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Thick as Thieves by Lucy Lennox

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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I have today off, and I used my downtime productively to do some laundry and finish reading Thick as Thieves by Lucy Lennox. It’s the 4th book in her “Aster Valley” series of male/male romance. Main characters are Julian Thick and Parker Ellis.

Julian has been in love with his straight best friend, Parker, forever. He thought he could accept simply being Parker’s friend, but now Parker is marrying their mutual friend, Erin, and Julian has to act like he’s happy for them before he leaves for Aster Valley to wallow in grief and try to put his unrequited crush out of his life for good. Parker loves Erin, but he’s not in love with her. Things between them have always just been comfortable and easy, in spite of their on-again-off-again relationship. The only constant in his life is Julian, his best friend and confidant. Whereas Erin has always turned to Parker when she needed a safe place to land, Parker has always turned to Julian. When Erin ditches him the morning of their wedding, Parker almost feels relieved, and he accepts Julian’s offer to come stay with him for a week in Aster Valley. Spending so much time with Julian leaves Parker wondering if what he’s been looking for has been right in front of him all along.

This was lovely. Sad and poignant in places, funny and inspiring in others. I was charmed by the easy camaraderie between Julian and Parker, even though Julian was secretly hurting over Parker’s seeming obliviousness. Once they clear the air between them and take their relationship to the next level, things were hot and spicy. However, the reader knows that the specter of Erin isn’t done casting a shadow over their new status. I honestly don’t know how Parker or Julian was friends with her; she was the most self-absorbed twit ever. Ugh. But, things have a way of working themselves out.

Favorite lines:
♦ “You know the pity party has reached full swing when Julian offers to tackle a multistep recipe.”
♦ There had to be a global rule about not crying when eating bacon.
♦ We’d had an unspoken rule in our relationship for years. Only one of us could be unhinged at a time.
♦ “In this family, we answer the door with, ‘We don’t want to have sex with you.’”

This one hit me in the feels, but I found it a tad predictable, and I would have liked more humor. Giving it four stars.

The Time-Out by Vinni George

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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After company cleared out today and I had an epic nap, I finished reading The Time-Out by Vinni George. It’s the first in the “Business As Usual” series of contemporary male/male romance. Lead characters are workaholic Oscar and the more laid-back, impulsive Cole.

As CEO of his family’s business, Oscar takes his job very seriously. Too seriously, if you ask his parents. They declare they’re sending him to time-out via a nonrefundable, nontransferable, and nonnegotiable vacation. Oscar is horrified, but things begin to look up when Cole, a handsome hipster, drops into the plane seat beside him. When Oscar learns that Cole plans to wing it his entire vacation, he impetuously invites him to stay in the extra bedroom of the villa his parents have rented for him. Soon, Oscar finds himself being dragged into one adventure after another, and he’s astonished when he enjoys it.

For Cole, life is an adventure. He flies standby and goes wherever he can get a ticket. When he accepts Oscar’s invitation, he makes it his mission to get the uptight businessman to unwind a little. The more time they spend together, the more undeniable their attraction to one another becomes. They succumb to the heat building between them, knowing full well that it’s just a holiday fling and wishing it can be more. When Oscar and Cole learn they both live in San Diego, they promise to keep in touch, but can their busy work schedules accommodate their budding relationship?

Delightful fun! It was endearing to see how Oscar learned to relax and let someone else take charge for once, and it was also nice that Cole pushed him out of his comfort zone without overwhelming Oscar. Although there was conflict with schedules and real life once they returned home, the story overall was low-angst. Intimate scenes were spicy and well-paced throughout.

Favorite lines:
♦ “Get up here. If this thing collapses, I don’t want to tumble down alone.”
♦ “You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit.”
♦ “I find being too serious to be a horrible way to go through life.”

Lovely story, four stars

Meet Me There by K.M. Neuhold

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


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I completed the book Meet Me There by KM Neuhold last night. It’s a male/male romance featuring aspiring writer Reed and model Marlon.

Reed and Marlon met in an online chat room, where they bonded over the difficulties they faced as gay teens. They lost touch after high school until a chance meeting brings them together again. Their friendship picks up right where it left off, but with a new element—adding sex to the mix. Although they live far apart and both travel for their jobs, they manage to hook up in different cities. The heat and attraction between them is undeniable, but can they make an actual relationship work?

