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REVIEW: Got Me Hoping by Casey Cox
Vet Shop Boys: Got Me Hoping – Casey Cox
It’s just a one-night stand, they said. It’ll be simple, no-strings fun, they said. They. Lied.
I’m done with love and being broken-hearted. The only dogs I want to deal with are the ones I treat in the veterinary clinic I work at.
But at thirty-four, having my first one-night stand can’t hurt. Right? The rules are pretty simple.
1. Don’t spend the night.
2. Don’t see him again.
3. Don’t share anything personal.
4. Don’t fall in love with him.But when Haze, the guy I spent a blazing hot night with and haven’t been able to forget about, shows up as our new receptionist, the rules fly out the window.
There’s no way one night could lead to anything more. So why has Haze got me hoping this might just last?
Got Me Hoping is book 1 in the Vet Shop Boys series and can be read as a stand-alone. Expect plenty of humor, found family, an adorable golden retriever, a foul-mouthed parrot, a whole new way of getting clean (as well as very, very dirty) and a heartwarming happily ever after!
Got Me Hoping is the opener of Casey Cox‘s contemporary romance series, Vet Shop Boys. The prospect of cute couples with fur babies piqued my interest, so I had to give this series a go.
It took a few tries for the book to stick because the opening chapters weren’t that riveting. It wasn’t until Henry Cavill-lookalike and veterenarian Noah started hanging out with Haze regularly that it clicked. As Jeff and Will of Big Gay Fiction Podcast would say, this is a story about nice guys doing nice things.
Although we have examples of sunshiny all-around sweethearts who are completely adorable, our favorite angel Aziraphale being the perfect example, Noah and Haze failed to make me gush, despite being two perfectly, genuinely nice guys. These two men feel like secondary characters in their own book.
The character that stole the spotlight was the 40-something owner of Vet Shop Boys, Gus, a.k.a. the best boss in the world. He’s been through the wringer, first with the death of his former partner, who was also the co-founder of the clinic. As if it’s not bad enough, his new husband was caught cheating on the very day of their wedding. Now the asshole is demanding half of the clinic in their divorce.
Gus’s story was more compelling, and reading the blurb of his book, he’s going to be paired with a younger man. Which was disappointing because I was hoping for an equally mature boyfriend for him. There’s too few silver fox+silver fox romances, sadly.
Noah and Haze’s romance was mellow and comfortable, spiced with some kinky nipple play and a lot of rimming. They’re kinda forgettable, but at least they’re having fun.
The plot focuses on realistic problems and follows the MCs as they go about their days while breaking the rules of one-night stands. They navigate their relationship while Haze ponders what he wants to do with his life. This is what stood out to me the most.
All his life, Haze jumps from one thing to another, good enough at everything but never a master of something. He took microbiology in college, then bounced from one odd job to another, including a bed tester. Now, he’s on his second degree, while making soaps and part-timing at the Vet. And still feeling lost.
This is eerily similar to my situation, especially during my younger days. I majored in applied physics, even have a masters in the damn subject. But then I worked several odd jobs, and took various courses, including fashion design and hairstyling.
If somebody asked me before what I want to do with my life, I really didn’t know. Now, I’ll probably say my dream is to have enough resources to do what I want when I want it. That should cover everything.
Got Me Hoping is a good example of a 3-star book for me. It didn’t set my world on fire, but it got me hooked on the series.
Rating:
3 Stars โ not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked itSoundtrack: Break The Rules
Artist: Ruen Brothers
Album: Break The Rules
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REVIEW: The Vicar and the Rake by Annabelle Greene
The Vicar and the Rake – Annabelle Greene
Debut author Annabelle Greene brings us the brilliant first book in her Society of Beasts series, in which a quiet country vicar is unwillingly reunited with the duke who left him long agoโฆ
As a young man, Sir Gabriel Winters left behind his status as a gentleman, turning his back on his secret desires and taking a self-imposed vow of celibacy. Now heโs a chaste, hardworking vicar, and his reputation is beyond reproach. But, try as he might, heโs never forgotten the man he once desired or the pain of being abandoned by his first love.
Edward Stanhope, the Duke of Caddonfell, is a notorious rake, delighting in scandal no matter the consequence. With a price on his head, he flees to the countryside, forced to keep his presence a secret or risk assassination. When Edward finds Gabriel on his estate, burning with fever, he cannot leave him to die, but taking him in puts them both in jeopardy.
