4.5 Smooches!

Synopsis

Sex, drums, and denial; three things that Ryker Jeffries excels at.

Ryker buries himself in music and insignificant women, all part of his plan to keep the woman who owns his heart free from his tainted past and his darkest secret. But pretending not to want her has never been easy.

Loyalty, honesty, and desire for Ryker; three things that Faith Bishop excels at.

Excited about her future, Faith looks forward to finally living life on her terms. Intelligent and realistic, she knows the women who steal Ryker’s attention are all of the things she will never be. But wanting him has never been a choice.

Will he be able to resist her, or will he finally cave to his desires? Will she be able to handle his past, or will it shatter her?

**Due to adult content – 18+ please**

Review

Ryker happens to be my very first Joanne Schwehm novel.  I am very glad that I had the opporturnity to finally read her and I really enjoyed Ryker.  Ryker came along right when I needed a sexy drum playing bad boy.  Sometimes I just get in the mood for a book boyfriend that is so damaged that he can’t even accept accept kindness or love.  I loved watching Ryker fight helplessly against Faith’s ability to break him down.

Faith has wanted Ryker for years, but Ryker wants nothing to do with love, especially from Faith.  His horrible past mistakes have ruined him and he thinks that he will never be good enough her.  Ryker believes that Faith is good, kind, and loving and deserves someone else that pure, but Faith isn’t easily swayed. She wants Ryker and refuses to give up on him.

The writing was very good in this novel.  I felt it was just a tad rushed and that Joanne could have milked the angst a little bit more, but what can I say, I really love me some angst.  The sex was very very hot without me being ridiculously long and over the top.

“Look at me.  Let me see you when I bring you pleasure.”

In truth, it was really just an extremely sweet and romantic story featuring a bad boy drummer and the innocent girl next door.  I felt incredibly connected to the characters and sympathized very much with Ryker and his past.  I was really rooting for Faith to be able to break through to him.  I also enjoyed all of the side characters.  Max especially.  Great story and really well written.  4.5 Smooches!

“Faith, you’re my composer.  You make the beats stronger, you give them purpose; you give me purpose.  I want you by my side as we write the best love song, our song.”

Amie

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4 Smooches!

Synopsis

Charlie should be packing her bags for college, but the life ahead of her isn’t one she’s certain she wants. Maybe that’s what led her to sleep with a perfect stranger at the county fair. Finding out he was a carnie was like winning the bonus round of the world’s worst game.

Blue grew up in the carnival, never staying anywhere long enough to call home. He never thought of himself as the type to seduce a local, let alone fall in love with one, but his impulsiveness got the better of him this time. He should go where the carnival takes him, but for the first time he’s not sure if he wants to follow.

When he makes the decision to stick around, Charlie eagerly follows him down the rabbit hole; into a world with no regard for consequences or regret. Most of all, he shows her that home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling they can create and share. For a price. Because the higher the roller coaster goes, the faster it all comes crashing down.

Review

I give this book 4 Smooches! 🙂

Tricia

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Synopsis

TAKE – verb: to reach for and hold in one’s hands or get into one’s possession, power or control. 

Logan Mitchell is a man who’s always been more than happy to take what he wants. It’s a philosophy that’s proven lucrative in both his business and personal life, and never was it more apparent than the night he laid eyes on Tate Morrison. After pulling out all the stops and convincing the sexy bartender to give him a try—he’s hooked. 
Now, Logan finds himself in a predicament that demands more from him than a smart-ass answer and his innate ability to walk away when things get too deep. 
He has a choice to make, and it’ll force him to do something he’s never done before—take a chance.

Tate Morrison knows all about taking a chance. He took the biggest one of his life the night he showed up at Logan’s apartment to explore his unexpected reaction to the man. 
Ever since then, he’s thought about little else.
At first he was convinced his attraction was based solely on his body’s curiosity. But the more time he spends with the silver-tongued lawyer, the more Tate realizes that their physical chemistry is only the beginning. 
He’s starting to catch a glimpse of what life with Logan would be like, and it’s one full of excitement and satisfaction—a far cry from what he had in the past with his soon to be ex-wife.

Each man will face their fears as they begin to understand the true meaning of give and take. Their feelings for one another will be tested, as will their very beliefs. But now that they’ve found love where they least expected it, will they be brave enough to reach out and take it?

Review

Logan. Tate. Logan and Tate together again. Damn. I finished Take by Ella Frank yesterday and had to get my bearings before putting into words how I feel about this dynamic couple. After reading Try last year, I knew that I was forever changed by the beauty of the budding relationship between these two men. Even if they were both trying to push the brakes on their so-called “relationship.” The vulnerability that both of them share when it comes to each other, it’s…well it’s really quite breathtaking. They are so in love. So in lust. Just so in tune with each other it’s intoxicating to read about. Both of these stories, Try and Take are not all about sex, even though those parts are off the charts delicious. The story behind the story is infuriating and heartbreaking. Tate has to deal with the backlash of his parents finding out about his relationship with Logan, thanks to his vile ex-wife and Logan has to deal with the one thing he is most ashamed of from his past. These coupled together with the out of control feelings they have for each other make for some pretty explosive scenes.  We finally get to see Logan as a lover, not only a charismatic boy-toy trying to get laid. He is thoughtful, and sensitive. I just loved that.