This was an interesting and unique story. Alas, it was not my cup of tea. The narrative seemed disjointed and lacked any smooth flow. Reed and Marlon spent the majority of their time apart, so when they got together it was all about the ungh ungh ungh. Which, fine, if that’s your thing. Me, I prefer the romance, the emotional connection, the just being together as the characters build a relationship. I also prefer monogamy. Sue me. While apart, Reed and Marlon weren’t being celibate. Understandable and realistic, but not what I want when I read a romance. I liked how they encouraged one another to chase different dreams, and I liked that the more times they hooked up, the more they missed one another when apart.

Favorite lines:
♦ “Do you think maybe for some people that home isn’t a place, it’s a person?”
♦ ‘If I have to hear “Holly Jolly Christmas” one more time I might scream.’ // ‘Where’s your Christmas spirit?’ // ‘It was smothered by elves days ago.’

The story was all kinds of spicy and even included some kink. If that’s your thing, you’d probably enjoy it. Unfortunately, it didn’t push my buttons. I’m giving it an average rating of three.

Flakes by Lucy Lennox

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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It was after midnight when I began reading the novella Flakes by May Archer and Lucy Lennox, and I finished it in less than two hours. This is billed as a prequel to the authors' "Licking Thicket" series of humorous male/male romance. The main characters are interior designer Colin Kearns and contractor Ryder Richards.

It's New Year's Eve, and Colin just wants to finish up some last minute details on a house that he's working on with Ryder's crew. Ryder, however, has sent his crew home early and has no sense of urgency, unlike Colin does. And really, sexy Ryder has been a thorn in Colin's side on every project they've ever worked on together. By the time he's had enough of Ryder's chicanery for one night, the forecasted bad weather has hit, stranding Colin with Ryder.

Ryder has long been attracted to the fussy, sassy Colin, but he's kept his distance. Tonight, however, with just the two of them stuck here on New Year's Eve, Ryder breaks out the moonshine and ropes Colin into a game of Truth or Dare. Turns out, Colin isn't as remote and unaffected as he seems, and when things get a bit heated between them, it may just be the start of not only a new year, but something good.

I know this was only a novella, but it seemed super rushed. The guys went from "you annoy the shit out of me" to "I'm in love with you" over the course of NYE. Okaaaaay. The story had all the hallmarks of what I enjoy from these authors: bickering, bantering, humor and heat, but I wish it would have been a tad more realistic, such as the two of them admitting to a mutual attraction with a promise to see how it plays out.

Favorite lines:
♦ I'd stared so long and hard at his ass, I'd been shocked not to get a subpoena from the perv police.
♦ "I wonder if PornHub has a selection of videos of sexy men simply checking off items on their task list with authority."
♦ "My mom's attained her final form, in which she can literally be everywhere in the Thicket at once."

Fun and funny story, but I'm knocking a star off for how rushed it was. Four stars.

Turkeys by Lucy Lennox

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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Over the course of about 24 hours, I read Turkeys by May Archer and Lucy Lennox. It's the 4th book in their ridiculous "Licking Thicket" series of male/male romance. The main characters are Hunter Jackson and Charlton "Charlie" (or "Junior") Nutter.

After 15 long years away from his home town of Licking Thicket, TN, Charlie has returned to spend Thanksgiving with his family. A lot has changed in his absence, including a fresh new diversity along with many small, thriving businesses. Other things haven't changed at all, from the absurd puns the town seems to embrace, to the multitude of festivals, and the matchmaking busy bodies.

Hunter can't believe it when he learns that Junior Nutter has returned to the Thicket. They used to be good friends, until Junior turkeynapped Hunter's prize-winning turkey, then had the nerve to leave town without an explanation or even saying goodbye. The fact that Junior is handsome and sexy just serves to aggravate Hunter further, which is the only reason he bid on him at the Biddin' and made Junior wear a comical turkey costume at the Thanksgiving festival. When Junior insists he prefers to be called Charlie and takes his disgrace with good grace, Hunter realizes that maybe Charlie isn't as bad as he'd spent years imagining.

Thanks to the Matchmaking Mafia in Licking Thicket, Hunter and Charlie end up spending time together. When they finally talk and clear the air, they each realize that they may have (re)discovered something special in the other. When the entire town of Licking Thicket conspires to get them together, these two turkeys don't stand a chance.

