Book Review: Diamonds in the Rough by Jodi Payne and BA Tortuga

Diamonds in the Rough by Jodi Payne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A sweet story of a cowboy needing a bit of help after gaining custody of his brother's three children. Sorta like Sound of Music, but less kids, there is no war, and it's MM.

The family aspect of this book I think would appeal to many, especially as Sebastian is just such a sweetheart dealing with the grief of his niece and nephews. He's simply at a loss until Ash comes along and helps be the grease that the grieving family needs.

This book felt very true to life in that the romance came second to taking care of the kids, however I did find their romance to be a bit unbelievable. The relationship moved incredibly fast for me, and although it was not insta-love, it felt like that since the two MCs were focused on the kids a lot and then out of no where, their talks turned into dating, serious relationship and more.

The spice was not frequent, but there were stolen moments as any adults with children can attest to, spending time together when the kids went to bed, or were in school.

This book although sweet and I love the plot, just didn't do it for me. I felt like their chemistry was a bit off, their conversations didn't flow, it was a bit choppy and jumping all over the place. It didn't feel like there was a smooth transition from one scene to another, even within the same chapter, and I found it hard to follow at time with the third person narrative. I had to keep checking who "He" was, but maybe it's just me who has trouble keeping track.

Sammy also seemed like she was 8 going on teenager, she spoke so succinctly... I suppose girls mature faster, but she was just a little too mature to be believable as an 8-year-old. I'd rather if she was like 12-13, then her antics would totally make much more sense.

Overall, I wanted more romance from their story, but all I got was them trying to work through Sammy and her relationship with Bastian.


View all my reviews

BR: Taylor-Made for Me by K.C. Wells

A just vibes book review 

Rating: 4-stars

Illustrated cover by Lauren Dombrowski

Book Release: Aug 2, 2024

Book link: https://getbook.at/TaylorMadeForMe

I haven't read a book with chapter titles for awhile, and this one's chapter titles were so great and to the point. I really enjoyed it.

I also really enjoyed Midnight the cat, even though her appearance and monologues were short, she simply stole the show for me.

I enjoyed Will and Aiden's romance and due to the fake engagement, they had a lot of time to get to know each other which solidified their relationship, making the jump from being friends to boyfriends easier to believe. 

I'm still on the fence about the white lies that Becca kept spinning to keep up appearances. I mean I understand not telling the parents, but it seems like Aiden and Becca are really close, so why would they not confide in each other about their sexuality.  

It's a cute rom-com type of story, but if white lies are not your thing, I think you'd have a difficult time reading this book (sometimes it's not my thing). I know I did a little towards the beginning as I kept thinking Kristen was going to break up with Becca. The only thing that kept me going in the book was the titles of the chapters, the chemistry between Will and Aiden, (the nerding out on beer and best container solution) and Midnight's antics.

Recommend for light rom-com beach read.

Book Review: Praise You (Beaumont University #3) by Ashley Rayne

Praise You by Ashley Rayne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a rather slow burn romance despite the live session in the beginning. It was interesting to see how the author was going to solve the issue with the two of them not knowing who each other was. I like the approach that she came up with, usually the two skirt around the issue a little bit more, and discover it accidentally. The two just had chemistry and wanted to spend more time together.

Wasn’t sure how I’d like the cam boy aspect of the book, but it was actually pretty good and didn't even really come up that much. ((view spoiler)[I love how towards the end, the roommates were like, you're so loud, in your room, what were you doing? (hide spoiler)])And by the time I had started reading about Ronan, I’d completely forgotten about Noah and Asher (book 2), so it was a little distracting to be remembering (mentioning) about Noah. Also if you didn’t read about Noah, the issues he had were not discussed at all in this book, so he just disappears and your kinda left wondering what happened. The author did state she tried to write it without spoilers as their stories overlapped a little.

It was also nice that there wasn't really a third act break up with the two of them, nor any big conflict of interest in the student/teacher part of the rules. The dean was pretty cool, and it was refreshing to have such a cool authority figure in school.

This book didn't have too much angst, it was a nice even keel read. Like a feel good romcom.

