Tag: LGBT

Hailey Turner-The Prince’s Poison Vow

Decades ago, when I was a kid, I discovered the fantasy genre. I was all about the sword and sorcery stuff for a long time. Then I discovered the epic saga fantasy stuff. Thanks Rankin and Bass for the animated Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies. I still sing Where There’s a Whip, There’s a Way and Frodo of the Nine Fingers. I read LOTR and the Hobbit, and even the Simarillion. I may not always read as much high fantasy or sword and sorcery types now, but I’ve never lost my love of them. Why, you may ask me, am I bringing this up? Because Hailey Turner has brought a high steampunk, sword and sorcery, queer fantasy saga to the world. And oh my fuck. The Prince’s Poison Vow is the first book of the Infernal War series, and I can’t wait for the next one. Hailey has said that she set a pre-order for April 2023, but she hopes to move it up, and I really hope she does.

Now, when I say that this is a queer fantasy, I very much mean it. Of the 4 main couples, 2 are MM, one is FF, and the other is MF. One of the main characters is canon as bi, at the very least. No one ever says queer, gay, bi, or any of that. The various sexualities are just normal in the world. The only time the gender of the person you are with matters is if you need an heir, which does happen in two of the couples. The story is broken up into sections. The first section takes place 15-20 years prior to the rest of the book.

The world is called Maricol and it is infected with revenants. There are spores that get into people and turn them into revenants. Then there are the wardens who are able to withstand the poison lands and the spores. They guard the borders in between the cleansed lands and the poisoned lands. Maricol is broken up into different kingdoms, some ruled by kings and queens, others by emperors and empresses, and others still by a ruling body. Each country is watched over by one of the Star Gods, who are literally the gods of Maricol, and they are pretty active in the world.

OK, now that there is all this background, lets actually talk a little about the story.

We start out in chaos in Amari, which is the capital of Ashion. We meet a young Blaine who is holding a tiny baby, and trying to stay hidden while his father fights off people who are trying to kill them. The reason that the city is in flames is that assassins have been sent out after all the members of the ruling family’s bloodline, and I do mean every single member, no matter how distant. The newborn that Blaine is carrying is the unnamed last born daughter of the queen of Ashion. Blaine and his father get her to an airship where the two children are able to escape.

Then we have Alasandair, who is the middle child of the royal house. He is secreted away in a sub, and taken to be a tithe to be trained as a warden. While he is being transported, his memories and magic, called starfire, are hidden away. Alasandair dies under the river, and Soren is born.

Eimarille is the heir to the throne of Ashionen, and is 10 at the time of the Inferno. She is taken to the kingdom of Daijal, which is the kingdom with is probably behind the coup of Ashionen. She is going to be raised by the King of Daijal, and will eventually marry his son so that the two countries are combined under Daijalan rule.

Then we fast forward and get to the more current times of the story. Soren, who is now a Warden, meets and saves an Imperial Prince, Vanya. Eimarille is in a very happy relationship with her lady-in-waiting and pet assassin, Terilyn. Blaine is happily married to Honovi, who is the jarl of Clan Storm of E’ridia, a country that specializes in airships. And Caris, the baby, is still a teen, living in hiding where she was placed, and doesn’t know who she is. She’s fascinated with engineering, and is very good at it.

So, yes, you’ll see that I’m skipping everything after the beginning. That’s because it’s literally impossible to summarize. It’s all wrapped in together, full of intrigue, mystery, magic, love, duty, honor, espionage, and ruthlessness. When I say that it’s an epic saga, I’m not just yanking your tail.

The first section is several chapters, and each capter was a different POV, which did scare me, because I thought that it was going to turn into a Game of Thrones thing, but when you get into the more current times, the POV changes become fewer. Primarily, we have Blaine, Honovi, Soren, Vanya, Eimarille, Caris, and eventually Nathaniel. We do get a couple here and there from other important, but secondary, characters. And it helps that the later sections of the book tend to follow one part of the story.

This book is so worth reading, even if you don’t normally read queer books. There aren’t very many sex scenes, but there are a lot of emotion scenes in the book which will really drag you into the story. I mean it. Go get this book and read it if you have ever liked any kind of fantasy.

OK, that’s all for today. You’re probably thinking that’s way more than enough for today. Happy reading!