This book was noticeably shorter than others in the series, so things progressed quickly. It helps that Charlie and Hunter knew one another from when they were young so it was just a matter of owning up to some things and then wondering how they could possibly make a relationship work between them when Hunter was fully committed to Licking Thicket and Charlie had a successful career in Chicago. I enjoyed reconnecting with familiar characters and meeting new ones. The story was humorous although not laugh out loud funny, and the spicy times were spicy indeed. It did feel a bit rushed, especially at the end.

Favorite line: I changed my mind about my family being the best and briefly considered putting myself up for adoption.

Delightful story, but again, it felt rushed. Four stars.

Hot as Heller by Lucy Lennox

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Since I didn't have to work today, I stayed up until the wee hours to finish reading Hot as Heller by Lucy Lennox. It's the third book in her "Aster Valley" series of male/male romances. Main characters are Sheriff Declan Stone and Hollywood star Finn Heller.

Declan moved to Aster Valley from LA to get away from the Hollywood crazy. Now Hollywood has come to Aster Valley in the form of a production crew. An action movie is being filmed in Aster Valley, disrupting the peace and quiet. Declan is particularly annoyed with Finn Heller, especially after Finn mistook him for a valet and instructed Declan to park his car. Still, there's something about Finn that brings all of Dec's protective instincts to the fore. He's both gorgeous and vulnerable, and Declan can't help but be drawn to him.

Finn got his start in acting as a child on a wildly popular TV series. Ever since then he's been trying to make it as a serious actor. He's only working on this film in hopes of landing a role in a Shakespeare adaptation. Finn is accustomed to people wanting a piece of him, using him for connections, and riding his coat tails. Sheriff Stone, however, is different. He seems to see right through Finn's front to the insecure young man he is. With Declan's encouragement, Finn may just learn how to stand up for himself and reach for what he really wants out of life.

A lovely, tender story. Humorous, although not laugh-out-loud funny. You couldn't help but feel sorry for Finn. It's as if there was no one in his life who truly cared about him as a person, rather than as a commodity, including his own mother. Spending time with Declan and his friends makes Finn feel like he belongs for the first time in his life. The drama was exciting, sexy times were delish, and characters were marvelous--even the ones I wanted to punt off the mountain.

Favorite lines:
♦ I was still busy backing up my salt truck over this latest outrage.
♦ "She comes in here with Pickles all the time and makes everyone laugh."
♦ "Everyone knows Scooby-Doo."
♦ "I swore to myself not to treat you like a piece of meat, and now here I am with my steak sauce out and my knife sharpened."
♦ "No matter what nefarious plans were afoot, our intrepid sheriff was all in."

I really liked this book. I'm hesitant to give it five stars, but it deserves more than four. Why can we not give halfsies?! As a nod to the author, I'll bump this from 4.5 to 5.

Hitched by Lucy Lennox

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Over the course of the weekend I read Hitched by May Archer and Lucy Lennox. It's the second book in their "Horn of Glory" series, which is a spin-off of the "Licking Thicket" series. Main characters are Percy "Champ" Champion, owner of Champion Security, and Quinn Taffet, event planner extraordinaire.

Champ doesn't do relationships; he's more of a one-night-stand kind of guy. However, his current one-night-stand has been going on for over twenty nights, not that he's counting. Quinn is smart and sexy, challenging and sassy, and Champ is comfortable with him. That may prove distracting just when Champ can least afford a distraction. His team provides security for Jacob Horn (of Horn of Glory gaming fame), and a stolen HOG device, which may contain potentially explosive intel on a dangerous drug cartel, has wound up in the wrong hands. Champ doesn't want to involve Quinn, but Quinn is already involved--he's busy planning a wedding for the daughter of the man who bought the HOG.

Quinn doesn't do relationships, which is why he's astounded that he keeps letting Champ come around and sex him up. He figures their days nights together are numbered, so why not enjoy it while it lasts? When Champ horns in on his wedding planning, Quinn can't help but wonder if he's just a means to an end or does he mean more to the gruff former Marine?

Loved this story. I always enjoy revisiting Licking Thicket in all its ridiculous glory, and I was delighted to reconnect with familiar characters. Everyone in town knows that Champ and Quinn are smitten with one another, with the exception of Champ and Quinn. They're still deluding themselves that they can quit whenever they want to. Not only did we get to follow the convoluted path to their HEA, the story also involved lots of drama and action and mystery. The plot pelted along, and I laughed out loud several times while reading it. The book was sweet and sexy and everything I look for in a male/male romance.

