Category: Contemporary Romance

Review: “The Best Worst Honeymoon Ever” by Andrew Grey

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TITLE: The Best Worst Honeymoon Ever
AUTHOR: Andrew Grey
SERIES: –
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
COVER ARTIST: Bree Archer
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
E-BOOK: Yes
PAPERBACK: Yes
LENGTH: 190 pages
RELEASE DATE: Jun 19, 2018
PRICE: $ 4.99 e-book / $9.99-paperback

BLURB:

Tommy Gordon is all set for happily ever after—until heartbreak strikes when his husband-to-be leaves him at the altar. In a bid for distraction, his best friend, Grayson Phillips, suggests he takes advantage of the luxury honeymoon anyway! But the last thing Tommy wants is to go alone, so he invites Grayson and his son, Petey, along. Beautiful Bonaire lends itself to romance, and along with close quarters, relaxing on the water, and a matchmaking kid, Tommy and Grayson soon find themselves closer than ever… and considering more, much to Grayson’s delight. But before they can plan the best honeymoon ever, dark clouds descend in the form of Tommy’s ex and a sting from paradise that could ruin everything.

Tommy is ready to married Xavier and having his happily ever after until Xavier left him at the altar the day of their wedding.
Grayson is Tommy’s best friend and was present when Tommy had his heart broken. He encouraged him to go on his honeymoon, but Tommy refuses to go alone, he’ll only go if Grayson and his son Petey come with him.
For a week, Tommy, Grayson and Petey will explore the island and enjoy their time together. But when Xavier comes to the island, Tommy will have to face his past and confront the man he used to love if he wants a real chance to be happy and loved in the future.

The Best Worst Honeymoon Ever is a beautiful love story.

Grayson and Tommy are best friends since college, and for a decade they were only friends…best friends. But Tommy’s always had a crush on Grayson, but never found the courage to act on it. The same goes for Grayson, he’s always had a crush on Tommy, and when he was ready to act on it, Tommy had met Xavier. So when they end up together on an island paradise, they let go of their fears and just try. It was very sweet and beautiful, how they take the step together and cross the line.

I loved them. They were so adorable. Tommy was hurting, scared and lost after Xavier. He was unsure about himself, about his ability to find a man who will love him, just him, and when things start to heat up between him and Grayson, he was scared to lose his best friend and Petey. I understood Tommy, I could totally relate to him, and that’s probably what made me love him so much.

Grayson is a very good man, a good father and a loyal friend. He had always wanted Tommy, but he was scared to act, and then he has to think of his son Petey and what’s best for him. But when he saw an opportunity to be more than friends with Tommy, Grayson didn’t hold back, and he went heart first into this relationship. He was confident and sure for both of them. I loved this about him.

This book was good, well written and I had pleasure while reading it. It was a sweet romance, but not too superficial. Even if Tommy realized that Grayson was the love of his life, it couldn’t have erased his past and his pain. I loved this about the story. I loved that while I read about their love story and how they come together, I also saw how Tommy got closure from his past.

I happily recommend this book; it’s a sweet romance just like I love them.

It’s 4 stars because Petey, this kid is awesome!

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

Review edited by : Laura McNellis

Review: “Behind the Lights” by TL Travis

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TITLE: Behind the Lights
AUTHOR: TL Travis
SERIES: Social Sinners
PUBLISHER: Encompass Ink
COVER ARTIST: Rue Volley
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
E-BOOK: Yes
PAPERBACK: No
LENGTH: –
RELEASE DATE: June 9, 2018
PRICE: $2.99 – e-book

BLURB:

Joey Hayes, Ricky “Stoli” Branson, Mickey Payne and Ethan “Diamond” Taylor are the members of the metal band Social Sinners. They’re a tight knit group. They fight like brothers, they love like brothers, they even share like brothers. When one of them hurts, they all hurt even when it comes to matters of the heart.

Behind the Lights is the first book in the Social Sinners series by TL Travis. I liked Behind the Lights. The series is going to have five books in it, but the author has stated that the first book is the only stand-alone book. I just wish that the author gave us a hint as to who the second book is going to be about. I wanted to know if the next book In the Shadows continues with the relationship that develops in the first book since the relationship doesn’t develop until the end of the book.

I liked how the story is told through Joey Hayes POV only. I did miss being inside of Ricky “Stoli” Branson’s head, but the author did a great job of showing through his actions and dialog how he was feeling, and so I don’t feel like I missed a lot of what he was feeling. Just the normal angst over having a crush on your childhood best friend and now bandmate.

I also liked how the story starts out at the end and then goes back to the beginning so that we can see how Joey and Ricky became friends and how they came out and how Joey was like an adopted son at Ricky’s house after Joey’s mom left when he was a little kid.
I liked how attending their first concert as teens set them on the path to becoming musicians and that shortly after the concert, the pair joined band class where they meet Ethan and Mick and the foursome formed the metal band, Social Sinners.

