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Back Porch Reader

LGBTQ+ Romance and Erotica Book Reviews

Publisher: Self-Published

ARC Review: HeartOn by Amy Jo Cousins

February 10, 2018 by Katie, Back Porch Reader

About the Book

Book Cover - HeartOn by Amy Jo CousinsWhen an injury sidelines NFL player Deion McCaskill—maybe permanently—he heads to Miami to stay with an old college teammate and his boyfriend. He packs his tailor-made suits, anxiety about the future, and the bisexuality he’s ignored for years because it didn’t fit with his drive to succeed at football’s most elite levels.

Set designer Carlos Kelly has always known he’s bi, but dating women is easier than making waves with his Puerto Rican/Irish Catholic family. His friends and coworkers from the theater community might be almost entirely on the rainbow spectrum, but Carlos keeps things simple. Except for this heat that keeps flaring between him and the hot football player visiting his best friend.

Two weeks. Two guys who’ve never explored their bisexuality before and don’t plan on coming out, ever. One promise to let each other try out every fantasy they’ve ever had. Zero feelings involved.

At least, that was the plan. . .

The Finer Details

Narrative Arc: Series

Series Detail: Full Hearts, book 2

Series Arc: new relationship

Publication Date: January 25, 2018
Publisher: Self-Published
Editor: Christina Soule Desir
Cover Artist: Black Jazz Design
Length: Novel, 196 e-book pages
POV: 3rd person
Tense: Past
Pairings: Male/Male
Identities: Bisexual
Genre(s): Contemporary, Interracial

Tropes and Tags: athlete, sexual identity awakening, opposites attract, closeted, friends to lovers
Settings & Locales: Miami, Florida
Ending: HEA

Find and Buy

Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | GooglePlay | iBooks | KOBO | Smashwords

Add the book to your goodreads shelf.


Advance Review Copy generously provided by the author.


Back Porch Thoughts

Rating

Rating 4.5 Stars

4.5 Stars
Rating Info

Ratings stick closely to the GoodReads standards. Occasionally I’ll make note of half-star ratings and will typically round up on GoodReads reviews and other sites where I may cross-post.

Stars Goodreads  What this means to me
5 AMAZING This totally knocked my socks off, and I might end up a crazed fan (from a respectable distance).
4 Really Liked This was truly enjoyable, and I’d recommend it.
3 Liked It was good, and I’m glad I read it, but I may have had some issues.
2 It was okay There were likable parts but I definitely had issues.
1 Didn't like I read the whole thing but....
1 DNF Didn't like I read past 50% (at least) before giving up.
0 DNF No Rating I couldn't even make it to 50%, but I still feel the need to share my thoughts.
 

Review

Seems I’ve been reading a lot of HEAVY STUFF lately. So, when this book made its timely way across my radar, I couldn’t pass it up.

COULD NOT.

It was the perfect medicine for these bleak winter months. Almost summery in the lightness and the setting of the nearly always summer Miami.

I LOVED it. Truly and completely.

HeartOn can be read as a standalone because the nature of the romantic interests finding their bliss is entirely separate from the first book in this series. But, c’mon.  Read the first book because it’s also pretty fucking amazing. And, if you’re not convinced, there are plenty of sweet little enticing nuggets inside this book that’ll surely lure you back to that first one and will whet your appetite for more.

Both Carlos and Deion are bisexual, and both pretty deeply closeted for reasons. Mainly, probably, because playing it straight is the easiest, the path of least resistance when it comes to family and career. This…resonates. Big Time. I just, y’all. This struck nerves. The good kind that had me nodding my head off in YESSSS THIS!

Their thought processes, the way they’ve managed Life-Of-Bi thus far, the coping mechanisms, the denials, the not having people to talk to, or the words to make it real. Have mercy, that all rang so true. And a few times I thought, Amy Jo, get outta my freakin’ head!

These guys are an absolute delight as they navigate the attraction. They’re tentative, a bit shy, and adorkable little cinnamon rolls figuring out how to Gay Sex. There was this war in me that had me trying to stifle giggles and wanting to give them hugs of encouragement, wanting to shout at them Don’t Forget the Lube.

And, ya know, vacation trysts can be all sorts of steamy. Sometimes expiration dates are good. They help keep things contained. Gives folks a legit out to get back to the normal every day and chalk it up to an experience. Something to remember and cherish fondly.

BUT FEELINGS!

