Ahjussi!? More like Ah-JUICYYY. CUE THE LADY BONER. [image] Best scene, bar none: Ahjussi smiling at Joonie's lil note and then getting all huffy and pAhjussi!? More like Ah-JUICYYY. CUE THE LADY BONER. [image] Best scene, bar none: Ahjussi smiling at Joonie's lil note and then getting all huffy and pissed that he's smiling.
LOL I'm sorry, low hanging fruit, I know. But it had to be said.
Ever since the Las Vegas Grand Prix last yI'll show you where to position your pole.
LOL I'm sorry, low hanging fruit, I know. But it had to be said.
Ever since the Las Vegas Grand Prix last year, I have been foaming at the mouth at the very idea of an F1 romance book and not only did the MM book gods answer my prayers by putting this book in my sights, Rebecca Caffery absolutely delivered.
I love when a sensible, ambitious, fastidious MC (Kian) is paired off with a character that is, essentially, chaos incarnate (Harper) and their entire groove veers completely off track (hehe, racing jokes). Better yet when that chaos goblin is a closeted superfan but a very out, cheeky stud.
Kian's subsequent dismissal of Harper's adorable attempts at friendship leads to a delicious rivalry and NOTHING breeds sexual tension quite like competitiveness. I will say, though, that I wish that fight for dominance translated to the bedroom just a little bit more. More on that later.
The balance between their relationship development versus the developments in the actual sport was spot on for me. I'd say it was like 50/50 and normally, I'd want more on the relationship side, but I actually really appreciated the focus on the racing; it's the core of who our MCs are and it made me that much more invested in their individual development as well.
I am an absolutely sucker for all the tropes and mini tropes Caffery chose to include: forced proximity, hurt/comfort (I salivate for all things nightmares/injury/illness), mental health, found family, only one bed motorhome. A LOT happens in this book - so much so that I think some key plot elements were either forgotten or glossed over...
∘₊✧─── possible spoilers ahead ───✧₊∘
Okay, time for some critiques cause I do have a few.
I think the thing that I desperately wanted (and expected) the most and didn't get was a higher spice level. Both overall and with particular scenes. For one, there's only one actual (read: anal) sex scene (which is fine cause that's totally preferential) but if you're only going to have the one, it should be REALLY good. The scene felt kind of quick? Idk, it just felt like there was a lot of lead up and sexual tension and when they FINALLY fuck, you want it to REALLY pack a punch. The particularities come in with the dynamic between them. There's a scene earlier on in the book where Harper implies that he sees something in Kian relating to what he's into sexually - the implication being that Kian is a boring gentleman in the streets but a dominant freak in the sheets. Enough of a freak that Kian is all paranoid and thinks something like "there's no way Harper knows, right?" THAT SCENE is a promise to the readers that there is fun stuff to come and sadly, we get NONE OF THAT. There's plenty of lower-tier sex scenes that are still very, very hot but even those don't fall in line with Kian's supposed hidden sexual deviance.
Another huge plot hole for me was the whole thing with Kian's dad. NOT ONCE does Kian have an interaction with his dad - there's zero closure there. I get that Harper's part to play in telling Tyler not to come to the funeral was important, but when did Harper even realize that the dad was a piece of shit? His character goes from idolizing Tyler to suddenly telling him to fuck off at the airport and there should have been some type of conversation where Kian talks to Harper about why his dad is shit and is a trigger for him during interviews. Even if it's implied that it happens off-page, with how much Harper brings Tyler up to Kian alone, that was a conversation that needed to happen on page. And if there was never going to be any type of closure with Tyler's character, he shouldn't have made an appearance on page at all.
This isn't really a criticism per say, but I've seen a lot of people compare this book to Red, White, & Royal Blue - I think this is actually WAY more similar to Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall. Kian is Oliver and Harper is Luc almost to a tee. I guess the criticism part comes in because it is slightly derivative (especially with their personality traits and Harper's negative portrayal in the media), but I think Caffery really went out of her way to make it her own so that critique doesn't hold much weight.
