Category Archives: Book Review

Unveiled by Courtney Milan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**Review Copy Provided by NetGalley.com

While I only ended up rating this book 3 stars, I enjoyed the start of this new series by Courtney Milan and will definately be seeking out the rest in the future. One of the key elements that I enjoyed was the fact that the hero was not an original member of the nobility, but rather was someone who came into it unexpectedly and I felt that Ms Milan did a good job conveying that through-out the book.

The banter between the H and h was entertaining, but I have the admit that the younger brother (at least for me) stole the show and i’ll be looking forward to reading his book in the future.

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Bridge of Scarlet Leaves by Kristina McMorris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**Review Copy Provided By Author**

I have to admit that I finished this book up over the weekend, but it took me a couple of days to write the review because I wanted to think though some of my feelings. After [b:Letters From Home|9413657|Letters From Home|Kristina McMorris|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1288813509s/9413657.jpg|14297764], I wasn’t sure if Kristina could follow up with an equally powerful second book, so I was surprised when Bridge of Scarlet Leaves not only equalled by exceeded Letters from Home.

In a similar fashion to the writing style in Letters from Home, Bridge of Scarlet Leaves tells multiple stories with a focal point on one moment in history, specifically, the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the reaction to what happened to those US citizens of Japanese descent following the attack. We meet Maddie, a violinist who is in love with Lane Morimoto; her brother TJ; Lane and his family and a variety of other individuals. As a reader, I love when I can feel what the characters are going through, and I did here. Rarely do I cry at the end of books, but I was def. teary-eyed when I read the last page.

All I can say is that Kristina had better hurry up and write some more books for me to read 😉

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The Copper Bracelet by Jeffery Deaver
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Narrated by Alfred Molina, this book is unique-ish, in the way that each chapter is written by a different author, yet forms a cohesive story. In the Copper Bracelet, we pick up with the Chopin Manuscript left off, which was written in a similar manner. Overall, it was enjoyable, but some of the chapters were uneven. I did identify a few authors in the mix that I am going to check out again in the future.

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Deadly Currents by Beth Groundwater
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**Received this book as an author donated copy**

When I read the premise for Deadly Currently, I was immediately intrigued – the idea of a river ranger – which we normally don’t see as a job occupation and then a mystery to book – I was excited. And Ms Groundwater did not let me down. From the beginning to the end, there were twists and turns that I couldn’t predict (although i’m discovering more and more that I suck about identifying those twists before they happen 😉 ). A satisfying conclusion and i’ll def. be looking forward to more in this series as they are released and will be taking a look at her backlist.

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Destiny Calls by Samantha Wayland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**Book donated by the author for review**

Recently I was asked by a friend on Goodreads.com if I would be willing to review a book that had been written by one of her writing partners, as she knew I read menage quite often and I agreed. Its been a long time since I had read a menage story that I have enjoyed as I did this one.

Destiny, Brandon and Patrick have been friends for years, growing up in homes that nowadays would potentially be classified as emotionally abusive and have maintained that friendship throughout the years, but it is all about to change, when Patrick kisses Brandon one night while they are out at a bar.

It is hard for me to get down in this review what I enjoyed about this story. First of all, I liked the fact that it wasn’t a menage that is based on a previously formed relationship. I mean, those are ok sometimes, but I often have a hard time with how those relationships are presented. In Destiny Calls, it seemed to be more believable somehow, because there wasn’t that permanency. I liked the dynamics between Brandon and Patrick and their co-workers (all cops) and how so much of what happened was guided by their fears of perception.

The only thing that kind of felt unfinished was the suspense story line. It didn’t feel like it was as developed as it could have been and while everything was resolved, something just seemed to be missing. I would also like to know more about Patrick/Brandon’s co-workers (I could see a few more books based on them).

Overall, an enjoyable read and a solid 4 stars. I’ll definitely be looking for more written by Samantha Wayland in the future.

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A Model Boyfriend by Clancy Nacht
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The review was originally published for The Romance Reviewers and can be found here

As a reader, I am normally not a fan of a storyline that already has one of the individuals in a committed relationship. For me, something always just seems to be missing. However, I was pleasantly surprised with A MODEL BOYFRIEND.