With the help of a notorious blackmailer, a society of rich and famous gentlemen who prefer gentlemen, and a kitten named Buttons, they might just manage to save Edwardโs lifeโbut the greatest threat may be to their hearts.
I’ve complained that historicals haven’t worked for me since last year, even the usually brilliant K.J. Charles books.
The Vicar and the Rake was a random pick and a blind read at that. I was ecstatic that not only did it click, it was a one-sitter and a 5-star!
I was already deep inside the story when I realized similarities to the classic historical series, Society of Gentleman by K.J. Charles. I totally didn’t mind. If it was an homage, it was a wonderfully done tribute to my favorite gay gents.
This is the story of two childhood friends, Edward Stanhope and Gabriel Winters. They spent their youthful days on the cusps of secret evolving feelings when Edward ghosted, leaving Gabriel adrift and pining.
Ten years later, the infamous rake, Edward a.k.a. Scandal, skulks back to his estate with a pugnacious, insolent valet in tow. He’s hiding from the Duke of Sussex, who is hellbent on his demise after he was caught canoodling with the duke’s son. Upon arrival, Edward stumbles upon Gabriel, now a vicar, lying unconscious and feverish in the gardens.
Edward is the founder of the Society of Beasts, along with his friends Frakes, Hartley, and Lambert. This is an uber-elite, super-secret club for gentlemen who prefer gentlemen. They called themselves Beasts the same way queers have embraced the word that was previously a slur.
The four friends band together to save Edward and take down the enemy duke, but cracks appear when a traitor is discovered among their ranks. Who?! I wished the other Beasts were introduced sooner so there’s more time to flesh out their personalities.
I get that most of the plot focused on delicious tension between Edward and Gabriel, and I enjoyed the heck out of it. The two are dorks, Edward most of all. The man is hot/cold, skittish, and desperately wants to be good but fails miserably. Gabriel is heart eyes, stalwart adoration, and pure goodness. It was hallelujahs when Edward finally stopped running!
However, the best character was Morris, Edward’s formidable and hella scary secret-monger brother. He is the most feared man in London, who knows everyone’s deepest, darkest secrets and rumored to hold even the regent himself by the throat.
I love Morris so much! You’d think he’d be vile and evil. Sure, he’s cold, blunt, and utterly Machiavellian, but he’s also at his wit’s end trying to save the life of a brother who seemed flagrantly unrepentant about the trouble he caused and is now making more trouble with the vicar as we speak.
At first, I couldn’t understand why Morris was making that much effort. He always acts like he hates Edward. Later, it was revealed how much Edward sacrificed to protect his little brother from their abusive father during their childhood. I realized, the bond between the brothers will always be unbreakable and true no matter how they act towards each other. For me, this was the most poignant part of the story.
A delightful female character was introduced in the form of Gabriel’s sister, Caroline, recently widowed. Graceful, proper, and uncannily perceptive, she matched Morris’s wit and strategic genius, subtly nudging his thoughts in unexpected but enlightening points as they hatch their counterattack to Sussex. And this woman is simply divine for bringing out Morris’s endearing human side.
As all best Regencies go, The Vicar and The Rake is ripe with USTs, shenanigans, danger, mystery, and intrigue. The dialogues are sharp and witty, and listening to this kind of writing when narrated by the great Cornell Collins is pure eargasm! Captivating, twisty turn-y, combustible, and perfectly put together, this is exactly how historical romance should be!
Rating:
5 Stars โ absolutely perfectSoundtrack: Move Me
Artist: Half Alive
Album: Conditions of a Punk
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BLOG TOUR: Head Over Feels by Bix Barrow (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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REVIEW: Woods of the Raven by Mary Calmes
Woods of the Raven – Mary Calmes
Something wicked this way comesโฆand it might be too late to stop it. Xander Corey lives simply, sustainably, on the outskirts of Osprey, a small, quaint town in Upstate New York. Heโs a librarian when the townโs budget can afford him, a good friend, kind neighbor, and also, a witch. And while thatโs of no concern to anyone around him, there are others, non-humans, who have a vested interest in Xanderโs family land. Xander knows something dark and dangerous is brewing. Heโs just not quite sure what.
And thatโs not the only mystery heโs dealing with. The new chief of police is, by turns, giving him heart palpitations and homicidal thoughts. Xander canโt decide if the gorgeous yet infuriating Lorne MacBain is on his side, or trying to drive him insane. Added to that, the man doesnโt believe in magic, and since thatโs who Xander is, their future looks anything but bright.
