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susanylee

susanylee

My Holiday Series Read

I, very fortunately, work in an industry that usually shuts it's doors the days between Christmas and New Years.  So, each holiday, I devote to reading a series that I've be eyeing but have put off...one that requires an investment of time and energy and emotion...undisturbed.

 

Last year, I spent every waking moment reading "In the Company of Shadows".  It was the most grueling and emotional read I've ever put myself through.  And now that I've checked off most of the epic M/M series (Special Forces, The Administration, ICoS, (most of) Captive Prince), I wasn't quite sure what to read this year. 

 

But now, I've decided.  My holiday series read will be: 

 

 

Admittedly, I saw the trailer for the 1st movie a few weeks back and it's what kinda made me lean towards this. I've been wanting to read it, but just hadn't had the push.  Now, I do. 

 

I'll keep you posted on how it goes! 

 

 

 

"Ball & Chain" by Abigail Roux: ONE scene made it worth it...

Shock & Awe - Abigail Roux

Ok...so I'm not certain that I'm any more interested in Nick and Kelly then I was before. They'll always be secondary characters to me...so I read this whole book being amused, entertained, and curious. But, mostly I found myself waiting and hoping for a Ty & Zane (mostly just Zane) sighting. 

The story itself is an interesting exploration of GFY with your best friend...your brother in arms. And I enjoyed the banter and the honest care between Nick & Kelly. But, again...at this point I really only care about them in that they're connected to my main boys. 

So, I'd say this book was a decent read...and a nice treat for Cut & Run fans. It just didn't wow me. 

NOW...with all that said...ONE SCENE DID. ME. IN. And reading the 100+ pages for this ONE bit was worth it to me. 

The airport. 
The goodbyes. 
The hugs. 
Zane. 
Nick.

“Please bring him back alive,” Zane whispered as he clung to Nick.
Nick nodded jerkily. “I promise.”


Gah...I'm choking up right now even as I type it. I was bawling last night as I read it. ONE SCENE.

Ball & Chain CANNOT come soon enough for me...

ZANE. MY. LOVE...

"Clarity of Lines" by NR Walker: Thomas Elkin, my (understated) dream man

I love Thomas Elkin.


I let it be known to all that I love Thomas Elkin.

But when people ask why, it’s hard to really explain. He’s not this dashing alpha-male character who saves the world. He’s not overtly charismatic or sexy in an obvious way. He’s not the kind of character that people fangirl over and make collages and videos about.

He’s just Thomas.

He’s older. He’s mature. He’s established, successful. He’s finding himself. He’s letting himself find himself. He’s navigating the many landmines of dating a younger man, a younger man who is friends with his son. He’s reliable. He’s flawed. He’s witty. He’s brilliant. Some might thing boring where I think steadfast. He’s…so freaking dreamy…to me, at least. :)

Book 2 of this series just gives us more of Thomas…and for me, that would have been enough. But, since this is a romance between TWO characters, it also gives us more of Cooper. And surprisingly…that really worked for me too. Considering I wasn’t entirely sold on Cooper after book 1, I’m…well…I’m warming up to him. :) I am mostly just happy to see Thomas happy…and in love.

I would suspect that if you don’t love Thomas as much as I do (and really, NO ONE loves him as much as I do! :) ), the book might seem a cycle of some repetition: a bunch of smut, followed by introducing the relationship to a family member or friend, followed by a bunch of smut, and then another introduction of the relationship to a family member or friend, and then some additional smut…you get the picture.

But, I liked that smut. DAMN it was hot.

And I liked reading about how Thomas and Cooper met the challenge of their family and friends head on. And NR Walker then throws in a really emotional and difficult twist…that ties everything up so well. It brought the relationship between Thomas and Cooper into perspective…two men who love, need, and support each other…regardless of age.

If you’re a fan of book 1, you will really enjoy this follow up.

If you like the May/December romance trope, give this series a try.

If you’re a NR Walker fan, then duh…you’re probably already reading it!

"Beguiled" (Enlightenment, book #2): Kicking it up a notch. So so good...

Beguiled - Joanna Chambers

God this book was amazing!!!!!!

I dove right into book 2 of this series the day after finishing Provoked. True, the ending to book 1 was abrupt and I wanted to know what happened next. But mostly because the main characters, David and Murdo, haunted me. I couldn’t stop thinking about them and wondering where the story would go next. 

I loved this book. It was romantic and endearing and tender. It was action-packed, suspenseful, and heart-racing. It was sexy and smoldering and *sigh*-inducing.

