Jacked Cat Jive by Rhys Ford

4 Stars

Kai Gracen - Book Three

Thank you Rhys!  I swear, Rhys' books never disappoint, and this, the 3rd in the series that stars my favourite of her characters certainly followed suit. 

I don't quite know what to say, except that Kai is his usually cranky, soft-hearted, brave, cynical self and I still am in love with him.  :)  I was happy that his relationship with Ryder, the elfin lord made some progression.  I love their banter, I love what's unsaid between them and I love how they have each others' backs, no matter what.  Ryder makes me chuckle. 

I was also happy to get the chance to know Cari a little better.  I wish she'd had a little more to do though and that we could have explored her special power a tad.  But she's a ballsy young lady and I quite enjoy her.  The new character of Kerrick was interesting - Ryder's cousin yet so very unlike Ryder.  And then there was Bannon who I found even MORE interesting.  No doubt we'll be seeing more of her in future books.  And we got the chance to visit with that uber crankass, Dempsey.  I enjoyed that too. 

So there was adventure, some sadness, some great fights, some romance, some growing social awareness and loyalties being forged stronger. It was a thrill ride and I loved it!  It's going to feel like FOREVER until the next one!

Tutus and Tinsel by Rhys Ford

4 Stars

Half Moon Bay 2.5

Great holiday read with much-loved characters. Rhys never disappoints.

Highly recommended!

Hanging the Stars by Rhys Ford

4 Stars

Half Moon Bay - Book Two

Rhys never lets me down.  Whether it's some adventurous urban fantasy, rockstar dramas or, like this one, a romantic mystery I always enjoy my Rhys reads.  :)

Book two in the Half Moon Bay series focuses on the twin brother of one of the MCs of the first book. In the first book he was not the most sympathetic of characters, but as we delve into his life in this book, we come to understand his whys and wherefores.

While the main characters of West and Angel might be somewhat typical, the rich full-of-himself guy and the hard-working, blue-collar, doing-his-best guy, Rhys infuses them with quirks and humanity and courage and flaws and makes them come alive on the page.

Yeah, there's a mystery involved, but it really takes a somewhat backseat to the relationship between West and Angel.  A relationship I became invested in and with characters I came to care for very much. Main and secondary!  (I really want to know more about West's friend/bodyguard.)

So another great read from a fave author.

Sin and Tonic by Rhys Ford

4 Stars

Sinners Series - Book 6

Rhys Ford's books never disappoint me.  And this, the last of the Sinners series is no different. 

Miki St John and Kane Morgan finally get their totally happy ending.  Yeah, yeah, they got a happy ending in the first book of the series when they found each other and found their love, but there was so much of their story that still needed to be told.  Especially in Miki's case!

So here we wrap it all up.  We come full circle and everyone is there for the event.  Miki's band members, Kane's siblings and parents and for me, having my favourite of all the Sinners characters, Quinn, play such an important, albeit small, part in the story was the best.  And OMG, Brigid and Donal - they are the best parents ever!!

I have only one problem and that's why I didn't give the book another half star.  Rhys is desperately fond of her characters sneering and smirking.  I hate sneering and smirking heroic characters!  It doesn't make them tough and edgy and cutely cynical.  Sneering and smirking are for villains and icky people, not the ones I love, so...  not 4.5 stars.

But other than that one small (in the whole scheme of things) thing, the book was terrific.  The closing circle of the series was perfect.  And Miki and Kane got their for real HEA.  I'm a happy reader.

Fish Stick Fridays by Rhys Ford

4 Stars

Half Moon Bay - Book 1

Bless Rhys Ford.  😊  Whenever I need a go-to book because the one I've just finished has been awful and enraged me or managed to rip my heart out and leave me with a book hangover, I know I can go to a Rhys book and sink into an adventurous love story that hits most, if not all, of my sweetspots. 

I loved the two main characters of this book right off.  Rough and tumble Deke and the more reticent and maybe even proper, Lang.  And Deke's niece, Zig, well, she's just a special creature unto herself!  And these three were exactly what I needed after the dark and dreary of the book I had just finished. 

It's Rhys, so there had to be at least one dead body.  :)  But the main thing was that Deke and Lang met, they connected and they fell in love.  I thought they complimented each other perfectly and their banter... Oh, Rhys was definitely 'on' when she wrote this one.  I laughed out loud on more than one occasion.  But there is darkness.  After all, Deke and Zig have had pretty shitty lives up until they arrive in Half Moon Bay. 

