There are times when I’ll read a book with a character who will get to me in ways others haven’t. While I get invested in al4.5 stars, rounded up.
There are times when I’ll read a book with a character who will get to me in ways others haven’t. While I get invested in all the characters in the books I read, I’m referring to the ones that leave me thinking long after I’ve reached The End.
One of those characters is Truman Reid.
Truman was introduced in Big Love. The story was Seth and Dane’s, but it was also Truman’s, a student at the high school where Dane and Seth taught. Truman destroyed me. He was bullied mercilessly and was driven to the point of attempting suicide. I cried for Truman and all other kids like him – kids who just want to be themselves but are taunted, bullied by those who are too ignorant to try to get to know them – those who’ve been taught to be ignorant. In all the books I’ve read over the years I can’t think of one other character who has gotten to me the way he did.
Bigger Love is Truman's story. It's his senior year of high school and he's determined to make it a good year. Unfortunately, the same jerks who have bullied him throughout his high school years are still around.
Then he meets Mike, the new kid. I wasn't sure what to think about Mike, to be honest. But to me the story wasn't about Mike and Truman and whatever they may or may not have now and later. It was about Truman being true to himself.
As with the first book, this one made me shed a few tears. I hate it took me so long to read it.
This was a cute, short story. My very first gay romance was an enemies to lovers story (One of Those Days) so I kinda have a soft spot for them, as long as they're written well. Matt and John would definitely be considered enemies. Coworkers, John has a bad habit of going along with 'the guys' when they throw out homophobic slurs to Matt, who's out and proud. Matt pretends it doesn't bother him but it's obvious that it does.
John wants to fit in at his new job so he goes along with the guys at work in hopes of them not looking too closely at him. You know where I'm going here. :) It takes a snowstorm over Lake Winnebago for John to make his true feelings known.
I went from hating John to liking him before it was over. There's an epilogue that I found kinda cheesy but it seemed to work for these guys.
Overall, a nice read.
This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press in exchange for a fair and honest review....more
This is one of those times when I really wish Goodreads had half stars. I rounded up because the only reason it's not 5 stars is4.5 stars, rounded up.
This is one of those times when I really wish Goodreads had half stars. I rounded up because the only reason it's not 5 stars is because of something relatively minor that others may not be bothered with.
The blurb tells a lot of the story so I'll just give a few thoughts here.
I adored Arthur from the minute he was introduced. Fox too. They're as different as night and day but they worked so well together. The premise of this story was very unique and it was a pleasure watching these guys as they worked toward their happily-ever-after. Or as HEA as they could have in Victorian London anyway. Arthur has a lot he has to overcome before he gets there but he does get there - with a lot of help from Fox.
I normally shy away from historical romances but I'm really glad I took a chance on We Met in Dreams.
It's common knowledge that I'm a huge Rick R. Reed fan. I've read so many of his books I lost count a long time ago. I've enjoyed them all. Each one has affected me for one reason or another. One of his horror books - Penance - will go down in my reading history as one of the most disturbing, yet brilliant, books I've ever read. It's one of the few I know I'll never be able to read again. Not because it wasn't a great book but because it affected me so strongly that even now I can't think about it without getting choked up. Big Love affected me just as strongly but for entirely different reasons.
Big Love is about three key characters – Dane, Seth and a teenage boy named Truman Reid. Each character is important but I have to say that it’s been a long time since I’ve had a character get to me like Truman did. I dare anyone to read this book without getting teary at least once in regards to him.
This is a romance but it's so much more than that. Not only is the reader watching Dane and Seth as they come together, but you’re also watching Truman’s story play out, as well as that of Joey and Clarissa, Dane's two children. I admit to wondering how things could possibly come together more than once while reading this book. Of course, I needn't have worried. The resolutions for all the characters were perfect. It didn’t take long into the story to have me crying sad tears. I was crying sappy ones when it ended.
Highly recommended, but be warned. You'll need tissues from pretty much the first page.
This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press in exchange for a fair and honest review. ...more
Henry, eighteen, is what some would call a golden child. He’s the only child of an attorney and his wife. He lives in a nice home and his future is set. He’ll be following in his father’s footsteps by becoming an attorney.
He’d always been the golden boy, doing exactly what his family expected.