In this book, we saw David come into his own. He’s successful, he’s more sure of himself, he’s more open and daring. Yet, he remained his steadfast and honorable self. I loved his integrity…in both books. But, I really loved seeing him find his voice in book 2 – asking for what he WANTED. And what he wanted was Murdo. 

And Murdo…he’s such a MAN…and I mean that in the sense that he’s the protector and the care-taker and the he just MAKES SHIT HAPPEN and you just KNOW everything’s gonna be ok when he’s there. I lurve him so much. And I LURVE him for David so much!

The growth of their relationship, their conversations, their soul and heart opening admissions to each other about their pasts…gah!!!!...I ate this UP…I savored every word! You can actually SEE them falling in love as you turn each page and it’s…amazing.

There is a side story about a character, Elizabeth, that is SO SO EXCITING. I held my breath every time this storyline came on page. …intense and powerful and showed off the best of our MC’s. The range of emotions (anger, fear, anxiety, hope, sadness, worry…) caught me off guard and I found myself just hanging on for the ride!

The ending carriage ride was so freaking sweet and romantic I cried and did NOT want my percentage marker on my Kindle to go higher. I don’t want to wait for book 3. I want…I WANT…I NEEEEEED it…NOW!

I initially was going to rate this 4.5 stars…it was near flawless for me. But since I still can’t get the boys out of my head and the beauty of this book still fills my heart, I’m going all in with 5 stars! 

Bring on book 3!!!

"Provoked" (Enlightenment, book #1): Nice setup for an exciting series...

Provoked - Joanna Chambers

Confession time: I’m writing this review after having already read book 2 in the series. I usually NEVER do this. I usually write a review immediately after reading a book…and definitely before reading another one…and forbid myself before reading another one in the series. But…I just couldn’t stop reading…

And honestly…it makes a difference.

I really enjoyed Provoked. I say it over and over again: I don’t read Historicals. And then I always get a raving recommendation from someone (in this case, KJ Charles) and I feel I must. I begrudgingly, kicking and screaming, open up said Historical…and I, 4 times out of 5, fall in love. (shhh…don’t tell anyone…apparently I love Historicals!)

Provoked feels…dark…to me. I don’t think it’s the intention. It’s really more the period and how unacceptable it was, and dangerous no less, to be gay. Men often loathed themselves for being ‘unnatural’ and reduced themselves to seedy encounters in dark alleys. This just makes me feel…sad. And I had anxiety throughout the whole book, terrified that they’d get caught.

Despite this underlying emotion for me, I truly came to love David and Balfour. Their brief interactions were so FILLED with desire…both acted upon and not. And their growing attraction…from physical to more…was delicious to read.

All the side stories that filled out the information about their lives were interesting and entertaining. A historical romance that included political radicals, assassination plots, childhood heartache, class/society struggles…and closeted men trying to find lives that include room for their ‘proclivities’…all melded together so engagingly by Joanna Chambers.

The ending was abrupt and it's why I'll say…do NOT read Provoked as a stand-alone. Read it with the intention of reading the entire series. Book 2, Beguiled, is PHENOMENAL, and it just made the foundation set in book 1 THAT. MUCH. BETTER…

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED...whether you like Historicals or not!

Ok, so this happened...

 

Somewhere around the end of October, I was in a bit of a funk and needed something to kick me in the ass.  I wanted a challenge - to try something I had never ever done before.  Well, I do like to READ...so maybe, ummm, I could try WRITING?  

 

Mind you, I've never even taken a creative writing class and other than emails and reviews, my writing experience is zilch.  So, to jump right into NaNo and give it a go was pretty much the most asinine thing I've ever decided to do. But, I did.

 

At first I was super discouraged at how sucky my writing was and that I didn't have "The Muse" that authors so often talk about telling me where my story should go.  Quite frankly, I didn't even really have an inspiration.  I also found I'm not a plotter or an outliner...but I guess what one would call a "pantser"...simply writing and making up shit as I went along.  

 

But a good writer friend of mine told me to remember the purpose of NaNo is just to write...not necessarily to get published.  It's just to get motivated to get the creative juices going and to stay on track with writing.  So, having taken off a lot of the pressure to produce something good...I kept on.  

 

I didn't think I could. But, I did!  W00t!  And now I shall scrap about 25k of the words I wrote and maybe try to salvage a decent length short story out of this.  Maybe...

 

In any case...I'm a WINNER!  :)

Ummm...necessary evil...

