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Tokyo Heat (Nights #3)
Tokyo Heat (Nights #3)
A.M. Salinger | 2018 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
another scorching hot one!!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book three in the series, and you really SHOULD read book one, One Night, first. This is a continuation of Gabe and Cam's story. And it's a 5 star read! Book two, The Escort ain't too shabby either!

A year ago, Cam and Gabe decided one night would never be enough. Then Gabe says those three little words and Cam's world implodes, and he runs.

I loved One Night, made a new shelf for it and everything. But, while still a great, sexy read, I found this one lacking in the emotions i expected with someone running when told I love you.

Oh! Don't get me wrong, these guys still burn high, and hot and long. I just didn't feel connected to Cam as much as I did to Gabe. Because we get Gabe dealing, or rather NOT dealing with the fact that Cam ran, but we don't get much of Cam after he runs, you know??

BUT OH.MY.GOD! When Cam pulls his head out of his ass and gets his act together and finally realises what that pain in his chest is?? That it's what he's feeling for Gabe?? He redeems himself in spectacular fashion! **that fanning again, girls!**

I saw something going on between the two guys who own the company Gabe works for. I wonder what's going on there and whether they will get a story?? It's not book 4 or 5, cos I have those all lined up ready to go, but I HOPE they get a story!

Ah, you know what?? Stuff it! I wrote 4 stars at the top of the page because of that not connecting to Cam thing. But now I'm typing it up, I think that's just CAM, you know?? He doesn't want you to know what he feels for Gabe, what he's dealing with while they are apart. He wants GABE to know, just how deeply he loves him. He DOES love Gabe, he just never thought he could love anyone.

So! Upgrading to...

5 even more scorching stars!

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Snowed In: Ross and Ashton
Snowed In: Ross and Ashton
J.V. Speyer | 2019 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
kinda fell into this one, loved it!
Totally unprepared for the snow storm, Ash drives to his new job. Or at least, he tries to. He runs his car off the road and is found by Ross. The same Ross who broke his heart in college. But Ross doesn't recognise Ash straight away, although he thinks him familiar. When the penny finally drops, all the heartbreak that both suffered all those years ago comes rushing back, along with the intense chemistry they had. Can they survive the monster storm? Could they try again?

I REALLY enjoyed this! It was a great easy read, and I mean that in a good way!

Sometimes, you just need a book that isn't too complicate, not to taxing on the old brain. A book that throws enough hints at you that you know there was something that happened, but you aren't sure what. A book that pulls you in, and doesn't let you in for the next hour or so, the 90 pages that this book is.

Ash knows his rescuer straight away but it takes time for Ross to know it's Ash. But Ross hasn't seen Ash since college, and Ash has been dropping into Ross' social media from time to time, cos he's a sucker for punishment.

What I particularly liked about this book, was how much BOTH men were affected by what happened all those years ago. For very different reasons. But they are different men now. I'm not going into spoiler, really I'm not, but it's great reading the same situation from both sides, and seeing both of them realise just what could have been.

It's not overly explicit but that's not needed here. The whole book takes place over a matter of HOURS so there really isn't a lot of hot and steamy stuff. It is sexy though, what's here.

I just FELL into this book and I really REALLY enjoyed it!

Ah sod it! I wrote 4 stars at the top of the page when I wrote this review, but now I'm typing it up? Can't figure out a single reason why!

So!

5 full and snow covered stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Professional Courtesy
Professional Courtesy
J.V. Speyer | 2018 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
kinda cute, for a holiday story!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Eric isn't having to best start to the college year. His mum showed up to live with him, and he's gotta share his office at work with the new guy in the English department. Now his mum wants Eric to immerse himself in all the Christmas traditions that she did as a child. But Eric is not a holiday person, Eric likes order and peace and calm so to appease his mother, and to get to know Mike, he invites Mike to dinner. His mum will be happy, Mike can talk to her in her native German, and Eric will have his peace and calm. So why does it feel like a storm is brewing inside him, one that might break his heart?

Too stinking cute and warm and fuzzies all wrapped up in some 70 odd pages and I rather enjoyed this!