He’s just graduated from high school and is set to intern for the summer before college in his father’s law firm. He has money, plans, and everything else a boy his age can want – you’d think. First, there was a issue with his best friend, Kade, who got a bit closer to Henry on graduation night than he was prepared for. Strike that. Henry was all fine and good for the so-called best friend until Henry realized that they were only ‘friends’ when Kade wanted use him. It doesn’t take long for Henry to come to his senses in that regard. Then there is the internship that Henry’s father is so convinced is right for his son. Did he ask Henry what he wanted to do over the summer? Or what he wanted to study in the fall? Of course not. Tank Appleby is the king of his domain and his son will do what he says, regardless of what the boy wants. There is Henry’s mother. Cold is a good way to describe Mrs. Appleby. There’s no outward affection for her son, and this broke my heart early on. Later, I felt a bit of sympathy for the woman, but I got over it quick enough. Then there is Maxine, Henry’s surrogate mother, who is the Appleby housekeeper. I adored Maxine at her introduction and continued to until the very end of the book. Everybody needs a Maxine in their life.
Henry doesn’t want to be an attorney like his father. He wants to be a chef someday, even if that means starting at the bottom at a restaurant and working his way up. He sees an advertisement online for a position at Fiorello’s, a local restaurant, and that’s all he can think about. Does he risk the wrath of his parents by applying for the job? But then again, who is to say he’d get it if he applies? There’s no harm in going across town to check, is there? Fiorello’s isn’t exactly in the affluent part of town where Henry lives with his family, so who would know if he checked it out? Finally, he gets the guts and makes his way to Fiorello’s. There, he meets some interesting people, with one being Rosalie. She’s the owner and takes one look at the little rich boy and doesn’t believe he’s serious about working there. If she hires him she doubts he’ll last a day. She offers him the job anyway – with conditions.
Vito, twenty-six, is a chef at Fiorello’s. He doesn’t come across as the most likable guy. Gruff, he’s the type of man who Henry should run far, far away from. He can’t. He’s attracted the second he lays eyes on the other man and that attraction continues to grow as he (Henry) works to prove himself at the restaurant.
Vito has his own story and it brought me near tears many times as the story went on. While he comes across downright rude on occasion, the reader can tell that this is his way of not allowing anyone or any feelings to intrude on his misery. If he’s rude to the kid, what of it? It keeps him from feeling and feeling is not something he believes he can allow – not anymore. He loved and lost once (in more ways than one) and opening up his heart to Henry will only bring more heartache later. He wants Henry from the moment he lays eyes on him the first time, but he refuses to act on that attraction because in his mind, it’s not the right thing to do.
Now we get to Henry’s family drama. His father is angry he ’embarrassed’ him by working in a lowlife (Tank’s words) position when he could be working under him at his law firm. His mother? Well, let’s just say that she has her own issues. I mention above how I almost felt a bit of sympathy for her at one point, but it took only a few pages for any kind feelings I had for her to go out the window. Neither parent would win a parent of the year award, but Henry’s mother does something that I felt was inexcusable. To take the attention off her own drama (you’d have to read the book to see what I mean), she threw Henry under the bus, so to speak. That, to me, is unforgivable.
“I didn’t mean to tell him. It just came out when we were arguing. I’m so sorry.”
There are several things I really loved about this book. First, we have Henry, an eighteen-year-old man who is just trying to find his way. The author wrote him as an eighteen-year-old. Sure, he’s forced to grow up pretty fast and he’s a bit wiser beyond his years in some ways, but the reader is able to see that he still has quite a ways to go before he could be considered a ‘real’ grownup. Don’t take that to mean he’s overly immature and not ready for a relationship with Vito. That’s not the case at all. Second, this isn’t one of those stories where the main characters instantly fall in love or even fall into bed. Henry and Vito both have their own problems they have to deal with before a relationship of any kind can begin. Had it been written any other way, it likely wouldn’t have worked for me.
The family drama is written perfectly, even if I wasn’t pleased with what Henry was forced to deal with. Vito’s grief over those he loved and lost was written extremely well. Sure, he was a hard ass at times (and downright rude to poor Henry) when I felt he should lighten up a little, but it was easy to see why he was that way.
I chuckled a few times.
Come on, parents don’t even have sex, do they? I mean, like a couple of times, with their spouse on birthdays and stuff and to have kids, but otherwise? Nah….
(I’ve been doing this parent thing wrong for all these years. Who knew? *snort*)
I got teary several times.
This is where you’re supposed to hug me, Mom. This is where you’re supposed to comfort. Henry stared, frozen, at his mother for a long time, waiting. But nothing happened. After a few minutes, she opened her iPad. She smiled a little at something on its surface.
I got angry more times than I could count.
“So take a few minutes, get yourself dressed, and—” Vito smiled but knew there was only cruelty in it, like baring his teeth. “—and get out dude. I’ve done enough.”
~
Don’t kid yourself, kid. This isn’t about you. Henry turned away from Vito and stared at the wall. Amazing how fast a moment can turn to shit.
