again. “I’m off in the morning, so you only have to sleep on the sofa for one night.”
Patrick followed him, trying not to feel disappointed at not having the place to himself. He collapsed on Ben’s bed, making sure to hang his shoes over the edge. “So, who is it, then? Do I know him?” He narrowed his eyes, watching as Ben dropped both bags in front of the wardrobe and turned to face him. “It better not be someone old and boring who’s going to judge everything I do. Christ.” He threw his arm over his face and let out a put-upon sigh. “I might as well have stayed at home.”
“He’s not old. He’s a year older than me.”
“You’re old.”
“Shut the fuck up, or I will send you back home.” The bed dipped as Ben sat down. “And yes, you know him. He’s a good guy—I wouldn’t leave my little brother alone for two weeks with someone I didn’t trust completely.”
Patrick sat up and leaned on his elbows, taking in the slightly shifty expression on his brother’s face. Nothing normally fazed Ben, and he’d said that Patrick knew the guy and that Ben trusted him, so Patrick didn’t see what the problem could be. He liked to think he was pretty easy to get along with. He maybe had a lot of energy, which irritated some people, but he tried to tone it down with anyone other than close friends or family. Ben’s mates all knew him pretty well anyway—Patrick usually came down to Bristol for at least a few days every time he had a break from uni.
“Well, I’m assuming it’s one of your friends, and honestly, Ben, they’re a great bunch of lads, so I don’t get why you’re being weird.”
“I’m not being weird.”
Patrick gave him his best “yeah right” look and sat up a bit. “Seriously, I won’t have a problem sharing with any of them,” he said, nudging Ben with his shoulder. “Well, except Will maybe, but that’s only because—”
Patrick stopped, the words dying on his tongue as he noticed Ben wince.
“No.” He jumped off the bed, fisting his hands in his hair. “No fucking way. Ben, please tell me you’re not leaving me alone for two weeks with the guy I have a huge unrequited, and frankly, embarrassing, crush on?”
Ben shrugged. “He needed somewhere to stay. I’d sort of forgotten you had the hots for him.”

Sales Links: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6602

About the author:

Annabelle Jacobs lives in the South West of England with her husband, three rowdy children, and two cats.

An avid reader of fantasy herself for many years, Annabelle now spends her days writing her own stories. They’re usually either fantasy or paranormal fiction, because she loves building worlds filled with magical creatures, and creating stories full of action and adventure. Her characters may have a tough time of it—fighting enemies and adversity—but they always find love in the end.

Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ajacobsfiction
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Annabelle-Jacobs-Fiction/458768424158896?ref=hl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJacobs_fiction

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25692969-a-casual-thing
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Anna Sikorska

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Bachelor Party (Brandt and Donelly Caper: Case #5) by Xavier Mayne

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6450

BachelorsPartyBlurb

A Brandt and Donnelly Caper: Case File Five

Med student Oliver Mitchell has discovered a way to make more tips as a bartender—put on ripped workout gear and serve drinks at the hip new gay club, Burn. The only catch is Oliver is straight. The staff and patrons don’t mind, though, and Oliver fits in well—until he meets James Buchanan Whitford, a local politician with a secret: he’s married. When James’s scheming wife attempts to catch him in flagrante with Oliver, they flee the city for the refuge of James’s cabin in the woods. There, Oliver faces a new challenge—he’s starting to feel more for James than friendship. Their new relationship must survive political intrigue and small-town politics before they can be together.

With their wedding two months away, it’s time for Troopers Ethan Brandt and Gabriel Donnelly to have a bachelor party. Ethan’s older brothers are excited, but Ethan is not. As a straight guy who fell in love with another man, the whole ritual is fraught with complications, and he struggles to reconcile newly granted marriage equality with old traditions. Brandt and Donnelly work to help James and Oliver find their way to happiness while pulling off the bachelor party of the year.

Review

Oliver needs some extra money for med school, his BFF Millie tells him that with his hot bod he should be a bartender at Burn – a gay bar. Though he’s intimidated he gives it a go, and really enjoys the experience.

