Contemporary Romance

Review: “Lincoln’s Park” by Parker Williams

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TITLE: Lincoln’s Park
AUTHOR: Parker Williams
SERIES: Links In The Chain
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
COVER ARTIST: Reese Dante
GENRE: BDSM; Contemporary Romance
E-BOOK: Yes
PAPERBACK: No
LENGTH: 244 pages
RELEASE DATE: Oct 16, 2018
PRICE: $6.99-e-book

BLURB:

A Links In the Chain Story
Lincoln Merriweather was born an entitled brat with a silver spoon lodged so deep, it might never have come out. At the BDSM club or in business, Lincoln was a storm, blowing in and disrupting the lives of everyone he touched, until the day he met a man who peeled away the tarnished layers to expose a decent person.
Lincoln found—then lost—love.
Since then, he’s tried to atone for his past, including walking away from his family’s wealth. He opened a diner, hiring people to work for him that he would have spit on before his epiphany. He’s found peace, which he’s about to lose to a hazel-eyed man.
Noel Simmons wound up on the street when his parents discovered he was gay. His path leads him to Lincoln’s diner, where he asks for a job. He’s thrilled when Lincoln agrees to hire him, but finds his new boss perplexing. Can anyone be this kind and decent?
What starts out as business becomes something more. Noel discovers he needs Lincoln in order to feel safe. Lincoln needs Noel to complete him. But when Lincoln’s past gets in the way of his present, will the two have a future?

I have enjoyed this author for quite some time now and this was no disappointment. I enjoy how he creates a beautiful love story, throws in the reality of these situations and tosses in some BDSM. The BDSM in this story is very light weight and goes really well with this couple. There was only one thing that kind of bothered me but it was minor. The Dom had said he would prefer being called one name, which the sub did that one time, but not again. Like I said minor but I know from experience, that if the Dom asks you to call them something, then that’s what you call them.

Lincoln grew up with a silver spoon and thought the world owed him everything. That is until he met Everett. Lincoln’s world changed and so did his outlook on life. He walked away from the family business and money and opened up a diner. Lincoln has helped many of the local homeless by hiring them and giving them money. Katy and Tyler are two of his success stories. Lincoln is happy with the way his life is going and how the diner is going. He works around the clock but he’s good with that until the day that this adorable guy walks in his diner looking for work.

Noel has been homeless for some time now and it’s all due to his family kicking him out when they found out he is gay. He helps Robert run the shelter for his room and board. He has devoted his time helping others with similar or worse situations. Noel has been looking for work though so that he can be productive in his life. He hasn’t had any luck though. With his tattered clothes and all, people just shoo him away. He walks into this diner and is given the job right away.plus some money for work clothes. Noel is in shock and can’t believe this man is being so nice and is waiting for the shoe to drop.

These two are just adorable with each other. They are pretty slow getting together but the way they look at each other when the other is not looking is cute. They each thinks the other couldn’t possibly like the other and this slows their process. Plus the fact that they both are workaholics. Katy really plays a role on moving things along. Can these two find time for each other? Can they get past their pasts? Will Lincoln’s family put a wrench in the dynamics going on? Well, please get a copy for yourself and enjoy the ups and downs of new love.

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

Review edited by : Laura McNellis

Review: “Block and Strike” by Kelly Jensen

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TITLE: Block and Strike
AUTHOR: Kelly Jensen
SERIES: –
PUBLISHER: Dreampinner Press
COVER ARTIST: Garrett Leigh
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
E-BOOK: Yes
PAPERBACK: Yes
LENGTH: 266 pages
RELEASE DATE: January 6, 2017
PRICE: $6.99 – e-book/ $16.99 – paperback

BLURB:

Jacob Kendricks is three months out of prison, estranged from his daughter, and ready to get his life on track. Taking care of the bum curled up on his doorstep isn’t part of the plan. When he realizes the man has been assaulted, Jake takes him to the hospital, where he learns that Max is his downstairs neighbor… and that he could really use a friend. Keeping Max in the friend-zone would be easier if he wasn’t so damned cute.
Maxwell Wilson has been bullied for years, and the only person who ever cared lives too far away to come to his rescue. Now his upstairs neighbor is offering support. Max remains cautious, suspecting he is little more than a project for the handsome Jake. When he learns Jake has had boyfriends as well as girlfriends, Max has to reevaluate his priorities—and muster the courage to take a chance at love.
Just when a happy future is within their grasp, life knocks them back down. A devastating blow leaves Max lower than ever and Jake wrestling with regret. They both have to find the strength to stand on their own before they can stand together.

Fresh out of prison, Jake Kendrick’s find himself in an emotional struggle. Coming home to find a homeless man on his doorstep is not something he wants to deal with, ever. As Jake soon discovers, the man taking space on his stoop isn’t a bum but his neighbor bloody and unconscious. As Jake helps his neighbor heal from his assault, an unlikely friendship evolves into something neither man is willing to lose their friendship over. Jake’s past comes back to haunt him, and he’s in danger of losing not only the man he’s come to love but the most important person in his life.

Jake’s temper has always been an issue for him. He has a hair-trigger temper, and that’s what landed him in prison. Once out he’s determined to turn his life around and do whatever he can to get to spend time with his daughter. The friendship he has with his neighbor, Max, is the best thing that’s happened to him since before his imprisonment. They have this easygoing camaraderie. Jake knows Max is straight. Jake, being bisexual, can’t help that he starts to develop feelings for the other man, but he has a lot of secrets. If Max found out, it would destroy the friendship he cherishes and any chance of anything more.

Max has been bullied most of his life. In school, his dad told him that the beatings would toughen him up. As time went on, he learned that if he just layed there and took it, the beatings wouldn’t be so bad. He has no idea why he was targeted by a group of men in the alley near his little downstairs apartment. His next-door neighbo’rs sister, also Max’s nurse, insists that her brother will help him once he’s released from the hospital and given no choice, he accepts the sexy, mysterious man’s help. He’s undeniably attracted to Jake, but Jake is straight. Max hides that he’s gay in fear of being even more victimized.

These two guys are what I like to call a hot mess. The story was absolutely heartwarming and emotionally exhausting. I loved every page turning moment. The facets of not only the story but the characters made for one excellent read. Jake and Max taking strength from one another was beautiful. The development from a hesitant sort of acquaintances to friends then ultimately lovers was what I loved most about this book. The author didn’t stick with the status quo, they blew it out of the water. One of the best books I’ve read to date.

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

Review edited by : Laura McNellis

Review: “Handle with Care” by Cari.Z

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TITLE: Handle with Care
AUTHOR: Cari.Z
SERIES: –
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
COVER ARTIST: Alexandria Corza
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
E-BOOK: Yes
PAPERBACK: Yes
LENGTH: 194 pages
RELEASE DATE: Oct 16, 2018
PRICE: $4.99 e-book / $9.99 paperback

BLURB:

A fragile heart needs extra care.
Burned-out social worker Aaron McCoy is on vacation for the first time in years–boss’s orders. Road-tripping to his brother’s wedding with his best friend, Tyler, seems a fun way to spend the mandatory two-week leave, and they set out for Kansas–and a difficult homecoming.
Aaron’s mother was a drug addict, and his adorable younger brother was quickly adopted, while Aaron spent his childhood in foster care. As Aaron mends fences, Tyler hopes to show him that this time, he won’t be left behind to face his problems alone.
Aaron’s opening up to how right it feels to be with Tyler and to the possibility of taking the leap from friends to lovers. But along with the wedding celebration comes a painful reminder of the past. Aaron’s heart is still breakable. Can he put it in Tyler’s hands?