Texas Heat: 3 - RJ Scott

 

Hanging on by a pinky fingernail...3.0 stars...

So...this is the classic case of suffering from "this-book-is-not-great-but-I've-already-invested-myself-into-the-series-and-it's-not-likely-that-I'll-stop-now-even-though-the-writing-is-repetitive-and-the-story-increasingly-unbelievable-and-my-eyes-are-tired-from-rolling-but-I-still-kinda-heart-Riley-and-Jack-and-their-love-for-one-another-ITIS"

The introduction of a new couple in Robbie and Eli was good...until it wasn't...and it became ridiculous.

And the book is missing it's over-the-top soap opera drama that I (embarrassingly)kinda loved in books 1 & 2. And I could really, REALLY, do without one more "het-boy" joke. 

But again, it's not like I'm stopping now. I'm in too deep...even if it's deep in something suspiciously stinky. 

So...on to book 4.

 

I'm scared of angst...

I feel things...deeply.  Ha!  (<-painful, nervous, awkward, tortured laugh)

 

I've read Special Forces. It almost killed me. 

I've read In the Company of Shadows.  I'm pretty certain I actually died and miraculously, somehow came back to life at some point. 

I've read Second Chances.  I know for sure I can sob w/o breathing for about 2 minutes and then I'll need to at least gasp. 

 

These books HURT.  BADLY.  But, they're also some of my favorite reads of all time. 

 

I try to avoid angst because emotional pain wrecks my ability to live and act normally in real life.  I'm tormented and traumatized.  So, I'm a bit of a fluff queen. 

 

But then, I hit this rut...where fluff just doesn't satisfy.  And I know...I know...I'm due for some pain.  And I try and psych myself up and build my courage.  ...I'm kinda at that point right now.  I'm holiday-book'd out.  And I need something to make me feel...just...feel something.  

 

So here's what I'm carefully eyeing.  No decisions yet.  No declarations of "I'm going in!" yet.  Just...looking...

 

 

 

 

To put on your radars...

I just read two novellas this weekend and gotta say, I LOVED them both.  Neither perfect, but SO entertaining, and worth the small investment in reading the < 100 pages.  Both are "soulmates"stories and near-sappy sweet.  But, each had something interesting and different about their angles.  Full reviews to come...but until then, I highly recommend you keep your eyes out for:

 

 

"The Ghosts of Bourbon Street" by Rowan Speedwell (releasing Nov 29th)

 

 

 

"In Another Life" by Cardeno C (releasing Dec 1)

 

 

Codependency at it's finest...and I ATE IT UP!

Take My Picture - Giselle Ellis

Ok, I’m going to admit something and then I’m gonna *duck*…

 

This book, in the beginning, annoyed the crap out of me.  I absolutely HATED the “banter” between Aaron & Jake.  It was just trying SO HARD to be witty, exchanging zingers, and frankly I was traumatized.  Everyone loved this book so much I feared I was going to loathe it…how do you turn around a book when you can barely stand the 2 MC’s talking to each other.

 

Next thing I know, I’m hooked.  And here’s what did it:  as sick as this kinda sounds, I’m a SUCKER for a functionally codependent relationship!  When 2 people not only WANT each other but NEED each other…and in ways that don’t seem sane or normal (crawling into each other’s beds at night? Walking around aimlessly only to find comfort if a light is on? Turn down your boyfriend in order to comfort your boss for no reason? Erm…)  I know, I know…the point is that they were in love before they even admitted it to each other.  Still, it was weird…and I love that sh*t.  I’m gaga for that “deep need”.  And I love when someone is just THERE for you without question of what you’re asking.

 

So, I fell for their crazytown love and damn…THE DESPERATE SEX…????…so, so, so HOT I was…beyond…!!!

 

I was so engrossed by the end of the book, I immediately started it over.  And the 2ndtime…well, I still hated the banter, but this time I could skim that stuff and just get to the sick obsessions!  And I loved it.

 

I would not call this book sweet as a lot of people do, or fluff…nope not at all.  There’s a kinda sickness to this relationship and there’s also some damn-that-hurts angst in the story.  But, the payoff was so good.  Me likey…

 

  • After the 1st read:  3.5 stars
  • After the 2nd read: 4.0 stars
  • The more I think about it:  I'd consider 4.5 stars...but the banter still bugs me...

I'm quite certain I'll be in the minority here, but...

 

Sorry to do this...

