Rating: 5 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel

Anne Tenino captures all the whimsy, patience, and courage it takes to make a relationship work. In her new novel, Wedding Favors, she mixes in just a bit of angst and a sweet teaspoon of kink and comes up with a romantic comedy that just blew me away. By novel’s end, I really adored this amazing cast of characters and have placed this novel on my reread shelf for the foreseeable future.

Twelve years in the past a terrible misunderstanding of motivation causes two young men to say goodbye to one another for good…or so they thought. Gabe was a logger, born and bred, never wanting or needing to leave the town of Bluewater Bay. He knows that Lucas is destined for something greater, better than this sleepy town, but that does not stop him from wanting just one moment with the boy. So Gabe gives in and has one night, one encounter with the boy he has secretly crushed on for oh so long. Lucas, hiding in the closet during high school, is shattered when the one intimate encounter with Gabe seems to be nothing more than a casual thing and feels dismissed by the very boy for whom he, too, harbored feelings. Now, Lucas’ best friend Audrey is marrying his brother, Zach, and Lucas finds himself returning to Bluewater to be her Man of Honor, only to find that Gabe is the best man.

Feeling adrift and facing a looming deadline for the next gallery showing of his craftware, Lucas needs a place to create wedding favors for Audrey’s upcoming nuptials. Gabe’s farm is the perfect place. But this time, if Gabe manages to get Lucas in his grasp, he will not make the mistake of letting go.

If you are looking for deep angst or a twisted plot line, Wedding Favors is not the novel for you. However, if you are looking for witty dialogue, steamy and deeply intimate encounters, and a secondary cast who is as creatively written as the main characters, then this is most assuredly a novel right up your alley. I am not sure which man captivated me more. Gabe, a ruggedly handsome and beefy bear-like man, who was so deliciously normal and so very smitten with Lucas. His running internal dialogue gave such insight to the depth of regard he had for Lucas. He was a friend foremost, his love wrapped in a sincere wish that Lucas be all that he can be and his art be given voice and attention by the outside world.

Lucas, so weary, coming off a failed relationship he had held onto for far too long, sees only the pain that Gabe once caused him to feel. When he understands that Gabe really “gets him” and that his motivations now and twelve years before are born out of love and care, Lucas feels himself falling head first and actually entertaining the idea of remaining in his hometown. But what if Gabe really doesn’t want him? What if this was just a fling?

To watch the slow burning dance between these two men erupt into a passion that consumes them both was just magical. This novel did it all—made me laugh, curse the stubbornness, sigh over the intimacy, and cry happy tears at the outcome. Wedding Favors, a Bluewater Bay novel is by far one of the best in this series and I highly recommend it to you.

Rating: 4.75 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel

Since losing his parents six years ago, when he was barely 18, Cal McCorkle has been just trying to keep it together. All the family he now has in the world is his great uncle Nascha, who has Alzheimer’s and has more bad days than good, and his brother Keir, who has a myriad of psychological disorders that require a precise cocktail of meds to manage. Cal works two jobs just trying to make ends meet, keep a roof over their heads and food on the table, and buy the medicines his family needs. He’s exhausted and overwhelmed, but he keeps plugging along. Cal is unhappy, but family is the most important thing in the world for him.

Avery Kennedy is supporting his boyfriend with his freelance writing career, living in a crappy apartment, and writes fanfic for the popular TV show Wolf’s Landing to decompress and relax. No one in his real life seems to understand, respect, or accept him. When his boyfriend makes a jab about their finances, it’s the last straw for Avery. He disentangles their lives, hoping for a fresh start. But they break up instead and Avery makes the decision that when he goes to the Wolf’s Landing convention in two weeks, he’s actually moving to Washington and is going to leave his life behind. But a series of unfortunate events have him barely making it to Washington and breaking down 50 miles outside of Bluewater Bay.

An accident on the fishing boat leaves Cal with an injury and infection to his leg that laid him out for a month, and he’s just starting to get back on his feet when he sees a car stopped on the side of the road. Cal and his brother Keir offer Avery a ride into town. And Avery talks to Keir like a human being, immediately understanding how to communicate with the young man. Cal is astounded, and feels the need to help Avery out further for that kindness. Though Cal’s life is not conducive to dating and Avery’s life is up in the air, their connection is strong and they decide to give a relationship a go “until they can’t.” But it’s clear immediately to both men that what they have is much deeper just a short fling. They take care of one another in the way the both need. But when Cal’s situation comes to a terrifying head, the time for their relationship might just be over.

So first off, this story is part of the Bluewater Bay series, and like all the books, it can be read as a standalone. While it’s fun to see little cameos and mentions of previous characters, this requires no previous knowledge to work. So if you haven’t read any of the others, don’t worry.

I’m going to start out by saying this book has got a lot of sad and a lot of angst. Cal is one of those guys that just seems to get kicked while he’s down, and he’s sometimes kind of an asshole, but I could understand why. Cal is holding his family together by his fingernails, and he’s not so good with people, and you just want to hug him and shake him at the same time. He needs help, but he’s got no one to ask, and probably wouldn’t anyway. He’s got a strong moral compass and thinks he’s doing the right thing by keeping his family together and not abandoning them. You have to admire his determination. And as I was reading, I wanted nothing more for Cal to catch a break, and for something to be good in his life.

