Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Just a Bit Wrong by Alessandra Hazard


Just a Bit Wrong
by Alessandra Hazard

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Published by: Amazon Digital
Publish Date: September 14, 2015
Genre: M/M Romance, LGBTQ
Rating: 4 Stars

Zach Hardaway is one of the best physiotherapists in Europe.
Tristan DuVal is a young soccer star with a groin injury.
They despise each other from the moment they meet.

As far as Zach is concerned, Tristan is a rich, spoiled brat who is too used to getting his own way. 


As far as Tristan is concerned, Zach is a bossy, presumptuous jerk. 
Tristan hates Zach. He does. The problem is, he also wants to shove Zach against the nearest wall and climb him like a tree.

As soon as I finished reading Book 2 in the Straight Guys series by this author, I went right on to this one. I skipped #3 because I wasn't sure if it was healthy for me to read, but since the same characters overlap in this book and in Book #5, I think I will go back and read it.

The characters in this book could not be more different. Zach is straight in every way - straight-edged personality (or so he portrays), straight to the point physiotherapy, and someone who doesn't like games. Tristan, on the other hand, is a spoiled brat who gets off on manipulating people until he has no friends or family. He can certainly be annoying and a handful, but he was a well-written character.

While Zach and Tristan do get their HEA, there is a lot of depth to this book. We learn some about Tristan's background in this novel, but in the next (that I'm currently reading), we learn much, much more about why Tristan is the way he is. This is a stand alone novel, but I would keep reading to learn as much about these characters as you can.

The only thing negative I have to say about the series is that I don't like any of the book covers.

Top Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Leaving Under My Tree This Year

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Top Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Leaving Under My Tree This Year


1. Yours Truly by Annabel Pitcher - Zoe has an unconventional pen pal -- Mr. Stuart Harris, a Texas Death Row inmate and convicted murderer. But that's okay, because Zoe has an unconventional story to tell. A story about how she fell for two boys, betrayed one of them, and killed the other.

2. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman - A novel about a young girl whose grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters, sending her on a journey that brings to life the world of her grandmother’s fairy tales.

3. The Truth Commission by Susan Juby - A story about easy truths, hard truths, and those things best left unsaid.

4. Left Drowning by Jessica Park - (Or anything by her, really!) What does it take to rise from life’s depths, swim against the current, and breathe?

5. Hot Head by Damon Suede - Since 9/11, Brooklyn firefighter Griff Muir has wrestled with impossible feelings for his best friend and partner at Ladder 181, Dante Anastagio. Unfortunately, Dante is strictly a ladies’ man, and the FDNY isn’t exactly gay-friendly. For ten years, Griff has hidden his heart in a half-life of public heroics and private anguish.

6. Seven Letters from Paris: A Memoir by Samantha Verant - At age 40, Samantha Verant's life is falling apart-she's jobless, in debt, and feeling stuck... until she stumbles upon seven old love letters from Jean-Luc, the sexy Frenchman she'd met in Paris when she was 19. With a quick Google search, she finds him, and both are quick to realize that the passion they felt 20 years prior hasn't faded with time and distance.

7. Tomorrow River by Lesley Kagen - During the summer of 1968 in Rockbridge County, Virginia, eleven-year- old Shenandoah Carmody's mother disappeared. Her twin sister, Woody, stopped speaking, and her once-loving father slipped into a mean drunkenness unbefitting a superior court judge. As the first anniversary of their mother's disappearance nears, her father's threat to send Woody away and his hints at an impending remarriage spur a desperate Shenny to find her mother-before it's too late.

8. Jane and Austen by Stephanie Fowers - Meet Jane and Austen. First there's Jane—an impractical, starry-eyed wedding planner; if love can’t match what she’s read in a book, she doesn’t want it. And then there’s Austen—a pragmatic, logical-to-a-fault financial consultant; even if he were interested in someone, he wouldn’t know.

9. Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma - Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As de facto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives—and the way they understand each other so completely—has also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love.

10. Sneaking Candy by Lisa Burstein - A graduate student by day, an erotic romance author by night, a forbidden attraction I can't deny...

Monday, December 21, 2015

Just a Bit Obsessed (Straight Guys Series Book 2) by Alessandra Hazard


Just a Bit Obsessed
by Alessandra Hazard

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Published by: Amazon Digital
Publish Date: December 4, 2014
Genre: M/M Romance, LGBTQ
Rating: 4 Stars

Alexander Sheldon likes order and control in his life. He isn’t happy when his girlfriend invites another guy for a threesome. Alexander believes in monogamy, and he’s never been good at sharing his things. It doesn’t help that Christian rubs him the wrong way from the beginning.

