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liza5326

Reading and Rambling

I am a single mom who spends all my free time reading to escape the craziness of real life.  Everything I read features hot men loving other hot men, probably due to the lack of hot men in my own life.  I recently tried my hand at the writing game.  My first short, Risking the Field, will be hitting the public this summer thanks to the Don't Read in the Closet event held every year by the M/M Romance Group on Goodreads.  I write under the name Jean McGray, an hommage to my grandfather and my high school nickname.

The Missing Butterfly

The Missing Butterfly - Megan Derr A sweet story about a man who gave up everything to raise his brother and sister after his parents are killed when he was 18. Cassidy was on his way to being a star with his band, The Four Butterflies, when tragedy strikes and he gives it all up to keep what is left of his family together.

Nine years later, he starts a new job and meets his very sexy and rich boss, Malcolm. He has been doing nothing but working hard to get by since his parents' death and a crush on his boss isn't part of the plan!

The Fence And Then The Trees

The Fence And Then The Trees - J.F.  Smith That was an amazing story.... Most definitely a difficult story, but beautiful at its core. Jack is a con man who was double-crossed by his partners and has been sentenced to prison for 3 years. He knows that when he gets there, he will have to use all of his skills to survive. He is put in a cell with Adder, a hard man who hasn't spoken a word in the 13 years he's been in prison. Adder has a reputation of beating people who get in his way Jack sees this the first time they meet.

There were a lot of hard things to deal with in this story. It is prison, and there are harsh rapes and assaults, but when you get past a lot of that, you get to see the story of two men who build a deep bond. And the ending.... Tears.... If you liked [b:Protection|13181411|Protection|S.A. Reid|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1334193106s/13181411.jpg|18361682], you will love this book!

The Trouble With Tony

The Trouble With Tony - Eli Easton Tony is a private investigator hired to look into the death of a woman who had been a patient of sex therapist, Jack Halloran. I usually love murder mysteries, but I really did not care about how Marilyn died! I just wanted more of Tony and Jack! It was such a fast-paced story that I wanted to have more of them together. What we did have was wonderful! On to book 2!

Consent

Consent - A.J.  Rose Wow... So different from the first two books, but still so good. Myah has been abducted and Gavin, Ben, and Cole race to find who or what is behind her disappearance. The twists and turns the story took threw me, the story equally hot and very hard to read. There wasn't a lot relationship-wise between Gavin and Ben, but this book was so much more than a romance. Once again, I kick myself for putting off reading a book I should have read when it came out!

Dirty Deeds

Dirty Deeds - S.E. Jakes MIND FUCK!!! Now I have to wait..... God, I love Mal and Cillian. This was hot as hell for a story where the MCs are pretty much never together! This is listed as the first in a series but you HAVE to read the [b:Catch a Ghost|18278085|Catch a Ghost (Hell or High Water, #1)|S.E. Jakes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1375491930s/18278085.jpg|21986908] series to even have the slightest inkling of who and what is going on.

Dead Man and the Restless Spirits

Dead Man and the Restless Spirits - Lou Harper The perfect fun and light story! This was actually three shorts rolled in 1 and I loved them. There was the perfect amount of heat and humor. I will be reading the next one in the series!

Denton can see dead people. And that puts a major damper on his life. When he moves into a new apartment, he meets his neighbor, the very mysterious and gorgeous and Bran and sparks fly. Bran is an herbalist with a couple of his own secrets. Together, they are able to build up Denton's power and team up to rid the world of pesky ghosts.


Evenfall Vol. 1 Director's Cut

Evenfall Vol. 1 Director's Cut - Ais, Santino Hassell The only reason this wasn't 5 stars for me was because there just wasn't enough time with Sin and Boyd interacting. I absolutely got sucked into this story. I am not usually into sci-fi/dystopia, so I put this story off, but now I can see why everyone raves about it.

I was actually at a bar last night for a fundraiser, sneaking peeks at my Kindle app to read because I NEEDED to know what happened next! lol At least I was until my friend caught me and took my phone away....

Hsin is the ultimate killing machine, an assassin with no conscious and deemed psychotic and unfit. He is locked away, only given a chance to be free when The Agency needs him. Boyd is The Inspector's son, totally green and untrained, emotionless with his own baggage. They are partnered together to help stop the terrorist organization Janus in AU future United States.

Bound: An Anniversary to Remember (Bound to Each Other Book 1)

Bound: An Anniversary to Remember (Bound to Each Other Book 1) - Elle Larson I received a free copy of this book via the GoodReads Don't buy My Love program in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of the 15th anniversary celebration of Tony and Jack. They are both successful men, Jack is a professor and Tony is a doctor. On their 14th anniversary, Tony drunkenly admits that his fantasy is to be dominated by Jack and for the past year, Jack has been working on making that fantasy come true.

This is a hot short. In fact, other than a couple of grammatical errors, my only complaint is how short it is. Some people may not like how Jack makes Tony's fantasy come true, but I thought it was sexy as hell. I just wish there had been more than just the one night of the couple's life in this story. Since it is the beginning of a series, I will be looking for the next one!