And in walked Avery.

Now, Avery had his own share of hardships. A lot of stuff was going wrong in his life too. But Avery has a completely different outlook on life.  his is the guy who put himself through college and who people keep thinking can’t handle life on his own. And he keeps proving those naysayers wrong. He keeps making his life work. And when he meets the beautiful, grumpy, downtrodden Cal, Avery is smitten. And despite that, or maybe because of it, he sees to the heart of Cal.

These guys just work together. They really do. There’s mutual saving going on. Cal is the solid support Avery needs. Avery is the breath of fresh air, the good thing, that Cal needs. There was never a doubt, from the moment that these guys meet, that they are going to be everything together. Their chemistry is instant and leaps off the page. The sex is both intimate and hot, and just everything about them works.

But I’m going to be honest here and say that I had a wee quibble with the story. First off, it took Cal and Avery a long time to meet. I was kind of mixed on this. I thought all the scenes leading up to it were necessary and gave us crucial background on the characters. I really did love reading all those parts. But there was a part of me that was waiting for them to finally meet, waiting for them to get to that point because it was all leading there. So I feel a little torn, as part of me thinks it went on too long and part of me really loved all those scenes.

What worked for me best here was the realness. This story felt like it could have happened in real life. The characters were that believable, and they suffered and felt and hurt and loved and sacrificed and triumphed. And that left me with that satisfied feeling of a story well read. And I can definitely recommend this book to you.

Rating: 4.75 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel

Doran Callaghan made some very bad choices, especially in regards to his gambling addiction, and after spending a little time in jail, he’s been fortunate to get into a reintegration program. The program landed him a job in Bluewater Bay, working for the Tourist Information office.  He’s coping, though he’s not thriving, and he’s crushing hard on the park ranger he sees across the street at the gas station every Sunday.

When Doran finally meets Xavier Wagner, he’s tongue tied and makes a bad first impression. His second one isn’t much better, but Xavier takes him for coffee anyway. Both men think it might better to walk away, but the attraction between them is undeniable. Doran’s absolute submission to Xavier’s wishes is a serious turn on for them both, but Xavier quickly learns that he can’t trust Doran to say when he’s reached his limit, and that makes Xavier wary to push too hard. Xavier also won’t abide secrets, and his no nonsense approach has Doran telling him the truth about his gambling addiction. But when it goes one step further, and Doran won’t share, miscommunication has Xavier walking away and Doran thinking he’s messed things up for good.

When Doran finds out that Xavier had called to apologize, he’s elated. But it’s that moment that his life comes crashing down around him as his past surfaces again. Not knowing what else to do, he runs to Xavier. Even though it’s not the most ideal of situations, they still manage to have the overdue and much needed conversation. Now if they can just evade the men after Doran long enough to get back down the mountain, they might be able to build something real on the foundation they’ve created.

We’re back in Bluewater Bay for another installment of the series, and like all the others, this can absolutely be read as a standalone. But I still love going back to this little town and visiting with new people. And When To Hold Them is one of my favorites so far.

These guys. I’m not even sure I have words for how much I love them. Seriously, Gordon has done such a fantastic job of drawing them that I felt like I truly got to know them. Doran is just getting back on his feet, and he’s not perfect and he makes mistakes. But his thoughts and emotions are so real and visceral that I felt them along with the character. When things started coming apart for him, my heart just ached, and I found myself getting upset and worried for him. I was right there in the story with him, every step of the way, and I loved that I was made to care so much.

Xavier worked just as well and was equally well drawn. I loved that he was so different from Doran, and yet I got to know him just as much. And it’s more than just the fact that there is an alternating POV. The author truly does a fantastic job of getting us into his character’s head. With Xavier, I understood exactly where he was coming from, and he was perfectly consistent. His character act and reacted exactly like he should. Even when I wanted to shake him because he wasn’t seeing and understanding things he should, I couldn’t actually get upset with him because it was perfectly in keeping with the character.

The characterizations were where this book shined the brightest, but the plot wasn’t too far behind. Even with a couple of over the top moments that I was able to overlook, I was wonderfully done, perfectly paced, and kept me engaged and invested from word one. And guys, if you’re looking for a book where the sexual chemistry between the MCs is off the charts, where the sex scenes have the perfect balance of smoking hot and intensely intimate, then look no further. This book had all of that and more.

Basically, yeah, I loved this book from beginning to end. It had everything I love in a book, with awesome characterization and perfectly paced plot. I can’t recommend this one enough.

Rating: 4.5 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel

Jeremy Rose works as the bodyguard for Anna Maxwell, one of the leading directors on the ridiculously popular TV show, Wolf’s Landing. He’s taken the job because that’s where he’s sent, not to escape his deteriorating relationship with his estranged children. Or at least, that’s what he tells himself. Jeremy’s always on guard, though his job isn’t particularly dangerous, and that’s why he’s with Anna on the early morning bus trip to go eagle watching. And how he first meets Scott Fletcher.