Oh yeah, when feelings emerge — the kind that Just. Won’t. Go. Away. Well, going back to the Days of Denial is impossible, though not always tidy.

And trying to find all those answers, consider a whole new path in life that impacts everything,  career and family, and geography, and all the things — especially when one is a public figure. It was a pressure cooker without too much angst. Okay, some angst. Because how do you face all that without angst?

A two-week vacation should not have angst — unless it’s THIS KIND.

This book is thoughtful and fun. The strength of the friendships. The humor—gah! Plenty of sweet and sassy inside jokes — those intimate little things we get the pleasure to be in on. And getting to check in on  Benji and Josh from the first book was all kinds of fun.

I’ve read a goodly number of AJ’s books. One thing I’ve learned is that this author is One-Click Worthy. Mainly because I know that she’s going to explore all corners of the emotional journey she takes her characters on in the most thoughtful ways with a lightness that doesn’t bog down the pace. The characters feel like friends, the kind you’d haul your ass outta bed on a lazy Sunday to meet for brunch or even offer to help move into new digs.

HeartOn was an absolute delight.


About the Author

Amy Jo Cousins writes contemporary romance and erotica about smart people finding their own best kind of smexy. She lives in Chicago with her son, where she tweets too much, sometimes runs really far, and waits for the Cubs to win the World Series again. Amy Jo is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan of Handspun Literary Agency.

Connect:

Website | Email | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: ARC Review, Author: Amy Jo Cousins, Genre: Contemporary, Length: Novel, Pairing: M/M, Publisher: Self-Published, Rating: 4.5 stars, Type: Series

Release Day Review: The Christmas Fling by Heidi Cullinan

December 12, 2017 by Katie, Back Porch Reader

About the Book

Cover - The Christmas Fling by Heidi CullinanEccentric, reclusive, socially awkward project designer Evan Myles doesn’t date. Paying for sex with professionals is so much more efficient and suits his needs well enough. But when he’s on assignment in rural Logan, Minnesota, for the Christmas Town project and a handsome stranger at the bar catches his attention, Evan decides it’s time to break his rule. It doesn’t matter that he’s never so much as flirted before. It can’t be that hard, can it?

Davidson Incorporated lead architect Terry Reid hasn’t been hit on so clumsily in his life. Terry’s the first to admit he’s a neurotic Prince Charming, and he’s kissed his share of frogs of both genders, but he’s never met anyone quite like Evan Myles. Evan calls Terry by the wrong name, mistakes Terry for a simple construction worker, and picks apart his work as an architect. Despite this rough start, Terry is lured by the brilliance of Evan’s ideas, his quirky personality, and once they’re alone in Evan’s cabin, the man’s mad skills in bed. Yet Terry knows it takes more than a single night of passion to make a relationship work, and after so many failures, he’s just not ready to try again.

Evan and Terry’s path is strewn with stones neither of them can dislodge. Fortunately, they’re not alone on the road to romance. They’re in Christmas Town, home to matchmakers, meddlers, and more “fairy godfathers” than they could possibly know what to do with.

Most importantly, in Logan, Minnesota, happy ever after is guaranteed.

The Finer Details

Narrative Arc: — select —
Publication Date: December 12, 2017
Publisher: Self-Published
Editor: Sasha Knight
Cover Artist: Kanaxa
Length: Novel, 207 e-book pages
POV: 3rd person, limited to two main characters
Tense: Past
Pairings: Male/Male
Identities: Gay, Bisexual
Genre(s): Contemporary, Holiday
Holiday: Christmas
Tropes and Tags: mistaken identity, office romance
Settings & Locales: Minnesota
Ending: HEA

Find and Buy

Amazon US | Amazon UK | iBooks | KOBO | Smashwords

Add the book to your goodreads shelf.


Exclusive Teaser!


Advance Review Copy generously provided by the author. 

Back Porch Thoughts

Review

If you’re a fan of the Minnesota Christmas series, then this spinoff is just the ticket. We’re back in Logan, Minnesota, y’all! And “Christmas Town” is almost ready for its debut. A familiar landscape and characters we know and love are the sparkly backdrop to Evan and Terry finding their way together.

Haven’t read the Minnesota Christmas books? Fret not my friends. This can certainly be read as a stand-alone. Just try not to get too bogged down with all the names of the townsfolk and relationships from previous books — and then go read those books because they’re a blast!