Lastly, the ending. The last 2-3ish chapters (including the epilogue) are primarily written in summaries. I feel like this is more common with authors who aren't quite sure how to end the book? So it comes off as very quick and choppy and just a tad bit cringey? I still love all the things that happened and I LOOOOVE how much Kian and Harper love each other, but those last few chapters just needed a bit of polishing.
But FOR THE RECORD, all of these critiques come from a place of deep love because I still VERY MUCH enjoyed reading this and I would honestly come back to it again to reread some of my favorite scenes. I will also be getting myself a physical copy, cause I need it in my grubby little hands.
✧While I received a free e-arc from NetGalley, all thoughts are my own.✧...more
A gorgeously feisty Brit and an American wet-dream walk into a bar...
And while neither of them end of being the butt of the joke, there's still plentyA gorgeously feisty Brit and an American wet-dream walk into a bar...
And while neither of them end of being the butt of the joke, there's still plenty of laughs and plenty of butts *wink wink*.
I had so much fun reading this! I loved how the story was a slow burn but still, somehow, hits the ground running. "Somehow" being the fact that Bowie is the most ostentatious flirt to ever exist. His character is only made better by the fact that, while he comes off as arrogant and cocky, he's actually a sweet little softie boi with imposter syndrome who just wants to be wanted. And WHO BETTER to want him that the fucking 6'4" tattooed Adonis that is Dr. James Sullivan PT, DPT (excuse me, just wiping the drool off my chin).
The banter between these two was absolutely DELECTABLE! Oftentimes, I find myself wanting or wishing that books had more casual dialogue between the MCs; just them talking and having fun. And this book has it in spades! There was something so pleasantly domestic about the way they spoke with one another, it had me grinning like a loon. AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE GROIN EXAM OR THE TROLLEY MUSEUM. Nothing in life is funnier than desperately trying to keep your composure when you want to laugh.
It was just so CUTE. If the book had cheeks, I'd pinch the shit outta them. The nicknames, the dates, the banter, the foreigner-confused-by-all-things-American thing, the DOG!?! UGH, ADORABLE. The cheese had me cheesin'. So cheesy that, if you're lactose intolerant, I highly recommend taking a Lactaid supplement before reading. I will say that the cheesiness borders on cringey at times, especially after they get together, but I'm not super mad at it. And at that point, I had already jumped on the bandwagon trolley, so *shrug*.
Aside from the cheese pizza with extra, extra cheese, the only thing I need to point out is WOW, was this book LONG. Somehow I both loved and hated it? I obviously love that we get more adorable moments and face time with the boys but wooooooooboy, this one is a marathon, not a sprint.
In summary, this book has left me horny as hell and unable to look at a shopping cart the same way ever again.
✧While I received a free e-arc from GRR, all thoughts are my own.✧...more
I feel like the story has a solid foundation but there are a lot of things that didn't quite work forBad Things Happen Bingo but it's all in one book.
I feel like the story has a solid foundation but there are a lot of things that didn't quite work for me. The plot, at its core, is Safe Haven (The Gay Remix). Our MC, Bodhi, runs away from his abusive, law enforcement shitstain boyfriend and finds love, family, and safety in a small town.
As a whole, it's just okay.
When you take a closer look, though, there's quite a few plot/character inconsistencies, odd punctuation choices, cringe-worthy moments, and (in my opinion) excessive injury occurrence.
This is one where I have to just list everything out to keep my thoughts organized, so...
∘₊✧─── possible spoilers ahead ───✧₊∘
Okay, so, the first and biggest thing that I found to be pretty jarring (like, literally, I heard my brain come to a screeching halt) was when Atticus undressed Bodhi and literally bathed him naked WITHIN 24 HOURS OF MEETING EACH OTHER!?! I GET that Bodhi has an injured arm and leg but STILL!? I think Bodhi keeping his underwear on while in the bath would've made more sense for PERFECT STRANGERS, tbh. And what makes it worse is that Atticus didn't even stick around to help him get dressed afterwards??? So you're saying it was necessary for Atticus to help Bodhi get undressed but he's not needed for putting his clothes back on, which, arguably, is HARDER TO DO!? Idk, man...it was just weird...very unsexy.
