Review: Forever Mine by Jacey Davis 5 of 5 stars

Forever Mine by Jacey Davis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jay had been told so many times that he was a failure, trash, a loser and unlovable that he had started to believe it. Then Dakota came along. He was everything Jay wasn't. Smart. Educated. He had a big family who loved and cared about him. He should have run the other way when he saw Jay, but he didn’t, weaving his way into his soul until he was a part of him, and he couldn’t breathe without him. Then someone tried to come in and destroy all that Dakota and Jay had been building. He thought he could come in and claim the one person who made Jay feel whole. To Jay Dakota Kelly was forever mine and God help anyone who tried to touch him.

I loved this story with the tormented Jay and determined Dakota who were both obsessed with each other and the man who decided that Dakota was his and that he would take him. Easy to read, feel and understand. This was a very dramatic story with lots of associated emotions and feelings. This was an MM story with mature content.

** Please read the trigger warnings.

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Review: Out of the Storm by Logan Sage Adams 4 of 5 stars

Out of the Storm by Logan Sage Adams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jeff Russo, a somewhat surly full-time mall custodian and hobbyist storm chaser, feels fated to a life without intimacy, the wall cloud of past trauma poised to wreck every romantic relationship he tries to pursue. But when Jeff meets the constantly corny, very nerdy, and hopelessly endearing Gary Graham of radio station WKBR, he is helpless to fight his burgeoning feelings. Gary Graham, part-time calculus professor, part-time radio personality, and full-time self-proclaimed weirdo, has packed his schedule to the brim so that he might stave off loneliness. Afraid of losing people, Gary tends to latch on too tightly in his romantic relationships, which has only ever resulted in heartbreak. Jeff and Gary’s fast friendship threatens to turn into too much too soon, and their romantic intimacy seems to only forecast catastrophe. Forced out of his storm shelter, Jeff will have to face his trauma and learn how to be vulnerable, or chance losing the only man with whom he has ever felt truly safe. And Gary will have to let Jeff take the lead, or risk hurting the broody-yet-sweet man he is starting to love. Navigating intimacy in the middle of a metaphorical tornado isn’t easy, but Gary and Jeff are willing to try. Because true love is worth weathering the storm for.

This was a sweet story as Graham cared enough for Jeff to find a way to help him get past his intimacy issues. Both men were weird in their own way which strangely made them perfect for each other. Easy to read, feel and understand. This was an MM story with mature content.

** Please read the trigger warnings.

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Review: Platonic Rulebook by Saxon James 3 of 5 stars

Platonic Rulebook by Saxon James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Walking away from his marriage was Griff's idea of a fresh start. His kid is in college, his ex-wife and him are on good terms but being single in his forties is a world different to being single in his teens. He's thankful for his best friend, Heath. He’s got his back like he always does and is ready to take him out and show him how the bachelor life is done. He was never supposed to show him literally. When Heath's best friend comes to him for help post-divorce, he's only too happy to impart his wisdom to him after all, Griffin isn't his type. But the more time they spend together, the less “not my type” he becomes. Heath's the one who can’t get enough of him.

This was a sweet story of two best friends who were perfect for each other if only they could get past the road blocks some of which were only in their heads and not real. They were both very real although I did find Griff a bit annoying as he came off very dense. Easy to read, feel and understand. This was an MM story with mature content.

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Review: The Cowboy and the Outcast by Jackie North 3 of 5 stars

The Cowboy and the Outcast by Jackie North
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

On the run for two years from an abusive family situation, Kell searches for a safe harbour. Instead of that happening, Kell gets arrested, but, unbelievably, amidst the horrors of prison, there shines a glimmer of hope. Marston’s life is a mess. Everything he touches crumbles to dust. A second chance comes in the form of a job with the Farthingdale Valley New Start Program, except the two parolees assigned to him don’t even show up, so the job is a disaster from the get-go. Temptation appears to Marston in the form of a particular ex-con: skinny, foul-mouthed, unable to keep up with the other prison-hardened parolees. Now he’s Marston’s responsibility. Marston has failed at everything else - he knows he’ll fail at resisting temptation. Can’t sleep. Can’t touch. Can’t have. Kell and Marston are lonely, until they find each other. Can they make love last?

I enjoyed this story of the two men who each had their own challenges but together found love even if they had a few battles to fight to get there. The two men felt very real and I was fully invested in both of them and their relationship. Easy to read, feel and understand. This was an MM story with mature content.

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Review: Cage by Dale Mayer 4 of 5 stars

Cage by Dale Mayer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Finding a missing K9 dog is a great way to give back to both the people and the animals who have helped Cage over the years. He didn’t expect his actions to help someone else - maybe even himself. Yet that’s the likely outcome when he realises the dog belongs to a little boy called Brian who suffers from spina bifida and who lost his parents in a car accident. Now Cage must save a little boy and his dog, who need each other more than ever. Risa never should have split from Cage years ago, and seeing the man he is now just accents all she has lost. Even harder is the realisation that time did not change anything between them. He is still the one for her. Yet getting to a happy future looks less and less likely, as the two of them realise something sinister underlies this whole mess, and someone doesn’t want them to survive.

I loved this story as Cage reconnected with Risa and did everything he could to find the missing dog as well as help Brian. There was plenty of danger and drama as he fought the sinister force against them. Easy to read, feel and understand. This was a sweet story that will make you smile.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

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Review: Silver Linings by Nic Star 4 of 5 stars

Silver Linings by Nic Starr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The holiday season is Cam's  favourite time of the year, but this year feels different. Greg and he have built a life together and now they're ready for the next step - a family of their own. But when their plans for a surrogate seem unattainable, he starts to wonder if the universe is telling them it’s not meant to be. Greg has always been the realist in their relationship. After everything they've been through - his accident, Cam’s mom’s illness, the way life seems to keep throwing curveballs - maybe it’s a sign that they're not supposed to have kids. But seeing the look in Cam’s eyes, his unshakable belief that they'll be fathers one way or another, gives him hope. 

This was a really heart warming story of Cam's and Greg's stable relationship and their belief that they were perfect to give love to a child. There were lots of big emotions in this story around their relationship and their belief and need for a child. You will definitely shed a tear or two reading this festive story. Easy to read, feel and understand. This was an MM story with mature content. 

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Review: Santa of the Creek by Sue Brown 4 of 5 stars

Santa of the Creek by Sue Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Echo loves his life in Collier’s Creek. He’s the new bartender at Randy’s Rodeo Grill and Bar. He loves small-town life here. Even the sheriff is gay. When he’s asked to be Santa, of course he says yes. Echo lives his best life, and he loves it. Dean is firmly in the closet. As the gay brother of the mayor of a small town, he hides away. Except this is Collier’s Creek. Half the men here are gay, and no one cares. But Dean lives in a halfway world of his own making, and he hates it. Then Echo hurts his leg in an unfortunate collision with a small dog and the town scrambles for an emergency Santa. Who is going to take his place? Why does Collier’s Creek turn to Dean, the only man in the town who hates Christmas? Echo may be hobbling on one foot, but he’s determined to make the sad man smile again. Whether Santa of the Creek likes it or not.

I loved this story with the two men and how Echo supported Dean work through his grief and accept that he needed to be openly gay. There were some big emotions and feelings in this story which were sensitively handled by the author. Easy to read, feel and understand. This was an MM story with mature content.

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