Hailey Turner-A Veiled & Hallowed Eve

This is the 7th book in Hailey’s Soulbound series, and it is absolutely, positively NOT a standalone. You 110% have to have read the other 6 books in the series before you read A Veiled & Hallowed Eve. I highly recommend this series, I mean, very highly. It’s an MM series that has shifters, dragons, mages, and gods who walk among us. The world that Hailey created is beautiful, deadly, and feels oh so very real.

OK, so we have Patrick. He’s a combat mage who survived a previous god war. Because of damage taken in that war, he is no longer in the military, but works for a branch of the government now. It’s like the FBI, but for supernatural things. He’s based in NYC, with his boyfriend, wolf shifter Jono.

The past 6 books have been one battle after another. Each book has had its own unique battle, but they are all tied together in one overall storyline. And now, we have come to the end. I am going to be very careful with spoilers here, because pretty much everything I say could be a spoiler, so the synopsis is going to be really broad. Go read the books, trust me, all the ins and outs are worth it.

It’s nearly Samhain, the day that the veil between this world and all others is thinnest. It’s also the time that the Dominion Sect is going to make their big move. It has to be Samhain when it happens, because the bad guy wants to turn himself into a god and bring all the hells to Earth, and the hell dimensions will be closer that day.

Jono and Patrick are both exhausted. They’ve been fighting for such a long time, and right now they are fighting a war of attrition against hunters and demons. And it’s still weeks until the big day.

I really like Patrick and Jono, together and apart. Patrick is a very good man who has had a bunch of shit handed to him in his relatively short life. He’s been taught and trained as a weapon, and been used as that for the majority of his life. He’s self-sacrificing and the majority of the higher powers and authorities in his life have taken advantage of that fact. People have lied to and for him for most of his life. There are reasons why many of those lies have been told, but that doesn’t mean that the truth isn’t going to hurt him when if/when he finds out about it. I understand the reasoning behind why they have done what they have done, but it doesn’t mean that they ever had Patrick’s best interests at heart. Frankly, I think that there is only one adult in Patrick’s younger life who had his interests at heart, and I think that person kept him centered as much as they were able to.

Then there’s Jono. Jono will always make sure that he has Patrick’s best interests first. He will make sure that Patrick will take care of himself even if he doesn’t want to. Jono makes Patrick a better person, in all the best ways. Jono’s life hasn’t been perfect, but he had a better start than Patrick, and he’s determined to make sure that Patrick knows how valued and valuable he is and how much he is loved. Jono is a loving, caring person, who is very loyal to his friends. He will make decisions based on that loyalty so that he can protect those who are important to him. I think that he and Patrick really complement each other quite well.

I have loved every book in this series. They have all kept me right on the edge of my seat, and I gobbled them up. I was really sad to see this series end, because of just how good it was. Because we follow one main couple and their friends and family through the whole series, we really get to know Patrick, Jono, and all their associates.

This one has a lot going on. But it’s not an overwhelming, even though there is a lot of action. It does nicely tie everything up in a very satisfying way. When I was done reading it, I just sighed a very happy sigh, because I was really happy with what happened.

K. Webster-Dragon

K is back with her newest RBMC book. This is a MM book. The previous 2 are MF. You don’t strictly have to read the other two before reading Dragon, but I would definitely recommend it, because you are going to have a better understanding of what is going on in this book. OTOH, if you just want to read a hot MM story that is really intense, this is definitely the one to read.

So, Cove and his twin sister were rescued in the last book. Cove has decided that he’s now going to prospect with the RBMC. It’s the only place where he feels safe now, and his older sister is already associated with the MC. Cove is gay, and there are a lot of really nice looking guys around. He sort of fools around with a guy named Nick, but that’s coming to an end. Then, there’s Dragon. Cove is pretty sure that he hates Dragon and that Dragon hates him. But, there’s just something about Dragon that keeps pulling Cove’s attention. Cove is totally aware of when Dragon is around, because there is just that draw.

Dragon has been through some seriously fucked up shit in his life. It has broken him. He is totally a different person than he was when he was a teenager, in the before times. His family thinks he’s dead, Dragon thinks that it’s better that they do, but he keeps track of them anyway. Dragon is the go to man when the RBMC needs to have some seriously fucked up shit done. He doesn’t want to have a relationship, but then there is Cove, Baby Prospect, BP. He doesn’t want to want Cove, but he’s just fascinated by him.

