This story had a trope that's a favourite of mine. A lonely person finding love and acceptance in a smaller town, not sure why that works for me but IThis story had a trope that's a favourite of mine. A lonely person finding love and acceptance in a smaller town, not sure why that works for me but I like to read it. This story had elements that I enjoyed but it didn't work for me as much as I was hoping.
Oliver is a sous chef working hard to get ahead so he can start his own restaurant. He comes home from work one day to find Sheriff Owen Macklin waiting with news on his doorstep. Mack was best friends with the sister that Oliver never knew he had.
There's a sweet romance here but I wish that we had a scene or two from Mack's POV, he's more there to facilitate the happy ending for Oliver. I needed to understand where his head was at during a few moments but this seemed more focused on Oliver and I needed more balance.
One thing that gave me pause: (view spoiler)[I didn't like that Jeremy's parents didn't question or want to meet Oliver before they gave permission for the 11 year old to spend the afternoon with him. That didn't seem safe or right to me. I adored geeky little Jeremy though. (hide spoiler)]
The town didn't really leave an impression with me, I hope that changes in book 2. This was a light easy read and I would definitely read any more in the series. Looking forward to Haydn's story. ...more
(view spoiler)[After quitting his job he goes home to screw his boyfriend only to and find his best friend of twenty years 3.5
Dan's having a bad day.
(view spoiler)[After quitting his job he goes home to screw his boyfriend only to and find his best friend of twenty years got there first. (hide spoiler)]
Definitely a bad day.
This was an interesting read. I liked the MC's and I liked the setting. I found some of the situations seemed a bit too coincidental but story still flowed nicely. I am looking forward to seeing how the Nick/Dan relationship plays out but for me the poignant moments were between Dan and his best friend Gary. I hope to see these two men work things out: (view spoiler)[ I can't believe how badly Gary fucked things up by sleeping with Abe, I don't see how things can ever be as they were before but hopefully the men can be close friends again. (hide spoiler)]
Looking forward to the second book in the series....more
Chase comes home from the Marines and hooks up with the guy that used to bully him all through school.
While I understand that Chase hated Brad for a lChase comes home from the Marines and hooks up with the guy that used to bully him all through school.
While I understand that Chase hated Brad for a long time because of his bullying ways, his inner thoughts on how much he hated him while trying to screw him just made me uncomfortable and really sorry for Brad.
Another great installment of this alien tentacle series. This one focuses on the sheriff Bryan and the alien second in command Daroshi. I did find 3.5
Another great installment of this alien tentacle series. This one focuses on the sheriff Bryan and the alien second in command Daroshi. I did find Daroshi a bit too tentative for the big bad warrior he's supposed to be but that didn't impact my enjoyment too much. I loved that we got quite a bit of Ziang and Shawn as well.
This one ended a bit abruptly so I'm definitely on board with book three. ...more
I really found the thriller aspect of this one pretty transparent so I didn't quite enjoy this as much as I was hoping I would. For me, the most distuI really found the thriller aspect of this one pretty transparent so I didn't quite enjoy this as much as I was hoping I would. For me, the most disturbing aspect of this story was the Valentine killer and not the home invasions. I did enjoy the relationship build between Beck and Zack and liked that the men had a history. The chemistry was intense but not flash in the pan so I could see it working long term and I'd love to read more about these men as well as the secondary characters who I think have stories that need to be told. ...more
A novella set in an AU steampunk England. Dalton is a craftsman who makes prosthetics both standard and bespoke. The bespoke ones are specialized 3.75
A novella set in an AU steampunk England. Dalton is a craftsman who makes prosthetics both standard and bespoke. The bespoke ones are specialized in a way that they begin to react with the person's biology and act as a true limb. Finn is a soldier who had his hand surgically removed after an accident and comes to see Dalton to get a bespoke piece. The men begin an affair during the time Finn needs to learn how to reuse his new hand before returning to the front lines.
This was a surprising story for me. Very richly detailed in world-building and in characterization. There's a kink here that I wasn't expecting either that completely fit Dalton. Perfect. Once the connection between the MCs was made this story was tremendously romantic with a nice added twist of angst when Finn returns to the fighting.
If I had a quibble it would be (view spoiler)[in regards to the beginning of the affair. I totally understood Dalton's attraction to Finn but it only wasn't until later that Finn's attraction to Dalton made sense to me. Although with Finn being a virgin the awkwardness of how their affair initiated was understandable but it didn't quite work as much as I wished. (hide spoiler)]
If you're looking for an AU MM story pick this one up. The steampunk angle is great spin and one I've seldom read. Wonderfully written and the amount of detail in both the characters and the world is pretty impressive given the length. ...more
The Craigslist ad was hilarious. Quinton and Eric were smoking hot together and the epilogue that featured the haunted shower curtain...epic. The 4.75
The Craigslist ad was hilarious. Quinton and Eric were smoking hot together and the epilogue that featured the haunted shower curtain...epic. The random prompts here were very successfully made into a fun, sexy read. Can't go wrong with a freebie! Pick this one up. ...more
I was happy to this story focus on Tim Madison one of the players from Strength of the Pack but it didn't work for me as much as I wished it did.
