jilrene reads

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<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} <![endif]-->This is absolutely the sweetest story. Sweet in a good way, not that saccharine over kill way. Mick tells the story of how he and Fielding get together. Mick is not gay (he thinks); Fielding is Fielding. Actually, Fielding has no prior social engagements to know what he likes, whereas Mick was a typical ladies man jock type. In a way this is Gay For You, but story bends in a way that it could be more Out For You. Either way, it’s adorable and a quick read. I laughed throughout. Literally from the first page to the last.

I borrowed this book from the library and waited until my time was almost up to sit down and read it. This was both a good thing and a bad thing. I wish I had read this sooner, it's that good, but I haven't had the time to just sit and read in weeks. This is one of those books I devoured from start to finish. I couldn't stop reading.

Robert is a senior in high school and Andrew is his calculus teacher. I'm torn over the subject. Andrew struggles with the fact he is the teacher and he should be the responsible adult. I struggle because I want Andrew and Robert to get their HEA. Intellectually, the relationship is wrong; in my heart, there couldn't be two people more suited to each other. They are a beautiful couple.

I felt everything the characters felt. I got mad at Robert's interfering aunts. I cringed when Andrew went on dates with Jen. I cried when Robert couldn't. I cried when Robert did. This is such an emotional roller coaster, I feel wrung out. My heart pounded every time Robert and Andrew spent time together (I just knew someone would find out and ruin their chance at happiness).

The HEA was in doubt all the way to the last 2 pages. That's just rude! ;) Technically, it's not even an HEA, more of a possibility than a promise. Still, a wonderful read. Highly recommend!

STARFISH POEM (author unknown)
One day an old man was walking down the beach just before dawn. In the distance he saw a young man picking up stranded starfish and throwing them back into the sea. As the old man approached the young man, he asked, "Why do you spend so much energy doing what seems to be a waste of time?" The young man explained that the stranded starfish would die if left in the morning sun. The old man exclaimed, "But there must be thousands of starfish. How can your efforts make any difference?" The young man looked down at the starfish in his hand and as he threw it to safety in the sea, he said, "It makes a difference to this one!"

At times in our lives, we are all the old man, the young man, or the starfish. Sometimes, as the old man, we don't see the purpose to actions. Sometimes, as the young man, we persevere and make a difference. And sometimes, we are the starfish who just need a little help.

3+ stars

This story grew on me. At first, I thought I was going to be disappointed because it seemed to be porn without plot. The first 1/3 of the book, and then some, was just a series of sex scenes. Some of those scenes included introspective type of thoughts about what was happening outside of the sex. It wasn’t until the final third that we get more story and some idea of what the characters are really like. I did like both Patrick and Alexei. I love that they get an HEA.

So, not quite 4 stars, but certainly more than 3. Somewhere in there.

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<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} <![endif]-->And the bacon rolls. Where can I get bacon rolls? I actually took my time reading this (on my kindle – thank you dear author). I am amazed this is a free book. Seriously. So, there’s a little bit of insta love going on, but the guys really do work from roommates, to friends, to significant others. Since the story is told from Merlin’s POV, we don’t knowwhat Arthur thinks, but we do see what he does and know what he says. Oh, the secondary characters are stellar! Gwen, Morgana, Kay, even Gaius.

I have to share my favorite quote. I laughed so much while reading, it was all good. My favorite, though, could have been heard in my house. Gaius took a sip of his tea. "So Mrs Singh informed me, but I confess I had rather assumed she was exaggerating.” How like a man to think a woman was exaggerating. Humph. ;)

You know what? I think I’m going to give this a solid 5 stars after all. It is really good and I plan to read the rest of this author’s work.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Drake and Slayde.This is a light, fluffy, out for you romance. Drake is so far in closet "he's in Narnia" (I've always wanted to say that). Slayde is the nanny to Drake's nieces and nephew. Drake's sister gets deployed again and Drake decides to take care of the kids with Slayde. Slayde's easy going, but over the top homemaker style slowly lures Drake out of the closet. Slayde's friends are a hoot (that's a southern term) and his family is cool. Drake's sister Mindy is a pretty good, if minor, character. In fact, there really isn't any external conflict or adversity.

I can safely recommend if you need a pick me up/warm fuzzies read. Just an FYI - this could have been a 5 star read, but I found too many typos. Ugly typos - wrong name used, popsicles became hot dogs; also saw a couple of wrong words used.

Just what the doctor ordered.

An easy read about two men who were separated after high school (through stupidity). The story picks up 11 years later, when Seth moves back to their home town. Jared makes good use of his second chance. Oh, there's a little drama with the town crazy, but it's still a sweet (but a little sexy) story.