So, Rhys does what Rhys does and soothes my mind with a terrific romance and I'm very pleased that I still have a few unread Rhys novels in my TBR.  😎

Fish and Ghosts by Rhys Ford

3.5 Stars

Hellsinger Series - Book 1

I can always count on Rhys to give me a good read and this time was no different.  This is one of her earlier books and it shows some in the writing.  To me it's fascinating to watch an author's progress at improving their craft, but I have to admit that I'm thrilled that Rhys has gotten over the need to use epithets in her writing.  If I had read the words "the blond" one more time, I think I might have screamed!  *LOL*  We know... we KNOW that Travis has blond hair, for heaven's sake!  And you know, most readers are smart enough to discern the differences between the two 'he's' in the story.  So, being as that's a pet peeve of mine, it did kind of impede me enjoyment of the story.

For my money, I could have done with sexytimes scenes being of shorter length (I mean.. almost 2 chapters long at one point?  And long chapters?) and a bit more meat to the paranormal aspects of the story.  I found that I wanted to know more about the personalities and characters of Travis and Wolf other than that they set each other on fire.  :)

It's an interesting world that Rhys has set up and I'm looking forward to reading more about it in the second book which I also have in the TBR.  I hope we get to learn more about Wolf's family and childhood and then more about Tristan's childhood as well.  Oh! And I really like the new covers on these books.  Far better than the generic men people that tend to populate a lot of the m/m book covers.

Dim Sum Asylum by Rhys Ford

3.5 Stars

Rhys Ford is one of my go-to authors.  She never disappoints, not really, not even with a book that's not that stellar, such as this one.  And I say not that stellar, but I'm still giving it 3.5 stars.

There's a lot of good stuff here.  A couple of great main characters, the POV character being Senior Inspector Roku MacCormick of the Chinatown Arcane Crimes Division of San Francisco.  He's telling the story.  He's part faerie, part human and has suffered some tremendous losses in his life.   He's cranky and cynical a lot of the time and of course, I took to him immediately.

His partner, his new partner, Trent Leonard, is a big handsome hunk of a man, but I felt like we hardly got to know him.  Yeah, his backstory was there and all, but I really never got the feeling I knew him the way I've gotten to know so many of Rhys' characters.

The setting is great and the plot works well.  There's a lot of magic in this version of San Francisco and Rhys makes it all work quite nicely.  We are immersed in Chinese culture, but there was just so much of it that was just there... never explained to one like me who is not familiar with a lot of it.  I would have liked either a little more explanation of what was either food, drink, holy relic, a piece of clothing - there were times I was never sure and that tended to take me out of the story.

I also found that there was a lot... a whole helluva lot of description of things.  Places, especially.  Too much of it for my taste.  Now, I have a theory.... this book was originally a short story in an anthology that was expanded into a novel and I wonder if what I was finding too much was due to the expanding of something already written?  Maybe.  But the thing is, the story didn't really need it!  I wanted more character, maybe more interaction with the secondary characters who I really enjoyed and maybe just more discussion between Roku and Trent that wasn't all about the hot sex.  But OMG, the sex was hot!  There wasn't a ton of it - a lot of tension though.  A LOT!

Anyway, should this turn into a series, I won't complain.  I want to know more about Roku and Trent and Roku's family and friends and the world.

Mad Lizard Mambo by Rhys Ford

4.5 STARS

Kai Gracen Series - Book 2

I think that Kai has just become my favourite of all of Rhys' heroes.  :)

I loved the first of the series, Black Dog Blues, and I think I loved this one even more.  :)  We learn a lot more about Kai (and that twist near the end took me RIGHT by surprise) and thank heaven he's still the snarky smart-ass I enjoyed so much in book one.

I really like how the relationship between Kai and Ryder (the elvin lord) is growing and taking its own sweet time.  This series is about the adventure and the action and the mission and about Kai growing as a person - or do I say being? - not sure.  :)  The 'romance' of Kai and Ryder is there, the attraction is very obvious and acknowledged, but it's not the main thrust of the series.  The banter between the two is some of the most amusing and enjoyable of any book in any genre I can remember reading.

I feel like we've barely scratched the surface of this post-apocalyptic fantasy world and I searched Rhys' website to see when the next one is coming... there HAS to be a next one!  Especially after the revelations at the end of this one.  But, I couldn't find anything!!