I also like the chemistry in the begging between Joey and Lucas Holt and how that lead to Joey coming out at home and to his best friend, who he found out had come out to his mom the month before but hadn’t told him yet. And like with high school love, Joey couldn’t see any of Lucas’ faults that the other people in his life could see.

I liked that Joey was oblivious to his best friend’s crush on him, even after the song that Ricky wrote about moving on. He was just a little bit clueless, but he was a loveable clueless. I’m glad that Lucas got what he deserved and that Joey was able to pull himself out of his funk before he ruined his life and that he got the man that he’d fallen in love with at the age of five but didn’t realize it until it was almost too late.

This was a great story about the journey of friendship, family dramas, coming-of-age firsts, and the rise to fame in an industry that can leave musicians tattered and torn. If you like books about heavy metal music and coming of age stories than this book is for you.

I can’t wait to read the next book in the series when it comes out.

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

Review edited by : Laura McNellis

Review: ” Personal Best” by Sean Michael

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TITLE: Personal Best
AUTHOR: Sean Michael
SERIES: Personal Best
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
COVER ARTIST: Alexandria Corza
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
E-BOOK: Yes
PAPERBACK: Yes
LENGTH: 200 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 8, 2018
PRICE: $6.99 – e-book/ $14.99 – paperback

BLURB:

Mike Gauliet could be a world-class swimmer if he took better care of himself. He’s too good to let go, so his team coach calls in a private trainer, up-and-coming hardass Jessy Turner. Jessy locks Mike down, putting him on a strict regimen of diet and exercise that Mike resents a lot until he realizes the changes are making him a better swimmer.
Jessy finds Mike all but irresistible but keeps his distance and remains professional, focusing all his attention on what’s best for Mike and his career. The two of them resist their attraction to each other for as long as they can, but eventually they have to give into the heat between them.
When things go wrong, though, can they, and their sports careers, survive the strain?

Personal Best is the first book in the Personal Best series by Sean Michael. I liked this book. When I was growing up, I was on a swim team in elementary school. I was always envious of the kids that could dive into the water and keep their goggles in place. Mine always rolled down and so I would have to do the swim meets without goggles to protect my eyes. I can remember how much my eyes would sting from the chlorine that was added to the water by the end of the meet and being a natural blonde my hair was always tinged green. But I loved being part of the team and learning how to do the flip kicks off of the walls and how to do all of the different strokes properly. I kind of wish that I had kept doing it, but I didn’t have the natural talent to compete. Maybe if I had Mike’s natural talent and a private trainer like Jessy, I would have stuck with it. This book had a great plot and plenty of sex scenes to go with it. If you are looking for a book that is plot heavy with only a little bit of heat than this book isn’t for you. However, if you like your books on the explicit side with just enough plot to link the steamy scenes together than this book is for you.

I liked Mike. He has natural ability and a great attitude to go with it. His parents were also Olympic swimmers, but he lost them in a boating accident when he was young and went to live with his aunt. He’s now in college on a full scholarship. He’s been swimming for as long as he can remember. He has a lot of excess energy, and he uses swimming as an outlet for it and when he can’t sleep. His swim team coach can see his potential and calls his friend Jessy Turner, an up and coming hardass private trainer. Jessy restructures Mike’s life and cuts down on his classes so that he can focus on his swimming. He also puts him on a strict regimen of diet and exercise that Mike resents until he realizes that the changes are making him a better swimmer. I would have issues if somebody took away my chocolate, caffeine, and junk food also.

I also liked Jessy. He has a no-nonsense attitude that hides how much it hurts when his students end up leaving him. He finds Mike irresistible but tries to keep his distance and remain professional by focusing all of his attention on what’s best for Mike and his career. The two of them try and resist their attraction to each other, but it really is a losing battle. They just have way too much chemistry to stay apart and living together doesn’t help the situation any.

When a party leads to a misunderstanding, will their relationship and their sports careers survive the strain? You’re going to have to read the book to find out. At the end of the book is a preview of the next book in the series and it sounds really good.

I can’t wait for it to come out so that I can read it.

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

Review edited by : Laura McNellis

Review: “BFF ” by K.C. Wells

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TITLE: BFF
AUTHOR: K.C Wells
SERIES: –
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
COVER ARTIST: Reese Dante
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
E-BOOK: Yes
PAPERBACK: Yes
LENGTH: 200 pages
RELEASE DATE: Jun 5, 2018
PRICE: $6.99 e-book / $14.99 paperback

BLURB:

I’m about to do something huge, and it could change… everything.
I met Matt in second grade, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. We went to the same schools, studied at the same college. When we both got jobs in the same town, we shared an apartment. And when my life took an unexpected turn, Matt was there for me. Every milestone in my life, he was there to share it. And what’s really amazing? After all these years, we’re still the best of friends.
Which brings me to this fragile, heart-stopping moment: I want to tell him I love him, really love him, but I’m scared to death of what he’ll say. If I’ve got this all wrong, I’ll lose him—forever.