Jeremy is instantly attracted to Scott. He can tell Scott is in his forties, just like he is, and Jeremy is drawn to the sexy man. And it’s more than just Scott’s salt and pepper hair that grabs Jeremy’s attention. When he fails to make a move in time and Scott leaves at the end of the day, Jeremy is kicking himself. But then a chance meeting in the counselor’s office brings them together again. Immediately they admit their attraction to one another and that night they have insanely good sex. When Scott offers to meet again, Jeremy hesitates because he doesn’t want a relationship, but Scott explains he’s not looking for a relationship either. It’s easy for the men to settle into friends with benefits.

But they are spending more time together than they expect, and they miss each other when they are apart. Neither man really realizes that a relationship is building between them. They spend some time talking and Jeremy explains about the situation with his children and how he realized he was gay later in life. Scott, in turn, shares his baggage about losing the only man he loved, a cop who was shot in the line of duty. When Jeremy goes with Anna to Vegas for a Wolf’s Landing convention, a moment’s inattention has a fan getting too close and Jeremy taking an elbow to the face putting the threat down. When he gets back to Bluewater Bay, Scott gives Jeremy an ultimatum: he needs to get a counselor involved to fix things with his children, because Scott can’t just stand idly by and watch it tear Jeremy apart. Jeremy and his ex-wife tried counseling before and it didn’t work, so Jeremy is dead set against it. But if he wants Scott, and wants a relationship with his family, Jeremy has to reach out for help. And hopefully Scott will still be there after he does.

We’re back in Bluewater Bay for another installment of the series. I have to say, I really love visiting this town and getting to meet all sorts of characters. I like that each book works as a standalone, so if you’ve missed any do not worry. But I also like seeing cameos from characters we read about elsewhere. Rain Shadow was no exception and it’s another really nice addition to the series.

Jeremy is our narrator and I’ll be honest and say that I just loved him from the very beginning. He was real and relatable. I really felt like he had honest actions and reactions to his situations, and I loved that his flaws were believable. Jeremy was one of those guys that just felt like he could have stepped off the page and into real life. Though there were moments where I wanted to shake him, especially where he hung on to his convictions against using a therapist, the truth was this was absolutely consistent with his character. That being said, his big change of heart and growth felt just a little bit rushed to me. I would have liked to see it drawn out a little more.

I really liked that both Scott and Jeremy were a little bit older, both in their forties, and they felt and acted like it. Because of it, their leap into a relationship after both of them were certain that’s not what they wanted, really made sense. And talk about chemistry! These two guys sparked from the moment they met, and whenever they were together—whether having smoking hot sex or just talking—there was absolutely no doubt that they worked together on every level. I loved watching their relationship progress and it was absolutely believable.

So the romance here was fantastic, and Jeremy and Scott were consistent, well-drawn, and believable characters. Scott had a lot of baggage too, and that really played out well and made sense. However, I have to admit that when Scott suddenly issued an ultimatum, it felt a little sudden. After being so supportive, he was suddenly asking for all or nothing, at least that’s how it seemed. So I had trouble wrapping my head around his shift in thoughts. It was the catalyst that brought about Jeremy’s change of heart and the resolution of the story, so I would have liked to see it feel a little more solid. I had a couple of other small quibbles with the story and the plot, and especially with Jeremy’s daughter who felt younger than she was supposed to be and her actions, at times, simply a plot device. I also felt that there were some points that were a bit redundant and I could have done without the repetition. But these were small in comparison to the goodness that was this story as a whole.

Basically, yeah, I really liked this book. I thought it was another great addition to the world that is building in Bluewater Bay. I liked the ultimate conclusion of the story, and I really loved these guys together. This is one that I can definitely recommend.

Rating: 2.75 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel

Frederic is living his dream…sort of. He finally owns the bakery he always wanted, but the money came from a payoff when he lost a televised cooking competition because it was fixed. Not only did he lose the competition, but he lost Blaire, the man who captured his heart from the first glance. Trying to deal with that disappointment is bad enough, but Frederic is working himself into the ground and is exhausted and sick trying to do it all himself as he sends most of his profits to his alcoholic father.

Blaire knows he made the biggest mistake ever fixing the competition and passing over Frederic for another guy with a prettier face. He has no idea how to fix his mistake, if he even can, or what the loss actually cost Frederic. He has been under his father’s scrutiny for so long working for him that their relationship is toxic, and Blaire finds himself constantly wanting to strike back. A change of scenery has Blaire relocating to Bluewater Bay to take on the marketing of Wolf’s Landing products and he is well aware that a certain baker has just relocated to the town as well.

Blaire turns on the charm to try and win Frederic back, but Frederic knows he shouldn’t trust anything Blaire has to say. Both men have family and business issues to deal with and, when Frederic finds his past destructive habits resurfacing, he just may have to let Blaire back in.

Not every author is for every reader and I am going to preface this review by stating that this author may just not be for me. There were many areas that didn’t work for me and it was a test of sheer willpower to make it all the way through this book.

This is the twelfth book in the Bluewater Bay series and all books are billed as being standalones. I have not read any of the books in the series and there was mention of the TV show Wolf’s Landing that the series is somewhat based around and the continued presence of a side character that may have been from another book. While these weren’t huge detractors, they didn’t add anything to this book for me and I did have the sense that I was missing the history.