As super excited as I was to get back to the gang in Logan and get a new romance out of the trip, The Christmas Fling wasn’t exactly my favorite, but delightful all the same.

There’s a huge mistaken identity plot-line that takes up a good portion of the book. A cautionary tale, if ya will, to be careful if you find a cute shirt at Goodwill with an embroidered name that’s not yours.

Initially, this misunderstanding was a chuckle-worthy blast, and I couldn’t wait to see how Terry would get himself out of that pickle.

But the simple misunderstanding soon became The Big Secret that Terry waffled about coming clean on for a long, long time all while Evan was hell-bent on finding his lost fling.

I’ve got no quibbles as to why Evan didn’t figure things out sooner on his own — it’s all explained and makes sense. And I can kinda get why all the people around Evan who were in the know didn’t spill the beans. It all fell to Terry. And…come to find out, Terry has some issues of his own that also make sense and maybe should’ve been detectable sooner, but for me came just a tad too late in the story, and too much anticipatory tension knowing, knowing, knowing that it was all going to explode.

But LISTEN! This is an enormously fun read. If you think you’re gonna get a light-n-fluffy holiday tale to cozy up with next to the fire…well, this is not that. There’s angst, there’s drama, there’s off-the-charts kinky sexy times because Heidi Cullinan can bring the business. The community atmosphere of Logan is sublime, and the characters are people I’d like to call friends.

I’m thrilled to have taken another trip to Logan to meet a few new folks, and I can’t wait to see what’s next in the series.


About the Author

Heidi Cullinan Bio PicHeidi Cullinan has always enjoyed a good love story, provided it has a happy ending. Proud to be from the first Midwestern state with full marriage equality, Heidi is a vocal advocate for LGBT rights. She writes positive-outcome romances for LGBT characters struggling against insurmountable odds because she believes there’s no such thing as too much happy ever after. When Heidi isn't writing, she enjoys playing with new recipes, reading romance and manga, playing with her cats, and watching too much anime.

Connect:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Patreon

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: ARC Review, Author: Heidi Cullinan, Genre: Contemporary, Genre: Holiday, Length: Novel, Pairing: M/M, Publisher: Self-Published, Rating: 4 Stars, Type: Series

Review: The Hideaway by Rosalind Abel

November 8, 2017 by Katie, Back Porch Reader

About the Book:

Cover Image The Hideaway by Rosalind AbelLavender Shores’s resident tattoo artist, Connor Clark, looks the part—six foot six, musclebound, and covered in ink—and most definitely doesn’t blend in. Grafted into the Bryant family as a teenager to escape his abusive father, the Bryants saved his life, but Connor has never truly felt a part of the founding family royalty. And if his heart’s desire were revealed, it would betray everything the Bryants have done for him.

Continue reading…

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: ARC Review, Author: Rosalind Abel, Genre: Contemporary, Length: Novel, Pairing: M/M, Publisher: Self-Published, Rating: 4.5 stars, Type: Series

Release Day Review: Hexslayer by Jordan L. Hawk

October 6, 2017 by Katie, Back Porch Reader

About the Book:

Cover-Hexslayer-by-Jordan-L-HawkHorse shifter Nick has one rule: never trust a witch.

Continue reading…

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: ARC Review, Author: Jordan L. Hawk, Genre: Historical-US 19th C., Genre: Paranormal, Length: Novel, Pairing: M/M, Publisher: Self-Published, Rating: 5 Stars, Type: Series

Review: The Half Wolf by Jay Northcote

September 28, 2017 by Katie, Back Porch Reader

About the Book:

Cover The Half Wolf by Jay NorthcoteMate, family, pack, home… can Quinn and Kellan have it all?

Continue reading…

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: ARC Review, Author: Jay Northcote, Genre: Paranormal, Genre: Shifter, Length: Novel, Pairing: M/M, Publisher: Self-Published, Rating: 3.5 Stars, Type: Standalone

Review Tour: Be My Best Man by Con Riley

September 7, 2017 by Katie, Back Porch Reader

About the Book:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Be-My-Best-Man-Riley-ebook/dp/B074FX7MB6/Will Jason’s third time as a best man lead to first-time love for Vanya?

Continue reading…

Filed Under: Book Review, Giveaway, Promo, Review Tour Tagged With: ARC Review, Author: Con Riley, Genre: Contemporary, Length: Novel, Pairing: M/M, Promo: Signal Boost PR, Publisher: Self-Published, Rating: 4.5 stars, Type: Standalone

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