T2.5
I was happy to this story focus on Tim Madison one of the players from Strength of the Pack but it didn't work for me as much as I wished it did.
There were a couple of different story lines flowing here. Tim meeting the civilian transitioning True Alpha Jeremy, the overseas attacks on werewolves, Tim's brother Adam and unexpectedly (view spoiler)[the SOD attempts to use Noah and Lucas' bond for further military operations which is never fully explored here, I'm guessing it's a plot for the next book or further books down the line? (hide spoiler)]
I'm a big fan of sex but there was just too much here for me. ;) It just felt that for 3/4 of the book that's all the connection that Tim and Jeremy had. I don't think it helped that I just re-read SofP right before this where Noah and Lucas had a slow, steady build to their relationship before they slept together. I ended up having a hard time connecting to Jeremy's character maybe because with all the focus on sex we didn't really see a lot of his transition but were more told that he had achieved it near the end. He's not military so delving more into what it means to be a civilian True Alpha is something that I would have enjoyed and I was curious about this: (view spoiler)[was the fact of him being 25 transitioning instead of 19/20 supposed to go somewhere? I thought there might have been interesting reasoning behind it but there wasn't, too bad. (hide spoiler)]
It just seemed like there were two different books here with the relationship running parallel to the military story but never really crossing over in any meaningful way. I found parts of both stories interesting but not cohesive, sadly, and it really affected my enjoyment of the read because it felt fractured. I think I went into this expecting a military shifter story similar to book one so the introduction to the younger, not quite steady civilian Alpha Jeremy was a bit of a surprise. It's a surprise I could have worked with if the focus had been less on sex and more on the concept of what it is to become a True Alpha.
Still, once the story reached the 3/4 mark I had come to enjoy Jeremy and Tim together, it just took me a while to get there. I enjoyed the cameos of the other characters and while this didn't resonate with me like the first in the series I'll be checking out book 3 when it's released. ...more
I'm laughing because I kept thinking that I had read this before, uhm, yes because it started out as a freebie which I had read beforThis was so good.
I'm laughing because I kept thinking that I had read this before, uhm, yes because it started out as a freebie which I had read before and loved. This is the expanded version of that and so very worth reading the repeated bits to get to the new story because both are fantastic.
Smoking hot marines, Mac and Gunny, best friends and lovers for ten years have come to a crossroads because both men are retiring from service and DADT is being repealed. This has caused them to be a bit uncertain just where their relationship is heading. Did I say smoking hot? I loved this read. I hope we see more of these men, I want to know what happens next....more
Not much to say here except that these two are perfect for each other. I definitely wouldn't object to reading more. Looking forward to Ball & Chain.Not much to say here except that these two are perfect for each other. I definitely wouldn't object to reading more. Looking forward to Ball & Chain....more
This was such an amazing story. I know I've said it before in my other reviews of the author's work but McKenna does an fabulous job with delivering aThis was such an amazing story. I know I've said it before in my other reviews of the author's work but McKenna does an fabulous job with delivering an authentic military feel in her books and I love it, they're jargon heavy and we learn a lot about how the military works but it never feels like an infodrop. I really enjoy Kellan and Jonah from the previous two books but this is my favorite of the series so far.
Corey's PTSD and the unclear story about what happened to him and his men overseas really made this a very tense read. The development of his and Sean's relationship was so riveting and really tremendously hot that I just couldn't put it down. I liked how Sean reacted to Corey's symptoms and how Corey treated Sean's work.
Why this didn't reach 5 stars territory for me was because of Sean. I don't know if there's another book coming that will focus more on him but there was an unfinished quality to his backstory that left me with a lot of questions, specifically: (view spoiler)[ his reactions to some of Corey's comments, expecting to be cheated on the majority of the time where it became a default reaction from him to comment on it or allude to it was the biggest one for me. There was a lot of tentativeness on his part that left me wondering who screwed him over to such a degree that he was so suspicious of a lot of things Corey said or men that Corey knew and worked with (hide spoiler)]. I'd love to see more of these guys with a story focusing on Sean's background to find out some answers.