When the two of them get pulled together, with this seriously massive magnetic pull, it really is intense. They are really good together, and their relationship is just really intense, just the two of them together. Dragon is one of those people who has a very intense focus, and when he focuses in on Cove, it’s obvious and wow.

The overall story is a continuation of what we’ve been seeing, but ramped up times 1000. Mostly that’s because Dragon is so involved in the beginnings. In fact, he really is the beginning of the story. Or at least when the RBMC comes into it. And that’s what broke him. He really does have a huge dose of PTSD, which, well, yeah, he would.

I actually do like Dragon. Yeah, he’s more than a little fucked up, and he has a really messed up POV on life because of what happened to him as a teenager, but he is also incredibly loyal to his brothers, both the RBMC and his actual blood. He doesn’t go to see his family, because he doesn’t want his darkness to touch them, but he does keep track of them and wants to make sure that they are safe. I think that if he ever heard that his family was in trouble, he would be there to fix the problem. He probably wouldn’t let them see him, because Dragon doesn’t think that he really deserves any love or anything good in his life. But I really do like him so much. There is just something about him.

Cove may not have had the same kind of fuckedupness that Dragon does, but he does have his own issues. And again, I don’t blame him, he went through some stuff too. A good therapist would make bank dealing with this chapter. I like Cove too. He does still have a little of that new guy shine on him, which does make him a little naive sometimes, but not a whole lot. OK, naive may not be the right word. It may be more like he’s still new and is still learning the ropes, so sometimes he trips up.

Dragon is definitely my favorite of K’s RBMC books. When I was done reading it, I just kind of sat in a sort of shook silence. It was very intense and I just had to catch my breath from it. I had a hard time starting a new book until the next day, because this one was just so much in my head.

OK, that’s all for this one. Go check it out! Happy reading!

K Webster-Shift of Morals

There is a collection called the Kingdom of Wolves. They are all about shifters, and they are all standalones. They are not all MM, but some are. Shift of Morals is one of those books. It exists in the same world as K’s Brigg’s Ferry Bay books, and we get to see some of the characters from those books. But, keep in mind, those books are contemporary, and this one is a PNR.

So, we have Cyrus. He is a park ranger at a small park outside of Brigg’s Ferry Bay. He’s also the alpha of a small shifter pack. When I say small, I mean very small. There are only a handful of them. One of the members of his pack is Remy, who has just turned 18. Remy is constantly butting heads with almost everyone in the pack, but most especially Cyrus.

Years ago, Cyrus and his pack found a young boy who was bloodied and torn laying next to his dead and mutilated mother and sister. Remy survived, mostly, but he can’t speak because of throat damage. And a total fuck ton of anger issues. Right now, he wants to have some freedom. He hasn’t gone to school, he doesn’t have a lot of contact with the outside world. Cyrus and the rest of the pack has kept him safe and away from everyone, especially since they don’t know who attacked him. But, that protection makes Remy really angry. He knows why they want to keep him safe, but he wants them to give him some freedom, and I don’t blame him, at 18, you want that.

Some new people move in down the road, and things start to change, including the fact that Cyrus and Remy now are drawn together, strongly.

To be honest, this isn’t my favorite K book. I like the story, I like the premise, and I liked the characters. But, there are a few places that I felt like there were some shortcuts taken that didn’t quite work. I actually have no problem with shortcuts, and there have been plenty of times in which the same kind of shortcuts have worked really well for me, but in this one, I felt like they didn’t work well and they kind of left me blah.

Will I reread this one? Probably. I enjoyed the read and I can understand why K went the route that she did, I think, and as the author that is totally her right. I will never tell an author how they should or shouldn’t write their books. Their books are their art, and I wouldn’t want someone to tell me how to write if I were in their place. All I can do is talk about how I feel about any particular book, and try to do it in a way that doesn’t spoil the book for anyone else.

Anyway, that said…

I like Cyrus, he really is very protective of his entire pack. I like the fact that the pack has this psychic link that keeps them all in touch with each other, because we get to see how connected and caring they all are towards each other, even Remy.

I did want to smack Remy a couple of times, but he’s 18, angry, and kind of stupid. We’re all kind of stupid at 18. Remy does know how bad the world is, but even knowing that he wants to explore his boundaries, and I think that Cyrus should’ve let him do that.

That’s all for this one. Go check it out! Happy reading!