Aaron is a social worker who cares for his children. He was one of those children himself, and he understands better than anyone what they need. But Aaron overworked himself too much, never taking a vacation and working all the time, including on a Sunday night. That’s why his boss decided to take matters in her own hands and sent him on two weeks’ forced vacation.
Without anything to do, Aaron and his best friend, Tyler, decided to go to the wedding of Aaron’s little brother, Zack.
Aaron and Tyler have been best friends since high school. Where Aaron is over-dead-serious all the time, Tyler is a child stuck in an adult body.

Handle with Care by Cari.Z was a sweet romance book that I enjoyed to read.
Aaron has been hurt and traumatized by his childhood. A father in jail and a junkie as his mother had put Aaron and his baby brother Zack on the CPS radar. Then, Zack was adopted when Aaron was sent away. After being moved from one foster family to another, Aaron ended up with Tyler’s family and finally found a home. I liked Aaron; even if he’s too serious, I liked him a lot. He wears the stigmata of his rough childhood on him, but he tries to overcome it. I liked his sensitivity and humanity.

Tyler has taken care of Aaron since they were teenagers. He always puts him first, even if he acts like a child most of the time (if not all the time). But when it comes to Aaron, Tyler is an overprotective warrior ready to fight for him. I adore Tyler, he’s immature and super fun, but he’s also very smart, loyal and perceptive. He knows Aaron better than Aaron knows himself and knows how to talk to him, to take care of him.

The book is a journey in Aaron’s life. While he revisites his past with Tyler by his side, Aaron also realizes that he can have the future he wants, with the person he’s wanted for a long time.
The writing and the plot were good. It was a good read, fluid and dynamic, full of humour and feelings, not too deep, but not too superficial either.

If you want to read a sweet, funny romance, Handle with Care will do the job.

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

Review edited by : Laura McNellis

Review: “Heart Untouched” by Andrew Grey

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TITLE: Heart Untouched
AUTHOR: Andrew Grey
SERIES: Hearts Entwined
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
COVER ARTIST: L.C. Chase
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
E-BOOK: Yes
PAPERBACK: Yes
LENGTH: 200 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 9, 2018
PRICE: $6.99 – e-book/ $14.99 – paperback

BLURB:

A Hearts Entwined Novel
An accident crushed Duncan’s Olympic dreams and landed him in a chair, but he knows it’s time to get his life back on track—and he has a plan in mind. Working with his friend Todd, an Olympic skeleton racer, on a promotional campaign will not only help Duncan regain some direction, but it’ll give Todd the financial boost he desperately needs. The sport Todd loves is draining his resources—so much so that he’s thinking of giving up racing just to make ends meet.
As the two men work together, their friendship blossoms into much more, and suddenly the future is looking brighter than it has in a long time. But just when love, happiness, and success seem within their grasp, the USOC steps in with plans to stop their campaign. That’ll mean an end not just to Duncan’s business, but to Todd’s dreams… and Duncan isn’t about to let that happen to the man who means everything to him.

Heart Untouched is the third book in the Hearts Entwined series by Andrew Grey. I greatly enjoyed the first two books in the series. I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first two. I just couldn’t connect with the main characters as much. The writing was just as good as the first two, and it had a good storyline, but for whatever reason, I just didn’t like the characters as much. But it won’t keep me from reading the next book in the series which I’m hoping will be about Dean and Lee.

I liked Duncan, but he sometimes comes off as whiny, negative, and self-loathing. Not that he didn’t have every right to be when his Olympic dreams were crushed by a bad accident that left him in a wheelchair. He has to relearn how to do everything again, including being independent. He lost most of his friends after his accident. He does still have his friend Todd, who’s also an Olympic skeleton racer, and a couple of people that he made friends with during physical therapy. Since he can’t fulfill his dreams of being on the podium, he’s determined to help his friend Todd achieve his. When Todd mentions that the garage he works at is interested in an advertising/promotional campaign, it’s right up Duncan’s alley since he went to college for marketing and promotion. He has the brilliant idea to use Todd as the spokesperson for the garage chain. Not only will the campaign help Duncan regain some direction in his life, but it’ll hopefully give Todd the financial boost he desperately needs.