The Flesh Cartel #3: Choices

The Flesh Cartel #3: Choices (The Flesh Cartel Season 2: Fragmentation) - Heidi Belleau, Rachel Haimowitz This continues to be a brilliant story that I am struggling with. And that is the whole point of it. It shouldn't be easy to read, but you can't stop. I have to know what happens next, but this is the most intense series I have ever read.

A Time for Loving

A Time for Loving - Nico Jaye I received a free copy of this book via the GoodReads Don't buy My Love program in exchange for an honest review.

For the longest time, all I read were historical romances. Those torrid bodice-rippers that feature the muscle-bound hero embracing the well-endowed heroine. This story reminded me why I loved them so much. Nico Jaye is the Queen of Smuff! What is Smuff, you ask? Smut and fluff. Pure, unadulterated fun. And A Time for Loving is full of it!

In only 17 pages, you are given a sweet romance between two men in the Regency era, the ultimate of forbidden romances. The language is perfect, world is rich with detail. I loved it. My only complaint? I wanted more! I hope Ms Jaye ventures into historical romance again because she does it justice!

Black John

Black John - Amy Lane Probably my least favorite of the series, but still an incredible story! I love the Johnnies series and Amy Lane and this book really didn't disappoint. It was nice to see why John became who he was and how he changed his life. I loved Galen and I can see how powerful their love became. It actually seemed like there was a lack of sex scenes in this book compared to the others, most likely because it took place away from the Johnnies' set, in Florida with just Galen and John most of the time. In fact, the hottest scene for me was a solo scene with John. Whoa. Nice!! This series has grown and I am eager to see where Amy goes next!

A Clean Break

A Clean Break - Keira Andrews David and Isaac have left Zebulon behind and are starting over in San Francisco with the help of Isaac's brother, Aaron and his wife, Jen. Their transition into the English world isn't easy and they are struggling with the loss of all that was familiar and being bombarded by their newfound freedom and all that comes with it.

I loved this story, but not as much as the first. The innocence was still there, but David drove me nuts. I wanted to smack him. And I knew we would be left hanging, waiting for the final book in the trilogy, but not quite in the way we were. Now comes the impatient waiting for the finale!

The Raven's Luck

The Raven's Luck - Laylah Hunter I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. Not my normal type of story, but I would most definitely read more about Sam and Rio! The world-building was fascinating and I want to know more about these former rivals! So sexy!

Crack the Darkest Sky Wide Open

Crack the Darkest Sky Wide Open - Eric Arvin, Jason Huffman-Black, T.J. Klune, S.J.D. Peterson, S.A. McAuley, Abigail Roux This was an amazing anthology from an exceptional group of authors. Each story was unique and twisted, some happy, some sad, some just seriously fucked. But all great.

Eric Arvin's "The Demon of Jericho" is a classic tale of demons and angels, good versus evil, with his special twist on it. While not my favorite story of the bunch, it was a good read and built a world that was rich in detail for such a short story. ★★★★☆

Abigail Roux's "A Cruel Thing" is a bittersweet reminder that even in a time of war, there is love and that love can hold you and comfort you as bombs are going off around you. There were tears, but it was a moving tribute to the soldiers who have fought and continue to fight for our country, hiding who they truly are. ★★★★★

SJD Peterson's "Wrong" reinforced that, in the end, you reap what you sow. It was a dark and twisted tale that will push the limits for some people. Just when you think you know where the story is going, it changes up and throws a curveball. ★★★★☆

Jason Huffman-Black's "Anguish" is a quick jaunt into the mind of someone lost and in pain. You can feel the anguish in the cryptic words and the abrupt ending leaves you shocked. ★★★★☆

S.A. McAuley's "The Hotel Luz" surprised me. What is you were given a chance to reconnect with that first love? Would you throw away a 14 year relationship? I thought I knew the answer and it went completely the other way, just like any great story does! ★★★★☆

TJ Klune's "John & Jackie" was the star of this book. This is the PERFECT love story that everyone dreams of. Not a perfect life, but that perfect love. I cried like a baby. It is told in flashbacks as John lies dying with Jackie by his side. This could have easily been a full length novel and held my attention. Such a beautiful, emotional story! ★★★★★+

The Eskimo Slugger

The Eskimo Slugger - Brad Boney You have to read [b:The Nothingness of Ben|18460285|The Nothingness of Ben|Brad Boney|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1378438194s/18460285.jpg|21920750] and [b:The Return|21901994|The Return|Brad Boney|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1397423794s/21901994.jpg|25320532] to truly appreciate The Eskimo Slugger. Knowing where it was going caused tears more than once, but it was worth it to know how Trent and Brendan met and fell in love. Plus the interlocking of the lives and characters was absolutely beautiful. I cannot recommend this trio of books enough! And you have to read them in the proper order to get the full impact.

Going Home

Going Home - Max Vos I knew the big "secret" before I started reading and I wasn't too sure how I was going to feel about the whole story. Then I got about 10 pages in and just lost myself in the story. At it's heart, it is the story of two men who love each other, deeply and completely, no matter what the rest of the world thinks of them, and the story of a man whose life is changed forever when he is sent to get their story. The only thing that really squicked me out was the few times Matt called Carl "Daddy" during sex. Max Vos hasn't disappointed me yet! I love his writing style and how he gives us a story that most wouldn't dare tell without it being ridiculous and over the top.