Tea for Three by Anne Douglas

Why I read it:  This book was recommended to my by one of my Twitter friends when we were having a discussion about m/m/f menage stories, so I went and bought it.

What it's about: (from author's website)   Straight, gay or in between, turning thirty’s never easy.

Craig wonders just where his life is heading. His relationship with Jack is satisfying, to say the least. But deep down, he sometimes still craves the soft touches of a woman.

Something’s bugging Craig, and Jack knows it. Some sort of pre midlife crisis that he just can’t understand. The sex is hot and demanding. Their home life is comfortable without being too familiar. But he just can’t help feeling he might be about to lose the love of his life.

Then they meet lovely, loyal and slightly broken Wren Browne. It doesn’t take long to realize, they might have just have found the solution to both of their problems.

Love isn’t tidy or simple; it doesn’t come packaged in neat little boxes. And sometimes you have to set the table with tea for three.

What worked for me (and what didn't): If there are two men and one woman in a romance, my personal preference is that it is an m/m/f rather than an m/f/m story.  I have enjoyed m/f/m stories but I think they work better where there is a sexual connection between all three parties - it has something to do with my sense of equality I think.   When GrowlyCub said that she thought this book was one of the better examples of the genre, I couldn't resist.  I didn't end up liking it as much as she did, but I did enjoy it.

Agony/Ecstasy anthology edited by Jane Litte

Why I read it: Sometimes, I'm in the mood for a short story, kind of  like a sorbet.  I'd had this on my TBR for some time, having bought it ages ago, and I decided to intersperse the stories with my other reading.

What it's about: (from Goodreads)  All new stories of punishing extremes and unbearable pleasure... 

 

With historical, contemporary, and futuristic backdrops, this outrageously diverse collection of original stories explores every conceivable variation of BDSM erotica--from knitting circles to the Titanic to a retelling of The Little Mermaid. Featuring all-new stories by Meljean Brook, Jean Johnson, Bettie Sharpe, Jill Myles, Margaret Rowe, Sara Thorn, and more, this book has everything a reader could hope for in an erotic romance.

What worked for me (and what didn't): 

Agony

Transfixed and Transformed, the two stories by Anne Calhoun in the anthology (one each in Agony and Ecstasy) were about the same pairing, one from her POV, one from his.  I liked these stories very much and could happily have read a whole book about them.  That said, the stories did feel complete and I didn't feel at all shortchanged.  For me, these stories showed how a skilled writer can immerse me in a character in a very short space of time.  After I got finished enjoying them, I did sit back and think about how cleverly it was achieved.  Short is not my forte, so I'm particularly impressed when it's done as well as this.

The Sybil by Jean Johson had a Warprize/Game of Thrones type feel to it.  I liked the worldbuilding which was fairly detailed for such a short story, but the ending was not only unclear but it also bent toward the traditional and that kind of let it down a little I thought.

In the Arms of the Heiress by Maggie Robinson

*NB This review first appeared in the July ARRA newsletter - so the format is slightly different and it's also shorter than usual.*

There aren’t many historical romances around set in 1903 so when I got the chance at an early copy of this book (which is now out), I jumped at the chance.  Louisa Stratton is the heiress of the title.  Her parents died when she was a child and she was raised by her Aunt Grace – a cold woman whose motives are murky – even when Grace is being kind, she is more cruel than anything.  After inheriting her fortune at age 25, Louisa escapes with her maid, Kathleen, to the continent, to get away from her awful family.  After a “indiscretion” with a local landowner at age 17, Louisa’s activities have been much curtailed and she’s been a virtual prisoner at the family estate, Rosemont.   A year after her “escape”, she discovers some oddities in her finances and receives reports that her aunt is very ill.  Against her own desires, she decides she needs to go home for Christmas and check on things.  There is a problem though.  To stop Aunt Grace from fussing, Louisa has told her family she has met and married one Maximillian Norwich – a man whose perfection is only eclipsed by the fact that he doesn’t exist. 

 

Mrs. Evensong, a rather mysterious woman who runs an employment agency and seems to have a knack for solving problems and matchmaking, locates Captain Charles Cooper, a man suffering from PTSD after serving in the Boer War in Africa, to play the part of Max for a month.  In pretending to be married, Louisa and Charles find opportunities for indiscretions of their own and along the way, they fall in love.

Louisa is flighty, she talks all the time, she loves driving her motor car (albeit that she does it very badly) and she is also an early adopter of feminism and the suffragist cause.  She makes for quite a delightful heroine.  Charles/Max came from very humble beginnings but was elevated by the factory owner who employed the rest of his family and sent to Harrow and thence to the Army as an officer.  Charles’ experiences in the War are touched upon and I would have liked to have this more fully expanded actually.  But those aspects of the story are very serious and sad and don’t really fit well with the light-heartedness that is Louisa and the rest of the book.