2.5 stars

First things first: I don't think this book is a romance. Which is fine. Except it’s shelved on GR as a M/M Romance. There are 2 guys and a kid on the cover. The blurb alludes to these relationships. But 75% of this book is not about a couple at all. And that pretty much put me in a bad mood. I’ve had to wait a day or two to write this review because I wanted this irritation to not overwhelm me with frustration as I review the story.

Look, I’m certain that many of you will really enjoy this book. It will tug at your heart strings and I believe that you’ll feel for and become attached to Joel. You’ll shed tears over his loss and his struggle to move on. You’ll find his relationship with his daughter endearing. You’ll root for him to find true love. And I totally can see why. 

But, as I’ve said many times before, maybe I’m just dead inside. This book did NOT do any of that for me. 

Why not? Well, for one, the book took forever to get going. I skimmed, I fell asleep on a couple of occasions while reading, and it just was dragged down by mundane details that frankly bored me. It wasn’t until about the 40% mark did something actually happen. Then the entire middle section got bogged down again by excess details and I just got tired of the “this is how hard it is for a single dad” angle. I think that point could easily have been made in a fewer number of chapters.

I got hopeful and excited once a romance / relationship actually did start to be established. But the entire build-up, angst-up, make-up all got stuffed into the last 25% of the book and by then, I tried to muster some bit of give-a-shit, but it was hard to find.

I actually really do like the character of Joel. I question his judgement dating a 19-year-old kid in Dan and bringing that guy around his daughter. I also wanted to beat the crap out of him towards the end. But, he was grieving and surviving and I guess that’s forgivable.

I think the real highlight of the book, however, is Liam. He’s sexy, funny, and frankly WAY too good for Joel. It’s probably not a good thing when your not-a-romance romance book has you thinking one of the MC’s should just find someone else. Just sayin’…

Like I said, I think that many readers will like this book. I, personally, had a hard time embracing it. Because I’m a fan of the author’s first book “Nothing Serious” and wanted to so like this follow-up, I was tempted to bump the rating a bit. But, I just can’t stand by a higher rating. I will however add a "Me-Not-You" tag to it, because I have a feeling I’ll be in the minority with this one and most of you won’t be nearly as annoyed (if at all) by the things that drove me bonkers.

 

FREEFIC WEEK - In the Company of Shadows

Today's FREEFIC WEEK work of choice is my favorite series, "In the Company of Shadows"

 

 

Stop by the blog and check out:

 

My review of the series  

 

An interview with the coauthors Ais & Santino 

 

An exclusive cover reveal of the soon-to-be rereleased volumes of book 1, Evenfall 

 

 

FREEFIC WEEK - Tuesday, November 6

Ridiculously proud of our posts today for Freefic Week.  We've got Domashita Romero and Nora Sakavic.  Some really good stuff if you're a fan of either of these authors or are interested in some quality free reads and want to know more!

 

 

Katinka's review of Domashita Romero's work:

http://boysinourbooks.com/2013/11/06/freefic-week-review-the-work-of-domashita-romero/

 

Katinka's interview with Domashita Romero:

http://boysinourbooks.com/2013/11/06/freefic-week-author-interview-domashita-romero/

 

 

Shelley's review of Nora Sakavic's work:

http://boysinourbooks.com/2013/11/06/freefic-week-series-review-all-for-the-game-by-nora-sakavic/

 

Shelley's guest post of Nora Sakavic:

http://boysinourbooks.com/2013/11/06/freefic-week-guest-post-exclusive-excerpt-quick-qa-nora-sakavic/

 

 

I'm now obsessed with both authors...and I haven't even read their stuff yet! 

 

 

Loki Argues With Kids...

 

"You are RUUUDE".  Ha! Classic

FREEFIC WEEK - GUEST POST: "From Fanfic to Original Fiction" by NR Walker

NR Walker talks about starting her writing career in the world of Twilight Fandom and the differences between writing fanfic and writing her original works...

 

 

 

http://boysinourbooks.com/2013/11/05/freefic-week-guest-post-fanfic-to-original-fiction-by-nr-walker/

 

FREEFIC WEEK - GUEST POST: "Letting the Plot Bunnies Go Free" by Kaje Harper

Kaje Harper writes about her free story "Nor Iron Bars a Cage"  and why she writes freefic: "Free stories are low pressure"..."They are fast gratification"..."good publicity for a writer"..."And free stories are giving back...."

 

 

 

http://boysinourbooks.com/2013/11/04/freefic-week-guest-post-letting-the-plot-bunnies-go-free-by-kaje-harper/