While tending bar, he meets James, a sad slightly older man with whom he immediately clicks. At first just as friends, but when James ends up in a compromising position, Oliver helps him, and the relationship evolves.

Meanwhile, Brandt and Donnelly explore their sexual relationship, explore what it means to be “gay” or “in love with a man”, plan their ridiculously hilarious bachelor party with the help of our favorites Bryce and Nestor.

This book really emphasizes that labels aren’t helpful. Love is love. The end.
Who a person loves does not define who they are.

As always I was touched by the caring relationships demonstrated here: brothers, friends, lovers, families…in a multitude of ways all showing different types of love.

And the sex was way hot and the humor literally giggle out loud!

My only complaint – small one – is that the two stories were almost separate – like reading two books kinda mashed together. I missed having Brandt and Donnelly more centrally involved in the other love story and hope to see more of them in their wedding book – next? Hopefully, next? Pretty please? I can’t wait for their wedding I just know I’m gonna cry my eyes out!

4.5 of 5 hearts

4.5

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Grand Adventures Audiobook by SA McAuley

Dreamspinner Presents  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5318


GrandAdventuresAUDMed 2Blurb for the Anthology

On September 1, 2011, TJ Klune wrote, “…it’s not about the ending, it’s about the journey…” in a review of Eric Arvin’s Woke Up in a Strange Place. With those words, two men began a journey of love and invited us to ride along. TJ and Eric have shared so much with us: their wonderful books, their smiles, their humor, their lives, and their inspiring devotion to each other. In December of 2013, their journey took a detour when Eric was taken to the emergency room. He survived the surgery to remove a cavernous hemangioma from his brain stem, but the challenges TJ and Eric face are far from over.

The authors in this anthology donated their talent as a way to support Eric’s continued recovery, to help bring strength to TJ, and to show both of them just how much love surrounds them. Grand Adventures is a diverse range of stories about the journey of love. We’re going on some grand adventures for a great cause. Thank you for joining us.

One hundred percent of the income from this volume goes directly to TJ and Eric.

 

Reviews
Teeny Tiny Blurbs:
(Audio chapters)

3-Prologue by Brandon Witt, Narrator Andrew McFerrin
Touching explanation of the book, the situation with TJ and Eric and blessings for the future.

4-An Unexpected Thing by John Amory, Narrator Peter B Brooke
Established lovers travel to Seattle and find unexpected kindness.

5-The Twinkie Ignition by J.E. Birkm, Narrator Nick J Russo
A super cute story about a guy who never had a birthday party and how his amazing friends give him one – after they set fire to a bunch of Twinkies!

6-Simple Desires by Tempeste O’Riley, Narrator Aaron Pickering
This is based on her previous stories, but is a stand alone.

7-What You Will by Tinnean, Narrator John Solo
Another snippet from the author’s previous works.

8-Air (Roads #1.75 million) by Garrett Leigh, Narrator Finn Sterlin
A trip with Ash and Joe to the park.

9-Object of Care by Zahra Owens, Narrator Andrew McFerrin
Flynn and Gabel and a kitten.

10-Water Under the Bridge by Mia Kerick, Narrator Nick J Russo
A sweet story about two young lovers and a bridge.

11-From Fantasy to Friends by CR Guiliano, Narrator Aaron Pickering
A man goes back to college and re-visits a fantasy about a straight professor who turns out to be gay.

12-That Place Across the Hall by C.C. Dado, Narrator John Solo
A really cute short story about a guy who falls in love with his neighbor.

Josh has a (typical-for-him) one-night-stand-guy in his apartment when someone (his June Cleaver-eque) neighbor bangs on his door to invite him to a party for one of the other tenants. John isn’t a joiner. He has tattoos. He sleeps around. He doesn’t do relationships.

Brandon is all about relationships and has “fancied” John since day one.

The brief meet and greet at the party leads to a complete change in John’s thinking and Brandon manages to capture the heart of the lone wolf.

13-Mistaken MD by Phoenix Emrys, Narrator Peter B Brooke
Two people meet over a stethoscope.