I did love the early 1900s setting and those bits for me were the best part of the book.  The rise of the motorcar, early suffragettes, women working and the way Louisa wasn’t at all class conscious.  Louisa and Charles were fun together too and I very much liked how Louisa was frank in her desire for Charles and not at all shy to take the lead in intimacy.  Ultimately, I think the book tried to be too many things – a mystery, the farcical aspects of Louisa and Charles’ deception and relationship, the seriousness of Charles’ PTSD, the complicated relationship between Louisa and her family and the book felt a little disjointed for me.  Louisa is a delightful character however and I was happy to see her well settled with Charles at the end – and surrounded by people who love listening to her talk!

Grade:  C+

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Curve Ball by Charlotte Stein

Why I read it:  I've had this on my TBR for some time - I can't remember exactly when I picked it up (Goodreads tells me I got it for free so there must have been a promotion), but it came up in a Twitter discussion recently so I decided to open it up.

What it's about: (from Goodreads)  When Judy Myers is offered a relaxing vacation to get away from her latest heartbreak, she can’t say no. A cruise on her brother’s yacht sounds like heaven...until she realises her brother’s best friend has been invited along for the ride.

Steven Stark is big, he’s loud, and he’s obviously not interested in the plump, plain little sister he used to tease unmercifully. In fact, he’s still quite happy to tease her – until she turns the tables on him. Now Steven can’t seem to keep his thoughts, or his hands, to himself. And worse, Judy’s not sure she can resist the attraction she’s kept buried for so many years.

Being trapped on a boat isn’t the best place to be, when you’re suddenly thrown a hunky curveball.

What worked for me (and what didn't): I usually like Charlotte Stein's authorial voice and this was no exception but there wasn't enough of the hero to really satisfy me.  Judy is a plus-sized girl - a self described "fat chick".  (On Twitter, the author described her as a size 18-20, but it is not specified in the book).   She is on a small yacht in the Mediterranean with her brother and his wife and her brother's best friend, Steven Stark.  Judy has had a crush on Steven for the longest time but has never imagined anything could ever come of it.  While Steven is described as a very big man, his description is all in terms of muscle rather than flab.   

I'm Over at AudioGals...

with an audiobook review of Fallen by Celeste Bradley, narrated by Susan Ericksen.

See what I thought here.

Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker

Why I read it:  I bought this New Adult book a little while back and finally decided to open it up and see what was inside.

What it's about: (from Goodreads)  Kacey Cleary’s whole life imploded four years ago in a drunk-driving accident. Now she’s working hard to bury the pieces left behind—all but one. Her little sister, Livie. Kacey can swallow the constant disapproval from her born-again aunt Darla over her self-destructive lifestyle; she can stop herself from going kick-boxer crazy on Uncle Raymond when he loses the girls’ college funds at a blackjack table. She just needs to keep it together until Livie is no longer a minor, and then they can get the hell out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

But when Uncle Raymond slides into bed next to Livie one night, Kacey decides it’s time to run. Armed with two bus tickets and dreams of living near the coast, Kacey and Livie start their new lives in a Miami apartment complex, complete with a grumpy landlord, a pervert upstairs, and a neighbor with a stage name perfectly matched to her chosen “profession.” But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle all of them. What she can’t handle is Trent Emerson in apartment 1D.

Kacey doesn’t want to feel. She doesn’t. It’s safer that way. For everyone. But sexy Trent finds a way into her numb heart, reigniting her ability to love again. She starts to believe that maybe she can leave the past where it belongs and start over. Maybe she’s not beyond repair.

But Kacey isn’t the only one who’s broken. Seemingly perfect Trent has an unforgiveable past of his own; one that, when discovered, will shatter Kacey’s newly constructed life and send her back into suffocating darkness.

What worked for me (and what didn't): This is a hard book to say much about because the plot hangs on one thing and it's either going to work for you or it won't.  I think, overall, it was too melodramatic for me.  I liked Trent and Kacey together but the big reveal cast a whole new light on what had gone before and it left me feeling a bit strange.

Breathe by Kirsten Ashley

Why I read it:  I bought this one a while back and I decided to finish the series (so far) as a little reading treat.

What it's about: (from Goodreads)  In order to protect a father he does not respect, in Lady Luck, we learned that good cop Chace Keaton went bad, sacrificing his career and his future. But when the local police department's secrets are revealed and the wife he's forced to marry is murdered, Chace finds himself the town of Carnal's hero. Knowing how deep in the mud he was forced to sink, Chace feels he'll never get clean. The quiet, content future he envisioned of the love a good woman with whom he could build a family was now beyond his reach. The only thing he can do is find his wife's murderer.

