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Targes Executive Protection #1

This is the first book in a new series from Sloane Kennedy and it is independent from her earlier series. 

This is a lovers to enemies to lovers book but it’s also about second chances and not giving up on the person you lost. 

I like the suspense aspects of this book, it drives the story forward and I couldn't let the book go because I needed to know who did what and why! 

This is also why I so thoroughly enjoy Sloane Kennedy’s books, because she hooks you with a storyline that is not only spicy but also intriguing and suspenseful.

Cass and JJ do not have an easy time to get to the point of talking again. This is after Cass gets wrongfully accused of murder and also for having shot JJ. After two years a legal technicality gets Cass released from prison and he is out for revenge. What he doesn't know is that JJ suffered memory loss after he was shot. so this was why he didn’t come to the trial and testified that Cass wasn’t the one who shot him. In JJ’s mind Cass is guilty and he wants nothing to do with him. But they can’t seem to escape each other and the pull and attraction they felt before the shooting is still there and it makes them clash in more ways than one. When they realize that Cass was set up, they have to work against the clock clearing him of any wrongdoing but also finding out who set him up and why.  

Let me tell you this book takes you on a ride and every time you think you know who did what, a curve ball is thrown.

 

This was a lighthearted spicy story from Emmy Sanders and I enjoyed it very much. This is the first book in a new series from Emmy and it sets up the universe nicely. You get the overall story about the Darling family but also the main story between Ashley and Jackson. The grumpy/sunshine trope shines and we have many funny moments between all of the characters. I liked the way Ash and Jack just gravitated towards eachother, it didn't feel forced or rushed even if we are talking about thing happening quite quick. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow. 
The carrot and also the carriage scenes are hilarious and we get a lot of peach love between Ash and Jack. 

I am looking forward to reading what happens in the next book, Colt and Noah will be fire. 

 Kiss, Kill, Thrill Me, Daddy

Murder Daddy #2

I just need to start with saying this book is so unhinged but in the best way possible. I savored reading this book and I want to read it again and again and again. 

Tatum is a sassy bratster that makes Abi work for it. But Tatum is more than that, he is sensitive, a bit fragile when it comes to emotions but he is also the bestest friend anyone could have. He just has been dealt a very tricky hand with being “kidnapped” and married off to a stranger aka Abi. Abi on the other hand is head over heels in love with Tatum and has been since the first time he laid eyes on him. There is an element of hot and cold, push and pull when it comes to Tatum and his feelings for Abi, but you as a reader will see why and it is something quite important in regards to Tatums  and even Abi’s growth as characters. 

But just know there is so much more to the story and the way Lance lets the characters and the storyline be wacky and over the top just makes this book and also the previous book wonderful reads. It is like you are entering a world that is tilting a bit especially in the moral sense of m*rder and s*x. Btw the car trunk scenes are gold!

This book can be read as a stand alone but read the first one, I BEG YOU, because otherwise you will not get the nuances of Scotty and Brody and trust me you need to know.

I loved the meta references to who the next book will be about. It is not often you get the “breaking of the fourth wall” in a book.  And this is a testament on how good of a writer Lance Lansdale is. 

 

 This book broke me a little bit. I cried reading the first half of the book and it was not the small sniffles but the big ugly crocodile tears. Something about Mitch resonated in me, the loneliness and the helplessness when the depression hit just made me ache.

Mitch finding out that his father is not his biological father and losing his future when his so-called dad sells the company without his knowledge can set off most people and I don't blame him in that regard. Pair this with his upbringing and his internalized homophobia it can only end in disaster. 

When meeting the new owner and boss Gideon, they clash violently but they are also instantly attracted to each other. Gideon manages to give Mitch a purpose and becomes a guide when everything seems dark. Mind you though there are a lot of darkish scenes playing out between these two so read with caution.

I am a big believer in redemption and love reading these kinds of books but having read the previous books in the series I knew Mitch had to work for it. 

He is by all means no angel and the way that he has treated his brothers is in no way shape or form okay. But it is also Magnus, Matt and Max's decision if they want to forgive. What we see in Mitch is a person that is so broken and lost that he acts out but we also see a person who wants to try to do better and do the work. 

Even though I cried like a baby I enjoyed this book so much and it left me with a calm that I didn't expect. But it also left me wanting more as the greedy thing I am. So don’t forget to read the bonus scenes.

 

 

Book 2 in Our Exception Series

If Max’s story in the first book was chaotic and a bit all over the place, Matt’s story is a bit slower and gentler. 

When Matt and Coop wake up in Vegas married, the arc of redemption can get its beginning. 

Matt is so incredibly touch starved and he just longs for human connection so when Coop decides that we should stay married for right now he just kinda goes along with it all. Matt has so much work to do with himself and unravel all the things he has been taught. 