14-When Friendship Becomes More by Sophie Bonaste, Narrator Nick J Russo
Two friends find love on a camping trip.

15-The Exhibition by Andrea Speed, Narrator Finn Sterlin
A short story from the Infected series Roan and Dylan.

16-Holding Court by Cardeno C, Narrator Peter B Brooke
An older guy has a one night stand and years later finds out there are still fires burning between the two lovers.

17-Cops and Comix by Rhys Ford, Narrator John Solo
A cop falls in love with a nerdy comic store owner after discovering a dead body coming through the ceiling.

18-For Dear Life by Mary Calmes, Narrator Nick J Russo
A GFY short story of a divorced man and his best friend. (Warning some sad stuff too.)

19-Witness Protected by Dawn Kimberly Johnson, Narrator Finn Sterling
A US marshal falls in love with someone destined for the witness protection program.

20-Fall Train by Jaime Samms, Narrator Andrew McFerrin
Finding love on a train.

21-Stripped by Shae Connor, Narrator Peter B Brooke
Finding love on Valentine’s Day … in a strip club!

22-Stalking 101 by Moria McCain, Narrator Aaron Pickering
Cute story about finding a hot construction guy.

23-Under the Full Moon by Ellis Carrington, Narrator Andrew McFerrin
Love between a vampire and a werewolf who were never supposed to be together.

24-Isle of Waiting by Sue Brown, Narrator Finn Sterling
A short story with the characters from the series.

25-An Atheist and a Yoga Instructor Walk into a Bar by Rowan McAllister, Narrator John Solo
A funny blind date story.

26-Last First Kiss by LE Franks, Narrator Peter B Brooke
A hard story about love and loss.

27-The Jogger by KC Burn, Narrator Finn Sterling
Danger forces a shut-in out in the open and together they find love.

28-Kid Confusion by Madison Parker, Narrator Nick J Russo
Funny story about penises and TJ and Eric.

29-Tomorrow by John Goode, Narrator Andrew McFerrin
A short story about the importance of communication in a relationship.

30-A Gentle Shove of Human Kindness by Amy Lane, Narrator John Solo
Super sweet story of an angel playing cupid in a Starbucks.

This is a great book to listen to because each “chapter” is it’s own short story, perfect for when you only have a minute here or there and don’t want to get involved in a full length novel.

The narration is all the guys we’ve come to love from The Falcon Sound company who we’ve met reading our favorite books: Peter B Brooke, John Solo, Nick J Russo, Finn Sterling, Andrew McFerrin.

These are the authors we all love, some writing snippets from their series, some coming up with something completely new. Each story is complete in itself, and all very touching and well written.

I really loved these short stories and was amazed at how so few words can tell such big stories and move you so deeply.

Of course, it also helps that this book helps out two such amazing guys, TJ and Eric!

I highly recommend this book and it’s audio version.

(I purchased the book for review and received the audio from the publisher for an honest review.)

5 of 5 hearts

5

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Billy Goat Stats by John C Houser

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6396

BillyGoatStatsBlurb

Back from summer basketball camp and starting at Hoosier State on an athletic scholarship, Billy is looking forward to playing basketball free of pressure from his overbearing, bigoted father. Too bad he’s trading one set of problems for another. His boyfriend Jonah dumps him, expecting he’ll want to spread his wings now that he’s away from home, and the basketball program at State proves harder to navigate than he imagined.

Despite his hurt at Jonah’s treatment, Billy is not ready to give up on a relationship with the out-and-proud musician. Their geographical distance isn’t Billy’s biggest problem, since it makes it easier for him to stay in the closet. In fact, when the press starts sniffing around the basketball team, it turns out he’s not the only one with a secret. Every member of the team must choose where, and with whom, they stand. The success of Billy’s season may depend as much on the depth of his character as his physical endurance.

Review

This is book two in a series, but is a standalone. (I didn’t read book one.) However, you do first meet Jonah in book one, a young gay man being bullied in the halls of his high school. From there he meets his soon-to-be boyfriend, Billy, the star of the basketball team. (Nickname Billy Goat.)