But he isn't the only one looking.

While searching for new leads, he runs into Faye Goodknight, the town's quiet, shy, pretty librarian. Chace has long since had his eye on what could possibly be the town's last remaining virgin but he has also long since given up hope he could make her his. Faye is pure and clean and Chace refuses to dirty her with his sordid past.

Pure and clean Faye may be, but when the shy librarian is forced to go head to head with the man who she's had a crush on since he hit her hometown, Chace finds Faye is full of surprises. And he doesn't know what to do with her.

What worked for me (and what didn't):  To be honest it took me a little while to get into this one.  I felt my reading mojo was missing initially and I was getting too distracted by Twitter.  But, by about 1/3 in, I felt I had hit my straps and things were looking up. By the end, I had mixed feelings. I enjoyed the romance but the subplot involving the Elite was too opaque for me and the parts involving the children mixed with so much cheese as to render me lactose intolerant.

Defiance by Stephanie Tyler

Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher. I like New Adult and I liked Motorcycle Man and Reaper's Property.  I liked Beyond Shame.  So, this one, combining a motorcycle club, a post apocalyptic world and young adult protagonists looked promising.

What it's about: (from Goodreads) Rebelling against her legacy as the MC's princess, Tru Tennyson escaped the ruthless, male-dominated culture of the Defiance motorcycle club. Three years later, her newfound freedom is ripped away, thanks to a massive hybrid storm that killed millions. Now, in the post-Chaos world of semi-darkness and near-total anarchy where gangs rule, she discovers the dangerous world of Defiance may be the one thing that can keep her safe.

Tru is at the MC's mercy when she's dragged back to her former home … and to the only man she's ever pictured a future with. Caspar is the bastard son of the club's leader, her safe haven when life got rough — and her onetime lover the night she left. When Tru refuses to trade sex for power and be claimed by a rival club leader, she also dares to announce she wants Caspar instead, throwing the MC into turmoil.

Tru's brazen revolt could start a gang war and destroy the club from within. Now both Tru and the MC must wait for Caspar's response … and the inevitable fallout.

What worked for me (and what didn't): Unfortunately, for me, the book didn't live up to its promise.  I found the world building confusing and... not terribly believable and I think in the end, the author's style just doesn't work for me.  She is a bestselling author so there are obviously plenty of people who like her style just fine but I wasn't as engaged as I'd hoped I'd be.

Tangled by Emma Chase

Why I read it:  I received a review copy from the publisher.

What it's about: (from Goodreads)  Drew Evans is a winner. Handsome and arrogant, he makes multimillion dollar business deals and seduces New York’s most beautiful women with just a smile. He has loyal friends and an indulgent family. So why has he been shuttered in his apartment for seven days, miserable and depressed?

He’ll tell you he has the flu.

But we all know that’s not really true.

Katherine Brooks is brilliant, beautiful and ambitious. She refuses to let anything - or anyone - derail her path to success. When Kate is hired as the new associate at Drew’s father’s investment banking firm, every aspect of the dashing playboy’s life is thrown into a tailspin. The professional competition she brings is unnerving, his attraction to her is distracting, his failure to entice her into his bed is exasperating.

Then, just when Drew is on the cusp of having everything he wants, his overblown confidence threatens to ruin it all. Will he be able untangle his feelings of lust and tenderness, frustration and fulfillment? Will he rise to the most important challenge of his life?

Can Drew Evans win at love?

Tangled is not your mother’s romance novel. It is an outrageous, passionate, witty narrative about a man who knows a lot about women…just not as much as he thinks he knows. As he tells his story, Drew learns the one thing he never wanted in life, is the only thing he can’t live without.

What worked for me (and what didn't): I am a hero-centric reader so stories told from the hero POV are always ones which pique my interest. I knew going in that Drew was an asshat.  And he REALLY is.  For most of the book (and in some areas, all of it - more on that later), he is a COMPLETE jerk.  What saved him (mostly) for me was that he got his comeuppance  (brought low by true lurrve (TM) don't ya know?) and that (and he) was (often) very funny. 

Never a Hero by Marie Sexton

Why I read it:  I received an ARC from NetGalley.

What it's about: (from Goodreads)  Everyone deserves a hero.

Owen Meade is desperately in need of a hero. Raised by a mother who made him ashamed of his stutter, his sexual orientation, and his congenitally amputated arm, Owen lives like a hermit in his Tucker Springs apartment. But then hunky veterinarian Nick Reynolds moves in downstairs.