It's very well told, from both Eric and Mike's point of view, and they both have distinctive voices, mostly due to their earlier experiences in life. Eric's life has been handed to him on a platter, but Mike had a difficult childhood. Sending your child across the world because you prefer your drug dealer is bad enough but what happened to Mike as a teenager is truly shocking.

The attraction between Mike and Eric grows steadily and they come together just the once, which is why I gave it the contemporary tag I did but it's a sexy book!

I'm not usually one for the holiday stories but while this one is set around Christmas, it's not shoved in your face on every page! I'm a bit of a Scrooge really!

This is only the second book I've read of Speyer and they've both been on the short side. I'd like to read something longer, something with more bite. She can write a lot into a few pages, so I'm curious what would happen in a longer book.

4 solid stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Escaping Reality (The Secret Life of Amy Bensen, #1)
6
7.7 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
Amy Bensen is on a plane to Denver to start a new life when she meets Liam Stone. From the moment she first lays eyes on him, there is something about him that she is instantly drawn to. Knowing she is on the run, will she be able to trust Liam in order to share a life with him, or will she always be on the run from a past she is uncertain about.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Amy Bensen has only been Amy Bensen for a few hours. She received a notice from her handler that it was time to move on, since he had found her. Now she is on the way to a new city to start a new life and she has no idea how that is going to work. Having to look over her shoulder all of the time and always be on alert for someone lurking around a corner is no way to live. But this is the only way she has to survive now. Meeting Liam on the plane to Denver has her thinking about this man in a way she has never thought about anyone. Can he be someone she will be able to trust or is he a part of the people who are after her.

Amy is hiding a lot about her past. Some things she remembers and other details are foggy in her brain. Sexy billionaire Liam Stone, makes somethings disappear from Amy's mind, but only briefly. Their instant connection scares her.

This book reminded me a little of Fifty Shades of Grey. With the intensity of Liam Stone and his controlling personality, and of course the sex. Overall the book was interesting and I'm curious to see how it will all end for Liam and Amy. If she will find out what happened in her past and if she can start to live normal life again. Will she be able to do that with Liam, or will he be the person who keeps her from finding the truth?
  
The Protector
The Protector
Jodi Ellen Malpas | 2016 | Romance
9
5.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
steamy, angst, suspense (0 more)
Jake Sharp just became another book boyfriend
Yeah, I loved this book. I mean, Jodi Ellen Malpas doesn’t really disappoint, so I knew this was going to be a no-brainer. This is the woman who gave a voice to Jesse Ward (long live the Lord) for Pete’s sake. (If you haven’t read the This Man series, drop everything, and go do so.)

This book has all the things I love about romance novels:

sexy alpha male
feisty heroine
angst
steamy sex
There’s also some mystery/suspense as an added bonus.

Jake Sharp is a former soldier who suffers from PTSD after both a personal tragedy and an op gone wrong. Jake now works for a security agency, which is how he meets our heroine, Camille, who is in need of a bodyguard.

Camille Logan is known in the tabloids as a model and party girl, but Cami is not what the press paints her as. She’s an intelligent, level-headed girl who is partnering up with her BFF, Heather, to launch a clothing line. Cami is struggling to get from under her extremely wealthy and overbearing father’s thumb.

Both characters are struggling with the aftermath of personal tragedy. Cami’s backstory is pretty readily explained, but Jake’s backstory is only hinted at initially, and we don’t see the full scope of events until closer to the end of the book, so we’re left guessing as to what has made him who he is. It’s a fun ride, though, and we get to watch Jake transform from this cold, terse man into a big ol’ teddy bear thanks to Cami. I mean, that whole scene in the English bluebells? That shit is fucking romantic!

If you’re not already a JEM fan, I propose you go make yourself one. Other books by JEM:

This Man series
One Night series
The Forbidden (I have not read this one yet, but you can bet your sweet ass that I will.)

FYI: Word on the interwebs is that PassionFlix has optioned The Protector for a film and the This Man series for a tv series.
  
Smitty's Sheriff (Hope #3)
Smitty's Sheriff (Hope #3)
Cardeno C | 2017 | Romance
9
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
warm and fuzzies!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I PURCHASED my ebook copy of this book (July 2017) and I was GIFTED the audio file of this book.