View all my reviews

Red Haze by Lark Taylor

Rating:

1/5 tear 💧

2/5 spice 🌶🌶

5/5 star⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Book 3 of the Caffeine Daydreams series 

Get the book here: https://mybook.to/RedHaze

Release date: March 21 (Also available on KU)

Genre: Bodyguard x rockstar, hurt/comfort, demi-awakening

Honesty time. I did not get into the series until I glimpsed the steamy closet scenes with Jack and Arlo on her patreon, but I don’t know why I doubted Lark Taylor’s writing, she makes you work for the happy ending, and this was definitely a story where she shined in it. Lark’s writing isn’t happy fluffy, but she’s fast becoming a must read author for me. She writes such tragic sad heart twingey love stories that leaves you broken and healed all in the same breathe. 

I can not begin to imagine being in love with someone for that many years, and although they thought they were just bodyguard and the person they guarded (at least on one side),  I can’t believe it took them more than 10 years to get their act together… I don’t know whether to roll my eyes my Jack or hug him so hard for being so clueless.

“…My heart was in the right place, even if my actions didn’t show that.” 

“And where’s your heart now?” 

“In your hands, Arlo,” he said softly, his voice trembling. “Right where it’s always been, even if I didn’t know it.”

Since I was originally getting this story chapter by chapter as a serial, during the down time of not reading about Jack and Arlo, I started to read book 1 & 2, so as to get more of a full story, but this last book works ok as a standalone, really all of them do. It’s just more fun to read more in depth about each band member together.

I love the cameos towards the end of the book. What can I saw, I totally recommend this book, this author, this universe.

Off Season by Jodi Oliver

Rating:

4/5 tear 💧💧💧💧

3/5 spice 🌶🌶🌶

5/5 heart 💙💙💙💙💙

Highly recommend and can't wait for book three!! 

Second book in the Chicago Thunder series, works OK as standalone

Release date: March 7, 2024

My 20 second summary: Daddy Ethan needs a date to face his ex-finance at a family wedding. He invites Jacob to pose as his fake-boyfriend. They hit it off and get their HEA.

I love how Jacob seemed to be this overwhelmed older brother in the first book, but in his own story he comes alive with ruby-red painted toes, and lacy jockstrap, while Daddy Ethan is painted with Clark Kent glasses and definitely that swoony perfect boyfriend vibe. 

"You want today to be like a date, so this is my rule. You want a book? I'll buy you the book. You want a hundred books? I'll buy every damn one."

Their story started out pretty heavy and had a lot of emotional parts, and while I initially thought I'd be put off by the grief, the way Ethan was so open to helping Jacob handle the loss really spoke volumes of how perfect their relationship is. They helped one another heal, Ethan from his ex and Jacob while he misses his family. The scene confronting the ex at the wedding (fist punch in air) and the scene with the robins (Cry) 

There were so many little things inserted in the book that I loved, one of them was how Ethan caught a glimpse of Jacob's book and after reading it, he went to recreate some of the scenes, LOL. 

Genre: Hockey, MM Romance, Contemporary, 

Tropes: Age Gap, Men Lingerie, Fake Boyfriend

Get the book --->https://getbook.at/OffSeason

Add to your Goodreads ---> https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201060039-off-season

#mmromance #myshiodareads #mmreads #jodioliver #hockey #contemporary #daddyethan #meninlingerie 

Shadow and Ghost: City of Shadows (Shadow and Ghost Book 1) by Lex Veia

Rating:

1/5 tear 💧

1/5 spice 🌶

5/5 heart 💙💙💙💙💙

Book 1 in the Shadow and Ghost series. (New series, new author, but I'm guessing this is best read in order.)

Quick 20 summary: Shadow is a masterful thief that doesn't get caught, except he got caught by a sexual act with handcuffs. He is given a second chance and asked to join an elite force fighting dark magic. Ghost is a legend on his own in this elite force, the Renegade, he wears a hood and mask, not really revealing his face to others. The two work together to solve mysterious killings.

This was a really good book, I really enjoyed the images the author conjured up with their words. My go to read is not fantasy or even urban fantasy, but I felt like this was a pretty solid storyline with their appropriate twists and turns that even someone like me who prefer romance can enjoy. It reads like an action movie, and there were many parts in the book that I did not see coming. The slow slow slow burn nearly killed me, but I still stayed up really late two nights in a row to finish the book because it's just that good and I couldn't put it down. 

Also the cover looks amazing!! I definitely want it displayed proudly on my shelf.

This is a single POV, which is refreshing as it keeps the audience guessing, we can only understand what Kit understands and with his neurodivergent mind it's rather funny at times.

