The Palisades by Rosalind Abel

The Palisade by Rosalind Abel is the first novel in a great new romance series - Lavender Shores.

This story focuses on Joel, the businessman from San Francisco and Andrew, the local real estate agent meet and what starts out as a simple hook up turns into something much more. The attraction is pretty much instantaneous for both of them and while it seems like they’re just destined to live happily ever after pretty much right from the start, Joel hasn’t been completely honest with Andrew, so there are some things that they need to work out before they can really be happy together. Joel especially has some work to do, but the love that he so desperately wants is worth fighting for, so there’s definitely an HEA at the end.

Good story, great writing and well-developed characters (including some awesome secondary characters like Andrew’s dad!) make this book a winner in my mind. I’m definitely looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

And if you want to learn more about Lavender Shores, visit www.lavendershores.com - there’s so much good info there (with more to come).

You can purchase The Palisade at AMAZON.

Shifting Silver by Brandon Witt

The more stories I read by Brandon Witt, the more I am in awe of his writing talent.

Frankly, I’m not typically a fan of short stories, but I’m so glad I read this one. Full disclosure: I was given a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review, but I ended up buying a copy because I really enjoyed it.

This is a beautifully written tale of Allakau, a member of the Alaskan Yupik tribe who never feels like he belongs. We learn that his family is disappointed in him and his father gives him 3 days to prove himself or he will no longer be part of his family. And so we learn who Allakau really is - and whether or not there’s still time for him to find true happiness and his place in life.

Like all of Brandon’s work, he completely immerses you in his world and leaves you changed for the better at the end. Definitely worth reading.

You can purchase Shifting Silver on Amazon HERE. Or at Dreamspinner Press HERE.

There's This Guy by Rhys Ford

Jake Moore is a troubled soul. His abusive, homophobic father is dying and Jake is the only one left to care for him. His mom is dead, and Jake is torn between loving her and despising both parents for not accepting that he is gay. Then Jake meets Dallas Yates and they quickly become friends. Dallas wants it to be more, but he understands the need to be patient. Can he be the one to save Jake from the darkness that consumes him?

Let me start by saying that I love Rhys Ford! It's true, I don't know her personally, but I've loved her since I first read her Cole McGinnis series (and then her Sinner's Gin series, and well, you get the idea). Rhys is a very talented writer. Her characters are well developed her storylines are richly detailed. Typically, she writes mystery/suspense stories, but this is a departure for her - a contemporary romance (but Rhys being Rhys, there is a dead body and a mystery is solved as part of a secondary storyline).

Rhys is a master-storyteller and introduces some memorable secondary characters - Dallas's BFF Celeste, Jake's boss Evancho, and Dallas's parent - and they are wonderful additions to this story. As far as I know, this is meant to be a stand-alone work, but I'd love to know Celeste's story (for fans of Rhys's other work, she reminds me of a cross between Scarlet & Claudia!).

This is a heavy, angst-laden story, and there is some thought about suicide - be warned if that's a trigger for you - but Rhys blends the heaviness with some humor and a bit of snarky dialog every now and again, resulting in a beautiful story and a happily ever after.

I love this story, these characters, & Rhys. Highly recommended.

You can purchase a copy at Amazon or Dreamspinner Press.

Armor (Firsts and Forever Series #13.5) by Alexa Land

If you’re already a fan of Alexa Land’s Firsts & Forever series, there’s no question - you must read this book. It’s a novella that occurs right after book #13 (Worlds Away) in the series. But you don’t need to read Worlds Away prior to reading Armor. You may, however, want to read (or re-read!) The Distance (#11 in the series) as this story wraps up an arson investigation that began 18 months ago in The Distance.

Armor focuses on Dante & Charlie, who have been together for 4 years now, so you get a glimpse into how they’ve grown as a couple. Also, their original story, All In (#2), was told from Charlie’s point of view, and Armor is told from Dante’s POV, so you get some insight into how Dante thinks - and it’s quite interesting!

I won’t give anything away, but the bad guy was a surprise (to me, anyway) and I’m happy that this arson case is finally resolved. This is definitely worth reading - and if you’re not familiar with this series, just buy book #1 - Way Off Plan and start reading. This entire series is well worth reading!
 

You can buy this book on Amazon by clicking HERE.

 I originally posted this review on Amazon.com on February 17, 2017

Zac's Mulligan (Guarding The Gods Book 1) by Ann Lister

Ann Lister’s new book, Zac’s Mulligan is book 1 in her new series called Guarding the Gods. But if you’ve read Ann’s Rock God series, you’ll see some familiar characters here, since Guarding the Gods is a spin-off series in the same universe. This time we meet Zac Mulligan, former marine turned private security guy. A decade ago, he walked away from Ben Holland, childhood friend and first love. Zac tells one of the band members he’s protecting about him and is encouraged to contact Ben after all these years.

After a stressful first meeting, they slowly start to work their way into each others lives - and beds - again. But they have a long way to go to rebuild the love and trust the they both so desperately need. And Ben is holding onto a secret that could destroy their chance for happiness. Can they overcome their fears and find happiness with each other once again?

This amazing story is skillfully told by Ann. Yes, past characters are featured as supporting players in this series, and that gives this new series a very familiar feel, but Ann has a whole new group of guys - the ones that guard the gods - to focus on, giving us the possibility of many new stories. Ann builds rich characters and is a master story-teller. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll hold your breath until ‘that scene’ is over. And when you get to the last page, you’ll ask for more.

Ann’s books just get better and better! This is a fantastic book by a great author! Read this book (and if you haven’t done so yet, read the books in the Rock Gods series, too), you won’t be disappointed.

You can buy this book on Amazon by clicking HERE.

 I originally posted this review on Amazon.com on August 12, 2016

September (Pride and Joy Book 1) by Robert Winter

I really enjoyed Robert Winter's first novel, September. It's the story of a May-September romance and Robert is a great storyteller. David & Brandon (the 2 main characters) go through a lot while developing their relationship, some things quite intense (but I don't want to give anything away!). 

The author is very good at writing very real, believable people and situations, making this a wonderful read. Thankfully, it's the first in a series - I'm really looking forward to reading more from Mr. Winter.

You can buy this book on Amazon by clicking HERE.

 I originally posted this review on Amazon.com on January 26, 2017