Richard dumped Todd because was too young to be committed to him, but when Todd gets a second chance at happiness, he pulls out all the stops.

This is book three in the Hope series, but you don't need to have read the other two for this to make sense. But they are great reads.

As is this one!

Richard let Todd go, because Todd was still seeing other guys and Rich did not want to share. But he failed to tell Todd that! So when Todd finds out WHY Rich dumped him, he's keen to clear the air and try to get back into Rich's bed and his heart.

And its a beautiful story! It follows a CC track record, with the guys having done their break up, and this story is their make up. Its well written fro both Todd and Rich's point of view. It's sexy in places, and heart breaking in others, especially when we get to just what causes Rich to push Todd away.

I read this a while a go, but was going through a rough parch and didn't get a review written, but given the opportunity to LISTEN to it, I jumped at the chance!

Ezekiel Robison narrates, and he does an amazing job! I think I preferred the audio version to the print version, if I'm totally honest and ya'll know I gotta be honest!!

Robison's voice is smooth, and deep and even and his voices are spot on how I imagined Todd and Rich to sound like. I had no trouble following multi person conversations. He manages to get across what I did not get when I read, what THAT is, exactly, I have no idea, but there was something missing when I read it that was not there when I listened to it, and that can only be put down by the excellent skills of Robison.

4 stars for the book
5 stars for the narration
4.5 overall.

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
40x40

Joana Lau (3 KP) rated Artemis in Books

Feb 5, 2018  
Artemis
Artemis
Andy Weir | 2017 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
7.7 (34 Ratings)
Book Rating
Artemis is a fun, fast paced book featuring a charming heroine.

Jazz Bashara is smart, funny, sexy and like many of this generation – although the book takes place in the future – a little lost in her ways.

After a series of what some might call (Jazz included) “bad life decisions”, Jazz splits her time between working a legit porter job and as a smuggler of mostly harmless goods into her town, Artemis.

Artemis is the first lunar town, an earth colony of blue collar laborers, its main economies in are tourism, glass and aluminum production.

Through her pattern of making questionable choices, Jazz finds herself neck deep in some big trouble involving the town’s main big shots, the mayor, the aluminum industry and the Brazilian syndicate mob. I can’t wait to listen to the audiobook version narrated by Rosario Dawson, she will be the perfect voice for Jazz Bashara.

As I Brazilian native I was a little bothered by the lack of research into Brazilian surnames and cultural background. It is a huge pet peeve of mine when Brazilians are characterized too much like other Hispanic peoples. Although many shared similarities, our names and language are quite different and the names “Sanchez” and “Alvarez” are Hispanic names that are practically inexistent in Brazil.

Besides the above mentioned and a few tacky, too predictable, unoriginal sex jokes, the book is extremely charming.

Artemis is fun and the plot is very engaging. The dialogues are quick witted and the brainy problem solving echoes Mr. Weir’s debut “The Martian”.

The characters are well rounded or at least, well thought of, the dialogue is funny and the adventure is endless. There’s enough detailed chemistry and space mechanics to satisfy the inner nerd and the touch of romance is just enough to make you cheer for Jazz’s love conquests without being turned off – I am one of those people that get irritated when romance becomes the story’s main purpose. The gentrified, tight community vibe of Artemis juxtaposes well with the bare, unexciting moonscape.

Overall, one of my favorite books of the year and a huge relief. As a big fan of “The Martian”, I had big expectations for Mr. Weir’s new book. It did not disappoint.
  
BL
Best Laid Plans
Jan Gayle | 2016
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Nicky James is a single mother who has devoted her entire adult life to raising her son, Austin - now a teenager. She works as a draftsman ("draftsperson") at an architecture firm and goes to school in the evening. She meets Lauren Thomas, a senior architect at her firm, when Lauren requests Nicky's expert help on her projects. Nicky falls quickly for the beautiful and talented woman, but quickly discovers a roadblock when she realizes Lauren isn't used to full commitment. Nicky isn't used to doing anything with less than her whole heart. Can she and Lauren get past their issues?