Favorite lines:
♦ Seriously, why did the universe make the hot ones so damn annoying?
♦ "He and I are kind of still on the outs from when I accidentally commandeered his orc forces to storm the Forbidden Quagmires of Sod."
♦ What was the most polite way to state that I'd rather light myself on fire than sit through another planning meeting?
♦ Riggs's face morphed from hardened soldier to demented cow like it always did when he thought about Carter.
♦ "If you thought my peace-offering donuts were good, wait until you try my peace-offering tacos."
♦ Hercules cocked his head like he wanted to help but didn't have enough toe beans to count that high.
♦ Served him right to be on the receiving end of someone else's monkey wrench for once.
♦ Was there a word for people who became suddenly anxious around men with badges? I was suddenly, irrationally sure that I'd not only killed someone that morning and forgotten about it, but I probably also still had the gun on my person.
♦ "I will not report to that egotistical orc-hoarder for all the pips in Hornlandia."
♦ I simply couldn't work up a single iota of righteous indignation. And since on any given day half my body weight was comprised of righteous indignation, this was a big deal.
♦ "I had one condition in a man, and it was that he knew how to subdue insurgents with grace while I hijacked a plane."

Hot and hilarious--five stars!

Hijacked by Lucy Lennox

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I took advantage of my long weekend to read Hijacked. It's the first book in May Archer and Lucy Lennox's "Horn of Glory" series, which is a spin-off of their "Licking Thicket" series. This one was just as funny and punny as the original series. Main characters are (William) Riggs, former Marine currently working for Champion Security, and Dr Carter Rogers (whom we met in the Licking Thicket series).

Carter has to get out of Dodge. He's surrounded by loving couples, including his ex Tucker with his new husband, and Carter just needs a break from it. He decides to travel to Venezuela with the Doctors Across Continents program to spend several weeks in an under-served community. There's just one catch--Carter's grandfather insists on hiring a bodyguard to keep him safe.

Riggs doesn't want to accompany a prima donna doctor to Venezuela, but he knows this assignment is punishment for the fact that he screwed up his last mission with an ill-advised hook-up. The more time he spends with Carter, however, the more Riggs realizes that the good doctor is also a good person. When the two of them are abducted by a local drug cartel, they'll need to rely on one another to escape.

In spite of the dire circumstances, this book was hilarious. Initially, Carter and Riggs couldn't help but antagonize one another, but their attitudes shift when they have only each other to count on. The Horn of Glory game played a large role, and it will be interesting to see how that subplot develops.

Favorite lines:
♦ "I don't know. Maybe I'll ask my husband. The gun-toting drag queen."*
♦ "There are a limited number of people in the world I'd save from a rampaging capybara."
♦ "I just gave you the best orgasm of your life. If you don't pass out in the next five minutes, it's because you're trying to stay awake."
♦ What I was not going to do that morning was obsess over Riggs or what I'd decided to call the Unfortunate Insomnia Frottage Incident.
♦ "You just sound so put out about it. Like you're offended that these were the best henchmen the cartel could come up with. You want to give them a course in remedial badassery, don't you?"
♦ It was a sad day when a man's own flopping couch was taken over.
♦ "I'm sure relationship advice coming from someone who's married to a gun-toting drag queen may not seem like much to you."* That bit was funny enough early in the book, and when it got trotted out again near the end, I nearly died laughing!
♦ "I gave you a fucking naked mole rat, and that wasn't good enough for you?"

Epic hilarity, forced proximity, groan-worthy puns, tension and high heat make this one a winner. Five stars!

Mr. Important by Lucy Lennox

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Good thing today is a holiday, because I stayed up hella late last night to finish reading Mr Important by May Archer and Lucy Lennox. It's the second part of their "Honeybridge" series of male/male romance. Story is told in alternating first-person pov by the main characters, Reagan Wellbridge and Thatcher Pennington.

On impulse, Reagan hooks up with a hot silver fox at a NYE masquerade, only to discover his anonymous hook up is none other than Thatcher Pennington: his parents' friend, father of Reagan's friend, and oh yeah, his boss. Reagan's intentions to pretend nothing happened go up in smoke when he's tabbed to accompany Thatcher on a two-week PR tour by bus. In such close, constant proximity, will Reagan be able to keep his hands to himself?