Speaking of unsexy - I'm a little confused by the sex scenes where Atticus is more dominant. I'm all for some dirty talk but it felt like it came out of nowhere. It felt like the author just wanted to write a spicier scene (which is fine and more than welcome) but it has to make sense for the character.
Another character thing that didn't make sense, but for Bodhi, was how he would occasionally be a little bratty or throw some 'tude. There's plenty of examples throughout the book but the one that I can't get out of my head is probably the smallest one. It's the scene where (on their first day of meeting) after spending all day at the hospital, they get some food and Bodhi has to take his pain med. And the line basically says something about Bodhi drinking Atticus' Coke to take his med and looking at Atticus like he's "daring him to protest"? I feel like this is so small and silly, but like, this kid, who has been FREAKING OUT about not having money to pay for hospital bills and not having a job and not being able to pay Atticus back for all his help and who seems so humble, is suddenly like "I'm gonna drink your Coke and I dare you to say something about it!"??? LOOOL I feel so dumb cause it's SO SMALL but again, it is SO not in line with his character and even though it's a literal fucking SIP OF A DRINK, it somehow made ALL of his previous concerns about imposing on Atticus seem insincere. It just seemed bratty and NOT in a cute way.
Omg, SEB GETTING SHOT? And HAVING A STROKE?! And his brother literally describing him as "a shadow of his former self"? JESUS LOL I'm not an idiot - it's abundantly clear that this is the set up for Seb's future romance with his PT but woof, TOO MANY BAD THINGS. I love hurt/comfort more than anything so if I'm the one saying that?! There's literally a scene where the whole fam comes to the hospital because of Atticus' accident and everyone is distraught and all fucked up (poor Theo omg), and then WE HAVE TO DO IT ALL AGAIN FOR ANOTHER BROTHER!? TOO. MUCH. And as sweet as it is that Seb got hurt protecting Atticus from Derek, why the FUCK is Seb getting pulled into their plot? It felt like the closure we got for Derek wasn't true closure because of it and it threw off the entire ending for Atticus & Bodhi's story.
Another thing that I noticed is that there was a lot of telling instead of showing. I find that this is pretty common in most debut novels but basically, instead of writing out a scene with either inner or spoken dialogue to show the MCs growing closer, an author writes something along the lines of "and then we talked for hours".
I'm getting tired of typing so we're just gonna rapid-fire the last few small nit-picky comments.
○ overuse of the word "bro" ○ overuse of exclamation points ○ use of "yes" instead of "yeah" made the dialogue more formal than it needed to be
Rating: 2.5 rounded up to 3
✧While I received a free e-arc from GRR, all thoughts are my own.✧...more
Not to be dramatic (narrator: she couldn't remember the last time she wasn't dramatic), but if Lee McCormick asked me to slit my throat so they could Not to be dramatic (narrator: she couldn't remember the last time she wasn't dramatic), but if Lee McCormick asked me to slit my throat so they could use my blood as ink for their next book, I would strongly consider it.
HNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGHHHH. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph - this one did things to me. Things I should probably run past a licensed psychiatrist. Like, should I probably unpack the fact that my immediate reaction to a serial killer dicing up a guy because he had the audacity to touch the killer's love interest (possession? obsession?) be "Awww, that's so sweet!"? Most likely. But I've been raw-doggin' life for 30 years so...
But why am I talking about homicidal codependency as my preferred love language instead of this GLORIOUS. ASS. BOOK!?!
I'd call it a guilty pleasure but there's ZERO guilt and ALL the pleasure. Jonah and Levi really ticked all the right boxes for me (and then some). There's touch-him-and-die and then there's so-much-as-look-in-his-direction-and-you'll-wish-you-were-born-without-eyes.
I LOOOOOVE the way the story hits the ground running and it's a fucking ALL OUT SPRINT to the finish line the whole way through. Jonah is just the cutest most adorablest murderous psychopath I ever did see & Levi is a brilliant, beautiful BRAT and I love him with my whole heart.