This was an interesting and heartfelt novel. It's told from the perspective of both women, so you can attempt to understand each of their varied point of views. I enjoyed that I could empathize with pieces of each: the tenderhearted mothering side of Nicky and the workaholic, private aspects of Lauren, for example. There are certainly some cliche aspects to the novel and a few scenes where the dialogue made me wince a bit, but overall it's refreshing to read a novel dealing with two women attempting to reconcile their issues with sexuality and love. It's certainly frustrating at points; for instance, Nicky doesn't even initially seem willing to try with Lauren and her coming out issues. I get that it must be hard, but let's face it, coming out is hard at any age! Things also get a little over-dramatic quickly: it's one date, they work together, why the freakout, etc.

Still, it's a very readable book and oddly exciting at times. I found myself pulled into Lauren and Nicky's story. Nicky and her son, especially, are just plain lovable. You can't help but root for them. There are also some hot sex scenes, which, hey, is a bonus, right? Overall, this is a compelling, fun, and sexy 3.5 stars.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you); it is available everywhere as of 07/12/2016.

<a href="http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/">My Blog</a> ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/justacatandabook/">Facebook</a>; ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/justacatandbook">Twitter</a>;
  
Tokyo Heat (Nights #3)
Tokyo Heat (Nights #3)
A.M. Salinger | 2018 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
loving this series!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book three in the series, and you really SHOULD read book one, One Night, first. This is a continuation of Gabe and Cam's story. And it's a 5 star read! Book two, The Escort ain't too shabby either!

A year ago, Cam and Gabe decided one night would never be enough. Then Gabe says those three little words and Cam's world implodes, and he runs.

I loved One Night, made a new shelf for it and everything. But, while still a great, sexy read, I found this one lacking in the emotions i expected with someone running when told I love you.

Oh! Don't get me wrong, these guys still burn high, and hot and long. I just didn't feel connected to Cam as much as I did to Gabe. Because we get Gabe dealing, or rather NOT dealing with the fact that Cam ran, but we don't get much of Cam after he runs, you know??

BUT OH.MY.GOD! When Cam pulls his head out of his ass and gets his act together and finally realises what that pain in his chest is?? That it's what he's feeling for Gabe?? He redeems himself in spectacular fashion! **that fanning again, girls!**

I saw something going on between the two guys who own the company Gabe works for. I wonder what's going on there and whether they will get a story?? It's not book 4 or 5, cos I have those all lined up ready to go, but I HOPE they get a story!

Ah, you know what?? Stuff it! I wrote 4 stars at the top of the page because of that not connecting to Cam thing. But now I'm typing it up, I think that's just CAM, you know?? He doesn't want you to know what he feels for Gabe, what he's dealing with while they are apart. He wants GABE to know, just how deeply he loves him. He DOES love Gabe, he just never thought he could love anyone.

So! Upgrading to...

5 even more scorching stars!

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
The Cowboy and the Pencil-Pusher
The Cowboy and the Pencil-Pusher
S.C. Wynne | 2016 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Cowboy and the Pencil-Pusher by S.C. Wynne
The Cowboy and the Pencil-Pusher is the first book by S.C. Wynne I have read, and I enjoyed it.

In this story, we meet Paul - a man trained to think without feelings, to let cold, hard facts rule him. He was trained this way by his father, but then his dad had a heart attack, which led him to an epiphany. A result of this, is his dad is trying to do things with more feelings. This leaves Paul completely confused and unsure of what he is supposed to do. Paul has to go to a ranch and see Cort and his grandpa, because their payments have fallen behind. Paul would be happy just to foreclose on them, but his dad wants it done differently. Enter Cort. Everything that Paul shouldn't want, but does. Throw in a complicated ex, a stampede, and sexy times, and there you have it.

I loved Paul's character, prissy though he was. There were reasons for the way he acted, and you find them out slowly throughout the book. Cort I loved, up until Riley reappeared in his life. It's funny, because I could get behind him when Riley was just a name, but how he acted once Riley was there, didn't like that. I know Paul couldn't give him the answer he wanted, but to fall back in with Riley was just the easy, familiar route. It didn't seem to mesh very well with the Cort portrayed throughout most of the book. He really was a two-sided character - one with Riley, and one with everyone else.

On the whole though, I did enjoy this book. The pacing was smooth, and the character development was there, in Paul at least ? This was the first book by this author, but it won't be the last. Recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!