So yes, I loved this book and I love this series and Rhys Ford remains one of my favourite go-to authors.  :)

Black Dog Blues by Rhys Ford

4.5 STARS

Kai Gracen - Book 1

Ah, Rhys Ford has steadily become one of my go-to authors. She never disappoints and often even totally delights. Like this time. :)

Black Dog Blues is the first of the Kai Gracen series - a post-apocalyptic urban fantasy type series. What's happened, you see, is that the lands of the Sidhe, the elvin (as Rhys calls them) have merged with the lands of mankind. This premise hits a lot of my sweet spots, I have to say.

Whereas Rhys usually writes a lot of steamy sexytimes and intense romance, this series is different. It's really fantasy, pure and simple, with elves and magic and dark creatures and adventure and while there is a romantic element and Kai is definitely a sexy, sexy creature... it's just a small part of the story so far. This is, after all, Book One. Quite honestly, the few steamyish elements almost felt... out of place, maybe? I did like how the relationship between Kai and Ryder ( the elvin lord) grew and made it from a bad place to a good one. And their banter... Rhys is really good with banter and I love that!

I really enjoyed the world building that went into this ,even though there were times I felt something must be missing, but I think we'll find out more and more as time goes on.

So I really loved this in the end. One of my faves stepping a bit outside of her norm and making it work. And you know... there wasn't a jarring or manipulative cliffhanger - so I gave it an extra half star because Rhys... .well, she loves those damned cliffhangers that I hate. *LOL*

I'm glad I have book 2 (which just came out) already in my Kobo!

Absinthe of Malice by Rhys Ford

4 STARS

Sinners Series - Book 5

And we return to the world of Sinners with this 5th book in the series. :)

The band is out on the road, getting to know each other, learning how to work together as a band and hopefully to bond. There is music, many adventures, deep thoughts, a few threats and of course, amidst all this band stuff, we get the Morgan men being there for their partners, still learning about them and doing a lot of loving.

I enjoyed it! The book was mostly a furthering growth of the characters, I thought. I would have liked to see more of Rafe and Quinn, but I guess when you have 4 band members relationships, 4 couples relationships and then the whole Morgan family relationships to deal with, something's got to give.

And then... then there's what seems to be the obligatory Rhys Ford cliffhanger. *SIGH* I love Rhys' books to bits, but I hate... HATE this need of hers for these damned cliffhangers. Her books don't NEED them, they're good enough that they don't need this so very obvious hook to go on to the next one.

That being said... I thought the Sinner's series was finished with this volume, but... I guess not! *LOL*

Sloe Ride by Rhys Ford

4 STARS

Sinners Series - Book 4


The 4th book in the Sinners series stars the 3rd of all those Morgan brothers (I think there are 7 brothers and one sister) and the man destined to become the band's bass player.

I think that Quinn and Rafe just might be my favourite of all the Sinners pairings. I love how Rafe just gets Quinn and doesn't question the whys or wherefores of it all. They really are quite perfect for each other.

I also really enjoyed Quinn's interactions with Miki and Damie. Although I did wonder when the two of them got so damned prickly (read bitchy. *LOL*).

This was a quick read and pretty much a comfort read for me, just what I count on a Rhys Ford to be.  

Tequila Mockingbird by Rhys Ford

4 STARS

Sinners Series - Book 3

I have yet to be disappointed by a Rhys Ford book and Tequila Mockingbird is no exception.

This is the 3rd volume in the Sinners Series and in it we meet another Morgan brother, Connor, the eldest and the man that steals his heart, Forest Ackerman. (And no, he's not named after famed science fiction writer Forrest J. Ackerman.) Forest is a drummer and he's had one helluva life, especially compared to the boisterous, loving family life that the Morgan family brings.

The tale of Connor and Forest discovering their love for each other is swift and sweet, of course, the swiftness might just be me devouring this very devourable book. I will admit that Forest brought me to tears on more than one occasion. His past was so horrible and he just wanted to be loved and cared for and Connor was so lovely with him. And Connor's mom, Brigid, was just as lovely. And then the scene with Connor and his dad. OMG, here, take my heart!

I love these characters. I think that's Rhys' strength, the characters that she creates never fail to tug at my heart.

Dirty Heart by Rhys Ford

4.5 STARS

Cole McGinnis Mysteries - Book 6

#6 in the Cole McGinnis mysteries, Dirty Heart was a great way to finish off the series. And yes, I finished it in a day. Couldn't put it down. Rhys' books are so easy to read, I just sort of bask in the storytelling and characters.

The tale of why Cole's loved ones keep getting shot by people from his past is finally solved and quite a satisfactory fashion. I was good with it and never really got a hint of it all through the 6 books and yet, in the end, it made a lot of sense.