But Lorne is not the unimaginative, stick-in-the-mud Xander thinks he is. And a rock to anchor him as his life is turning upside down is just the thing Xander needs. Now if only the two of them can stay aliveโฆ
The cover is gorgeously atmospheric!
I’m familiar with Mary Calmes as I’ve seen many of her works. Woods of the Raven is my first read from her, and needless to say, I have high expectations from a veteran author.
The premise (and the cover) immediately caught my attention. A small town in New York with its very own guardian witch watching over the land. It is something I would call a witch procedural. It is very rich in witchcraft with an emphasis on the “craft” part.
MC Xander Corey goes around town offering advice, explaining arcane stuff, helping people cleanse their homes, making potions, wreaths, and something called witch ladder, which he also sells at the fair. He donates the proceeds to animal charities because his magic is a gift. Therefore he cannot accept payments. The book goes into detail in the makings of the items as well steps in doing the rituals.
The story reads very much like a cozy slice of life that stumbled upon a murder mystery. Romance comes in the form of the hunky new sheriff, Lorne Macbain, who brought the crime to Xander’s notice because it happened near his property.
Having antagonistic run-ins with the sheriff before, Xander was surprised to learn that those were rather confusing attempts by the sheriff to get his attention. Apparently, the poor man has been crushing on the town witch for a while but Xander was oblivious.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t a fan of the storytelling. Whatever plot the novel had was buried under piles of explanations and info-dumps. While I enjoy being educated in witchcraft, the story also felt the need to cram all the possible lore and magical creatures known, in addition to the Corey family background and town history. And so, sadly, the magic is lost in all that telling. Also, a bit confusing to those not very familiar with western folklore.
I love standalone novels, but this one could use a sequel or two so there would be room to show the other events rather than sacrifice plot, character, and romantic development for explanations. Because heck, even the romance was lackluster in its failure to build palpable chemistry.
I also felt we only skimmed the surface of Xander’s and Lorne’s characters. Also, Xander’s best friend Amanda was a strong woman in theory but in action was an overbearing caricature. I wished her character was executed better.
However, the story did exceptionally well in the boss fight scene because it was thrilling and action-packed with awesome displays of wild magic. This is what Xander was born to do, and boy, was he bad ass!
Woods of the Raven had a great premise but suffered in its delivery. Goes to show a little telling goes a long way.
Rating:
2.5 Stars โ far from hate but not quite a likeSoundtrack: When The Raven Calls
Artist: Spirit of the Woods
Album:
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WOODS OF THE RAVEN: Kindle | Audiobook
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SERIES REVIEW: Secrets and Scrabble Books 6-7 by Josh Lanyon
Secrets and Scrabble: Lament at Loon Landing – Josh Lanyon
Fakes, folk music, and ghost fires
When legendary folk singer Lara Fairplay agrees to make her comeback appearance at Pirate Coveโs annual maritime music festival, everyone in the quaint seaside village is delightedโincluding mystery bookstore owner and sometimes amateur sleuth, Ellery Page.
Lara is scheduled to perform a recently discovered piece of music attributed to โthe father of American music,โ Stephen Foster.
Several mysterious accidents later, Ellery is less delightedโespecially when it becomes clear to him that someone plans to silence the celebrity songbird forever.
Rating:
4 Stars โ minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Loon
Artist: Volody
Album
Secrets and Scrabble: Death at the Deep Dive – Josh Lanyon
When Pirate Cove’s mystery bookstore owner and sometimes-amateur sleuth Ellery Page discovers a vintage diving collection bag full of antique gold coins tucked away for safe keeping in the stockroom of The Crowโs Nest, it sets off a series of increasingly dangerous events, culminating in meeting Police Chief Jack Carsonโs parents. Erโฆ Culminating in murder.
Rating:
4 Stars โ minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Dive
Artist: Olivia Dean
Album
Secrets and Scrabble is a charming cozy mystery set in small-town Pirates’ Cove starring former actor and now bookseller Ellery Page, and his boyfriend, Police Chief Jack Carson.
At this point, the series is now more cozy than mysterious. The experience more a pleasant visit to old (very nosy) friends than an exercise at sleuthing. The books are highly entertaining, the characters are mostly septuagenarians running a very, very efficient gossip mill, and Ellery and Jack are uber-endearing as a couple.
