Contemporary Romance

Review of: Out to Get You by J.P. Oliver (audiobook)

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TITLE: Out to Get You (audio)
AUTHOR: J.P. Oliver
SERIES: –
PUBLISHER: Equal Love Publishing
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE: 2/20/19

BLURB:

An MM Gay Romance.
A man who has it all.
His sweet employee.
The eyes of the world watching their every move.
Whitt may have it all, but he’s missing one important detail—someone special. Too bad his current status makes it awkward to find someone who really understands him.
Yet when his perspective employee interviews, he can’t take his eyes off of him.
Reece has a talent with horses, one he’s cultivated since he was very young. This leads him to a billionaire’s boarding house and horse farm. His new boss is gorgeous – too bad he seems straighter than an arrow.
But when the media gets wind of a possible tryst between them, they’re forced to reconcile secret feelings for each other in short order or face ruin. Will they manage to do it in time?
This gay romance novel will capture your heart and lift it with Whitt and Reece. Due to sizzling hot scenes, this standalone Gay Romance is intended for adults only. Happily ever after guaranteed!

Narration: What can I say about Bump Turgeson, the narrator…yeah, no.

He has a great voice, don’t get me wrong. However, he sounds like a mix between Jeff Bridges and John Goodman, which threw me out of the story completely. I couldn’t finish listening to it. I wanted to get to the good parts, but when I finally did, I just had to turn it off. I have a mundane day-job, and need the stimulus of a book while I work, and this fell flat of that.

Story: So the 2.5 stars is for what little of the story I was able to listen to. It might be a 4 star later for me. I’ll be picking the book up and hopefully find the time to read it at some point.

With working 2 jobs, I don’t get a lot of actual reading time, so audibles are a godsend. But I think I’ll have to get to know these two guys via my Kindle.
For the parts I was able to get through, I liked the characters, Reece and Whitt. They seemed like an odd couple, but I love those.

***I would like to thank the author for the privilege and opportunity of listening this ARC. My review is an honest opinion of the book ***

Review edited by : Laura McNellis

Review of: The Carpenter’s Prince by Jayce Ellis

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TITLE: The Carpenter’s Prince
AUTHOR: Jayce Ellis
SERIES: 2019 Advent Calendar
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE: Dec 1, 2019

BLURB:

The Carpenter’s Prince by Jayce Ellis
Sean Edwards would do anything for his nephew, including designing the props for a children’s version of the Nutcracker. He’s ready for the long nights and weekends in the workshop—they’re part of the job, especially given the short notice. The insanely sexy head ballerino is completely unexpected, however.
All principal danseur Keni Jackson wants is to surpass last year’s performance, blow people’s socks off, and cement his place in the studio. The last thing he needs is something to shatter his carefully held control—like a cuddly carpenter who favors jazz over Tchaikovsky.
Sean and Keni are drawn to each other, but not everyone is a fan of their relationship. When Keni’s position is threatened, they have to decide whether to walk away for good, or if what they’ve found is worth fighting for.

I really enjoyed getting to read The Carpenter’s Prince by Jayce Ellis.

It’s one of the short stories from the 2019 Advent Calendar: Homemade for the Holidays.

I thought the author’s writing style was easy to read, and even though it was a short story it felt like a complete story, and I loved the chemistry between Keni and Sean.

I would have loved for the story to be longer only because I didn’t want to stop reading it.

I would love to read another book about these two characters, and I will definitely be checking out the author’s other books to read. This story is perfect for reading at work during a break.

***The ARC was provided by Dreamspinner Press. My review is an honest opinion of the book ***

Review edited by : Laura McNellis

Review of:  Waves of Winter by L.C Chase

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TITLE: Waves of Winter
AUTHOR: L.C Chase
SERIES: World of Love
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE: Nov 22th 2019

BLURB:

The west coast of Vancouver Island is one of the few places to boast world-class winter surfing, and Vancouverite Kellan Tremblay hits the waves as often as possible. On the ferry crossing to the island, he meets Australian Jax Colston. Jax is there for some snowboarding. He’s intrigued to discover that not only is winter surfing a thing, but you can surf and ski in the same day. Sensing a kindred spirit, Kellan offers to play tour guide and gives Jax a place to stay in his spare room.
The two men bond over all things surf and snow, and it isn’t long before their passion for life lands them in bed together. Neither wants the week of cold days and hot nights to end, but Jax has to go home soon. Still, Jax doubts he’ll stay away for long. The draw of fresh powder, the long hot nights and the thrill of just being with Kellan will keep him coming back for a long time….
Series World of Love | Canada – British Columbia.

Canadian, Kellan Tremblay loves to go to the west coast of Vancouver to do some winter surfing. On the ferry crossing the island, he meets Australian, Jackson Colston. Jax is a snowboarder who travels across the US and Canada to try the best slopes on his snowboard.
Kellan and Jax hit off immediately and decide to spend the week together. What will happen at the end of the week will be up to them.
Waves of Winter by LC Chase is a sweet novella that I really enjoyed.

Kellan is a Canadian, and he’s a surfer all year round. Summer or Winter, Kellan loves to ride a good wave, and what’s better than the west coast of Vancouver? After a year without surfing because of a bad break up with his ex, Kellan decided to go back to his passion. Meeting Jax wasn’t in his plan, but Kellan can’t refuse the opportunity to know more of the hot Australian and to introduce him to winter surfing.

