Audio Book Review: Rebel by Rhys Ford

From The Blurb:

9 hours 11 minutes 

The hardest thing a rebel can do isn’t standing up for something — it’s standing up for himself. Life takes delight in stabbing Gus Scott in the back when he least expects it. After years of running from his past, present and the dismal future every social worker predicted for him, Karma delivers the one thing Gus could never—would never—turn his back on; a son from a one-night stand he’d had after a devastating break-up three years ago. 

Returning to San Francisco and to 415 Ink, his family’s tattoo shop, gave him the perfect shelter to battle his personal demons and get himself together… until the firefighter who’d broken him walked back into Gus’s life. 

For Rey Montenegro, tattoo artist Gus Scott was an elusive brass ring, a glittering prize he hadn’t the strength or flexibility to hold onto. Severing his relationship with the mercurial tattoo artist hurt but Gus hadn’t wanted the kind of domestic life Rey craved, leaving Rey with an aching chasm in his soul. 

When Gus’s life and world starts to unravel, Rey helps him pick up the pieces, and Gus wonders if that forever Rey wants is more than just a dream.




Karen's rating:

Nothing new here...I loved the book and loved the audio...

Honestly I'm not really sure what to say here. I loved this book and will honestly admit for me it was pretty much a given that I would...Rhys Ford writes in a way that just calls to me heart and soul. I love the characters that she give us each and every time. From Cole McGinnis to this latest addition of 415 Ink. Ms. Ford has not failed to give me stories and characters that I willingly and wholeheartedly embraced.

So much of what I said in my original review of the book still holds true for me, so I'm going to borrow from that review in regards to the story...

'Rebel' is the beginning of a series that this author has once again filled with characters that I want more of...Gus and Rey are just the tip of the iceberg on this one. Gus has two families the one that he was given and no longer has but still a family that has marked his soul and left him broken and then there's the family that he's created, the family of brothers who have loved him and held him together over the years...there's Bear the oldest and father figure, Luke the peace keeper, Mace who grates on Gus but believes in him the most and will fight for him without hesitation and Ivo the only one who is Gus's brother both by birth and by choice. Along with these characters we've been given glimpses of others who may or may not play a role in future stories and I'm sure will add interest to other stories as the series progresses.

As well as a cast of awesome new characters to discover one of my favorite things about Rhys Ford books is that if you're paying attention you get surprise visits and this story was no exception I mean it's partially set in a tattoo parlor so of course Ichi showed up and I'm pretty sure there was someone there from the Sinners series getting a bit of ink as well...but you'll have to read the story to find out who. 

'Rebel' is so much more than a second chance story. Of course it's about finding love but it's also about learning to forgive yourself and accept that wanting something good in your life and reaching for it can be worth the risk to your heart. It's about starting over and building the life you deserve which maybe isn't the life you thought you wanted. I loved how Rey and Gus worked together there was just something about them as couple that worked and made me a fan of these men and this series. I'm so looking forward to reading the next book in this series whatever comes next I know we'll at least get a peek at how Gus and Rey are doing and yet another awesome story.

 Ok so here's the new part of this audio review or at least I'll try and make it new...you see the narrator for this one is Tristan James and I'm not sure I really have any new vocabulary for this but here goes...

Blogtour: The Best Worst Honeymoon Ever by Andrew Grey

Please say hello to Andrew Grey with 

The Best Worst Honeymoon Ever 

a Dreamspun Desires title 

Blurb:

How can heartbreak turn into happily ever after?

Tommy Gordon is all set for happily ever after—until heartbreak strikes when his husband-to-be leaves him at the altar. In a bid for distraction, his best friend, Grayson Phillips, suggests he takes advantage of the luxury honeymoon anyway! But the last thing Tommy wants is to go alone, so he invites Grayson and his son, Petey, along.

Beautiful Bonaire lends itself to romance, and along with close quarters, relaxing on the water, and a matchmaking kid, Tommy and Grayson soon find themselves closer than ever… and considering more, much to Grayson’s delight. But before they can plan the best best honeymoon ever, dark clouds descend in the form of Tommy’s ex and a sting from paradise that could ruin everything.

Get the book:

  

Excerpt:

“Did you sleep?”

“Yes and no. I might have dozed off, but then Xavier was there to tell me how much he didn’t love me once again, and I kept playing things over and over in my head.” Tommy sat back. “You know….”

“What?” Grayson prompted, knowing he needed to let Tommy talk.

“This whole thing sucks.” Tommy closed his eyes, and Grayson sat back. He didn’t know what to say and figured keeping quiet was the best thing to do. “Will you and Petey come with me?”

Grayson thought about it and reached for his phone. He stared at it, then pulled up a number and made a call. “Jan, it’s Grayson. I’m sorry to bother you on a weekend, but….” He wasn’t sure how to bring this up.

“Aren’t you supposed to be at a wedding?” Jan was an amazing supervisor and one of the best people he’d ever met. They were friends of a sort and had worked together since Jan hired him out of college. Jan had promoted Grayson to a project manager a few years earlier, pleased with his work. “Yes, I was. But one of the grooms was a no-show, and I’m here with Tommy right now. I know it’s short notice, but he’s asked me to go with him on a trip, and I have plenty of vacation time….”

Jan chuckled. In the world of computers, Tommy was sort of a local legend. “You go. You’re between projects right now. Take the time off. You deserve it.” She seemed happy. “So what kind of trip is this?”