I liked Todd more than Duncan. He refused to give up on having a relationship with Duncan even when Duncan refused since he didn’t know if his equipment down south would ever regain its function. I loved when Todd said that loving somebody was more than just the physical side of things. I loved that he loved Duncan unconditionally. He also set up a couple of go-fund-me campaigns to help with expenses. I really enjoyed when the book was in his POV. He was such a patient, sweet, kind, and generous person, which was definitely needed as Duncan needed lots of reassurance.

I also loved how supportive everybody was when they ran into opposition during the campaign. I also like getting to see the other characters from the first two books and how they were doing. I’m hoping to see more of Todd and Duncan in future books as well.

I can’t wait to see if Todd manages to get a medal at the Olympics and I can’t wait to see who Lee ends up with. Overall, Heart Untouched is a great addition to the Hearts Entwined series.

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

Review edited by : Laura McNellis

Review: “Three Bears” by A. Nybo

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TITLE: Three Bears
AUTHOR: A. Nybo
SERIES: World of Love-Western Australia
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
COVER ARTIST: Alexandria Corza
GENRE: Contemporary Romance; M/M/M
E-BOOK: Yes
PAPERBACK: No
LENGTH: 82 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 5, 2018
PRICE: $3.99 -e-book

BLURB:

At Three Bears surf break, the attraction between a group of friends is anything but “Luke warm….”
Dan goes to stay with his best friend Josh in Margaret River, the surfing capital of Western Australia, to sort out his sexual confusion. But his best friend is the source of that confusion. Having never been attracted to a man other than Josh, Dan fears risking their friendship just to discover men aren’t his thing.
Within the first few days, Dan meets Luke, a local barista who offers him surf lessons. Dan soon finds himself emotionally coveting not one, but two men. When they go to Three Bears, his hidden desires begin to emerge. As the ambiguity of Dan’s mixed signals clears, it becomes apparent both of his surfing companions want him—badly.
It is only when Luke and Josh hook up that they formulate “Operation Three Bears,” an adventurous plan that might lead to a satisfying outcome for all of them.

This was a fun and enjoyable read. This author did a great job building up each of the three characters and putting me right in their heads. This is the first book I’ve read from this author, and I love the whole opposites attract. We are our own worst enemy, and this is proven here. As well as the fear of coming out as gay, lusting for your best friend and new surfer guy and the fear of losing the relationships. What a combination for a stressful guy but these two guys pull him out of his shell very, very slowly.

Dan has been best friends with Josh since they were younger. Josh is openly gay, but Dan just ended an engagement with a woman and has come to stay with Josh. Josh has been in love with Dan for years, but Dan has no clue. Dan thinks he’s gay and wants Josh but he’s to chicken to tell him. He doesn’t want to lose him as his best friend. They’re both struggling with their feelings towards the other but damn if either will do anything about it.

Dan meets Luke, the hot surfer, when getting coffee one day. Luke is his barista, and the moment Luke touched his skin, tingles went through his body. This confuses Dan even further, but he agrees to surfing lessons with Luke. Dan introduces Josh and Luke, and they hook up. As Dan watches this, his poor brain can’t handle everything. Josh and Luke come up with a plan to bring Dan out and enjoy each other as the three bears.

Now, I admit, there were times I wanted to reach out to Dan and strangle him or hug him. I wanted him to find happiness and quit worrying so much, but it just isn’t in his DNA. Will Josh and Luke be able to pry Dan away from his brain? Will Josh and Luke keep hiding their relationship if things don’t go their way? Will Dan be able to use his wood other than for himself? All very good questions and I had to read the rest of the book to get my answers. Enjoy this fun read and three-way love story.

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

Review edited by : Laura McNellis