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    BOOKS I DNFed OR PUT ON HOLD (Part 4)

    More unfinished books when I was in a bit of a reading slump last month. At least it’s not as bad as the 3-year one I had back in 2013. It wasn’t until I discovered Captive Prince that I got my mojo back in 2016.

    This little slump didn’t last long thankfully and I am back on track thanks to Cat Sebastian‘s wonderful friends-to-lovers story, Two Rogues Make a Right. Let’s hope it stayed that way.

    Below are the books currently up in the air and/or not doing it for me.

    Check out other books I dropped and/or stubbornly not letting go: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3


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    Steel, one of the last Dire Wolves on earth, has searched more than 100 years for the special mate promised by the Fates. Discouraged after meeting his latest prospect, he sees a naked hitchhiker on his way home who’s everything he’d envisioned the man of his dreams would be. His wolf and body tell him he’s found his fated mate but why can’t he pick up his scent?

    I love shifter romances but I balk at certain genre tropes that some people love. Fated mates could be a hit or miss. It comes down to a well-done execution. Omegas and MPREG? Not really my thing. Which sadly is what happened here. The hardcore fans would love this though so if wolf dads are your thing, I’d say go for this.

    P.S.

    My fault for not reading blurbs carefully.


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    A kidnapping, slave auction, revelations of long-kept family secrets and a rare, powerful gift from the gods are some of the surprises in store for both of them until they finally find their way into each other’s hearts after discovering neither is who the other thought he was.

    Okay so this is me hoping things would click this time. Thing is, I kind of liked the whole premise of the series. I want to see the brothers find their mates. Normally, I like multiple POVs but this was all over the place. The cheesy bits was too much for my liking. I held on for as long as I could but gave up eventually.


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    Can two men keep a childhood promise for marital bliss?

    I have yet to wrangle feels for this book because sadly, it’s is not clicking with me the way Surprise Groom did. I couldn’t really pinpoint what was wrong. Could be the characters weren’t as interesting as book 1 or working at the ranch scenarios didn’t make for riveting reads Which is unfortunate because the chemistry is there. Another try then.


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    They have nothing in common—so why does Ryan feel most like himself whenever he’s with Fabian?

    I really feel bad for having a hard time finishing this because poor cinnamon roll, Ryan Price, needs our love. It’s one of those books with all the right ingredients but yet somehow still come up short for some vague, unexplainable reason. Which is why I think this is purely a ME problem. I’m not abandoning Ryan and Fabian, no no no.


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    Detective Lane West doesn’t do Complicated. Especially when it comes to his personal life.

    Dr. Aiden Sharp is Complicated. Complicated in ways that Lane can barely get his mind around when he’s forced to babysit Aiden as a favor for the District Attorney.

    After that, things get very Complicated.

    I’ve been wanting to get my hands on this series for a long time now. Now that it’s here, my slump hit. I’m liking the few chapters I’ve read so far and how Aidan is blowing Lane’s mind the first couple of days they’re together. This promises to be a good series opener so I’m holding on.


    What’s the worst slump have you been in? How did you break the curse? Here’s hoping you’re having a better luck this weekend!

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    REVIEW: Say You’ll Be Nine by Lucy Lennox

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    Say You’ll Be Nine – Lucy Lennox

    One dilapidated cabin in need of renovation.

    Two stubborn men pretending to be a couple.

    Three summer months to get the job done.

    Four tangled legs in only one bed.

    Five cameras catching it all for YouTube.

    Six hundred thousand Instagram followers.

    Seven nosy family members with Opinions.

    Eight thousand reasons they should never fall in love.

    Nine million reasons why they will.

    Say You’ll Be Nine is a standalone novel.


    NINE! (♡´౪`♡)

    Isaac ‘Nine’ Winshed is all kinds of adorbs and sweet and gentle and shy. He would rather be hit by a train than let someone be hurt under his watch. When he was a child he didn’t want his favorite chicken, Sir Pecks-a-lot, to be eaten so he let it live in his closet.

    The man lives to help other people. He wields a hammer like Thor and has the heart of Captain America. His superpower is home renovation. He vlogs about DIY projects on Youtube. The best thing about him is that he didn’t feel too good to be true. I loved how author, Lucy Lennox, made him alive and relatable.

    Nine is the ninth in a family of 12. All his life, he’s been dating girls but never really felt the spark. It wasn’t until he was with Cooper when he realized something about himself. For him, it’s not the the gender but the person. And Cooper was that person.

    Cooper Heath is an aspiring actor hoping to make it big in Hollywood. He’s best friends with Eli, Nine’s big brother. Cooper was the opposite of Nine in many ways. He’s witty, extroverted, very talkative and a bit dramatic. He’s highly self-reliant and doesn’t like asking for help. He’s currently back in town, living with his mom and twin brother, Jackson.

    Jacks has a rare blood disorder and they needed money for a bone marrow transplant. The fastest way was to accept a sponsorship for an LGBT-oriented DIY show on Youtube where Coop and Nine pretend to be a gay couple and renovate a cabin in the woods.

    Coop can’t tell his Phillips from a Robertson but he’s very social media savvy. His superpower is Instagram. The project should be easy. All he needed to do was make them look good.

    Except…how NOT to fall for the very attractive lumberjack+fake boyfriend whom you were kinda crushing on since when you were a kid? The same lumberjack+fake boyfriend who’s the younger brother of your best friend and by all accounts, straight?

    Things are getting real really fast!

    I want to see that time-lapse video of the cabin being renovated. As Nine said, it was like watching him and Cooper fall in love. It was fantastic to see how the characters developed and their romance transition from reel to real.