He was told that real men shouldn’t enjoy/like pretty things. This is something so ingrained in him that the scenes with him collecting sea shells and stuff off the beach become so profound and cathartic, not only for him but for you as a reader.  

Coop on the other hand kinda blackmails Matt to stay married to him and not for sh!t and giggles, but for the fact that he can see the good in Matt and that he wants to help him find his true self. Coop just sees Matt for the sweet man he is and he doesn't want to let him go. Did he go about it the right way?!? maybe not. But it all works out in the end. 

I love that they have such a strong emotional connection and that this is more important than all the heavy s*x stuff. Of course we get the spice but it is not the main ingredient and that made me really enjoy the book on another level. 

I wrote this after I had read and finished all 3 books in the series. Reading all three books first and then writing my “review/thoughts” down meant that I see the storyline and the books differently vs if I had written my “review/thoughts” after every book. Sometimes I think it can be good to do it like this, because you get a better understanding of what you have read and you actually take the time to think about what you feel for the book in question. The only setback is the fact that you miss out on all those grand feelings you have after finishing a book, that in some ways make reviews raw and sometimes really unhinged. 

 

 Book 1 in Our Exception Series

I haven't read Sem yet, so going into this story I wasn't fully aware of the relationship between Magnus and his brothers. But I caught on quickly and this book focuses on Max and his journey for redemption and forgiveness. 

It may seem improbable that just walking into a gay club, meeting Beau and befriending him will make all the bad things Max has said and done disappear and to be honest it doesn't. But it shows that if you are willing to work for it, it can happen and we can’t judge the time frame of how fast or slow things progress.

Beau is a quirky, friendly guy that just wants Max to thrive. Their relationship is flowing and of course they have things to work through. Like Max and his upbringing and the things he was taught and Beau with his fleet of hook-ups and not realizing that he is not only hurting himself but also Max. 

Doggo the Dog is just precious and a nice way to connect the two characters. 

I take this book at face value and I realize that in the real world not everything is so easy to fix, like Max and Magnus' relationship in this book. But we also have to understand that we don’t “see/read” everything that happens with the characters and there has to be some creative flow to move the story forward. 

When I wrote this I had read and finished all 3 books in the series and I can say that all three books together make me love them just a little bit more. You get more of a full scope with what has happened and why they are where they are, in the beginning of each book after having read them all. And I am a s*cker for redemption arcs so why wouldn’t I like this book. 

 

 

I very rarely read re-boots or reimagines of books or movies. So I didn’t know what to expect of this retelling of Legally Blonde. Mind you I love the movie, but this book did not disappoint. 

It was a fresh take on the storyline and it is quite fun reading a book that you know the ending of, but still it surprises you with its twists and turns. The book is quite short, less than 200 pages and you don't really need more to get the essence of the story that we all love. 

Ellis is a wonderful character who is a personal trainer and he has a major in nutrition. When his boyfriend Clay decides to break off their relationship because he is going to Law School and Ellis is not the vibe he looks for in his partner for the future. Ellis decides to win him back by passing the LSATS and getting into law school and by his side he has his best friend Jordan. Jordan is pursuing a double major in law and business and he is also hopelessly in love with Ellis. 

And as in Legally blonde we get the snarky new fiancé, a party mishap, a case with some twists and turns and also a funny accident that may have caused bodily harm but makes two people finally go on a date. 

If you enjoyed the movie you will enjoy the book!

 

 

This was such a fun, sweet read. Set against a backdrop of Rugby and Drag Shows, this book gives  us a little bit of everything.

The book starts of with a bang when Mason walks in on his roommate Ryan j*rking off. Does he leave, NO! does he participate YES!. This is the kick start to Masons exploration of his s*xuality. And when Ryan offers a no-strings attached, friends with benefits arrangement to help Mason explore, he can’t say no. 

I love the fact that we get two worlds interconnecting with Mason being a rugby player and Ryan being a Drag Queen and Graphic designer. 

Ryan’s alter ego is the nerdy queen Legs Luthor and they love all things nerdy, especially D&D.  Ryan is a demi-boy as he himself put it. Which in this case means the use of both He/They pronouns and gender as a social construct. Both pronouns were used interchangeably and because of the great flow of the book it wasn’t hard following along at all. 

The D&D part becomes a whole thing when Ryan asks Mason and their friends if they want to participate in a game or two. Ryan is a wonderful Dungeon Master and the flirting going on whilst playing is so cute. 

To be honest I have zero clue on how Rugby works, so I will take what Charlie Novak describes in the book at face value, because I don't know better. But the rugby scenes feel authentic and not over the top. I like the ebb and flow of the storyline and the fact that they aren’t rushing the exploration, even if both want to steam right ahead. 

This was the first book of Charlie’s I have read and I can't wait to read some more.