The transition into accepting each other openly as a couple is met with some resistance and Tate retreats. This is both sad, and understanding. As anyone in a relationship has felt before, sometimes you just need space. This of course drives Logan crazy and once they rekindle their fire, he makes it very plain that he doesn’t want that to ever happen again. See, super sweet, boyfriend Logan is all kinds of swoon-worthy. I loved how their relationship is not easy. It’s work, just like anything worth having is, and yet, at the end of the day, they finally realize that all will be ok as long as they have each other.

There are amazing things in store for these two. Sometimes, while reading about a couple, you get the chills; you feel it in your gut, your heart, and it bleeds through your tears. Their immense beauty makes me a happy reader. I felt it in the first book, and I most definitely feel it in this second. There are few couples in literature that I get heart palpitations for, and Tate and Logan are at the top of that list. The vulnerability, the decisiveness, the witty banter, for me, all add up to an amazing read. You are left wanting more, however it’s not a cut-you-off-at-the-knees cliffhanger. It’s perfect, just like the amazing couple, it represents the next transition in their relationship. They are a united front, for better or worse, together. With great respect, I can say once again, I am in love with Mr. Morrison and Mr. Mitchell. Thank you Ella for doing them justice and making me remember why I fell so hard the first time.

5 EARTH SHATTERING SMOOCHES

~Nicole

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4.5 Smooches

Synopsis

Who would you become if you lost the only person who ever mattered?

For twenty-six year old Dylan Hopkins, the answer is easy. He’s become no one. Memories of the happier times are all he has left as he finds himself meandering numbly through his now dull life. Though he cares about his work and family dearly, he’s yet to let himself find love again. Afraid of letting go of what he once had, Dylan chooses to keep his heart buried, where it belongs, having died a long time ago.

Conner Michelson is about to change everything Dylan knows. He’s every bit the bad boy persona – tatted up, ex-MMA fighter, but after an injury leaves him unable to fight, he has to rethink his goals. Having just opened his own gym, Conner can cross his first major life accomplishment off his very short list. Next up: find a man he can settle down with and build a family. Seems simple enough – a dream most people have, but when he meets Dylan, his carefree, easy-going life is thrown into a tailspin.

Determined to keep Dylan in his life, Conner vows to resurrect Dylan’s long ago buried heart and let love live once more.

Review

“Where do I want to be? Eight years ago, most days, I felt like I was barely breathing.”

Let Love Live by Melissa Collins is book 5 in the Love series but can be read as a stand alone. I personally have not had the pleasure of reading the other books in the series but after reading this one I am definitely going to give it a try. This story was beautiful, sexy and just plain broke my heart and put it back together. Going in to a lot of m/m stories I expect them to be sexy but I do not expect them to have me bawling in the corner like someone just ripped my heart out. Be prepared and have some tissues ready.

“The story of their love is both inspiring and devastating. It’s one of finding out who you are by allowing yourself happiness in someone else.”

This book can be broken down into two parts, past and present. The past revolves around Dylan and Shane and takes place in their senior year of high school. Dylan and Shane are best friends who soon find themselves in love and as each others first boyfriends and lovers. While for Dylan this transition was easier and more natural for Shane it was anything but. He struggled with his sexuality and acceptance and pairing that with a terrible home life made for a ever emotional and heartbreaking story. Without giving too much away I will just say that by the time the first half of this book is over Dylan is heartbroken and will never be fully the same. When part two picks up Dylan is older and refuses to get into any serious monogamous relationship that has a chance of lasting. When he signs up to join a new gym he meets the owner, the super sexy and overly HOT ex-MMA fighter Conner. It is extremely clear from the beginning that these two are very attracted to each other. It becomes clear fast that their connection while very physical has the ability to go deeper if Dylan could just seek the help he needs to move past the scars that have been in place for years.

“You see, with you, the thing that scares me isn’t the thought of losing you. What scares the shit out of me is not having you in my life in the first place.”

Let Love Live was a very difficult story for me to read and to be honest I almost didn’t make it past part one, not because it was a great story that was very well written but because it touched on some very personal issues that have affected me and someone very close to me. I am so glad I pushed through to watch the relationship between Dylan and Conner develop. This book showed me that love isn’t something you have only once in a lifetime but instead something available to all when the right person appears. Whether you are a fan of m/m or have never read any before you will love this beautiful story and come out with an understanding that all love in beautiful and should be cherished.

~miranda