    I totally loved how Nine embraced everything with an open heart and an open mind. He himself admitted he was naive but he learned fast and he gave it his all. Coop was very patient with him and they talked everything out, at first. It was wasn’t until the latter part that they headed towards that notorious miscommunication+separation route.

    After which we are rewarded with a grand gesture moment that was so cute and so endearingly Nine. I wished this was a movie because that scene would be so beautiful on screen.

    Cooper was no slouch either. He pulled off his own grand gesture with perfect timing with the best Christmas present ever. That ending was pure ♡ ♡ ♡ !

    Say You’ll Be Nine is my first book from the author and I loved it to bits! This is a contemporary, opposite-attracts, forced proximity, fake boyfriend romance with a slight enemies-but-not-really angle thrown in. There’s also the brother’s bestfriend trope and first time gay going on. Everything came together in the best way possible.

    It’s pretty much guaranteed, after reading this book, you’ll want a Nine in your life too!

    Rating:
    4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step away

    Soundtrack: You’ll Be Mine
    Artist: Irma Kooper
    Album:

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    PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE (August 5, 2020)

    Found this tag on Chelle’s Book Ramblings . It’s simple and fun. I thought I would put my own spin on it and make it a weekly thing.

    Original Rules

    • Find a book published 10+ years ago.
    • Find a book that will be published THIS year.
    • Find a book that will be published NEXT year.

    Some slight revision of the rules:

    • Find a book published 10+ years ago
    • Find a book that will be published THIS month.
    • Find a book that will be published NEXT month.
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    REVIEW: Ground Zero by Aimee Nicole Walker

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    Zero Hour: Ground Zero – Aimee Nicole Walker

    Ground zero, noun: the center or origin of rapid, intense, or violent activity or change.

    Heat, humidity, and homicide are things veteran detective Sawyer Key expects to encounter on his first day with the Savannah Police Department, but the hostile reception from his new partner catches him by surprise. Sawyer isn’t a stranger to heartache and recognizes that Royce Locke is a wounded man who’s reeling from a devastating loss. Relentless and patient in all things, Sawyer is determined to make the new partnership work.

    Savannah, Georgia is known for her quirky people, oak trees draped in Spanish moss, and antebellum architecture. Beneath the Southern charm and hospitality, festering hatred and violence is soaring with the summer temperatures. Locke and Key find themselves at the epicenter when their first case involves the death of a former shock jock who appears to be the victim of vigilante justice.

    Opposites in nearly every way, the two detectives set aside their differences to take back their city and restore law and order. From this reluctant truce, an intense attraction grows that will either tighten or shatter their tenuous bond. Falling for his partner spells inevitable disaster, but Sawyer’s always been a sucker for wounded things. Sawyer could be the key to the life Royce has always wanted, if he’s brave enough to trust him. The fuse is lit, the clock is running, and the zero hour is upon them. Tick tock.

    Ground Zero is the first book in the Zero Hour series, which follows Locke and Key’s investigations and evolving relationship. Ground Zero has a happy-for-now ending with no cliffhanger. It contains mature language and sexual content intended for adults 18 and older.


    “I mean, I want you to mourn me properly, but then I want you to find an epic love. Promise me right now, Sawyer.”

    Sawyer’s husband, Victor, has passed away two year ago, leaving a hole in his life. After some scandal in his old precinct, he was recruited by the SPD and partnered with the notorious Royce Locke

    Everyone knows Royce Locke is an asshole. He’s quite flirty with the ladies but gave the impression that he doesn’t really care. He just lost his old partner who’s also a close friend and so very not looking forward to his replacement. It was kind of funny how their co-workers all took bets on how long Sawyer would last (one day) because Locke lost no time antagonizing his new partner.

    But Sawyer was no doormat. He’s not about to throw away his new job so he sassed him right back. I loved their banter! The chemistry and tension rolled off them like waves. All these while doing good work as detectives.

    Sawyer also cannot resist strays and wounded souls. He took one look at Locke and knew a cry for help when he saw one.

    The romance here started insta but evolved slowly. It first appeared that Locke was straight with his sexuality hinted as bi later on. I almost didn’t like him but I really liked how the story let the two men talk candidly about whatever issues they have, whether personal or work-related.

    It wasn’t easy nor did the conversations came out smooth but I appreciated how petty misunderstandings were avoided by laying it all out in the open. It also lead the way to Locke finally taking a step forward and me connecting with him.

    I would have paid good money to get inside his head too. He was a mystery himself. But seeing him through Sawyer’s eyes, we see how his walls come down bit by bit. Now and again, we catch glimpses of the ‘not asshole’ Locke. Somebody who’s vulnerable and grieving. A friend who took care of his late partner’s widow. A man who adores children. It made for a satisfying momentous moment when it was time for Locke to bare his soul.

    Somehow this reminds me of Hazard & Somerset but written in Somers POV. I have the audiobook and Tristan James is the narrator. He used his Somers voice for Sawyer and his Hazard voice for Locke. The book is written entirely in Sawyer’s POV and his personality reminded me of Somers. Friendly, popular but with hurts aplenty.

    One thing that sets this book apart from other law enforcement/police procedural romance, is that Locke and Key worked on multiple cases. Normally, the partners would be working just one major case, almost always a serial killing.

    Working on different cases in one book is a more realistic depiction of police work. It also gave the story a slice-of-life feel to it. The cases were complicated and interesting. There is enough procedural work here to satisfy any fan of the genre.

    This is a great opener. There’s just the right amount of mystery, suspense and romance. The HFN ending builds the anticipation for the next book. Right now, there is a future waiting to be explored and a promise waiting to be fulfilled. The two men just started their journey together. I can’t wait till they get there!

    Rating:
    4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits

    Soundtrack: 1313
    Artist: The Big Pink
    Album: Future This