Misty Walker-Adler’s Hart

We’re back in Brig’s Ferry Bay, the lovely Maine town that Misty and K Webster created. Well, we’re back in that world, at least. Adler’s Hart takes its time to get there, but it’s worth it to get there, so buckle up and get ready.

We start with Adler. He’s in Ketchikan, Alaska, and has just finished his season of fishing. It’s been a long season, winter is coming, and he’s suposed to leave the following day. That means that it’s time for him to go to the hook up app that he uses and find a one night stand. He only allows himself to hook up with someone the night before he leaves, and then he moves on. He’s very much one and done. So this night, he pulls up the app, and finds the perfect man just waiting there. He’s younger, he’s pretty, and he’s just perfect.

Hart is home from college for break. Home to Alaska from LA, talk about your changes. Among other things, he’s helping his parents, because his dad hurt his back, so when he gets a notification from a hook up app, he’s more than a little shocked. When he looks at the information about the other guy, he’s all for it, and arranges a meet for later that night. When he tells his parents that he’s going on, they warn him that a big snowstorm is coming in. And, whe nhe gets out to the vehicles to grab a car, his dad’s truck won’t start.

Of course, being the smart people that I know you are, you can see all the foreshadowing happening here. Of course Adler and Hart end up snowed in together, in a crappy hotel room, for many, many, many hours. There’s all the happy sexy funn times that you might possibly want, but there’s more than that too. They spend time talking to each other and learning more about each other. Eventually, as it does, time passes, and they are able to get home. Hart goes back home to his parents and Adler gets in his truck and heads south.

I felt so sorry for Adler. No one has ever loved him and given him the time and attention that he needed. His parents hated him and tossed him out, people have hurt him, and then his friends and business partners either died or left. OK, the last one isn’t as bad as the others, but he already had this whole unlovable feeling going on, so that just added on to it. The thing is, he’s just a really nice guy though. He’s really got a good heart and he just wants things to be good.

Hart is super sweet too. He doesn’t like being in a small town, and living in a small town, I can get that, but he loves his parents and he wants to do what he can to help them. OK, he doesn’t want to be stuck in the small town he grew up in, which is different. I like Hart, and I like that he spends the time with Adler and that he really sees Adler in a way that no one else does.

These guys have their issues, but they are a good couple, and I enjoyed their book a lot.

Nothing under the pic today. Go check this out! Happy reading!

Top 10 MM Books of 2020 pt. 1

I am persnickety on some things when I’m reading, but whether it’s MM or MF isn’t one of them. I will read MM, MF, FF, and everything in between, in whatever combinations and numbers possible. For me, it isn’t just about what parts go into which places, although that is nice, it’s also about the connection between the characters, and that connection doesn’t matter if you are male, female, trans, non-binary, or gender fluid. And technically, this should be classified as LGBT instead of MM, because one of the books has an NB character. But, the books on this particular list focus on the more male side, so I’m going to go with MM. So, in no particular order, let’s get to the first part of my list.

Susan Hawke-How to Forgive

How to Forgive (my post) is the 6th book in Susan Hawke’s Lovestrong series. This is Susi Hawke’s contemporary pen name, under Susi, she writes omegaverse. I would really put this book as a campanion book to How to Heal, which is book 5, more than just the next book in the series. It involves Grayson, who is non-binary, who has come home after college and is trying to build their life back up in their hometown. Gray finds their ideal job, but their bossis Clark, their old bully. I loved this because we really get to see Gray’s journey and what they have gone through. We’ve seen Clark’s and how he tried to change, so I loved seeing the other side, and how Gray works to build their relationship with the big bad biker. I love Susi’s books, no matter what name she’s writing under.

Piper Scott-Single Dad Sundays

Piper writes omegaverse, and one of her series is called the Single Dad Support Group. It’s a bunch of guys who were single dads who got together in an online forum and gave each other a lot of help. There are chats throughout each of the books, and on her page every Sunday, Piper would have a question that a reader asked, and the dads would all reply to it. Well, Piper pulled all those Sunday chats and turned them into this book. It’s funny as hell, and I will never see the word placenta in the same way again.

Kai Butler-The Earl and the Executive

This is a Regency romance. But it takes place in the future. In space. Yeah. You wouldn’t think that those 3 things fit together, but Kai made it work, and made it work well. You get an impoverished Earl who is looking for a wealthy spouse to marry. It’s a lot of fun, and you get to see spaceships set against the ton.