Neither character was appealing to me. Frederic is exhausted all of the time and, while he seems to stay on his feet in the kitchen, every place else he is a stumbling mess. He has a colorful history with his father and we are shown specific instances that his father did not treat Frederic well, yet Frederic continues to have a soft spot for the man who is verbally abusive and treats him as a bank account. Frederic is working all of the time in an attempt to live out his dream, but also to support his father and all of his father’s medical bills.

Blaire always had it easy financially, but also has issues with his controlling father. A good portion of the book, for both characters, was father issues and when it’s not that, it’s issues with each of their businesses.

Frederic is also heartbroken over Blaire. The guys knew each other for three weeks and shared one kiss. Though Frederic was convinced Blaire was the one, but what he really had was a case of insta-love and infatuation and I couldn’t get behind Frederic pining over this supposed lost love. The fixing of the competition is also an issue for Frederic, but seemingly only second to his heart. Blaire, for his part, says he wants to make it up to Frederic, but he’s not completely altruistic as he equally wants to make himself feel better. When the guys do come together, Frederic is so tired every single moment that the connection was lost for me as he was one blink away from a deep dark sleep on almost every page.

The larger plot line with Frederic’s father posed another issue. The plot hinges upon Frederic paying for all of his father’s medical bills. I mean we are talking numerous and lengthy hospital stays, as well as dialysis with astronomical dollar amounts attached to it and Frederic is single handedly killing himself to pay for all of it. I have to inject reality here because this didn’t work for me. While people can get overrun with medical bills, there are patient advocates and programs to assist patients in this exact situation and this plot line fell apart before my eyes.

The single biggest detractor, however, is the language used throughout the entire book. Both Frederic and Blaire grew up in the USA on the East Coast and they sounded British. While I could pull specific words out to illustrate this, like “footwell” and the use of “bedclothes” for sheets, the entire tone was distinctly not American and it was incredibly distracting. There also were supposed emotional moments that fell flat as they read, “They clicked together like one of the complicated wooden brain teaser puzzles,” and supposed erotic moments that offered cringe worthy language, “…and pulled, a long steady haul on his gnads, making his skin crawl and his blood rush,” and one sentence to the next was not the style for me.

If you have been following this series, the best I can offer is that this is indeed the next installment. This book certainly did not make me want to go back to the beginning of the series and will then not be on my list to continue on with.

Rating: 5 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel

This is the 13^th book set in the Bluewater Bay world, and they are designed to be enjoyed as standalones. I’ve read ten or so, and while some characters come in and out of many books, each one relates a new love story. Selfie is about a popular movie star’s steep drop into the abyss of grief-ravaged depression, and the hard slog into emotional well-being and second love.

This is what I have learned: Amy Lane doesn’t write books, she writes literary heroin. I must plan an early start when I get her books because I cannot close the book and go on about my day/night without knowing how her characters survive their story. My hubs will attest, I’m a bit of a snappish basket-case while I devour the ups and downs and dangerous plummets into overwhelming feels, despite knowing an HEA will arrive, but only after I’ve survived the terror and exhilaration of riding the roller coaster forward, backward, and unbelted.

Connor and Vinnie were TV/film stars that fell in love fast and kept that hidden for ten years, for the sake of their careers and the fear that Vinnie’s family would cut him out—much like Connor’s family had. Connor set his career and family aspirations aside, time and time again, to care for Vinnie, whose sudden death created a gaping hole in Connor’s life. On the first anniversary of Vinnie’s death, Connor makes a disastrous, drunken, YouTube confession-rant, which (gratefully) had no sound. The shock of it spurs movement from Connor’s agent, Jillian, the only person who knew about their love affair, into action. She lands Connor a part on Wolf’s Landing, the TV show that is set in Bluewater Bay—which brings Connor to the locale and a new life.

Connor’s driver, Noah Dakers, is a young, but tall and built bi-racial First Nations/black man. Noah’s a college graduate, but he works for the Wolf’s Landing people as a driver/gofer, and he’s an out gay man. Connor is stunned to find him attractive, and also in fear of revealing his sexuality. But Jillian is constantly assuring Connor that if he wants to make a dramatic (think: coming-out) statement, he should feel free to do so, and not to worry about his career.

Connor doesn’t know what to do, however. He’s been aimless without Vinnie, and despite his attraction to Noah, he can’t really process his grief and the guilt of going on without his lover. Plus, would Connor’s coming out then “out” Vinnie posthumously? It’s likely, given how close the two men were—they had side-by-side houses, for goodness sakes!—and Connor doesn’t want anything to tarnish Vinnie’s family’s memory of their son.

Noah is a rock, and his constant support is both necessary and aggravating to Connor. Without Noah’s presence, Connor would easily drift into the mental wilderness he inhabited in the year of grief, a year of physical and temporal wasting. Connor still speaks to Vinnie in his head, making choices that he thinks will benefit Vinnie. This preoccupation is disastrous, and leads to several crises, but Noah is able to pull Connor back from the brink each time, thankfully. Their courtship isn’t sensual; it’s liberating and affirming. It gives Connor hope, and replaces the emptiness of his previous relationship. Honestly, his relationship with Vinnie was unhealthy even if Connor does not want to accept that. Being around the kind, loving, affirming members of his new cast—many who are out gay people—and having the support of both Noah and Jillian, Connor is able to face the self-hatred and regrets he buried, just like his secret lover.