Billy is a year older than Jonah, so when he sets off to college after sharing their first an only kiss, Jonah plays the martyr and breaks things off “so Billy can be free to explore other relationships”.

Billy is a far more simple guy than all that. He knows what he wants and he wants Jonah. So after some time passes, and Jonah realizes what a bad idea that was, the two agree to be friends with the possibility for more.

The rest of the book is played in three parts. Jonah alone, Billy alone and the two together. When Jonah is alone he has to face decisions about his own university career, being hit on by another boy at school, the continued grief he feels for his father’s suicide and wondering what to do about Billy.

When Billy is alone he has to deal with: being hit on by another teammate, possibly outing himself in a league that doesn’t really support being gay, missing Jonah, his parents disapproval and what to do with himself post college.

Together they navigate being a couple at a distance, exploring sex for the first time, and practice being each other’s families when times are tough.

Far more of this book is about navigating the world of being gay and in high level college sports than the relationship between Jonah and Billy. Their relationship – while acting as a catalyst for many things – is not the central focus for much of the book. There is a lot of drama going on all around these boys and their love life is only a small fraction.

There are many secondary characters who steal the lime-light: the parents of both boys, the pseudo parents Jonah has adopted from book one, the team mates and their sexual orientations, classmates, friends – you name it, they are all very well developed characters in this coming of age drama.

In the end, we get a sweet HFN that leads us to believe it will be a HEA for these guys and a very nice story about the pains of growing up gay in a not so gay friendly world.

**

I am sure if you liked book one, this will delight. Coming into this without book one as a guide, I still found the story engaging and never felt confused by not having read book one first.

I loved the text messages, the phone conversations and Billy’s Stats at the beginning of each chapter. (Although it took me a minute to realize the stats were for what happened in the coming chapter not the past chapter!)

I also appreciated that neither boy was the “stereotypical” embodiment of either the music geek nor the jock.  Both boys had surprising elements that made them truly unique characters.  I commend the author, too, for navigating the parental role in handling a sexual relationship between college age boys.  It felt authentic and natural and was very well done.

What I didn’t love was the drama. There was so much happening all over the place that the love story got a little bogged down for it. I really wanted to spend more time focusing on the boys and their relationship but everything around them was a bit distracting. If you want a more “coming of age” type story – this will really fit the bill. That’s what it felt like to me. The romance part, though strong and important, was maybe not as emphasized as it could have been.

The writing was excellent and the humor fantastic, I enjoyed this book a great deal.

3.75 of 5 hearts

4

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Crossed Wires by T. Strange Tour with Excerpt & Giveaway

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Rory isn’t expecting much more than clowns and elephant poop when he agrees to take his niece and nephew to the circus, but he finds himself entranced by the trapeze performers. Returning to the circus another night, he meets Lev and Tanner after the show and finds himself just as interested in the men themselves. They take him back to their hotel room for a night of steamy sex. After the circus leaves, Rory can’t stop thinking about the duo, though they never call him. He enrolls in a trapeze class as a distraction, and is astonished to find out who’s teaching the course.

Pages or Words: 13,500 words

Excerpt:
The spotlight followed him across the tent, other lights coming up in succession as he swung past them, creating a corridor of light for him to perform in.
At the height of his swing, on the opposite side of the tent from where he had begun, a spotlight appeared on another platform. Another man stood there. He was wearing magenta and teal as well, but his pattern was the opposite of his partner’s. He leapt off, holding his trapeze, then flipped himself so he was hanging upside down.
I looked back at the first man, and I almost cried out when he leapt. He didn’t even have a trapeze to stop his fall, but the second man had swung out to him. They met at the perfect moment, both their arms outstretched until they met, and then they were swinging together, safe.

Sales Links: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=200&products_id=4412

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About the author:

T. Strange is an author of M/M romance, published with Torquere Press. She writes both BDSM and vanilla, so there’s something for everyone! Her first novel, My Zombie Boyfriend, was published in 2015. When not reading or writing, T. enjoys playing with her many pets, gardening, and watching videos of Duo XY.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tq.strange
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTStrange
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TqStrange
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/tqstrange/
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