"How can you not tell that I'm into you?" "I've been blatantly flirting with you for months."

"I thought you were just fucking with me."

I really enjoyed this book, and I'm very impressed that it's by a first time author, Lex did a great job concocting this world, and I'm looking forward to book 2 already!

Buy from Amazon here  

Add to your Goodreads TBR here 

Arranged Salvation by Jacey Davis

 

Rating:

1/5 spice 🌶

3/5 heart ❤️❤️❤️

Arranging Love, book 3

*There's enough information for this to be a standalone, but the overall story is unfinished. 

Release date: Feb 23, 2024

Genre: Omegaverse, alternative universe

Tropes: Hurt/Comfort, Mpreg, Daddy/boy, fake fated mates

My 20 second summary: Pregnant Omega Bastion is removed from his abuser Alpha husband. Alpha Arden, head security for Orion Strongfire agree to be fake fated mates with Bastion to protect him. Arden helps heal Bastion from past trauma and they find their own comfortable dynamic within their universe. They escape to avoid being hunted down by the government. HFN ending with overall plot line continuing.

Read this book if you like:

Omegavera

Hurt/Comfort

Fated Mates

Scent marking

The abuse and the violence from the book was difficult to read. Having Omega Bastion be such a submissive after years of being treated that way really broke my heart. Thankfully he has Arden who cares for him and helped him find his own voice. 

"Yes, little mouse. And when we're both ready. When it feels right, and you had a chance to learn more about it, then I'd be honored if you decided you still wanted me to be your daddy as well as your alpha."

The pockets of sunshine in the book were Lyric the sunshine, and the way Arden's protective instincts came in for Bastion. I'm such a sucker for pet names, and the one Arden gave Bastion right away seemed so appropriate. There's not much spice given Bastion's history with abuse, and Arden totally respected that. 

"I may be a broken omega, but both of us were a little broke. Together, though, we could maybe find a way to start mending."

I jumped into this book without having prior knowledge of the other books, but things were explained well enough to help the story along. However this story line is probably best read as part of the series. In all honesty this book wasn't for me, but the writing was good.

Read on KU or buy the book here --->https://geni.us/ArrangingLove3

Add to your Goodreads here ---> https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204674348-arranged-salvation

#mmromance #myshiodareads #mmreads #omegaverse #mpreg

Leap Year by A.M. Arthur

Leap Year by A.M. Arthur
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reconstruction Book 1

*Loosely connected to the Neighborhood Shindig Series, but OK to be read as standalone. 

Release date: Feb 28, 2024

Rating:

0/5 tear (This story did not trigger my tears, but doesn't mean it won't be emotional for others)

2/5 spice (what's an MM story without spice, this book seemed middle low end for spice, maybe it's due to having a child in the story, less time to do spicy things.)

4/5 heart (went into this book nearly blind to author writing, and plot, came out loving the storyline, the characters and wanting more.)

My 20 second summary: An artist's hermit lifestyle comes to a halt when he suddenly becomes neighbors with a single dad. They plan to stay away from each other, except that they are attracted to one another right off the bat. They navigate the delicate balance of their past traumas to find a HEA.

I love this book more than I thought I would. Based on blurb, I went into this book sorta neutral about it, I was trying to branch out on new to me authors but the more I read the more I love it. It's not only an interesting storyline from all aspects, but it checks all the boxes. Grump x Sunshine, check. Adorable child, check, found family, check, mentioning obscure movies that I love, check!

I love the way the story was weaved, and the honesty in the relationship, the communication, it was all very refreshing. They also both worked through their past trauma to find room for one another.

I'm definitely looking forward to the other books in the series, and I may start reading through backlog stories to see if I can spot other characters from the book.

Oh! There's a trigger warning of past sexual abuse which doesn't get address until further towards the end of the book, but I felt like it was dealt with in a good way between the MCs.

Buy the book here --->https://a.co/d/3t4Tyeg

Add to your Goodreads here ---> https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/207654236-leap-year

#mmromance #myshiodareads #mmreads #amarthur #teacher #contemporary #recluseartist #musician 

View all my reviews

Book Review: The Revenge Agenda by Saxon James

Release date: Feb 28, 2024

💛💛💛💛💛

Purchase link here —-> https://a.co/d/1KQXn8t

Caveat~~ While I think Saxon’s books works perfectly OK as a standalone, if you were interested in the other characters in the book, know that they can be found in other books as well. There’s a whole universe, you have a lot of stories to get through if this is your first introduction to the universe, but don’t be afraid of jumping in. You will love all the characters and ask for more. 