Release Blitz: Demon Familiar by Bellora Quinn and Sadie Rose Bermingham

Title:  Demon Familiar

Series: Wanted #1

Author: Bellora Quinn and Sadie Rose Bermingham

Publisher: Pride Publishing

Release Date: June 19th 2018

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 96,000 words

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Alternate Reality

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Synopsis

Sometimes when you don’t know what you want, life gives you what you need.

When Neil Markovic witnesses the murder of his mother by Bone Men his world is thrown into turmoil. On the run from the assassins that killed her, his sorcerer father and the police, Neil finds help in the form of a tall half fae alchemist named Malachai. Mal seems more accepting than most of Neil’s demon bloodline, but curiously immune to his charms.

Malachai Valentine, disgraced scion of a noble Leprechaun clan, back in the Old Country, is happy living as an anonymous scrap dealer. Using his talent for alchemy to make fuel and potions, most days he doesn’t even think of his ruinous past. When a scared young man with a fancy car crashes into his life, at first, Mal thinks he can do without the hassle. But as Neil begins to get under his skin, Mal starts to reassess his hopes and ambitions.

Harassed by megalomaniac fae and stalked by sorcerous killers at every turn, Malachai and Neil must fight to be free, and to find what they both truly wanted.


Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of violence, murder and non-consensual sex.

Excerpt

Neil set the bushel of summer squash into the panel van with the rest of the produce ready to go to market tomorrow morning and jumped down. Mr. Yaetz patted him on the back. “That’s the last one. Good job, Neil. You best head home now. Don’t want to get caught outside the wards after nightfall, ’specially not in that fancy car.”

Neil stifled a wince and forced himself not to look around to see who might have overheard the mention of his ‘fancy car’. Mr. Yaetz didn’t mean anything by it, but the car was a sore point with his co-workers at the small greenhouse and urban farm lot. None of them had their own vehicle, much less a sleek convertible sports car. Explaining that it was his mother’s, not his, hadn’t stopped the digs about his ‘slumming with the common folk’ or brought him any closer to the camaraderie the rest of them shared.

“Thanks, Mr. Yaetz. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Neil told him and turned toward the front lot. He glanced at the horizon automatically, judging how much time he had. About forty-five minutes, maybe an hour. More than enough for the short drive home. He wasn’t likely to come across any shadow beasts here on the outskirts of the city but a pack hunting farther afield was always a possibility. Of course, if he did run across shadow beasts, they would have to catch him first and the Maserati was both fast and agile.

Neil slid behind the wheel and the powerful engine purred to life. With the sun slowly sinking behind him, he swung the car out onto the road and headed for home.

As expected, Neil pulled into the driveway with plenty of daylight left and no encounters with any creatures that came out after dark. Climbing the front steps, his thoughts preoccupied with a shower and dinner, he almost missed the broken seal on his front door. He stopped cold. The warding glyph, usually a subtle shimmering gold, was inert, dull gray and cracked with lines of black. A sick knot cramped in his belly and Neil pressed his thumb down on the latch and pushed the door open but hesitated on the threshold.

“Mom?”

ARC Review: Rainbow Place (Rainbow Place #1) by Jay Northcote

Blurb:

Can Jason find the courage he needs to be the man Seb deserves? 

When Seb Radcliffe relocates to a seaside town in Cornwall, he feels like a fish out of water. He misses queer spaces and the sense of community he enjoyed when he was living in the city, and decides to open an LGBT-friendly cafe–bar. 

Jason Dunn is the builder Seb hires to help renovate the rundown space where the cafe will be housed. Jason is also gay, but unlike Seb, he’s deep in the closet. He’s never had a relationship with another man—only allowing himself the occasional hook up with guys who are prepared to be discreet. 

The attraction between the two men is instant and impossible to ignore. But while Seb is out and proud, Jason is terrified of being exposed. With the grand opening of Rainbow Place approaching, tension is growing among some locals who object to Seb’s plans. When things escalate, Jason is forced to choose whether to hide in the shadows and let Seb down, or to openly support the man he’s fallen so hard for. 

Although this book is part of a series, it has a satisfying happy ending and can be read as a standalone.

Todd's rating:

After becoming disenchanted with the life he'd been leading in fun and vibrant London, not to mention his recent breakup, Sebastian decided it was time to make a change in his predictable, hum-drum life working for other restaurateurs.

So he moved to Cornwall, a place his family used to go for seaside retreats, for a fresh start. But after being there a short time, he realized that he felt that there was something missing in his new, hetero-centric village life.

A sense of queer community.

With that in mind, instead of moving forward with his initial plans to open a run of the mill, generic cafe/bar, he decided to shift the focus, just a smidge. To make the place a friendly, accepting place for LGBT people and their supporters.

And hence Rainbow Place was born.

Seb then hired local builder (and also local closet case) Jason to perform the needed renovations. And, shocker, Jason was hot and their sizzling connection was almost immediate.

They staved off their feelings of lust for a while, but this is a romance, so sooner or later, you knew they would be Romancing the Bone. And yes, those sexy scenes were fairly steamy.

But outside of the bedroom (and the closet), not everyone in the small town was happy with Seb's Big Gay Plans to homo-tize their "normal" (pronounced 'boring') little town. And let's face it, there's always That One Asshole who likes to stir the shit, which was the case here.

After said asshole started up a stink, courtesy of an opinion piece in the local paper, the cafe was vandalized by local homophobes and the race was on to repair the damage in time for the grand opening.