On the Clock by L.A. Witt and Aleksandr Voinov

I received this book as an ARC though NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I took me a little while to get into this book, and I'm not quite sure why. I think I was probably in the wrong mood when I started, but, once I got into it, I was hooked. The characters were interesting, and fully developed people. I loved their interactions, both sexual and platonic, and I loved that their connection wasn't simply physical. I loved Blake's and his respect for Jason. He never looked down on Jason, and always treated him like the professional he was. I really liked his thoughts on the business aspects of Jason's work. I really liked Jason as well. He was smart, and funny, and I liked how much he enjoyed his work.

The sex in this story was particularly steamy, and I loved how Blake's voyeurism kink worked into the story. I also found his attitude towards his own jealousy to be refreshing. I loved the humor in this story. I found myself reading large parts of it to Elspeth because I loved it so much. It really made me laugh, and I loved how in worked into the main plot of the story. It helped me buy into the developing relationship between Blake and Jason.

The ending was well done, and it fit both character well. I was glad that the authors didn't play into what might have been a typical ending for these characters, and instead wrote something that was much more honest for these two. It made things feel much more like real life and a lot less like Pretty Woman. One of my new favorites of the series.



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Storytime by K.Lynn

I received this book as an ARC though NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the romantic, almost soft mood to the story. I found James to be a relatable character, and I liked that, while he was still mourning his loss, that he was taking steps to move beyond his grief. I can't imagine losing someone like that, and I respected that James was working on not drowning in his heartbreak. I really liked David as well. He is a good man, and I loved seeing them grow closer. I didn't even realize that the age gap was significant as it is because David has such maturity, and presence, and James never once treated him with anything but respect. I loved that David was so self possessed, and he fully understands his own preferences. It made me fully buy into their love story. The ending was nicely sexy, and it wrapped up the story nicely. I loved watching these two fall for each other. A great short story.

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Bane by Amelia C. Gormley

I received this book as an ARC though NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked seeing how the threads of Nico and Zach's story wove together with Rhys and Darius's. I liked that their meeting wasn't necessarily positive, and that their goals weren't always in sync. I appreciated that the author didn't use this as an opportunity to vilify anyone, and that by getting in different character's heads I was able to understand what happened, and why from all perspectives. It added a lot of richness to the story for me, and I appreciated that.

The plot was nicely paced, and it really brought together a lot of the lose threads from the previous two books. It took both story lines, and really melded them together without making one more important or central than another. It showed how much all these characters were connected before they even met. The resolution was well done, and it left me feeling satisfied. There were no miracles, and everything that happens felt supported by the story, and the world building. Another great addition to this series. 

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Elspeth's babies

Questions

So does he have more babies in more states?

Do they have cowboys for my bitchy mood?

Or my hungry mood?

How about when I'm not in the mood?

 

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Prosperity (Prosperity, #1) by Alexis Hall

I can't believe it took me this long to read this book. I know my friends loved it, but for some reason I thought I wouldn't. No idea why. I mean lots of my friends loved this book. I love some of the authors other books, but I dragged my feet when it came to reading this book, and for that



The dialogue took me a little bit to get the hang of, but it fit the character, and the setting so well I don't think anything else would have worked. The characters are a diverse bunch, and I liked how much the story focused on all of them, and their interactions. Any time I can read a book with gay, bisexual, androgynous, and lesbian characters and have their sexuality/gender identity not be the central focus of the story I'm a happy camper. I loved that characters relationships were more than just romantic, and that the author doesn't buy into the notion that sex equals true love.

The setting was really well drawn and I felt like I was there. It had a very steampunk feel to it, but it felt grounded in the reality of Victorian London, and it didn't feel to clean or too pretty. The plot was fast paced, and felt like my favorite sort of adventure story with lots of nice twists and turns.

Once I started reading I couldn't stop. Everything about this book just worked for me, and I had to run out and buy the short stories once I finished this one. In short.



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Lovely, Dark, and Deep by by Michael Jay (Editor)

I received this book as an arc through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this collection of stories. While not all of them worked for me personally I loved the variety from romantic to flat out scary. I think the editor did a great job finding stories that fit the theme in a variety of ways, and I liked that the idea of the woods was used so broadly. It made for a great anthology. I loved that the characters were just as diverse as the stories, and that it wasn't just an m/m or a f/f anthology. It added to the depth, and richness of the stories and the collection. A great read, and it would be just as good read in sections or in one sitting (you know like I did.) A great collection of stories especially if you like fairy tales or anything on the scary side.


Deep Dark Woods 2 by khantheripper

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