The set up for the plot and the way everything played out was perfection. Better yet, it was even more than I expected. Cause here's the thing - I am my own worst nightmare when it comes to plot twists; most of the time I guess the plot twist WELL before it's revealed (or even hinted at in some cases). But this time?! Even AS THE PLOT TWIST WAS UNFOLDING I was like "Wait, literally what is happening right now and where the FUCK is this going!?" Levi's confusion was my confusion and I haven't had that feeling in a loooooong time. I ate that shit up.
AND ALL THE LITTLE THINGS!? Levi's relationship with his dad (MYYY HEAAARRTTTT ...more
MM Omegaverse: my go-to cure when I've hit a reading slump.
While I liked that the story was exactly what I would expect from a typical MM non-shifter MM Omegaverse: my go-to cure when I've hit a reading slump.
While I liked that the story was exactly what I would expect from a typical MM non-shifter A/B/O book (a quick read with plenty of smut and a straightforward plot), I was kind of hoping that this would have some of the sophistication that Blake's Heat of Love series had.
Don't get me wrong, I still really enjoyed the story and the book did what it was supposed to and got me out of my slump; it was just a little harder to get invested in the characters than I would've preferred. I loved sweet Adrien as a character but as much as I enjoyed their dynamic together, Heath didn't totally win me over. ADORED Simon though. Kind of wish Blake wrote about his and Earl's story too.
I'm also interested to see how the second book will be knowing that I've already started to form an opinion of Ned in my mind - hopefully he's not completely irredeemable....more
If you can't handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen - cause it is scorching.
What a fun & quick little read! Sure, it's short, but this is the perfecIf you can't handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen - cause it is scorching.
What a fun & quick little read! Sure, it's short, but this is the perfect example of quality > quantity; it doesn't need to be long to be good. On top of that, I am consistently impressed with Eveland's world-building abilities. I am so fascinated by this world where humans are a minority and there's all sorts of fun creatures that make up the rest. Which brings us to Daddy - I mean, Chef Inzo. That is one hot incubus, good lord. He and Adam make up a delicious pining mess of a meal that I devoured in one sitting.
Overall, this book left me utterly ravenous and I'm not just talking about food....more
What a stunning conclusion to this fabulous duet - I am SO SAD that it's over! If I thought the first book packed a punchMurder, but make it adorable.
What a stunning conclusion to this fabulous duet - I am SO SAD that it's over! If I thought the first book packed a punch, this sequel just drop-kicked me in the fucking throat. I hope the bruise lasts for weeks.
We get so much more depth to Roan and Sasha as characters and so much happens!! I literally don't even know what plot point to focus on because it's ALL GOOD. Just back-to-back amazingness; not a dull moment to be had.
But, basically:
Roan: Ugh, fuck that guy. Sasha: Want me to murder him? Roan: You can't just murder people for no reason! Sasha: What if I just murder him a little?
WHY ARE THEY SO FUCKING CUTE I CAN'T STAND THEM. UGH, THERE ARE JUST NO WORDS. I love it, love it, love it. Will definitely be rereading these very soon....more
Classic Roe PWP, but I desperately wanted just a liiittle bit more plot.
Actually, let me correct that - I don't think I needed plot so much as charactClassic Roe PWP, but I desperately wanted just a liiittle bit more plot.
Actually, let me correct that - I don't think I needed plot so much as character development. Which, I know, I know, is not what we're all here for, BUT I think for this particular story I personally needed a little bit more from Burke & Em to really get invested in the smut scenes. Were they still absurdly hot? Absolutely. But I think I needed more depth to their characters to really enjoy it.