In the end, everything came together nicely and exactly the way it should have. I loved watching these guys battle with themselves as they stubbornly made their way to each other.
Objects in the Rearview Mirror has so many things that drew me in. I am a huge fan of books with ghosts and things that go bump in the night. I am a sucker for a good romance and this definitely has that. What I didn't expect was to be sucked into a story so unique that I had a difficult time putting my Kindle down even for a little while.
The love story is beautiful, as two men have to battle the horrors of one's past in order to move on and be happy. Then there are the ghosts, one of which battled his own demons as a child. When both stories collide - both in the physical world and not - is when the past is brought back and must be faced head-on in order for everyone to find peace, whether it be in the living world or the afterlife.
I smiled. I shed a lot of tears. I even got creeped out quite a bit. In the end, I was so happy I read this.
An outstanding book.
F.E. Feeley, Jr. writes ghosts and romance well. I can't wait to see what he puts out next.
This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press in exchange for a fair and honest review....more
I probably would have never read this book had I not seen it on someone's feed on here. I've read hundreds of books and have never seen a blurb as epic as this one. I had to read it. Unicorn horn porn! ;)
This is a really fun story. Poor Vorgell fucked himself with a unicorn horn and now he can't get his raging hard-on to calm down. He'll do anyone and everyone, as long as he can get relief. When he is thrown into a cell after being caught with the unicorn horn, he realizes there is another prisoner, Madd. Madd is about half Vorgell's size and knows that no way in hell will that be coming anywhere near him - or his ass. They manage to escape and embark on a journey that ultimately brings them back to the castle of the evil baron who had imprisoned them both. A reluctant relationship is born and together they work to bring about the end of a curse that the baron had put on Madd.
This is one of the most unique stories I have read in a very long time. It's funny, it's sexy as hell and in the end, it is a very entertaining read.
This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I really enjoyed Organic Chemistry so I was eager to jump into this one. While I was entertained by the story, at times I felt like I was reading a Young Adult novel. Take out a few of the sexual situations and it could have easily been reviewed at On Top Down Under's sister YA site, Greedy Bug Book Reviews. While Organic Chemistry focused on college instructors, Biochemistry is about two students, Freddie and Kurt.
This is a nice opposites attract story. A bit predictable, as Freddie is the typical jock afraid of coming out of the closet and Kurt is the nerd who has never seen the inside of one. Throw in a demanding father, a couple of homophobes and a bit more drama and eventually Freddie and Kurt become the couple they want to be.
Another nice read by Andrew Grey.
This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press in exchange for a fair and honest review....more
Dante is a bull rider a year away from retirement. He knows he's at an age to retire but heFull review can be found at On Top Down Under Book Reviews.
Dante is a bull rider a year away from retirement. He knows he's at an age to retire but he wants that elusive championship under his belt first. While not competing, he takes care of his ailing grandfather, Hy. After losing a competition by a fraction of a point, he goes to a bar and ends up meeting and hooking up with Ryan Abbott. Ryan brings out things that Dante has long tried to suppress and it scares him. Ryan is scared too but for different reasons.
Ryan is a financial planner who meets up with Hy, not knowing he is Dante's grandfather. Suddenly he is face-to-face with a man he thought he'd never see again... a man he can't stop thinking about. There is a bit of drama here and there that is resolved quickly. The relationship between Ryan and Dante is perfect. I enjoyed watching these two stubborn men finally get it right and just let go. Hy, however, is the star of this book. I absolutely fell in love with him
There is a little bit of light BDSM play but nothing even remotely hardcore. Even those opposed to BDSM would have no problem with this book. There is no humiliation or bondage. The way it is written is very mild.
A very good book. Highly recommended.
This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press in exchange for a fair and honest review.
There are times when I end a book at a complete loss over how IFull review (with some slight spoilers) can be found at On Top Down Under Book Reviews.
There are times when I end a book at a complete loss over how I will rate and review it. Bound: Forget Me Knot is one of them. I finished this book hours ago and have fought with my review ever since. I enjoyed the story, obviously, or I would not be rating it 4 stars. However, this book has two of my biggest pet peeves in it. One was resolved (in a way, though not completely) as I found out later that Henry and Jason's story continues on the author's website. The other is still there which is one of the reasons I am rating this 4 stars instead of 5.
The BDSM, I felt, was written well. I enjoyed all of the characters, even the bad ones... and believe me, this book is full of characters the reader will love to hate. With the exception of a few (not minor) things, I found the book to be entertaining. As I am not one to stalk author websites for updates it is up in the air at this point whether I will see Henry and Jason's story to completion.
Overall, a good book but one that left me a bit frustrated once I got to the end.
This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press in exchange for a fair and honest review....more
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