I had the same problem in this book with the names of the Korean characters, but that's a fault of mine. I can't keep Jae's aunt, uncle, half-brother, cousin... can't keep them straight - but it was nice to see that there were some characters in the book who felt the same way! :)

I had been hoping to get time with Jae's sister, one of the secondary characters that I really loved when we met her in Book #3, but aside from a mention early on, that was about it. :/

I know Dirty Heart is supposed to be the finale of the series, but I honestly didn't feel like it was the end. There was a lack of total finality about it. Oh, don't get me wrong, the ending is pretty much perfect and I'm satisfied with it - but I do feel that the world of Cole and Jae could be revisited at some point.

Sinner's Gin by Rhys Ford

4 STARS

Sinners - Book 1

Rhys Ford never disappoints. :) I loved the Cole McGinnis series and it looks like I'm going to feel the same way about this Sinners series if Sinner's Gin is any indication.

Miki St. John is a rockstar with a tragic past. Kane Morgan is a cop with a HUGE Irish family. They're both great characters and I fell for them easily. :) Their love story is satisfying and their sexytimes scenes are numerous and steamy. The mystery works for the most part (I'm still wondering about that last attack and why the perp went there, but...) and justice eventually prevails. :)

There's a dog. His name is Dude and he is QUITE hysterical.

Kane's family is something else. Gorgeous, Irish, huge, quirky, loving. I love families like these in my romances. Yeah, there's going to be issues in all that perfection, but that's part of the fun for me!

I really enjoyed Sinner's Gin and am looking forward to the rest of the series. :)

So yeah, once again, Rhys does not disappoint.

Down and Dirty by Rhys Ford

3.5 STARS

Cole McGinnis Mysteries - Book 5

So people clamoured to hear Bobby's story, Bobby being Cole McGinnis' (of the Cole McGinnis Mysteries) best friend. I was definitely not averse - especially when it led to getting to know Cole's new brother, Ichiro, Ichi.

Down and Dirty is not a mystery. It takes place in the same time frame as Dirty Deeds and we get to see some episodes from Dirty Deeds through another pair of eyes. Which is really interesting because maybe it's not used a lot. Thankfully. :)

It's a romance. It's Bobby and Ichi's romance and it's sweet and hot and fun and sexy and even heart-breaking at some points. Some of Bobby's inner dialogues about himself being a couple of those points. And Ichi's memories of growing up. I would have liked more between Bobby and his son, Jamie and see more interaction between them and Ichi.

So Down and Dirty is another fun and sexy read from Rhys Ford and a welcome addition to the series. :)

Oh, if I didn't mention it before, when I read about Bobby, I envision Chris Meloni in my mind's eye.

Dirty Deeds by Rhys Ford

4 STARS

Cole McGinnis Mysteries - Book 4

#4 in the Cole McGinnis series is the best one yet, in my opinion. The relationship between Cole and Jae is growing, although I will admit that I'd have liked a little more conversation between them and a little less sex. Rhys Ford writes deliciously wonderful sex scenes but too much of a good thing tends to take away some of that goodness.

In this book, we find out a lot more of what happened to Cole back when he was on the police force and his partner murdered his boyfriend and tried to murder him and then killed himself. At least I think he killed himself. I have to say, some of the story and motivations surrounding this part of Cole's tale is still rather murky to me, but I think it's supposed to be. At least I hope so! *LOL*

I would have liked to see a little more of Cole's brothers and more of Jae's family. I know the next book is to feature Ichi and Bobby, Cole's best friend, so hopefully there'll be more family type stuff.

And I've begun to cast the Cole McGinnis movie in my head when I realised that while reading, anytime I'd read about Bobby, I was seeing Christopher Meloni (Law & Order SVU, Oz etc...). I also tend to see Cole as Ian Anthony Dale (Adam from H50) even though I think that Cole isn't supposed to be quite so Asian of feature? I can't remember. *LOL*

Anyway, I totally enjoyed the read and am looking forward to the next one. :)

Dirty Laundry by Rhys Ford

4 STARS

Cole McGinnis Mysteries - Book 3

Cole McGinnis is such a GUY. Seriously! I adore him. I love him and the family he's creating around himself. Jae, Bobby, Mike, Ichiro, Claudia, Claudia's kids, Scarlet... I could go on. *LOL* One day he'll look around - Jae too - and realise that they have one helluva family.

So, I still have a little bit of confusion trouble with the Korean names, but this time it wasn't so bad because the names weren't so similar. And there weren't more than one person called hyung (which I've probably spelled wrong. *LOL*).