MOVE ASIDE, CHILDREN, THE ADULTS HAVE COME OUT TO PLAY AND THEY DIDN'T COME TO FUCK AROUND....well...I mean, technically...*insert lewd gesture here*MOVE ASIDE, CHILDREN, THE ADULTS HAVE COME OUT TO PLAY AND THEY DIDN'T COME TO FUCK AROUND....well...I mean, technically...*insert lewd gesture here*
Wait, what's that on the ground!? OH! It's my fucking jaw. Eden & Saxon don't. miss. and they really pulled out the big guns for West & Jas. I know - I know I said that the last one was my favorite but apparently I stand corrected because GOD. DAMN. I don't know why I'm even surprised; with this being the last in the series, I should've known we'd finish strong.
I don't even know how to put into words how amazing West and Jasper are, so guess what? I'm not going to. There are no words that my serotonin-addled brain could even generate that would do their story justice. My brain is mush and so is my heart.
Finishing this series is so bittersweet but I can already tell you that I know I'll be coming back to these books again and again and again.
Ob-fucking-sessed.
Brb, gonna go put on my CU Hockey T-shirt and cry. ...more
You know how sometimes you read a book and just wish you got that liiittle bit more? Adara Wolf clearly knowThe cherry on top of this glorious series.
You know how sometimes you read a book and just wish you got that liiittle bit more? Adara Wolf clearly knows how to give the people what they want, because this is that little bit more.
This is basically back-to-back short snippets that amount to a veritable kink encyclopedia...a kinkclopedia, if you will. Figging, caning, double penetration, pony play, human furniture, somnophilia - you name it, it's probably in here.
We also get to see scenes that were referenced to in the previous books + different POVs - not just Alex & Tracht, which was such a fun little treat (I was especially delighted by Jeremy & Kai's section).
I am truly so sad that the series is over but one, I'm just being greedy because I think we got way more than most authors ever give, and two, I am absolutely coming back to reread the entire series in the very near future. ...more
What others find disconcerting apparently has me giggling like a schoolgirl in the middle of the night.
The way that I LAUGHED in this one!! Tracht on What others find disconcerting apparently has me giggling like a schoolgirl in the middle of the night.
The way that I LAUGHED in this one!! Tracht on drugs + Alex unleashing his inner "HULK SMASH" is my new favorite thing. Second only to Tracht trying to fight his obvious sentimentality and Alex's obliviousness to the fact. I love them, your honor....more
In which we have hurt/comfort but the comfort is more hurt.
After the first book, I would have sold my soul to get Tracht's POV and I guess I don't havIn which we have hurt/comfort but the comfort is more hurt.
After the first book, I would have sold my soul to get Tracht's POV and I guess I don't have to cause ADARA HAS DELIVERED UNTO US THE GLORIOUSLY FUCKED UP THOUGHTS OF JOHANNES TRACHT.
Tracht doesn't give a fuck about anything but Alex and I don't give a fuck about anything but them....more
This book is fucked up and apparently, so am I, cause I would lick the words off the floor if that was the only way to consume it.
[image]
My taste in bThis book is fucked up and apparently, so am I, cause I would lick the words off the floor if that was the only way to consume it.
[image]
My taste in books is just getting more and more depraved. Tracht is a manipulative asshole with the cunning of a fox and Alex is an emotionally stunted rabid bunny rabbit.
Are they good people? Absolutely the fuck not.
Am I infatuated with them regardless? You better believe it.
These characters are not "likable" in any traditional sense. And forget morally grey - this is the moral equivalent of a black hole. Any moral objections I could possibly raise are sucked in and obliterated; crushed into a spacetime singularity with no hope of escape.
I love that we have Parsons as a character to represent a more typical "good guy" mindset or "vanilla" as Tracht would call it. Having his perspective in the storyline makes all the icky stuff even more deliciously icky. His yuck is my yum.
And how very yummy it is. *smirks in sadist*...more
Even though this is a hockey romance, the way that the story unfolds is endearingly domestic. It’s givinMiss Mock has entered the hockey romance chat!
Even though this is a hockey romance, the way that the story unfolds is endearingly domestic. It’s giving slice-of-life but with spanking and sticks (hockey and…otherwise). And with the way these boys swing 'em around, there’s definitely a risk of someone getting their eye poked out both on and off the ice. Wouldn't have it any other way.