For the past three years, Andy (Andrea) and Mike have been together, but recently have found themselves growing apart as they develop new interests. Mike wants Andy to give up the art that she loves and Andy doesn’t understand what happened to the guy she fell in love that. But everything changes when Andy meet Brandon, a male model, and starts to question her future with Mike or without him.

As I was reading, I never truly felt the dynamics of a relationship between Andy and Mike – it was like they were just going along making the motions, even before Brandon came into the picture. But once he did, I could almost feel the connection between Andy and Brandon.

There were several fun scenes throughout including the photo shoot, and also ones that were moving, such as the Thanksgiving Day turkey portion. With Andy being an artist, there was one description of a painting and quote that stuck with me after finishing the book. Towards the end at a featured art show, Andy and Brandon are talking about a painting and he says to her, “we all want a sunnier room than the one that we just closed the door on. It doesn’t always work that way, but I’ll do my best, Andy.” – that statement and the description of what most individuals want in their lives resonated with me – the idea of always wanting things to be better than the day before, or the room before. It is something that I will keep in my mind in the future.

Yet, there were also some parts that just didn’t seem to jive with the rest of the story. Mostly I think this just had to do with the wording in a few places. The term “self-abuse” seemed to be used on several occasions and whenever it showed up, it jolted me out of the enjoyment of my reading. I don’t know what it is about that word, but it just bothered me. Aside from those difficulties with some of the wording, I enjoyed the story and will definitely be seeking out more writing by Clancy Nacht in the future.

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Make You Sweat by Pia Veleno
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The book was originally reviewed for The Romance Reviewers and can be found here

Anyone who knows me as a reader knows that a 5 star review is not something that I give out very often. A book has to really move me or engross me in order for that to happen and MAKE YOU SWEAT by Pia Veleno did not disappoint. I first read some of Ms Veleno’s work when she wrote a story based on a photo prompt in the m/m romance group on goodreads.com and her writing just resonated with me. So when I saw her new book available for review, I jumped on it.

Spending the summer with his dad is just what Tyler was looking for. Its an opportunity for him to spend the summer at the beach, working out – planning to return to school the next year buff and sexy. On his first day at the gym, he meets Cody, a fitness instructor who offers to help him with his summer goals. As the summer progresses, the relationship between Tyler and Cody depends, but will it just turn out to be a case of summer loving or something more?

While I was reading MAKE YOU SWEAT, I had that old song from Grease going through my head, Summer Lovin’ and to me it works well with the story. I loved Tyler as a character, the young innocent college boy, and Cody, the old man. This is definitely a book for anyone who likes twinks in their m/m romance, while reading it, I termed it twinkalicious 😉 The development of the relationship between Cody and Tyler seemed to be believable and not too rushed like other romances I have read, and the angst towards the end as the summer drew to a close felt real to me. I actually felt sad for them as Tyler was planning on returning to school.

However, like every book, there were some weaknesses or plot difficulties. For me, there were two that were of a minor annoyance, and one of which is Tyler’s lack of self-esteem as the summer progressed. There seemed to be an almost woe-is-me moments sprinkled throughout and then there is the cover. I don’t know what it is about them, but personally, I really dislike the cartoon-y looking covers. If this book had been written by an author I wasn’t familiar with, I probably would have passed it over because of the cover. I guess that just means, I should learn to not judge books by their covers 😉

If she continues the way she has so far, Pia Veleno will very quickly find her way onto my auto-buy pile and I look forward to more by her in the future.

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The Trophy Exchange by Diane Fanning
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sometimes I find it interesting in how we discover new authors. Case in point, I picked this book up because I needed it to fit a random challenge category (the initials of the author had to match my own) and I found it by browing the F shelf at the library. But I really enjoyed it overall. I loved that as a character Lucinda wasn’t the perfect cop. The supporting characters were intriging, I want to hear more about Ted (one of the Sgt’s who works with her) and his family; and hoping that there will be a re-appearance of other characters. I’ll def. be reading the next one in the series.

Buy from Amazon: The Trophy Exchange (A Lucinda Pierce Mystery)