Tuesday, May 29, 2012

A Matter of Time Vol. 2 by Mary Calmes

3 STARS

A Matter of Time - Books 3 & 4

*sigh* I so wanted to like this/these books better than I did. I wanted it/them to be better than the first volume that I read and reviewed. But I didn't. And they weren't. And I am sad. 

Again, so many of my favorites have loved the story of Jory and Sam, I wanted to be among them. The thing is, I don't get the point. It's the same story as in Volumes 1 & 2. There is no pacing; the story was all over the place. The mystery seemed cobbled together at times and really? The whole police department is THAT slow on the uptake? And I thought it would never end. 

I actually loved Jory, even though as a character he's quite over the top - he saved the book(s) for me. Super Jory! He and many of the secondary characters. I wanted to love Sam too, but I felt that I didn't really get to know him. Either that or he really was quite one dimensional. I don't know, all in all, I think the ideas were good, the actual writing was very good, the characters were, for the most part, fairly good, but the whole 4 volume series just felt... scattered and jumbled to me. It's like everything is supplied to make a terrific read, but it's been put together wrong. So yeah, I was disappointed. 

I also would have put everything together in one hefty-sized book; I think it would have helped the continuity a whole lot. That being said, I will read more Mary Calmes and hopefully the plotting/story-telling shortfalls I found in this tale won't be evident in other works of hers. I do like her way with words and how she crafts with them. Oh, and yes, STOP PUTTING EVERYBODY'S HANDS ON THE BACK OF JORY'S NECK!! IT'S REPETITIVE BEYOND BELIEF! (Okay, I feel better having got that off my chest. *LOL*)

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Talker's Graduation by Amy Lane

4 STARS

Talker - Book 3

Mmmmhmmm. That's the sound of satisfaction. 

Tate and Brian are grown men now (I'll still see them as boys but that's because I'm an old lady. *LOL*) and they've begun to actually live the life they've fought so hard to have together. They love each other SO much and they love their life and it's really pretty damned satisfying to this reader. 

There are some lovely bits of introspective thought in this book as Tate finally, FINALLY, truly understands what's between him and Brian. God, they're lovely together.

I'm sad their tale is done, but I can envision a future for them both, say, ten years from now, Brian with his art, Tate with his kids and how they conquer more of life's struggles together, with love and laughter and understanding. (And maybe get a fireplace in that cottage of theirs!)

Talker's Redemption by Amy Lane

4 STARS

Talker - Book 2

Rip your heart out, that's what Amy does here. Rips your heart out, turns it over a few times in her skilled hands and then shoves it back into your chest filled to overflowing. I love Brian and Talker. I love Jed, Aunt Lindie, Doc, Craig, even the rat... OMG, I love 'em all!

Monday, May 21, 2012

Promises by Marie Sexton

4 STARS

Coda - Book 1

This is the terrific love story of Jared and Matt and how they BOTH learn to accept who they are. 

Written in the first person from Jared's POV, the thing I liked best about him was that he really wasn't so 'at peace' with his sexuality and who he is as one might think. (And he has GREAT hair!) 

I loved the way the relationship blossomed between Jared and Matt. It wasn't a sudden, OMG, HE'S MY SOULMATE thing. It grew naturally and over a period of time. Don't get me wrong, though, there is AMPLE hotness and sexytimes here. Jared and Matt are hot, steamy hot, as Jared leads the way for his friend and lover and eventual mate. These are real guys and I fell in love with them both. :)

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Talker by Amy Lane

4 STARS

Talker - Book 1

A lovely, heartfelt, sweet story of first love. 

Tate and Brian are lovely young men that you root for from the very beginning. Tate is so open and so sweet and trusting and just gets so damaged by life. But Brian is there and Brian loves him even if Tate doesn't see it. Tate talks - hence the nickname Talker - and Brian listens. 

I think this would be a perfect read for young people and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to young adults. Yes, there is sex, explicit at times, but it's my opinion that young folks need to be exposed to this and allowed to talk about it openly and with no judgement. You know, I wish I had had this book 10 years ago when one of my son's friends was dealing with coming out.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Special Delivery by Heidi Cullinan

5 STARS

Special Delivery - Book 1

I wasn't expecting to love this book as much as I do. Yes, Heidi is one of my favorites, so I knew I'd enjoy it, but not that I'd love it to freakin', teeny-tiny, little bits! 

Sam is a young man who has an adventure one afternoon and finds more than he really bargained for when he hooks up with the more experienced Mitch, a rough and ready trucker. It's the story of how Sam discovers and learns to accept his kinks and feel good about them. Another review spoke of the creation of a power dynamic and the how and why it becomes part of a relationship and I found it very well done. It's romantic and it's sexy and it's real and it's hot. And it's respectful - unlike the so-called BDSM book that's so touted these days - yes, the 50 Shades book, which I have read - Special Delivery is the real deal. I love how Heidi blends all these things together to make a thoroughly entrancing story. The whys are just as important as the hows and there are a few surprises along the way. 

Ah, I loved it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the genre or even anyone who is curious about it.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The MacKade Brothers: Devin & Shane by Nora Roberts

4 STARS

The MacKade Brothers - Books 3 & 4

Do you know how to lose a day? Pick up a Nora Roberts book to check the prologue and see if you've read it or not. 

I wasn't going to read the stories of Devin and Shane yesterday. I had read an article by Sarah of Smart Bitches mentioning Devin's story and I couldn't remember it, so I went to the Nora collection to see first, if I had the book and secondly, had I read it. (If not I was going to buy it on sale for the ereader.) Well, I owned the book - the volume with Shane's story - and I'd not read it. Into the To Read pile, but Nora's like crack, as they say - I could not put the damned thing down once I'd read the prologue. 

I love just about all of Nora's romances. I especially love her series books when they're about brothers. And I love ghosts and ties to the past etc... So the MacKade stories really work for me. Devin's story especially. The tale of this big, gentle, patient man and the abused by her first husband, sweet, supposedly fragile, shy young mother is a beautiful love story. Read it. It's very worth the time. :)

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Bad Boyfriend by K.A. Mitchell

4 STARS

Bad in Baltimore - Book 2

This was good. Not perfect, but pretty damned good. :) 

I liked both main characters, Quinn, the seemingly quiet teacher and Eli, the outside-the-box young man who steals his heart. I hated Quinn's ex and he might have been drawn with a bit of a heavy hand, but it really didn't bother me much. It worked for the romance of the book. 

I'm pretty sure there are holes in the plot and some of them maybe quite big, but you know what? I don't care. I was in it for the love story and boy, did that deliver for me. It might be a cliché or a trope, this flamboyant young man coupled with the staid, middle-of-the-road older fellow, but who cares when it leaves you feeling all happy and fuzzy and warm because they came together? I don't. 

Yeah, there were a few things I would have liked more of - like where all this dominant daddy stuff was in Quinn's previous relationship(s). My other quibble, and let me emphasise the word quibble, was to wonder if Quinn had any friends at all other than his ex's family. One thing there was no quibbles about whatsoever was the hotness of the sex scenes. Ooowee baby! Hot, sexy and filled with lots of emotion when they needed to be filled with emotions. Now I usually get completely squicked by daddy kinks, but this one... it worked perfectly and didn't bother me in the slightest! Possibly because it wasn't overly intense? I don't know, but it did work for me.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants an m/m love story that's spiced up with a bit of BDSM and daddy kink. K.A. Mitchell is now on my list as an author who delivers good product. :)