Jack, some time after ending an almost-engagement that he still can’t let go of, goes home one night with a man that causes sparks to fly. After a rough season, Jack is ready to start anew - new coach and all. And who does that coach happen to be? Ding, ding, ding! You guessed it, folks! The spank-master himself, Mercy Meyer a.k.a. the man who was supposed to be and remain Jack’s glorious one-night stand.
As hard as Jack tries to keep it that way, our resident brat can't help but bend the rules. Lucky for us, Merc is always ready to bend Jack over his knee.
I know this is a contemporary novel but to me there's just a touch of fantasy in that I hardly ever meet men as in touch with their feelings as the characters in this book. It's highly unrealistic but I don't find that I care very much. I would normally only attribute that quality to our MCs since they're the stars of the show but even our side characters wear their hearts on their sleeve and it's adorable. I'm already seeing MCs for future books in the series and lemme tell ya, I'm excited!
As Miss Mock says, her CW list is usually "the book before the book" so reading a work with hardly any warnings was definitely a surprise - but an entirely pleasant one! To me (in my totally unbiased opinion) that just shows how versatile she is as an author!
If you're looking for an MM hockey romance with low-angst but all the fluff and enough heat to melt all the ice in a rink, look no further.
Thank you to Mock for the ARC! All thoughts are my own....more
A book where you have to verify your age before purchasing!? Sign. me. the. fuck. up.
Is Secondhand Stockholm Syndrome a thing? Cause if a trained profA book where you have to verify your age before purchasing!? Sign. me. the. fuck. up.
Is Secondhand Stockholm Syndrome a thing? Cause if a trained professional psychoanalyzed me after finishing this book, I'm pretty sure I'd be diagnosed & committed.
The blurb mentions that this book is "mostly kink" and if you're interested in reading, I would keep that in mind. Personally, I gobbled it up like a rich & decadent piece of chocolate cake because, at times, it felt like someone took all my kinks (& kind of even my love languages? lmao), threw them all into a book, and tied it up with leather straps & a pretty pink bow.
Because the book is so kink-heavy, you kinda have to be into the different kinks to enjoy it because the actual sex scenes aren't this drawn-out and detailed affair like some smut scenes are. Don't get me wrong, they're still hot as all hell, but the writing style doesn't make them stand out from the rest of the story because they're not really meant to stand out. The sex scenes aren't the "goal" of the story; the whole ass book is just one long kink-scene and, to be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way.
I read somewhere that this book is not listed on Amazon because it's too dark - idk if that's true and I don't know what this says about me, but it actually could have been a lot darker and I would have loved it just as much (Fair warning: I am the type of reader who has never been dissuaded/triggered by damn near anything, so please make sure to check CWs prior to reading if you are not that type of reader, because this still has very heavy themes).
As dark as it was, we still get our HEA, which is a requirement for me as a reader (I'm telling you, this book feels like it was written for me). Also, I'm also a huge slut for all things fluff and interestingly, this had plenty of it - as long as your definition of fluff/love extends to "murderous psychopath's favorite toy". Which, lucky me, mine very much does.
As far as the storyline goes, I loved it! I don't want to give anything away but like I said, this book is kink-driven; so even though there's a clear plot, there are quite a few questions that go unanswered. For me, I feel like I didn't really need the answers to those questions to enjoy the story cause I still had a fan-fucking-tastic time. Everleigh is frickin' adorable and Ocean is, well, Daddy. *drools in sub*
If you're a lil freaky-deak like me, give this one a try....more
I love - love, when the first book in a series wows me enough that I am genuinely concerned I won't like the second book as much and then I end up lovI love - love, when the first book in a series wows me enough that I am genuinely concerned I won't like the second book as much and then I end up loving the second just as much as the first (if not more).
I am so glad we got to see Xan's happily ever after! The dynamic between Xan, Urho, & Caleb is absolute perfection - I adore all three of them and how they all bring something different to the table. Also, I am overjoyed that we still got a heavy dose of Jason & Vale because I absolutely was not ready to let go of them yet and I hate when the first couple is forgotten in sequels within the same storyline.