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MUSIC MONDAY: Walking in the Dark by Metronomy
I found this tag on Read Rant Rock & Roll. This meme was created by Drew @ The Tattooed Book Geek. You pick a song that you really like and share it on Monday.
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BLOG TOUR: True Faith by T.L. Bradford (Guest Post & Giveaway)
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Dragon Deception by Mell Eight (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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FLICKer FADE SUNDAY: Never Have I Ever
Featuring LGBT short films I found around the interwebz a.k.a Youtube. Okay sucky intro, but yeah, that’s it.
The night her best friend is leaving for college, an awkward girl professes her feelings for her during a game of Never Have I Ever.
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2020 MID-YEAR WRAP UP
You know what they say about living in interesting times. 2020 has been interesting indeed. A little too interesting really. I hope we all live to tell the tale.
As I mentioned before in my 2019 MIDYEAR WRAP-UP, I don’t set reading goals because they’re jinxed. I go where my mood takes me or when I have an ARC to finish. I was lucky to be sent some audiobooks from exciting authors. We’ll get to that.
First, some updates…
Updates
The biggest one so far is YAY! My blog has a new home!
Neverhollowed.com is up, alive and kicking! Bigger, better, still with the same two dorks gazing at each other silly.
Also, I’m so happy about this too, Never Hollowed By The Stare has reached 128 followers!!! Love you all for sticking with me!
On a personal note, I started a new job last March. Just in time for the lockdowns to start. I’m lucky I got into a good company who did not kick little rookie me out and instead allowed me to WFH. So yeah, messy year aside, my family is safe, I have a job, I have my blog. I have a lot to be thankful for!
Mid-Year Reads
As of June 20, I have read a total of 65 book. Last year I have dabbled in non-fiction and graphic novels, but this year, it’s all MM romances.
Between her Nothing Special series, The Bounty Hunters, and Bishop‘s story, A.E. Via is my most read author so far. I’m totally trash for her brand of romance. I’ve finished 11 books and still can’t get enough.
I’ve only finished 2 series as of the mid-year.
Exit Strategy by Jocelynn Drake – a pair of squeetastic mercenary boyfriends fighting for their freedom from the biz. (4 stars)
Fog City by Layla Reyne – a twisty, action-suspense assassin story that ended with less bang than I expected. (3 stars)Standalones are harder to find as most books are part of a series. Here are some standouts.
The Remaking of Corbin Wale by Roan Parrish – a whimsical, oh so soft story about two wonderful people finding that magical connection. (5 stars)
Freckles by Amy Lane – a fluffy tale of a cute puppy bringing two do-gooding people together. (4 stars)
Kiss Me Again by Garrett Leigh – a sweet hurt/comfort story of two men who met at the hospital and made each other’s lives more colorful (4.5 stars)
Falling for My Roommate by Garrett Leigh – another hurt/comfort gem about two roommates who were so much, much more than that. (4 stars)I am stingy with my stars but the first half of this year saw 5 books earning that golden 5-star rating:
The Vampire’s Club Book 5 by X. Aratare – this little vampirelicious obsession of mine just keeps getting better and better
Promises Part 4 by A.E. Via – I knew early on Brian King’s book will be good but man, it really blew me away.
The Remaking of Corbin Wale by Roan Parrish – I really love those soft magical boys!
Tallowwood by N.R. Walker – police procedural, hurt/comfort at it’s best. Also, August has a dimple!
Any Old Diamonds by K.J. Charles – outstanding characterization and tension you can cut with a knife made this one of the author’s best.What books made it to your 5-star list?
Future Reads
I’m still trying to overcome my procrastination and get to those books that are part of the series I’m currently committed to. Those are my future reads.
Check out SERIES STUFF: Ongoing Series for a-rundown of the series I need to finish.
I received an ARC of Redemption by Garrett Leigh. The blurb reads:
Reformed gangster Luis falls hard for his boss. When friendship turns to love, it’s up to Paolo to convince him second chances are worth the pain.
This is going to be good, I just know it!.
I love audiobooks and I currently have 3 that are up for a listen.
Promise is an ex-con/cop romance with a single dad on the run and an adorable daughter to protect. I just finished this. It fell something between like and love. I posted a review here.
I enjoyed most Garrett Leigh books so I immediately jumped on a chance to sign up for a review copy of Rented Heart, a rent boy romance. Expect a lot of angst.
The Young Americans is a series about actors. The second book, True Faith was just released. I’m excited to read that but first, I have the audiobook for Just Like Heaven! Yay!
What are your audiobook picks for this year?
TAGS and MISC Posts
NEW YEARS TAG
THE MUSIC TAG
BOOKS I DNFed OR PUT ON HOLD
BOOKS I DNFed OR PUT ON HOLD (Part 2)
ALPHABETICALS BOOK TAG: A
ALPHABETICALS BOOK TAG: B
SERIES STUFF: Begin the Begin
SERIES STUFF: The Finished Ones
SERIES STUFF: Series I Dropped
SERIES STUFF: Ongoing Series
Possible Queer Story Prompts Inspired by Songs
MINI MOVIE REVIEWS: From Rom-Coms to Serial Killers
MINI MOVIE REVIEWS: A Bit of Drama and Some Hokey Vampires
FAVORITE COVERS: May 2020
So that’s my midyear wrap-up for 2020. Here’s hoping the rest of the year treats us well!