I will admit to crying while reading this book. I will also admit to hating Vinnie, to a degree. I cannot count the number of times I wanted to crawl into this book and hug Connor to pieces. Despite the high emotions, there was no descent into melodrama. Connor’s very real and palpable depression is agonizing without being oppressive. And Noah, I just want Noah to be every man in creation. Kind, decent, patient, loving, and resolute—these are the qualities I crave in a character, no matter the sex or sexual orientation. He’s such a great human, and Connor knows he was blessed to find solace, comfort, and love with him.

The book is long, and I will tell you there is not one single untied plot thread to be found. I had my fears, especially where Vinnie’s family was concerned, but the story is absolutely complete, and without a doubt positive, with a happy ending. I only had to survive Connor’s grief/mania/depression alongside him to find it.

Definitely a worthwhile journey.

Story Rating: 4.25 stars
Audio Rating: 4.75 stars

Narrator: Nick J. Russo
Length: 2 hours, 41 minutes

Audiobook Buy Links: Audible
Book Buy Links: Amazon | All Romance

Buck never fit as a kid until he met energetic, colorful, and hyperactive Ari on the playground. After one conversation, Buck was in love. Ari was constantly in trouble throughout high school, but the two were the best of friends with Ari spending time at Buck’s house seeking refuge from his unstable mother. Buck never told Ari how he felt and he also never told him that he was gay. Buck thought he had his future planned out until his mother died and then, on the same day, Buck left town without a word.

Five years later and Buck is struggling to raise his teenage brother, Charlie, but they are holding it together. He has had no time for relationships and has found some pleasure with many nameless men over the years. Buck’s life has been on hold, but Charlie comes first and he wouldn’t change it.

That is until Ari comes back to town. Ari is all grown up and he is successful and confident as the star of the new TV show filming in Bluewater Bay. The small town is buzzing with the return of the troubled boy that made it big, but Ari is solely focused on making things right with Buck, the boy he has always loved.

There’s Something About Ari is the second book in the Bluewater Bay series and can stand alone. The focus here is more on Buck and Ari’s friendship, with the TV show and the Hollywood lifestyle remaining on the periphery.

This is the second novella I have listened to by L.B. Gregg and her strength is providing character development with fewer words. We start with Buck and Ari at their first meeting as children and, while their friendship is told in an overview style, we get a good sense of them. Buck has been so busy in his role as big brother that he doesn’t have time to process his loneliness and the hurt he still feels about Ari leaving. When Ari returns, he expects to pick back up where they left off and then take their relationship even further. Buck isn’t going to forgive quite so easily and there are stories and circumstances that have yet to be revealed.

Gregg creates a full cast of characters that all feel real even with minimal page time and Buck and Ari’s world is fully realized. There were a few areas that I did need more to fully round this story out for me. I needed more back story on how Ari actually became an actor and I also needed more from the guys as a couple. This ending was similar to another novella from Gregg where the characters just get together and then it’s all over.

What really enhanced this story was the narration from Nick J. Russo. He also narrated the other novella I mentioned from Gregg and Gregg’s words, coupled with Russo’s delivery, are an excellent match. Russo handles every character expertly and with nuances that make each character come alive. From the main characters, to Buck’s brother, to an intoxicated sixteen-year-old girl, Russo delivers. There were a couple of words that sounded incorrectly pronounced and I had to stop to gather the context within the story, which was the only area that made this performance just shy of perfection. This is a true friends-to-lovers story that fits perfectly into a shorter time frame with superb and seemingly effortless narration overall.

Rating: 4.25 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel

All the Wrong Places is part of the Bluewater Bay series, but as with all the books in the series, it is written as a standalone. Also, this is a romance between two asexual characters, so do not expect sex.

Brennan Cross is a 25-year-old semi-pro skateboarder who has just caught his girlfriend of the past 18 months having sex with his friend in their bed. This is the third girlfriend he’s lost to cheating and he’s feeling a bit battered. Brennan wonders why is he so lousy in bed, because it has been made clear by all three women that his sex drive is far below that of his partners.

Frustrated, Brennan heads into Red Hot Bluewater, the only sex shop in town, to see if there are some materials he can read to help improve his sex drive and prevent a fourth romantic disaster. Instead, he meets Zafir. Zafir is a Lebanese man who’s been raised in the US, and is a semi-lapsed Muslim. He’s also a single parent, raising his 9-year old son—conceived when Zafir was sixteen.

Zafir is asexual, and recognizes the similarities between what Brennan confides and things he has discovered about his own self. Zafir describes asexuality and Brennan isn’t convinced, at all, that this fits him, but the more Brennan considers asexuality and studies it, he thinks it could apply to him.

In the meantime, Brennan strikes up a friendship with Zafir, at first to discuss asexuality—which is confusing to him—and later because they make good companions. After all, having a person to talk to, and share troubles with, and watch a movie together, that was the best part of his previous relationships. It’s Zafir’s son, Tariq, who finally asks: Are you and Brennan dating?