AJ Sherwood-How to Shield an Assassin

AJ writes some funny books while still keeping up some intense action, and that’s what she did here. This is the first book in a series, all focusing on different guys in this friend group. You see them all show up in each book, so you really have to read the books. This one is about Ari, who is an assassin, who is out doing his job when a little girl asks him to help her out with her step-dad. He takes care of the dude and then adopts Remi, as one does, you know.

Make sure to read the content warnings on this, because they are funny af.

Alice Winters-How to Vex a Vampire

Alice is another writer like AJ. (my post) Her stuff is funny as hell, she writes outrageous characters, and you still get these intense stories that drag you in. This book is the first one in a series, and you have to read them in order. Each book is about a new couple, but you see everyone in every book. This series is an urban fantasy, and has vampires, both born and created, and focuses on a vampire police squad. I honestly want to just take Finn home and keep him.

This is another one where you should read the content warnings.

OK, that’s the first part of my Top Ten MM books from last year. Check back tomorrow for more. 🙂

Misty Walker-Kian’s Focus

Misty’s book, Kian’s Focus, is the second book in the Brigs Ferry Bay books. I’m really hoping for more books in this world, but I haven’t seen anything about them yet, so I’ll be keeping my eyes out. Anyway, the first book was about Jax, who was pining over his high school love, Kian, and today we get Kian’s story.

So, Kian is very out, and has been for years. He makes no apologies for who he is, and he’s mostly happy with his life. He has Blur and Focus, one which is primarily a wine bar, the other which is a gay dance club, and they are his babies. He still has hurt feelings over the way that Jax didn’t come ut when they graduated and now that Jax is with Dante, Kian is dealing with some angst and bitterness. He’s hired a new bartender, named Sara, and things seem to be going well enough there, at least mostly. And her hunky brother has just moved to town.

Archer was a crab fisherman in Alaska until his partner tragically died at sea. Then he sold his share in the boat and the business and hid away. When his sister Sara, who he more or less raised, called for help because her scummy husband just abandoned her and their kids, he rushes to Maine to help her out. It’s hard on him, because he never really planned on having kids, and now he’s dealing with two young children, plus he’s still dealing with his feelings about losing his partner, and now he’s worried about Sara too. Things with her seemed to start out OK, but she doesn’t seem to be sleeping or eating and just doesn’t seem like herself.

Then Kian and Archer meet, and there is chemistry. Kian tells Archer that he’s willing to just be friends, and that works for a while, but all of a sudden, just being friends becomes much harder, on both of them.

I like Kian. I don’t think that he’s still up in his feelings about Jax as much as he is in love with the idea of him and Jax. As we get older, we tend to look back at our first loves with some fondness and idealize them. Even though Kian and Jax had that hard ending, Kian still had some unresolved feelings about him, and never really did anything to resolve it. Seeing Jax come out for Dante would’ve just really stirred all that up for Kian, so I can totally understand his bitter feelings. Luckily, he has some friends who smack him around a bit and tell him what’s what.

Kian is definitely a fixer, and maybe a people pleaser too, but I’m not too sure on that one. But he really does want to make everything and everyone better, and I think that it comes at his own expense sometimes. I think that Kian would willingly keep slicing himself into smaller and smaller layers if he thought that it would fix or help someone. I think that he needs to work a lot more on self-care and stepping back some. You can’t help others if you don’t have the resources inside your self first.

Then we have Archer, who really, truly has nothing left in his resource well, but he’s trying so hard. He loves his sister so much, and he feels so responsible for her. He just wants to make everything better for her. And I think that is slightly dangerous for Sara. Not that he is trying to make it that way, but he’s so determined that he is all the help she needs and that she will be fine that it makes it easy for her to not get the help that she may need. I think that his determination also makes it harder for her to let him all the way in. And, to be honest, Archer isn’t dealing with all his own feelings all that well.

All that being said, it is obvious how much he loves his sister and her kids. He wants to make sure that they are proteccted and cared for. He is willing to sacrifice a whole lot to make it happen. I think that he’s also willing to ask people to do things that might not be the best thing in order to make that happen too.

OK, as to Sara’s actions, I kind of guessed that was going to happen. It makes me sad that I was right, but I think that it fit into what her character arc was.

OK, that’s all for this one. Go check it out! Happy reading!