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BLOG TOUR: Till Death Do Us Part by Dieter Moitzi (Excerpt)
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BOOK TOUR: Volley by Lynn Michaels (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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SERIES REVIEW: Gods of Earth Series by Nina R. Schluntz (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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MANGA: Shitasaki No Netsu
Shitasaki no Netsu – Kunieda Saika
Valentine Day special with the couple from Mimitabu no Riyuu. Eight years later, they are still the same.
Two idiots fighting over chocolates to prove their love.
“This Valentine’s Day, Ishikawa has sworn to make highly murderous chocolate next year.”
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AUDIO REVIEW: Promise by R.J. Scott
Single Dads: Promise – R.J. Scott
Leo Byrne is a cop, Jason Banks is an ex-con. Even after one stolen kiss, something has to give before Leo can convince Jason that falling in love is even an option.
Adopted at a young age, Leo is part of the sprawling Byrnes family. With his dog Cap, three siblings and a whole mess of nieces and nephews, he is never lonely, and his life is full. Love is the last item on his to-do list, but seeing his best friends Sean and Eric happy and making new families makes him want things he doesn’t think is possible. Kissing Jason at an event to honor his bravery was one thing, but anything other than that is off limits. Until Jason has no one left to turn to, and it’s Leo who helps him at his lowest. Taking Jason and his daughter into his home is one thing, but falling for the ex-con is something else altogether.
Jason made a deal to keep his daughter safe and spent years behind bars as a result. Volunteering as a convict firefighter was as much about helping the community as saving his sanity, but now that he’s out, he doesn’t even have that. He’s lost his future, his self-respect, and has no friends or a place to call home. Worst of all, even after rescuing his daughter he still can’t keep her safe from the man who wants to use her as a bargaining chip for money. Meeting Leo might give Jason a way to keep Daisy safe, but falling for the stubborn cop means the truth has to be revealed, and he could lose everything all over again.
Prepare for a chockful of ex-con+cop tension and sweet father-daughter moments in this moving contemporary romance by R.J. Scott.
Promise is the third book of Single Dads, a series featuring three best friends who work as emergency responders and the men who came into their lives. I started this series with Today, the second book about Brady and Eric, the firefighter and one of Leo’s bestfriends.
Jason was introduced as the convict working alongside the firefighters in a big forest fire incident where he saved Eric’s life. Eric and his friends promised they would do everything to help shorten his sentence.
Jason immediately piqued my interest. My gut told me he was a good guy who was dealt a bad hand. I knew there’s some big story behind his imprisonment that’s worth checking out.
Fast forward to the present time, Jason is out of prison and on the run with his 3 year old daughter, Daisy, in tow. Daisy’s mother, who came from a rich but shady family, was involved with an abusive boyfriend who was demanding money and threatening their lives. The man is wanted by the FBI. Jason and Daisy aren’t safe until he was caught.
Leo found Jason and Daisy outside his doorstep. His protective cop mode immediately kicked into high gear. He didn’t hesitate to take them in.
Jason’s backstory was indeed interesting. There were mob connections, drug overdoses, stint in bands, hacking and so on. However, most of these were told rather than shown. I wanted to see more of Jason’s life before he showed up at Leo’s house.
Leo and Jason had a history of sharing a kiss neither of them forgot. When they saw each other again, the attraction was still there. I liked that the story took time to build the trust and connection between the characters before things got physical. For sure, there were a lot of internal angstyings and things left unsaid. It would have saved them the agony if only they talked. But it took a while to gain Jason’s trust.
The book focused primarily in developing the romance, establishing the bonds between Jason, Leo and Daisy, and helping Jason and Daisy heal from their ordeal. There were plenty hurt/comfort to warm the heart.
And we also have Daisy lighting up the story by being her adorable self. Also lovable doggie antics courtesy of Cap, Leo’s black Labrador.
Narrator Sean Crisden hit the right emotional notes and I generally enjoyed his narrations. My only niggle with his speaking style is that when he reads, the words kind of run together, like he’s reading them a notch too fast. They’re not as enunciated as other narrators. I mentioned this too in my review of his other audiobooks. This could be a me problem since I’m not a native English speaker.
IMHO, pure contemporary romance of the heartwarming variety could get pretty sappy sometimes. Promise has a good balance between the emotional elements of the story. It’s the book to read for tales of angsty men with trouble on their heels, conflicted cops falling for ex-cons and precocious toddlers ready to save their dads.
P.S.
Thank You to Signal Boost Promotions and Audible UK for giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Read about how Jason saved Eric’s life in Single Dads Book 2, Today, review here.
R.J. Scott books here.Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Lifted
Artist: Birdy
Album: Beautiful Lies