For Lament at Loon Landing, the island is graced by the presence of an ex-con folk singer and her colorful entourage. With death threats hanging over her head, Ellery is voluntold to find out if the threats are real. Our boy now has a reputation as a sleuth, and as much as it exasperates Jack, the chief is still the supportive boyfriend who helps Ellery with tips a.k.a. case notes here and there.
Death at the Deep Dive circles back to the doubloons Ellery and Jack found during their diving date in Book 5, Body at Buccaneer’s Bay. The matriarch of one of the old families, the Shantys, hired Ellery to find out who killed her brother, the former owner of the doubloons.
For both books, the culprits were very obvious. I’m not sure if author Josh Lanyon is mirroring the real world, where the main suspect is usually the criminal. It was all a matter of tagging along until Ellery connected the dots.
Not to say the mysteries are not intriguing because they are. It’s how they weave through island life, moving Ellery through various peoples and locales of Pirate’s Cove. It makes everything more immersive.
In Book 6, the conflict between the MCs is Jack torn between his duty as the police chief and his personal connections with the people involved in the case. I am Team Jack here because the Chief is really just doing his job.
For Book 7, not much relationship conflict here. Things are getting more serious between Ellery and Jack. The ending was a super cute surprise!
Lament at Loon Landing and Death at the Deep Dive kept Secrets and Scrabble‘s cozy small-town magic going strong. The mysteries might not be mindboggling, but overall, I’m eager for another exciting stay.
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REVIEW: Zero Divergence by Aimee Nicole Walker
Zero Hour: Zero Divergence – Aimee Nicole Walker
Zero Divergence, noun: no deviation from a course or standard.
After a key piece of evidence goes missing, a suspected serial rapist and killer evades prosecution. More than Royce Lockeโs reputation is on the line when his investigation into the failed chain of custody suggests Franco Humphries mightโve had inside help. Thereโs no one Royce trusts more than Sawyer Key to help him right a wrong and uncover the traitor in their midst, but can they do it before the Savannah Strangler strikes again?
Relentless plus fearless equals flawless. Sawyer and Royce have come full circleโfrom hostile strangers to best friends and lovers. Neither a sniperโs bullet nor an arsonistโs fire could keep them apart, but what about a psychopath hell-bent on revenge? The stakes are high, and thereโs no turning back now because the zero hour is upon them. Tick tock.
Zero Divergence is the conclusion to the best-selling Zero Hour series, which follows Locke and Keyโs investigations and evolving relationship. This is a series you MUST read in order. It contains mature language and sexual content intended for adults 18 and older.
Trigger warning: Part of the storyline involves coming to terms with a friendโs suicide, which may be difficult for some people to read.
Back when Zero Divergence was newly released, I read a review complaining about the unsatisfying parking lot HFN closing scene of the series finale. It put me off this book, but now we know author Aimee Nicole Walker has something more in store for Sawyer and Royce, in their second series, Sawyer and Royce: Matrimony and Mayhem.
Before I delve into that, this finale needs to be read.
The story picks up right after the big fire in Book 2, Devil’s Hour. Sawyer is coping with the aftermath of his injuries, bit of a blow to his vanity but trying not to let it so. Royce is the extra supportive and loving boyfriend so relationship-wise, the boys are stronger than ever. Uptight Sawyer now shows his playful side more often.
The plot tackles the case of a serial killer who was convicted but released after key evidence went missing. It is a disturbing tale of how charismatic serial killers could be and the lengths their rabid, deluded fans go through to aid and abet their evil schemes.
So the detectives had to play it smart, especially with the killer easily gaining sympathy and many people still believing his innocence. The investigation brought together various frenemies with the necessary skills, many of them characters from the spin off series, Sinister in Savannah.
This is the kind of mystery where I enjoy tagging along with the detectives. I am also heavily invested in them giving the villain his comeuppance. The bad guys were already known, and it was a matter of retracing evidence, and gathering new ones to make sure the vile bastard stayed in prison for good.
Zero Divergence doesn’t read like a series finale, and we now know why. But it gives us one hell of a showdown and a satisfying conclusion to a gripping investigation. Overall, a solid police procedural and a romantic suspense that delivers the squees and the thrills!
Rating:
4 Stars โ minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Bound
Artist: Indiana
Album
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Zero Divergence: US
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ZERO DIVERGENCE
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Hunter by Mell Eight (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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BLOG TOUR: Asking for a Friend by J.J. Harper (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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RELEASE BLITZ: Asking for a Friend by J.J. Harper (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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COVER REVEAL: Asking for a Friend by J.J. Harper (Giveaway)