I liked this story, because it really gets to the heart of asexuality: the desire for an intimate companion with, or without, sexual activity. Brennan was a great best friend to his girlfriends, who all found him consummately respectful—on account of his lack of pressure regarding sex. He was happy to follow their lead and allow them to initiate, which clearly didn’t work. He’s also been strictly heterosexual, so finding Zafir to be attractive as a companion was a hard step to take. Essentially, Brennan had to decide if he could be intimate—asexually—with a man. The thing is, he was so comfortable with Zafir before they ever took that step that it was practically the very next step to take.

There are so many sweet moments in this book, and many center around Tariq, who is a smart and generous, but shy, boy, who also wants to learn to skateboard. Brennan is eager to assist, as he’d pretty much skate everywhere if it were possible. Those moments of parental terror Zafir experiences were easy for me to identify with, and all the reactions seemed so very authentic. I also respected the care that Zafir took to shield Tariq, to some degree, from fallout from his relationships. Zafir has dated both men and women in the past—he’s biromantic—and Tariq accepts Brennan as a potential partner for his father without even a raised eyebrow. Also, the Muslim aspect was handled very well, which is something I’ve come to expect from this author, who continues to write stories that are not simply sexuality-diverse, but also ethnically and racially diverse. Brava.

While there are no hot-and-heavy scenes, there is plenty of affection, and a quiet romance. In a genre that’s growing to be fully LGBTQ-spectrum friendly, I really thought this book hit a good balance for asexual characters. Others I have read paired Aces with people who pretty much wanted regular sex, and those seemed a bit doomed. Zafir’s been engaged (to a woman) before, and it seemed she left for a similar reason, but this new relationship with Brennan seems custom-built to last. The writing is expressive and the pace is excellent. I never wondered where the story was going, or how long it would take to get there. It was easy to bond with these characters, and I hoped they’d get through their rough patch with little delay.

Story Rating: 3.5 stars
Audio Rating: 4.5 stars

Narrator: Nick J. Russo
Length: 6 hours, 55 minutes

Audiobook Buy Links: Audible
Book Buy Links: Amazon | All Romance

Nash is the steady beat that keeps his family together. He keeps everything running between the family auto shop and helping his father care for his wheelchair-bound sister. Nash is tied to Bluewater Bay for now and for always it seems. Nothing much new happens for Nash until one night when he sees a car broken down with a lone driver.

The driver is none other than Spencer Kepler-Constantine and their attraction is instantaneous. While Spencer is known for his recurring role on the TV show Wolf’s Landing, currently he’s most known for his divorce from Peter that’s being splashed all over the tabloids. When the media frenzy behind Peter and his new relationship explodes, Nash becomes the friend (with benefits) that Spencer never had. Spencer isn’t staying in town long and Peter wants him back and Nash can’t leave, or can he? A relationship isn’t what either of them was looking for, but it looks like they may have certainly found one.

Hell on Wheels picks up the Bluewater Bay series with the books being connected by the town and the TV show that is being filmed there. I have read two of the other books in the series and this one stands perfectly fine on its own.

When this book opens, I found myself having to just go with certain scenes to try and make it work for me. First, Nash and Spencer meet and hook up immediately in Spencer’s car that is on the side of the road with mechanical issues. Okay, I go with it. Then when Nash of course loses his wallet in the car and Spencer returns it, Spencer who is properly British has a complete emotional breakdown in front of Spencer. So, the way these two were coming together at first didn’t exactly work for me.

There are several storylines in play. There is Nash and his family and there is Spencer and his breakup with his husband. Then there is Nash and Spencer forming a relationship and that storyline got the least page time. I felt that there were too many other stories going on and there was minimal time for Nash and Spencer together. Nash and Spencer were both great characters, but I ultimately felt that they were trapped in a mediocre story.

Nash is a good guy and he is devoted to his family especially his younger sister. He has put his life on indefinite hold, but he likes being needed and he’s good at keeping it all together for everyone. While his family appreciates him to a point, when circumstances come to a boil, I did feel that they came off as ungrateful for all the sacrifices he made for them.

Spencer has the full focus of the media on him and he’s trying to hide in plain sight. His relationship with his soon to be ex-husband is certainly a complicated one and he has a lot to work through there. There are scenes with Spencer and Peter that illuminate their relationship and there are also scenes with Peter’s new love interest. However, when Peter makes a full on spectacle to get Spencer’s attention, the spotlight grabbing love interest is then nowhere to be seen. There were also side characters in Spencer’s world, including his assistant and bodyguard. They barely give Spencer a moment’s privacy but when they are truly needed they get faked out from a basic maneuver and neither added anything to the story for me.

By the end, (prior to the epilogue) Nash and Spencer have only known each other for a few days and I then had a harder time buying into the epilogue and ultimately their HEA. This is the first book I have read by this author, so perhaps it’s that or perhaps it’s just this book only fit in certain places for me.