By the time Thatcher realizes he mistook one masked man for another on NYE, it's too late. As he wonders how to handle the situation, a PR nightmare crops up and he's compelled to go on tour to show their brand, PennCo, in a positive light. When the woman he's scheduled to travel with gets sick, Thatcher ends up traveling with Reagan. He'd never paid much attention to the Wellbridges' son, but now that they're forced to spend so much time together, Thatcher realizes just how smart, charming, and talented Reagan is, not to mention how stunningly attractive he is as well. Will he be able to keep his hands to himself...and will he want to?

What a lively story! Reagan has been longing to prove (to himself and everyone else) that he's more than just a photogenic backdrop to his father's political campaign. Working at PennCo was meant to allow him to showcase his social media skills; instead, he's felt stifled there. Now that he's been shoved into the limelight on tour with Mr Pennington, Reagan finally has a chance to shine. Thatcher has always been content to leave the running of PennCo in the competent hands of Layla James, but now that he sees the results that Reagan is getting via social media, he has a newfound respect for Reagan and the marketing tool. As the two of them succumb to their mutual attraction and grow closer, they both fear the repercussions of their involvement. Eventually, they'll need to decide what's most important to them. The characterizations in this were amazing, from Reagan's ability to shift into whatever persona suited the situation, to Thatcher's taciturn disdain for the need to go on tour. Even the villainess was portrayed well, as in I wanted to punch her in the face. One of my favorite characters was McGee, the driver of the bus. The plot moved at a good, sensible pace, and it was laced with humor.

Favorite lines:
♦ Not fascinating. He was a jerk this morning, and we don't waste our fascination on jerks.
♦ "You look terrified. Like you expected to find a cute little bunny waiting for you in the bus and instead found a rabid beaver who might tear you limb from limb."
♦ "They're going to think I can't do the work, which is bullshit, or that you don't like me, which is ridiculous because I'm a fucking delight."
♦ "Layla's side-eyeing me like she's a fucking flat-earther who thinks I'm showing her doctored pictures from outer space."
♦ "Living up to other people's expectations is a losing game. You need to live up to your own. And if that's not good enough for the people around you, find new people."
♦ "Opportunity knocks, but it doesn't pick locks. You gotta open the door."
♦ "Is this one of those things where you've been kidnapped but can't say so directly? Cough if you need me to call the police."
♦ I glared at him, but activity behind Reagan's curtain saved McGee from getting a fat lip to match his nose and eyes.

Sheer delight! Lots of laughs and heat, but with enough drama and angsting included to save it from being nothing but fluff. Five stars!

The Crazy Bookshop by E. Broom

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



It took forever, but I finally finished reading The Crazy Bookshop by E Broom. It's the first in the "Cadenbury Town" series. Main character is Ernest Turnbull.

Ernest is fired from his job after tossing a latte in his boss' face. Now out of work, he applies for a job at a bookstore in Cadenbury. Ernest is offered the job immediately, which delights him, but he can't help but feel things in Cadenbury are a bit off. There's a woman who looks like a crone and always has an animal with her, his new boss Alfred reminds Ernest of an exuberant puppy, and the mayor, Adhan Stone, broods and growls a lot. Soon Ernest learns that the crone, Mollyanne, is an actual witch, and that Alfred and Adhan (his father) are wolf shifters. Even more bizarre, Ernest learns that he's a witch, too. It seems he's arrived in town just in time. Various townspeople are being targeted by harmful spells. Ernest, with his fresh outlook on all things magical, comes up with a plan to not only protect the town, but to roust their enemies once and for all.

This book had everything I like: bookstore, shifters, witches, magic, male/male romance, but...I didn't much like it. The writing was rife with grammatical errors, and it was (mostly) written in present tense, which always seems odd to me. The plot wasn't very cohesive. The "romance" was insta (fated mates), and the conflict was low key and rather easily dealt with. It was like reading a Disney movie.

Favorite lines:
♦ "No harm ever came from opening a book."
♦ "What do you call throwing a latte in someone's face?" // "Passive aggressive violence?"
♦ "People actually use wands?" I ask, because what is this? Harry Potter?

Interesting premise, disappointing execution. Three stars, and that's being generous.