Covet Thy Neighbor by L.A. Witt

4 STARS

Tucker Springs - Book 4

What a fun, heartfelt read! 

Let me start by saying that I'm in love with Seth the tattoo artist. And quite honestly, I expected him to be the 'aggressor' in this story of two men falling in love. But you know what? He wasn't! It was the minister, Darren who was really pursuing Seth. And I really liked him too! We need more men of God like him. Seriously. 

The story is told in the first person, and told well. Some writers don't handle first person POV very well, but L.A. certainly does. I didn't feel that I was missing out on anything only seeing the story through Seth's eyes (which isn't always the case.) There was also, given the Main Characters, a good deal of talk about religion and beliefs, the difference between the two, the place that gay holds especially in Big C Christianity. I was worried that it would feel like preaching to me, or even scolding, but it all flowed quite naturally. 

The only agenda that was being served was the love story between the minister and the atheist.So, yes, this 4th volume in the Tucker Springs universe is great! Read it! :)

Never a Hero by Marie Sexton

4 STARS

Tucker Springs - Book 5

I forgot to add this one! :) I really enjoyed it, as I do all of Marie's work. The character of Nick is one I liked as soon as I we met him earlier in the series, so it was great to see him get his own book and his own guy. :) 

I did think that maybe he should have been a little more open with Owen from the beginning, but then what fun would the story be? :)

So, yes, this is another great addition to the world of Tucker Springs!

Dirty Laundry by Heidi Cullinan

5 STARS

Tucker Springs - Book 3

I LOVED this book! One of the clichés of love stories is the "I'm a better me when I'm with you." and in so many cases we never see evidence of it other than the characters say so. In Dirty Laundry we DO see it. We see the first seeds get planted, so to speak, in the laundromat and we get to see the seedling push through the ground in the bar, the leaves unfurl and the stem grow strong in the various other places around Tucker Springs as Adam and Denver navigate the mine fields of... well... themselves. :) 

They are so perfect for each other and it's wonderful to watch them come to recognise this. I cried for Adam more than once and even Denver had me wiping away tears once - yes, it's that kind of heart-touching book.

Heidi Cullinan manages to convey to the reader what it's like to live with OCD and how it affects every aspect of a person's life. I love the solutions that Denver and Adam found to deal with the fact of the disorder and what I love most is that Denver didn't run when the going got tough and neither did Adam. And for me, the BDSM aspects of the story were perfect! The sex was hot and dirty sexy - Heidi writes GREAT sex scenes - and even the simple touch of a hand against a cheek was beautifully erotic.

So, yes, I loved this book and everyone should go out and buy it and read it again and again. I intend to!

Second Hand by Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton

4.5 STARS

Tucker Springs - Book 2

I love Heidi's work and I love Marie's work and I was very curious, and maybe a tad apprehensive, to see how this joint venture of theirs would turn out. I was not disappointed! It was terrific! It's one of those books that I would recommend if a friend asked me what to read to introduce them to m/m romances. 

The main characters, El and Paul, are very likable - hell, I developed a bit of a crush on El within two pages of meeting him! I thought I might not be so fond of Paul because he seemed almost wishy-washy at first, but that soon changed when I realised that he was just The Most Clueless Man EVER. Which I found endearing. :) And he's a redhead. I love redheads. 

I thought that having the mix of first person POV and 3rd person limited might be a mistake at first, but not at all. It seems counter-intuitive and ungainly, this mix, but Heidi and Marie make it work really, really well. So well that I didn't even notice it after the first chapter or two. My first thought was that this was how they shared up the writing - Heidi writing El's 3rd person POV and Marie taking care of Paul's 1st person POV, but you know what? It doesn't matter other than I'm a curious type. It works and it works well. 

And the dog. The adorable dog. I loved Mojo. So, should you read this book? If you want a well-written, fun, romantic, heart-touching read, you most certainly should!