The narration here, however, was stellar as Nick J. Russo made this story with his vocals. He continues to be a narrator that I look for and can elevate a book for a number of reasons. Nash’s voice is smooth and personable. When Spencer speaks, his British accent is rich and consistent. Spencer plays a werewolf on TV and speaks briefly in his character’s voice and that too was engaging listening. The secondary characters round out the production and all have distinct voices. While Spencer’s 15-year-old sister was the weakest vocal, I can let that one slide. The only detraction for me was when we were in Spencer’s thoughts and his voice no longer had a British accent. It then could become unclear whose head we were in as his inner dialogue voice sounded like Nash. But for great pacing and an overall well done performance, Russo is a quality act.

Rating: 4.75 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel

Three years ago, Jack Daley took his autistic sister and fled their home in Georgia. One of their father’s political cronies tried to assault Margaret, and she lashed out. Daddy, who thinks she’s a danger, wants to lock her away and Jack isn’t exactly sure what happened to her attacker. They went on the lam that very night, settling in Bluewater Bay nearly two years later. Now, Jack runs Your Daley Bread, a convenience-type grocery, and he and Margaret share the upstairs apartment of the converted house. They keep assumed names so their father can’t track them down.

Mark Keao is a high-functioning autistic man whose fascination with detail is ideal for costume design, and his job as chief costumer on Wolf’s Landing. He keeps a regimented life of work, chorus, exercise, and not much more, because it’s hard for him to meet men willing to put up with his quirks. He’s attracted to Jack when he pops into his shop to request Jack hang a flyer for his impending choral show. And he is thrilled to meet both Jack and Margaret at the performance. While Jack and Mark figure out how to connect, even superficially, Margaret tries her hand at matchmaking, inviting Mark for dinner and sending him texts about their life, even sharing about Jack’s beloved saxophone, pawned in Boise when they needed money to live on.

Bluewater Blues is really a sweet story. Jack is a fierce protector to Margaret, and she’s just as fierce about him. She’s an integral piece here, because she’s unable to live alone, and still she doesn’t want Jack to sacrifice his life for hers. Jack’s astounded at how well Margaret accepts Mark, but that’s only one hurdle for them. Turns out Mark’s got a pretty serious aversion to people touching him, which naturally puts a damper on their intimacy. (Only temporarily, though! They get it on, but good!) Plus, Mark’s easily over-stimulated, and that shuts down his communication. Having dealt with Margaret’s needs his whole life, Jack’s well-suited to learning Mark’s cues, once Mark opens up.

Naturally, the past is never too far behind, and it causes Jack to keep Mark at a distance, even when he doesn’t want to. For a bit. Mark’s a sharp guy, and he soon figures out most of Jack’s secrets, even helping with Margaret’s care. I loved how she was a big part of their story, honestly, because she has a great personality. She’s devious, in the most loving way, pushing Jack toward happiness with all her might. Gah! He really has underestimated her, as Mark rightfully points out. Their relationship is well discussed, and well planned, as it needs to be. Mark can’t handle spontaneity, and Jack’s got Margaret to consider, so they make plans and then move forward at a tender pace. The end is really so sweet, with just the right amount of tension, regarding their newest plans to move in together. They honestly build themselves as a family, not a couple. And I adored that. It made me sure they would make it work in the long haul, regardless of the difficulties of managing life with autism. With regard to the autism, I felt it was handled respectfully and compassionately, with a focus on seeing the strengths of both Margaret and Mark, at all times. While they had tense moments, they also worked through those glitches using their well-honed coping skills. I never felt sorry for them, or felt they were characterized with anything besides respect.

Rating: 4.25 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel

Nate Albano is a 37-year-old special effects tech working on the Wolf’s Landing show in upstate Washington. He’s been celibate for the past three years—since his last lover walked out—and expects to remain alone for the rest of his life. He’s “grace” (gray asexual), which roughly means he requires a fair amount of relationship-building before he develops a sexual attraction to his partner, and he’s had two long-term partners in his life to this point.

Seth Larson is a thirty-year-old man living in an apartment above his grandmother’s garage. He’s the youngest Larson, part of a “storied” founding family, but he doesn’t go in for all that jazz, and resents his uncle who browbeats him over caring for his grandmother. Seth is also a budding mixologist and loves tending bar. He’s never had a steady boyfriend and thinks he never will.

One night, Seth and Nate meet at a local pub and Nate’s ecstatic to learn about Seth’s heritage, but Seth takes it as a come-on. He’s never met a man who really digs history, or genealogy, and isn’t prepared for Nate to storm off when Nate realizes Seth was serious about getting it on. But, time cools heads and they actually begin a friendship. It’s such a novel experience for Seth, who doesn’t have any close friends, either. They dig deep into the skeletons of Seth’s family, in the hope they can do just enough damage to the Larson name to allow Seth’s grandma to sell her home and break the family trust—a legal situation that’s kept her virtually a prisoner in her historic home for more than a decade. Thing is, the skeletons aren’t pretty, and Seth’s family is in an uproar when the scandals hit the community paper.

And, Nate’s in an uproar, too. Of an entirely different kind. He’s feeling more than friendly to Seth, and that scares him a whole lot. How could he fall for Seth, and risk being left alone again once Seth, a vibrant, outgoing man, grows tired of his sexual inadequacies?