But what starts as animosity turns into something else. Something unexpected and very wrong.

He was never supposed to touch Christian. He was never supposed to feel possessive of the guy. And he most definitely wasn’t supposed to want Christian more than he wants his girlfriend.

It’s a recipe for disaster.

I stumbled on this book quite by accident on Amazon, but I've found that my straight-girl-self totally likes M/M romances. It sounded interesting, so I thought I'd give it a try. I wasn't disappointed.

Before buying it on Amazon, I noticed that it was only 160 pages long. I usually don't read books that short, but was pushed into buying it by all of the fabulous reviews. I quickly learned that the author has an incredible knack for getting right to the point. As a wordy-writer myself, I am always trying to lighten up my writing - just say what I need to say. This author did just that - and very effectively at that!

The beginning of the book gets right into the storyline. There's really no need for background on Alexander, Mila or Christian because the author lets that come out naturally as the story plays out. It was quite refreshing. I don't really want to post spoilers and I feel if I keep reviewing the book, I will give things away. I will say, there is definitely a HEA and 5 more books in the series. I'm definitely going to read another one right away.

More Than Comics by Elizabeth Briggs

More Than Comics
by Elizabeth Briggs

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Published by:  Elizabeth Briggs
Publish Date: February 23, 2015
Genre: NA, Romance
Rating: 4.5 Stars

NOTICE: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

They're best friends online - but can they be more in real life?

Writer Tara McFadden has been best friends with artist and drummer Hector Fernandez for years, long before his band became famous on reality TV – yet they’ve never met in person. They finally have a chance to connect offline when they’re both sent to Comic-Con to promote the graphic novel they collaborated on.

Hector's secretly been in love with Tara for as long as he can remember, and once they meet, she sees him in a new light. All the years of longing lead to an incredible night of passion after one of his concerts, but neither is sure if their online relationship can translate into a real life romance – or if this will ruin their friendship forever.

Over four crazy days at Comic-Con, Hector and Tara must decide if they want a future together. But when their story seems to be over, it’s up to Hector’s entire band to make sure he and Tara get their happy ending.


I was privileged to review More Than Music by Elizabeth Briggs earlier in the year, so I jumped at the chance to read this novel as well. I'm so glad that I did!

I, myself, have met quite a few online friends in real life. I've had some good experiences and two really horrible experiences that literally changed my life forever, yet, the concept of this novel really intrigued me. Although I don't let it show, I think I'm a romantic at heart and really wanted to read a happy ending to the internet friends to real life situation. I was very pleased with how this book arced.

The setting was Comic-Con, something I don't know much about in real life, but I really enjoyed the way the author laid it out. It was the perfect setting and time period (4 days) to give the main characters time to adjust to one another in person, and also create background detail. It was rather brilliant.

Tara had absolutely no idea that she liked Hector as more than a friend, but as she thought about it, she realized that he was the first person she thought of every day, the person she talked to every day and the person she told her secrets too. Perhaps she had been in love with him the entire time, but just didn't know it.

I really liked Hector. He wasn't your typical white alpha male main character and it was refreshing. Although he was a softie on the inside, he was a man of few words on the outside. You never really knew what he was thinking. His band of friends (pun intended) were like a family to him and pushed him out of his comfort zone to get him to go for what he truly wanted.

Overall, the plot arc had a depth that you don't usually find in the new adult genre. The main characters, as well as the peripheral characters, were well-defined and unique to furthering along the story in their own way. Everyone had an integral part in the joining of Tara and Hector. I'm definitely game for reading the next book in the series!

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

TTT: Top 5 Best Books I Read in 2015

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5 Best Books I Read in 2015

For NA:

Prick: A Stepbrother Romance by Sabrina Paige - HEA for young adults is sometimes hard for me to swallow, but this author made it feel realistic. It was HOT.

Schooled by Piper Lawson - I'm reading the second book now! Lex is a smart, interesting MC who falls, though she tries not to, for her best friend's little brother Dylan. It was well-written and made me want to read more by this author!

Everything Has Changed by Mia Kayla - Atypical of NA, this wasn't a hot and heavy book, but rather a natural journey showing two people who know each other so well but are so close that they can't actually see that the other loves them as more than a friend. Worth the read.


Memoir:

The Reluctant Psychic by Suzan Saxman & Perdita Finn - While there were times that I really couldn't identify with the things Suzan was into, including the men she was interested in, the book showed her natural journey to self-discovery as an oracle and finding her place in the world. It was grounded, which I wasn't expecting.


Thriller/Mystery

Sparrow 59 by Devon Ashley - I'm pretty much dying for the 2nd book to come out! It was labeled "The Bourne Identity meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith for the new adult crowd," and I loved every second of it!