Nick is sexy and confident, and makes Owen comfortable with himself in a way nobody ever has. He also introduces Owen to his firecracker of a little sister, who was born with a similar congenital amputation but never let it stand in her way. When she signs the two of them up for piano lessons—and insists that they play together in a recital—Owen can’t find a way to say no. Especially since it gives him a good excuse to spend more time with Nick.  

Owen knows he’s falling hard for his neighbor, but every time he gets close, Nick inexplicably pulls away. Battling his mother’s scorn and Nick’s secrets, Owen soon realizes that instead of waiting for a hero, it’s time to be one—for himself and for Nick.

What worked for me (and what didn't):  Let's start with what I liked.  I thought (with the exception of Owen's mother) that issues of disability were well handled in the novel.  Owen has a congenital amputation of his left arm below the elbow.  Because of how he was raised (more on that later) he is very sensitive about it and is basically a shut in.  After he meets Nick and also Nick's sister June (who has a congenital amputation of her right arm), he is shown a new-to-him way of dealing with his disability and Nick's direct speech opens Owen's eyes as to why many people seem uncomfortable - not that they think he's a freak but they're not sure what to do and default to ignoring it rather than risk offence.    Through his relationship with Nick, Owen finds his world has opened up and his focus changes.  I'm no expert, but it seemed to me to that disability was handled pretty well in the book.

I'm over at AudioGals...

with a review of Every Breath You Take by Judith McNaught, narrated by Susan Denaker.

The narration saved the experience for me.  Come see why, here.

True by Erin McCarthy

Why I read it:  I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

What it's about: (from Goodreads)  When Rory Macintosh’s roommates find out that their studious and shy friend has never been with a guy, they decide that, as an act of kindness they’ll help her lose her virginity by hiring confident, tattooed bad boy Tyler Mann to do the job…unbeknownst to Rory.

Tyler knows he’s not good enough for Rory. She’s smart, doctor smart, while he’s barely scraping by at his EMT program, hoping to pull his younger brothers out of the hell their druggy mother has left them in. But he can’t resist taking up her roommates on an opportunity to get to know her better. There’s something about her honesty that keeps him coming back when he knows he shouldn’t…

Torn between common sense and desire, the two find themselves caught up in a passionate relationship. But when Tyler’s broken family threatens to destroy his future, and hers, Rory will need to decide whether to cut her ties to his risky world or follow her heart, no matter what the cost…

What worked for me (and what didn't): I have mixed feelings about this book. There were parts of it that resonated with me, parts which infuriated me and all manner of things in between.  The writing is engaging and eminently readable.  On the other hand, I thought the characterisations were sometimes thin and some plot threads didn't really go anywhere.  I'm finding this one hard to grade, I hope to have reached a decision by the time I finish writing the review.

Bad Attitude by KA Mitchell

Why I read it:  I'm a fan of KA Mitchell's work and I bought this soonest after release.

What it's about: (from Goodreads):  When did save a life become change a life?

As the openly gay middle son of the most powerful family between Manhattan and Miami, Gavin Montgomery knows his role—look good in a tuxedo and don’t make waves.

Waves are the least of his worries when he tries and fails to keep a friend from jumping off a high bridge. His last thought as he falls in too is that someone else will have to take over as family disappointment…until he’s pulled from the water by a man with an iron grip, a sexy mouth and a chip on his shoulder the size of the national deficit.

Police rescue diver Jamie Donnigan finally has life the way he wants it. Okay, he could have done without losing his father, quitting smoking and watching his friends drift into couplehood. At least he’s managed to escape that particular trap.

When Gavin’s father turns Jamie’s routine rescue into a media circus, he figures if he’s going to suffer for his good deed, he might as well enjoy a roll in the sack. But Jamie’s not immune to Gavin’s cultivated charm…and all the risks that come along with giving in to it. 

What worked for me (and what didn't): I'm sorry to say I was disappointed in this book.  Gavin and Jamie mainly converse in snark and I didn't see enough of not-snark and general relationship development to believe completely in the romance.  I felt like the story was just getting started when, rather abruptly, the story ended.   Told in alternating third person POV, the reader is able to get in the heads of both men.  So I felt like I knew what they were thinking.  But they didn't seem to really talk about those things with each other, so I didn't feel like they knew each other that well.

Undeclared by Jen Frederick

Why I read it:  I was provided with a review copy by the author.

What it's about:  (from Goodreads)  For four years, Grace Sullivan wrote to a Marine she never met, and fell in love. But when his deployment ended, so did the letters. Ever since that day, Grace has been coasting, academically and emotionally. The one thing she’s decided? No way is Noah Jackson — or any man — ever going to break her heart again.