Ok on to the review.

Can I just say right off the bat I hate Ian, the ex-fiancé, he’s seriously giving Eman a run for his money. If I could roll my eyes any further I would, ugh. He’s up there in characters I hate, like Eric from Fake Out by Eden Finley, Eman from Up in Flames by Saxon James and Eden Finley, Aaron from Ice Breaker by Hannah Grace and now adding Ian.

Now let’s get to the good parts. I love love love Rush, in previous mentions of him, he wasn’t involved as much, so I was really interested in seeing how his character would develop, and I wasn’t disappointed. I loved getting a glimpse into his brain and what he’s thinking about. Like the part where Rush wants to ask what scent Hunter is wearing, but he assumes Hunter’s going to say some brand and not list the ingredients and scents so he lets it go.  

Then other times my heart breaks for Rush as throughout the the book he continues to reveal how many people treat him like he doesn’t matter in the past. I’m so glad to see he gets his happily ever after with such a caring, right for him hottie like Hunter.

I love how the Big Bertha Boys come together to help one another and have accepted Hunter as their own. Xander stealing The Hunter’s coat was hilarious. And they make a pretty big cameo in this book, so that was nice.

On the spice scale, it’s still oh so very spicy , but kinda tame in a way too. Given how sparkly Rush’s brain is, it surprises me how dirty mouthed he can be, lol, except when he does dirty talk, it doesn’t make me cringe at all. It’s like delightful, sexy and just the right amount of turn-ons.

Ok, also the trigger warning of sexual and physical assault is totally valid. I don’t know what it says about me that the physical assault was more traumatic than the sexual one mentioned. I had to re-read that part once I realized Rush was not ok, I was like what happened. But the physical assault was really hard to read for me, so that was something new I found out about myself and just cemented Ian’s name on the list of exs I hate. I also think there should be another trigger warning for cheating, some people are sensitive to that.

I think it’s an overall feel good book, except the parts where Ian comes in. Saxon’s writing style and banter hits just right, she brings such a sense of comedic timing with seriousness. I love learning new things from her books, this time it’s the butt succulent plants, and learning how Rush’s mind of ADHD works, like his system at work that helps him stay productive. It’s one of those things that I enjoy about Saxon’s books is that it’s not only entertainment, but also educational. 

I can’t wait to read the next story from the Big Bertha Boys.

Love Language by Jax Calder

Novella review~ Love Language by Jax Calder

🩵🩵🩵🩵

Release date: Feb 16, 2024

Get your book here —-> https://getbook.at/LoveLanguage

Just finished the short novella by Jax Calder called Love Language. I didn’t know what this book was about, but when I saw Jax Calder’s name on it, I knew I had to read it, I really enjoyed their book The Unlikely Heir last year, and I’m needing a fix until the next book in the series to come out.

This is a He falls first. (Lol, they are both He), Grump x Sunshine MM romance. There is a little deaf representation, which I found very heartwarming. And I thought it was interesting that the story takes place in New Zealand, I almost wished the storyline took more to describe NZ, but I think it was definitely enough to spark my interest in the country.

Ashton has been workmates with Dominic the grump for the past three years, and they’ve always had this snarky banter, but lately Ashton has been awakened to that perhaps their snarky banter isn’t just banter, but perhaps something more. 

This might be a short novella, but there is nothing rushed about it, I would go so far as to say, if more was to be added to this story, it might seem to just be filler. This is a perfect length for an afternoon read, or in my case, since I started late night and was nearly falling asleep, it was a good wake up to finish this happy ending story to start the day.

Highly recommend, and I definitely look forward to adding more of Jax’s books to my READ pile.

And now I leave you with a favorite quote from the novella

“And suddenly, he’s smiling too. In all my cataloguing of Dominic’s expressions, I don’t think I’ve ever seen this version of his smile. And it seems like a really, really good idea to join our smiles together in a kiss.”

******possible spoiler below for what i loved about this book******

I love how in retrospect Ashton found out that Dom has been crushing on him for awhile, pretty much from really the first moment he’s laid eyes on him. It’s in those details that makes us swoon, this is so much more than just how he takes his coffee, but more like granting wishes genie style, and ordering Indian food when the other prefers Japanese.