Top Dark Reads of 2020 pt 1

Happy New Year’s Eve! It’s 7.5 hours until 2020 ends where I’m at, and I’m wondering what other things it can shove into those last few hours. Hopefully nothing, but you know what this year has been like. But, let’s forget about that for a while and focus on the 810 books I’ve read this year. Today’s post is the first part of the darkest reads I’ve read this year. Some of them I put on my blog, some were just pleasure reads, so let’s get started, shall we? Now, remember, these are in no particular order.

Felicity Brandon-Her Dark Protector

This is the first book in Felicity’s Gates of Fortorus series. (my post) The second book has just come out, and it will be on the blog in the next couple of days. This is a dark, dystopian, near future story. It is really gritty, dark, and dirty. It’s the story of Caroline, an author who was taken into Fortorus, along with thousands of other British women. They are mistreated and tortured, and it’s just not good. But the book was great. Definitely go check this one out.

Emma Jaye-Pied Piper

This is an MM book. It’s part of the Grim and Sinister Delights book, which is a multi-author PNR series. It isn’t a shared world so much as it’s a shared theme series, around fairy tales. In this book, we have a male siren and a wolf shifter. Domino is the siren, and as a male siren, his family wants to fuck him, get bred by him, and then kill him so that they can get the magic from his bits and pieces. As you might guess, Domino isn’t down with that, so he’s run. Jude is a bounty hunter who is on the search for Domino. When they meet, everything starts to get cloudy. There are some really intense scenes in this book, and I honestly didn’t know what was going to happen sometimes.

Raven Dark & Olivia Alexander-Devil’s Outlaw MC

So far, this is only a 2 book series, and the ends are cliffies. I know that book 3 is in the works, but apparently, Spider is an asshole with his authors too. I follow Raven so that I know when things drop. The first book is Evil’s Price, and the second is Evil’s Pawn. The premise of the series is that Emma, who is escaping from a religious cult, has ended up working as a waitress at a strip club owned by the Devil’s Outlaw MC. She ends up stealing from the club, and Spider, as the Sgt-at-arms, is tasked with dealing with her. Let’s just say that Spider’s way of dealing with her issn’t all that nice. When I say that he is an asshole, I’m being generous. I hate him. I also am oddly fascinated by him. When the 2nd book came out, I literally put the book I was reading on hold until I read Pawn. And I read it until late into the night.

Adara Wolf-False Feathers

False Feathers is part of the Grim and Sinister Delights books. This one is based on the Goose Girl. It starts with Aiden, whose mother has arranged a marriage for him. Not just a marriage, but one to a fae prince. She sends him off with a servant, and well, bad things happen. Adara Wolf writes a lot of dark, dub/non con MM, and her books are always intense and always stay with me. This one was no different.

OK, that’s all for this one. Check in tomorrow for part 2 of my Top Dark Reads of 2020!

K Webster-Sheriff’s Secret

This is the year’s last K Webster book. Sheriff’s Secret is the first in a new world, and the next book that comes out in this series is from Misty Walker, next week. It’s an MM series and it takes place in a little town in Maine. I live in a little town in Maine, and I have to say my little town isn’t nearly this exciting.

We have Jax. He’s the sheriff, a second generation sheriff, of Brigs Ferry Bay. His father, who was sheriff before him, is now the mayor and expects great things from Jax, and puts Jax under a lot of stress and pressure. He never really approves of his son, and Jax just works harder. He goes out with the women his mother sets him up with, and he tries to keep the order. Jax has his best friend, Cato, who runs a pet grooming business on the second floor of the building the sheriff’s office is in. And he has the ex he keeps obsessing over. The problem is that is ex isn’t an ex-girlfriend, he’s an ex-boyfriend, and they had to keep their relationship secret. When Kian came out, that ended their relationship. But that doesn’t keep Jax from wanting him, even though he’s so far into the closet that he has pulled the closet door in behind him and is in another closet. Jax may hate having to hide himself, but he feels like that’s the only thing he can do.

On this particular day, he and Cato are headed to the Chamber of Commerce meeting where Dante, who is from NYC and trying to put up a B&B, is supposed to show up. Jax is pretty positive that Dante is the devil, and he doesn’t want Dante around, because that means that all the tourists will invade and that will change little Brigs Ferry Bay in bad ways.