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10/25     "On chapter 8. I'm doing ok. I can see what other reviewers mean about the book, but so far it hasn't offended my picky-ness meter. ;) Could just be I'm in a fluff mood. This is very fluffy. Strangely, I'd planned to read something deep and compelling this week for Bingo, but I seem to have landed ok."

10/26     "grrrr - I don't like the flipping back in time with no warning. Only the prologue was identified as the past."

10/26     "Wow. I think I need a break. There better be an HEA. I'm starting to get concerned. I've suffered through flashbacks that pop up out of nowhere, and now Creed is really hurting. I actually like Creed. Hmm. Of course, I like anyone who can ride a horse like that. :D"

I’m done. Well, I still love Creed. He’s precious. I think it may just be the affinity for horses, but everyone has a weakness. ;) Unfortunately, by the end of the book, I didn’t care. I hated the weird random flashbacks. The non-con/dub-con was just too much. Then the abuse was awful. Added together, I’m not sure if it was over the top or just too disturbing for me.

This is a fun series. Now I remember why I had that note to myself to buy the next two books. ;) The snark is great. I love "Nicotine-o" which seems to be Josie's preferred name for Walker. There is a tiny mystery of missing blondes, but it's almost a background story than the main story of Walker and Josie.

I love this series! Gavin and Jamie are a freaking awesome couple. I enjoyed the back and forth snark. The way they came together and actually became a couple worked. They moved from just sex to hanging out to falling in love. I actually can see Jamie not explaining why he’s so upset by the stunt he thinks Gavin pulls. Jamie isn’t really a communicator. Not that Gavin is great at sharing, either. That’s ok, they work. Finally, it was fun getting a glimpse of Eli again. He’s pretty cool. I hope there are more books in this series. I’d like to see how Gavin and Jamie are doing, as well as the others.

I read all three books. These are not real people in any way. The relationship angst is unbelievable. There is a little outside drama/conflict, but this is mostly just a romance series. The MCs could solve world hunger and strife in the middle east, they are that perfect. I think the term is over the top.

It's not all bad; it's just fluff. I liked the books enough to read all three, but I'm very glad these are library books.

For a short story, this packs a punch. This little short only covers a couple of days in the lives of Geo and Mack, but I can say I love these guys. I really want to see them move further in their relationship.

ETA:

Just noticed Reasonable Doubt. I'm going shopping!

10/14 - 25% - "I need time to read! I keep getting lost in the story and then interrupted (work? what? I don't get paid to read?)."

10/16 - 60% - "I want to keep reading to the end, but I don't want it to end. grrrrr"

10/17 - OMG - I'm done. I want to read the next book - NOW!

I love Evan and Jesse. Yes, there’s insta-love. But I bought it. Yes, the characters are beyond understanding and mature. But that’s okay because I needed them to be too perfect to be real. Yes, I saw the conflict coming from a mile away. But that’s okay too because the suspense kept me going. Yes, they skipped the condoms from the beginning. Well, I can buy that, too. The only bad thing I can say is that every now and then I came across a typo that knocked me out of the story.

These two MCs are in music. They are so much alike it’s kind of creepy – both perfectionists, both multi-talented, both absolutely gorgeous, and both deeply in love with the other. The book covers a little over a year, from Evan discovering Jesse to Jesse and Evan wrapping up Evan’s world tour. I enjoyed reading their story. I loved it so much, I’m going to buy the next book. And probably the 6 others after that one. Yes, I want to follow Conquest to the ends of the earth.

It looks like I've added the book to this post, so I'll put in my little review. I wonder if it will automatically add to my books.

3.5 stars? I dunno - I really enjoyed reading this short story. I'm bumping it up to 4 stars. Although, I really like the half stars and wanted to use that new toy. Next time!

A fun read, even though Ari didn't want to make it easy. Ari, a shape shifter, shares the story of how he finds his husband. Well, really his husband picks him and Ari fights it. The author has created her own fantasy world and it's very different. I like the twist on shape shifters. I also like the secondary characters: Ari's sister, the priestess, even Claire (she owns the bar where Ari meets Dagur). Dagur the Cruel is an interesting MC as well.

I can easily recommend this short story. The author may even write a sequel so we can see more of these two.

I've moved my books over from Goodreads (or as some have renamed it - Badreads). I think I have a bit more work to do getting my books into the correct shelves and checking the reviews I've written. Which, thankfully, have not been many. I only just started reviewing books a year ago. I think prettying up everything will have to wait for another time. I haven't explored much here and I do want to make it a little interesting to visit. Since I love my groups on GR, I'll stay there for the fun and games. For now. We'll see and all that. (my mother's favorite phrase whenever I asked for something)