Noah has always known exactly what he wants out of life. Success. Stability. Control. That’s why he joined the Marines and that’s why he’s fighting his way — literally — through college. Now that he’s got the rest of his life on track, he has one last conquest: Grace Sullivan. But since he was the one who stopped writing, he knows that winning her back will be his biggest battle yet.

What worked for me (and what didn't): When the author approached me regarding a review, I read the blurb and then went to her website and read the two excerpts available.  I liked the premise and I liked the excerpts, particularly the one from Noah's POV, so I said yes.  I'm glad I did but the experience wasn't wholly successful for me

I have a review up at ARRA today...

My review of Diana Gabaldon's anthology in the Outlander universe, Trail of Fire, is up over at the ARRA blog.  Come say hi :)

I'm over at AudioGals...

with an audiobook review of Everyone Loves a Hero... And That's the Problem by Marie Force, narrated by Tanya Eby.  Actually, the review's been up for nearly a week - I forgot. *ducks*.  Bad Kaetrin.

Anyway, narrator success, story not so much.

Also, definitely not my favourite cover.  I think there's something wrong with his nose...

I have a review up at the ARRA blog

of Nora Roberts' The Perfect Hope, book 3 of the Inn Boonsboro trilogy.  Go here to see what I thought.

Protecting What's His by Tessa Bailey

Why I read it:  There was buzz about this book in my tweetstream just after Easter - it was the dirty talking hero which made me click "buy".

What it's about:  (from Goodreads)  She’s running from the law, and the law wants her bad.

The opportunity was just too damn delicious for Ginger Peet to pass up. The purse full of money she finds—$50,000 to be exact—could give her and her teen sister the new start they need. So she grabs the cash, her gothy sibling, and their life-sized statue of Dolly Parton, and blows outta Nashville in a cloud of dust. Chicago, here we come...

Turns out, Chicago has some pretty hot cops. Hot, intense, naughty-lookin’ cops like Derek Tyler, who looks like he could eat a girl up and leave her begging for more. And more. Tempting as he is, getting involved with the sexy homicide lieutenant next door poses a teensy problem for a gal who’s on the lam. But one thing is certain—Derek’s onto her, and he wants more than just a taste.

And as far as he’s concerned, possession is nine-tenths of the law.

What worked for me (and what didn't): I admit I have a soft spot for Dolly Parton - my high school BFF and I saw her and Kenny Rogers in concert together (many) years ago.  We were far enough away that she wasn't scary looking (and, of course, she was a lot younger then, so possibly she didn't look scary at all.  But I saw he on Colbert recently and... moving on!).  So the statue of Dolly Parton and the snippets of her homespun wisdom were definite attractors.

Irregulars by Nicole Kimberling, Josh Lanyon, Astrid Amara & Ginn Hale

Why I read it:  Brie has been telling me I need to read this book for ages.  The DABWAHA tourney moved it up the TBR pile.

What it's about: (from Goodreads)  It’s a secret international organization operating in cities on every continent. It polices relations between the earthly realm and those beyond this world, enforcing immigration laws, the transfers of magical artifacts, and crimes against humanity.

The agents who work for the NATO Irregular Affairs Division can’t tell anyone what they do, or how hard they work to keep us safe. It brings a colorful collection of men together:

Agent Henry Falk, the undead bum. Agent Keith Curry, former carnivore chef turned vegetarian; Agent Rake, Babylonian demon with a penchant for easy living; and Agent Silas August, uncompromising jerk.

Four cities, four mysteries, four times the romance. Is your security clearance high enough to read on?

Cherries Worth Getting by Nicole Kimberling

I will admit I had not read even the blurb before starting this book.  I knew it was set in an alternate world and there were four stories each in the same world and each featuring an m/m romance.  That was it.  So the cannibalism issue came as a bit of a shock.  It's kind of Men in Black without as much humour (that's not a criticism).  Agent Keith Curry is paired with former lover Agent Gunther Heartman to investigate the "Cannibal Killings".  The investigation was slick and there was a kind of vague noir feel to it as well - sort of Watchmen-ish IMO.  As the first book in the anthology, this author had the responsibility to paint the first picture of the Irregulars world.  I thought it was very well done - no info dump, snippets of information that make the world more "real" - like the way goblins eat cigarettes rather than smoke them.  No doubt the world building will continue over the course of the book, but I thought the set up was very well done.

I'm Guest Reviewing at AudioGals today...

with an audiobook review of The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James.  Part romance, part ghost/horror story set in the early 1920's.  Come and see what I thought and why.