This instalment of the Cole McGinnis Mysteries focused much more on Cole doing his thing than previous ones. It wasn't mostly eaten up by his relationship with Jae-Min which had its good points and bad. Good because I like a good mystery/action story and I really enjoy Cole and his inner dialogues. I like his relationships outside of Jae too, and they also need work, so I was glad to see that time was spent on them. The bad side of it, is that I really like Jae and I like him when he's with Cole and unfortunately, most of what we got this time around with Cole and Jae were chapters-long sex scenes. Now, I have no problem with a great sex scene and Rhys Ford writes some doozies, but honestly... sometimes too long is just too damned long. I'd have preferred more talking and interacting outside the bedroom.

I also look askance at the cliffhangers that Rhys seems to like so much, although this one didn't annoy me anywhere near what the previous one did. There was enough closure for me and enough foreshadowing to keep me interested in the next book. And it didn't seem as rushed to me as the previous one did.

The only real complaint I might have is that during the climax of the mystery, I kept wondering how such a 'situation' could happen in California and whether Cole and Bobby were really wusses in disguise. *LOL* I come from Montreal, so what slowed down and nearly stopped them seemed pretty lame to me.

Even despite the complaints and caveats I have, I've given this book 4 stars simply because it's so readable and enjoyable and I adore Cole and his voice. I'm looking forward to Book 4. :)

Dirty Secret by Rhys Ford

3.5 STARS

The Cole McGinnis Mysteries - Book 2

I love Cole McGinnis and I love Kim Jae-Min and I really wanted to give this book 4 stars but I couldn't for 2 reasons.

The first reason I'm almost ashamed to admit given the climate of PC-ness around the internet these days. It was the names... dear God, the Korean names. I actually enjoy all that I'm learning about the Korean culture through these books, some of it is downright fascinating - like the naming conventions. But they all 'read' the same to my brain, I think simply because I'm not used to them. I still am not sure exactly who the bad guy was in this book and how he was related to the rest of the cast. And I still don't get how Cole figured out what he figured out at the end - possibly a little refresher course of that certain scene much earlier in the book would have helped with that.

The other problem I had was the quick wrapping up of the story. it was almost as if max words had been reached and therefore here's the end. There were details that I didn't get closure with... what happened with certain secondary characters, for instance. It was like they just ... stopped... being. I also could have done without that final cliffhanger which to my mind only says.. come one you MUST buy the next book. Rhys' books are quite honestly more than good enough to buy the next one without that bit of manipulation.

All that being said... I love the main characters. I love that Rhys is taking her time creating their relationship and while it may be a bit of insta-lust, it's not insta-love. :) Cole and Jae are steamy together, no matter what they're doing. Having some of the best sex ever or just sitting cuddling together and talking or even making supper. It's all good. They're all good together. And the main secondary characters, especially Mike, Claudia and Bobby are terrific.

And the plotting for the mystery is good, (It so often is not in these romance-heavy books) despite my big problem with the names (see above). I honestly can see these books being made into a TV series.

To sum up, there was some head-scratching while reading but nothing that will stop me from continuing on with the next in the series. :) Or reading more Rhys Ford.

Whiskey and Wry by Rhys Ford

4.5 STARS

Sinners - Book 2

Loved it! Loved both Sionn and Damien and really enjoyed their love story. The villain... OMG, the VILLAIN... the whacko bad guy, Parker.... he's the creepiest, scariest, most revolting bad guy I've read in a long time.

And Rhys does it again!

Dirty Kiss by Rhys Ford

4 STARS

The Cole McGinnis Mysteries - Book 1

I enjoyed this! Good book. Good characters. Definitely the beginning of the series. This really could have been a great book if only the editing had been a little tighter. Not that there were huge, glaring errors, but little things, details, repetition of words, things that made my eyebrows knit together and slightly pull me out of the story. 

That being said, I totally love the unfolding of Cole and Jae's relationship. There's physical chemistry from the get-go, and it gets acted upon, but there's still so much emotional chemistry to be explored and the author takes that nice and slow. I also love Cole and Neko, the cat. :) 

The story is written in the first person POV, which is not everyone's cup of tea, but it is well-done in that respect. The mystery is good - I didn't have it figured out after 2 chapters which happens far too often. The supporting characters, Cole's brother and his secretary/conscience keeper are great. And I'm wondering if the lady detective is going to be a recurring character. 

I am very comfortable in recommending this book and am looking forward to reading #2 myself! :)