Jax is at the end of his trip when he meets Kellan. He’s intrigued by the hot Canadian who practices winter surfing. Jax is intrigued by Kellan, but most of all, he’s attracted to him. They live at the opposite end of the world from each other, but Jax wants to embrace every minute with Kellan.

I really enjoyed their story; it was a sweet and calm love story. No twisted moments, no drama. Just two men who met at a moment in both of their lives and decided to take a chance in each other.

It was a beautiful short story that put a smile on my face more than once.

3.5 Stars for the snowboarder and His surfer

***The ARC was provided by Dreamspinner Press. My review is an honest opinion of the book ***

Review edited by : Laura McNellis

Review of: The Hanged Man’s Hero by Summer Devon – Audio

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TITLE: The Hanged Man’s Hero – Audio
AUTHOR: Summer Devon
SERIES: –
PUBLISHER: M.K. Rothwell
GENRE: Historical
RELEASE DATE: March 8, 2019

BLURB:

Listening Length: 3 hours and 10 minutes.


Condemned for murder, Dez Moore awaits the hangman’s noose. Though he killed to defend a woman, the court shows no mercy, and, resigned, he attempts to make amends with his estranged sister. His letter bidding his sister good-bye falls into the wrong hands, and suddenly, he is facing another future – one that may exist, thanks to a man he doesn’t know.
Once a poor mudlark, Carl Reis is a powerful businessman with an erratic impulse to save desperate people. When Dez’s letter comes to him, he takes an interest in the prisoner. But the charming and disruptive Dez Moore proves to be more attractive than any of his other rescues. He stirs urges Carl has long suppressed, and makes him yearn for a future even he could not foresee. One with the lively Mr. Moore by his side and in his bed.
Long used to doing for others – some might say controlling them – while maintaining his solitary existence, Carl struggles to keep Dez from breaching his walls. But the tenacious Dez will do all it takes to capture his rescuer’s heart.
This is an expanded version of The Scent of Hope, a Goodreads free read.

Narration: Mark James has an amazing voice, and I found myself pulled right in. There was a good flow to the reading, and the recording was high quality.

Story: I’m not normally a fan of historical romance, but I thought I’d give this a try. I’m glad I did. It was originally a short for Goodreads, but the author decided to expand it a bit. It’s still short, and the audio only took 3 hours, but it was a good listen. I liked the characters and how they evolved as the story progressed.

When you meet Dez, he’s in prison for murder and about to be hung for his crime. That’s all you really know at first. But a visit from a Chaplin brings Carl Reis into the story. He asked Dez to write a letter to a loved one.

The reader gets the intention that Carl, although likable, is a type of grifter/mob-type character, and he’s a self-made businessman. That hasn’t stopped him from wanting to help people as projects. The letter makes its way to Carl instead of Dez’s sister. After he reads it, Carl becomes a bit obsessed with helping Dez.

From the title, you get the idea that he does help, and the story continues in a well-written love story.

I’ll be looking forward to more from both the narrator and the author.

***I would like to thank the author for the privilege and opportunity of litening this ARC. My review is an honest opinion of the book ***

Review edited by : Laura McNellis

Review of: Cookies by Teodora Kostova – Audio

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TITLE: Cookies – Audio
AUTHOR: Teodora Kostova
SERIES: Cookies Series
PUBLISHER: Self
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE: August 29, 2016

BLURB:

8 hrs 26 mins


I went to war, running away from myself. I came back in pieces to find out who I really was….
It took me nearly 10 years, two tours in Afghanistan, and losing a leg to come to terms with who I really am. Two years after coming back from war, I can say that I’m finally content. I’m as fit as ever, my prosthetic leg allowing me the freedom of moving and exercising as if nothing has changed. I own a small bakery in the center of Cambridge, and I have a loyal circle of friends that I can always count on.
And yet….
Yet, there’s something missing. A part of me craves the intimacy, the deep connection to another human being. But another – bigger – part of me is terrified of letting anyone in.
My internal conflict didn’t stand a chance when I met Jay. He stormed through my defense walls like a hurricane, wrapping around me with gentle force until I had no choice but to surrender.
Surrendering has never felt so good.
Will Jay want to stay when he sees the real me? When he sees the nightmares and insecurities clawing at my soul?
My name is Amir Gopal and this is my story.

3.5 stars for narration and 5 stars for the story.

Narration: Alexander Doddy narrated for Teodora for Cookies. I had read the story back in 2016 and rated it a 5, so when the audio version came up, I jumped on it. I liked most of the cadence in the reading, but there were some strange pauses in there that nearly pulled me out of the story. Then in Chapter 15 (16 in audible), there’s a nasally wheezing sound that was difficult to get past, but I loved the story enough to push through. Overall, his voice was lovely and relaxing.

Story: There’s one thing I want to say first because I’m kind of a cover snob…story was great, but the cover did not fit the story at all. I would have loved to see Amir’s darker skin on the cover.

I was pulled into the story right from the start. Amir hit me right in the feels, and reading everything he did every day just to keep busy was tiring just reading it! And yeah, I was craving cookies! The character was well-written with detailed depth and a tragic backstory.

Jay is just a sweetheart. He just moves forward with his relationship with Amir, and he’s comfortable in his part. He doesn’t look at Amir as anything but whole, even with his missing limb. He’s loyal to his friends, even when they may just be an ass…

This was just a love story, as plain and simple as that is, it was a joy to read years ago and listen to this time around.

***I would like to thank the author for the privilege and opportunity of listening this ARC. My review is an honest opinion of the book ***

Review edited by : Laura McNellis