This a great read though. Realistic stress reactions, a fantastic story progression and the chemistry between Sean and Corey is off the charts. Even though this is book three in a series it could be read as a standalone, Jonah and Kellan do have cameos here but the story introduces them in a way that they are definitely secondary to the main romance and never overshadow this book. Can't recommend this one enough. ...more
The elements were here for a cracktastic little story but Keegan was a bit of dick and it took me a bit too warm up to him and the instalove really2.5
The elements were here for a cracktastic little story but Keegan was a bit of dick and it took me a bit too warm up to him and the instalove really killed it for me. I get that size constraints may have really compressed things but the villain was transparent except who was (view spoiler)[ Mr. White Knight, Tommy, who road to the resue and saved them from certain death? He kind've came out of nowhere (hide spoiler)]. Great blurb though but the story and characters just didn't hold me. ...more
I went into this read expecting something tremendously dark with characters carrying the weight of the world on their backs. That's not what this e3.5
I went into this read expecting something tremendously dark with characters carrying the weight of the world on their backs. That's not what this ended up being. Dark things are dealt with, both emotional and situational but in a light way. Not humourously but in a way that skirted the heavy issues and touched on them only in a very detached and analytical way.
There's a lot of horror going on here. Child abuse, child porn, shootings, suicide, murder and mayhem but I never really felt more than a detached viewer of it all. None of the horror here ever touched me on any kind of emotional level.
The romance here was unexpectedly light and frothy so I really had to switch gears in my head. I enjoy those types of reads a lot but it just wasn't something that I was expecting in this book.
I liked the characters and I liked their story. I could read more about them because I'm curious to see what happens next for them. This doesn't end with a cliffhanger but it does end with a lot of questions about the future. I had some issues with Christopher's partner Ray and the next book is about him, I'm not sure how much I'd enjoy his story but I'd read it to find out what happened to Christopher and Doug.
This was a good read but one that I found surprising, not in a bad way just an unexpected way....more
Ryan writes such ambiguous endings landing somewhere between a HFN and HEA. That's never my favourite. I prefer to have things locked down when I knowRyan writes such ambiguous endings landing somewhere between a HFN and HEA. That's never my favourite. I prefer to have things locked down when I know there's not a another story coming. Still, she writes such great characters that I can never resist reading them.
Always a lot of humour and hot chemistry. The story is pretty simple but it's more about these two men falling for each other. If you're looking for a nice comfort read with a couple of hot guys dancing around their issues before taking the plunge, this is a good one for you. I liked it quite a bit. ...more
Two cops who you think don't get along but boy, do they. ;)
I liked Zach and Logan quite a bit and really enjoyed their relationship. The story was a bTwo cops who you think don't get along but boy, do they. ;)
I liked Zach and Logan quite a bit and really enjoyed their relationship. The story was a bit of a throwaway and my only quibble would be with Logan's family and how that played out especially with his brother. Still, a sweet story that I found very rich for something so short.
If you like to read about cops this is a little gem. ...more
I was worried when about half way through this read I wasn't liking either Jamie or Gavin. Jamie has a chip on his shoulder a mile wide and Gavin 3.75
I was worried when about half way through this read I wasn't liking either Jamie or Gavin. Jamie has a chip on his shoulder a mile wide and Gavin was a spoiled poor little rich boy. Don't get me started on Beach (view spoiler)[who was an asshole (hide spoiler)].
After the weird sex party things started looking up for me. The guys began seeing each other and there was more interaction. I still found Gavin hard to read though but I liked and respected how he tried to protect himself emotionally. I liked them together, the sex was really hot and they worked well together. I didn't mind the ending which was abrupt but I saw it as a HEA. I could see them happily living together and screwing like bunnies and stealing Gavin's sister's dog away from her.
Eli wins in the cameo showdown with Quinn a close second. I could kind of see where Mitchell could next if she writes more in the series.
This ended up being a pretty hot read with about a mid-level angst rating for the characters. It took me a while to warm up to them but I was rooting for them at the end. Good addition to the series. It could be a standalone but I'd recommend reading book 2 for the awesomeness of Eli and Quinn just so you can enjoy the glimpses of them here to see how their story is evolving....more
McKenna writes such fabulous military stories. No exception here, there's a very authentic feel to the situations and descriptions.
I'm glad to be bacMcKenna writes such fabulous military stories. No exception here, there's a very authentic feel to the situations and descriptions.
I'm glad to be back with Kellan and Jonah but after 2 years together there was a tentativeness to their relationship that points to miscommunication on both their parts that I was surprised at reading. It makes me wonder where they'll be in future books if they question the strength of their bond with each other.
I enjoyed the read but I think it would have been a stronger one if I'd have gotten some of Jonah's POV. I'm looking forward to seeing where the Recon diaries go next but I'm hoping that along the way with great military storylines we get some active relationship building. ...more