David has always dreamed of being an author. Since he was 7 years-old; he loves to write stories.
When Matt, his best friend, suggests to him to participate at a writing contest, David, isn’t sure about what to write, until Matt gives him the idea to write about them and their story.

I adored this book, it was a magnificent story.

David and Matt have known each other since they were 7 years-old. They are best friends. They grew up together, they evolved and changed together. They faced puberty, first girlfriends, college, and first jobs together. They are inseparable, no matter what, no matter the problems, the change or difficulty, they always ended up together.
David is adorable, funny and very smart. He doesn’t fear speaking his mind out loud, and he’s very protective of Matt. He’s ready to burn down the world for him. I loved it.
Matt is shy, calm, and kind. He’s very loyal to David, he supports him all the time, even when it’s a bad idea, and he takes care of him, he’s a natural caretaker. I adored it.

I was completely hooked on the story from page 1. The plot is brilliant. We read the book that David has wrote for the contest. It’s written in the first person, from David’s POV.
The story covers twenty years of their life. From the age of 7 years-old to the age of 27 years-old (basically all their life) and it was just fabulous, funny and very well written.
BFF is a beautiful testimony of what a real friendship is. It wasn’t too much, no angst, no big drama and all, just a slice of their life, just two little boys who become best friends under a tree at recess and have a beautiful journey together. I loved to follow and read how they evolved, how their feelings evolved, until they realized they were in love, they were the missing part of each other’s heart.
This Book was authentic, sincere and true. It was beautiful.

I highly recommend this magnificent story.

5 OptimuMMs because we all need a David and a Matt in our life!

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

Review edited by : Laura McNellis

Review: “His Leading Man” by Ashlyn Kane

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TITLE: His Leading Man
AUTHOR: Ashlyn Kane
SERIES: –
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
COVER ARTIST: Bree Archer
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
E-BOOK: Yes
PAPERBACK: Yes
LENGTH: 222 pages
RELEASE DATE: Jun5, 2018
PRICE: $4.99 e-book / $9.99 paperback

BLURB:

He wrote a comedy. Fate directed a romance.
Drew Beaumont is bored of the same old roles: action hero, supervillain, romantic lead. He’s not going to let a fresh gay buddy comedy languish just because they can’t find him the right costar. No, Drew bats his eyelashes and convinces everyone that the movie’s writer should play Drew’s not-so-straight man.
Aspiring writer Steve Sopol has never had a screenplay optioned. Now one of Hollywood’s hottest properties wants to be in a movie Steve hasn’t finished writing—and he wants Steve as his costar. Turns out the chemistry between them is undeniable—on and offscreen.
Drew swore off dating in the biz, but Steve is the whole package: sharp, funny, humble, and cute. For Steve, though, giving in to the movie magic means the end of the privacy he cherishes. Will the credits roll before their ride into the sunset?

Drew Beaumont is a famous actor in Hollywood, but he’s bored. He always plays the same roles, super villain, action hero or romantic lead. When he reads the script of an unknown writer, a gay buddy comedy, Drew knows this movie and the role of Scotty are for him, but he can’t find the right co-star, until he meets the writer, Steve Sopol.

Steve has wanted to be a writer since he was six years-old, and when his friend, Hillary (Drew’s agent) told him that Drew Beaumont, THE Drew Beaumont wants to play in his movie, Steve can’t believe it. While they search the co-star, Steve shows that he’s more than a writer. When Drew asks him to be his co-star, Steve sees the opportunity to make his movie right.

They didn’t expect to be as in tune on screen as in life.

I loved this book from the beginning; it was a super sweet romance.
Drew and Steve are good to each other. They don’t play games, they don’t cheat, they are just them, and they are good.
Drew is an actor and a diva (it’s him who said that, not me). He refuses to date in the industry, with all the sharks who want to be known and recognized, he doesn’t want to be used for his name. But Drew without, acknowledging it at first, wants a life-partner. He’s bi and out, he doesn’t live in a closet, but he’s solitary nonetheless. I like him a lot. He’s natural, simple (as simple as a diva can be) and funny.

Steve is shy, he values his privacy and wants to be known for his talent, not for his sex life. Dating Drew, implies for him that he’s going to have to give up on his privacy, but Steve isn’t as clueless about Hollywood’s way of life as Drew thinks. I adore Steve. I adore his simplicity and his sensitivity. He’s funny and very smart. He’s honest, what we see is what we have.
The book was very good, and the plot interesting. All the book is about Drew and Steve on set, and in life. On set as Scotty and Morgan, and in life as Drew and Steve. The author includes some scenes from the movie and excerpts of the script brilliantly in the book. It was like reading the story in the story. It was brilliant and gives a good breath in the story.

Like I said, I had a good time with them, no angst, no drama, no hesitation, just two men falling in love and trying to make it work.
If you want a sweet romance to read, go for this one.

It’s 5 OptimuMMs for the actor and his leading man!

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

Review edited by : Laura McNellis

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