This book is part of the larger Bluewater Bay universe, but is enjoyable on its own.

I’ve read several asexual romances in the last few years and this one was a bit different. I didn’t study up on “grace,” feeling like the authors did a good job of explaining it in context. In short, Nate does have sexual relationships with his long-term lovers, once they have been together long enough to establish a strong bond of emotional intimacy. He actually craves touch, and is demonstrative with Seth from nearly the beginning. This sends Seth mixed signals, because he’s only ever been wanted for sex in the past, and tries to stay lighthearted in the face of his loneliness. That said, Seth relishes their friendship and fervently hopes that the cues he’s reading from Nate demonstrate a growing attraction; he’s ready for a sexual relationship with a man he really cares for.

There are a whole lot of family dynamics at play, too, regarding the Larson ancestry and Nate’s own paternity. This was interesting as a vehicle for intimacy. Seth and Nate have intense discussions regarding their personal demons and how to get past them. They both have to grow into their developing relationship, and they seem to do so without too many hardships. I loved Tarkus, the one-eyed wonder dog. What a great companion that mutt is, and it was clear that Nate learned a lot about unconditional love from him, while Seth drew his strength from his grandma.

This is a slow burn, not least because it’s a long novel. Lots of patience is exercised before their sexual connection is kindled, but I found it worth the wait.

Rating: 5 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel

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Garrett Blain is mourning his husband who died of cancer. He wanted a fresh start, so he sold his house, packed his bags, and moved from Seattle to Bluewater Bay, where he is a bartender in a gay bar.

Jesse Connelly works in Bluewater Bay’s comic store. He’s HIV positive, but his numbers are so low as to be non existent. The night he meets Garrett, he’s depressed. He had had a date, but he was stood up. Turns out, Jesse had told the guy he was positive and the guy wasn’t having any of that.

The men hit it off, and they begin a tentative relationship that grows deeper every day. They do have some hurdles, however. Garrett is 15 years older than Jesse, and while Garrett doesn’t care that Jesse’s positive, it does bring about some bad memories about watching his husband die horribly. Also, speaking of Garrett’s husband, people have noticed how much Jesse looks and acts like Garrett’s dead husband, and both he and Jesse start to wonder if that’s the reason Garrett is drawn to him.

Can Garrett and Jesse can overcome all of these outside influences and be happy? Or will they allow them to interfere with the love they both need?

I really enjoyed this book. The characters, including the background characters, were extremely likable, the pace was never off, and I found the situations to be realistic and very possible. L.A. Witt has always written interesting stories with multiple levels that blend together perfectly, so I anticipated New Hand would meet my expectations and then some. I wasn’t wrong.

Garrett and Jesse had such chemistry! It was like they were made for each other. Even though Garrett had been married to a wonderful man, and I’m not discounting that relationship, I am convinced Jesse is was his soulmate. They started with a friendly rapport at the bar, and when they finally realized they were falling for each other, it was electric. Every scene they were in together was perfection. Even when they were having difficulties, their connection was palpable. Some of their scenes were really sweet and funny (like the first time they played Magic: The Gathering together), and others were passionate and sexy. Yes, these two were amazing in the bedroom. Hot, but tender, and oh so…ahem…let’s just say they were amazing to read.

The background characters were all well done, from Jesse’s bosses at the comic book store, to Jesse’s friends, to the actors and tech people on the set of Wolf’s Landing, the television show shot in Bluewater Bay. Each of them played a role in the story. There were quite a few of them, but none of them got in the way of Garrett and Jesse’s love story. They enhanced it. There was a hilarious and charming scene in the hotel room of Jesse’s bosses. Anywhere from 8-10 people were there and they ate pizza and played Magic: The Gathering. One of the attendees was an actor from the show, and Garrett was completely star struck. He couldn’t believe he was in the room with all those people. There were several scenes like that with multiple characters, and it just…worked.

I also liked how L.A. Witt handled Jesse’s HIV positive status. While it wasn’t a constant subject, it wasn’t just skirted over. Jesse was honest with people about it. He had a frank and serious discussion with Garrett about it, and even when it lost him a friend/potential boyfriend, he moved on. I actually found that to be refreshing and inspiring. Garrett knew what could potentially happen, but he didn’t constantly worry about it. It was part of him, but it didn’t define him.

I can’t think of anything about New Hand I didn’t like. I will say, since the guys (and their friends) were big into playing Magic: The Gathering, there’s a good deal of description of the cards and characters. I’ve never played myself, and I don’t know anyone who does. I’ve seen the cards, but only in Target or some other stores. Anyway, a lot of that went completely over my head. However, that doesn’t mean I didn’t find it interesting.

This book is the 23rd and final story in the Bluewater Bay collection. It can be read as a stand alone with no problems. There is enough exposition you can get right into it and know what’s going on. In fact, I’ve read several other books from the series and I’ve never felt lost. Something I think is neat about the series is L.A. Witt is not the only author and a variety of authors contributed books. I love this idea, and I think that’s one of the reasons the series has been able to go on so long.

I highly recommend you pick up and read New Hand. You’ll be in for a sexy, character driven, emotional treat.