Dante, along with his sister and younger brother, have come to Maine to open a B&B after their father died. They want to get away from all the memories of home, and Maine seems like the place to do it. But, they’ve not had a whole lot of luck in getting anyone to actually, you know, like them. Obstacles and roadblocks keep getting thrown up in their way. On the night of the Chamber of Commerce meeting, he lays his eyes on the hot sheriff, and realizes that the guy is closested, and oh, it’s going to be so fun to fuck with him. And, oh, maybe fuck him too.

OK, as a person from away who moved to Maine, I have some things to say. One is that Mainers are delightful and friendly people. Second is that if you were born away, you are always from away. We moved up here when my son was 7, he’s more a Mainer than anything else, but he’s still from away. That’s the way it is in a lot of places, so that’s not just Maine. Also, small towns are small towns are small towns, and people are always going to be all up in your business.

With that said, let’s move on. I like, hate, and feel sorry for Jax. I can’t imagine being so worried about hiding who you are and having to keep all that hidden. I understand his reasons for it, and they make me mad. I’m not going to blame him for those at all. Coming out is a very personal journey, and you do it in your own time and in your own pace, and if you aren’t in a safe physical or mental space, then you do what you have to do. I like how devoted he is to making sure that he is doing the best he can for his town, and how he is when he’s with Cato. I kind of hate him for the way that he acts about Kian. But, again, that’s a really complex area.

Dante is a really interesting character. He loves his family. He’s the guardian of his younger brother, since he’s only 15, and he’s trying to do his best, but there have been all kinds of changes, and no one can handle all those changes. I think that Dante is doing really well. I do think that there are times when he kind of loses sight of the new culture he’s moved into and tries to do everything the NYC way and not work within the BFB way. Of course, I think that the people of BFB could definitely have worked harder to make people feel welcome.

I can’t wait for the next books in the series. I have some thoughts as to who is going to end up with whom.

OK, that’s all for this one. Go check it out! Happy reading!

May Archer & Lucy Lennox- Liars

May is the one who introduced me to Lucy, and am I ever glad! Liars is the second book in a co-written series by these ladies called Licking Thicket. And yes, there is every single double entendre that you can possibly think of. And more. I highly recommend reading the first one, Fakers, even though the books don’t have to be read in order. But it’s just funny as fuck, especially since it concerns a festival with Lickin’ in the name.

Parrish has decided that he’s going to run his uncle’s new restaurant in Licking Thicket. He needs to get out of Memphis, and Licking Thicket is just what the doctor ordered. He is predictable, steady, dependable, and you can set your watch by him. Parrish always goes to work, and he works very hard. Even if he doesn’t necessarily need to be there. He’ss very dedicated. One day, he’s in the court house when he runs into a gorgeous man who is struggling with a young baby girl, who then pukes all over the guy. Parrish helps him out, and kinda tells him off in the bathroom too, and then finds out that the guy is there for a custody battle.

Diesel is at a loss. His sister died and left him as the guardian of her beautiful baby girl. He knows less than nothing about babies, but he knows that he loves this precious baby girl. He has to go to court because the rich family who adopted his sister are trying to take custody, and he isn’t going to let that happen. But, he’s not rich. He owns a salvage yard, and he found his attorney on the back of a bathroom door. So far, though, the judge appears to be on his side. But Diesel’s attorney tells him that there are a lot of things that would help him win his case, including being in a steady relationship. Up comes Parrish with an apology casserole and Diesel introduces him as his fiance.

This is really ridiculously funny. There are all kinds of jokes, double entendres, funny situations, and even a really bad first date with lots of talk about fishing. There are also fake fiances, apology baby baskets, and well-meaning friends. And chickens. Lots and lots of chickens.

Both of these guys have hard spots in their history that make it hard for them to want to help or trust someone, but they aren’t broken by those things, just a little bent around the edges. They are both truly loving, caring men who want to help others and to make sure that a beautiful little girl stays with the people who love her most and who are going to be able to care for her the best.

I really liked watching Diesel and Parrish’s relationship grow and watching them grow beyond their damage and into new people together. Their relationship turns them into someone who is better. Not that they were ever bad to begin with.

And I adore all the people of Licking Thicket and how they are all up in everyone’s business. The whole town really is a family, I think. A huge, very dysfunctional family.

Miss Sarabeth is about the most awesome person ever, and I’m pretty sure she’s a tricksy hobbitses too.

OK, that’s all for this one. Go check it out! Happy reading!

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