I’ve read this book twice now and it’s a warm and fuzzy Millennial romance featuring best friends to lovers, ridiculous school debts, and a fake marriI’ve read this book twice now and it’s a warm and fuzzy Millennial romance featuring best friends to lovers, ridiculous school debts, and a fake marriage, too!
Loren lives in Boston and just lost her job, so she’s facing homelessness when her late grandmother’s estate offers her a handsome sum for her inheritance; the only catch is that Loren needs to be married to collect. When her best friend, Cara, finds herself unable to afford grad school, the two friends decide the best solution to both their problems is to get fake married with an amicable divorce sometime down the line.
While the plot may seem unbelievable in this day and age, Cameron manages to keep her character motivations and the plot friction points within the realm of possible, so that as a reader you find yourself nodding along as the story progresses. Loren is a likable heroine who comes across as a little flaky, but that may be the contrast to Cara, who is the more serious planner of the relationship.
I like how their relationship evolves, and I was a little leery of a “lesbian falls in love with straight best friend” plot, but I appreciated how Cara’s sexual orientation is handled. ...more
**spoiler alert** When you get far enough along in a series that you’re at book 10, as a reader, I always worry that the characters and the plot line **spoiler alert** When you get far enough along in a series that you’re at book 10, as a reader, I always worry that the characters and the plot line are going to start sinking into a train wreck a la The Dresden Files. No fears of that here! JCP keeps the PsyCop series fresh and in character, and we get a throwback to the early procedural plotlines of the first few books. There are shout outs to the overarching conspiracy plotline that has underscored every book since around book 3, but book 10 gives us Vic going undercover for a seemingly benign investigation. The emotional plot centers around Vic missing Jacob as they have to live in the same city while avoiding all contact (spoiler alert: there’s contact).
As someone who frequently travels for work, I resonated with Vic missing Jacob and his pangs of realizing all the little domestic things that they share that he’s started to take for granted. The first half of the PsyCop series was a very independent Vic learning how to be one half of a couple; book 10 gives us a taste of Vic figuring out how to somewhat be on his own again and how much he dislikes it. Personally, I enjoyed the fact that he and his undercover partner were entirely platonic -- even if Vic noticed his partner’s physical attributes occasionally – so yay no skeevy Crash vibes here! I liked that Vic’s relationship with Jacob is defined by their appreciation and love for each other, and it wasn’t them continually comparing what they have to other possibilities that they then rejected to reaffirm their relationship. The progression of their relationship through this book feels organic and rewarding, and like they’re growing together.
Disclaimer: The prerequisite PsyCop paranormal scene towards the end was, in fact, the creepiest of all the books in my opinion, and that’s coming from someone who loves rats.
If you like established relationships, supernatural shenanigans, and government conspiracies / work, then this is the book and series for you! ...more
This is a short (like 12 pages PDF) free gay horror story set in the Caribbean featuring an American expat and a local hooker. The explicit sex scenesThis is a short (like 12 pages PDF) free gay horror story set in the Caribbean featuring an American expat and a local hooker. The explicit sex scenes were hot and the story is fairly straightforward with a horror twist that keeps it in the paranormal realm....more
I really wanted to get into this story. I had my own expectations going in and that's on me as a reader. The blurb piqued my interest - a romance betwI really wanted to get into this story. I had my own expectations going in and that's on me as a reader. The blurb piqued my interest - a romance between a badly injured firefighter battling PTSD and a shy doormat type learning to assert himself while recovering from an abusive relationship.
To be frank, I had a very long, angry rant written detailing the issues I had with the handling of the subject matter, characterization, and plot in this book. Instead of being that negative, I'm just going to take a calming breath and recommend -- if you or a loved one has ever had a traumatic injury, or is differently abled, or been in an abusive relationship, and has struggled through recovery, please pass on this book.
As for the author, please find a sensitivity reader if you write on these subjects again....more
Rocci’s Review: Two Cowboys and a Baby by BA Tortuga Length: About 50,000 words Copy purchased from Dreamspinner Press (https://www.dreamspinnerpress.coRocci’s Review: Two Cowboys and a Baby by BA Tortuga Length: About 50,000 words Copy purchased from Dreamspinner Press (https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/)
So I’ve been reading BA’s works for over a decade now, and the latest offering of “Two Cowboys and a Baby” doesn’t disappoint. If you’re looking for gruff cowboys acting like kinda dumb boys, with a cute baby and some existential angst tossed in, this story is for you.
I loved that the main and secondary characters are all unique and vibrant personalities that jump off the page at you. The dialogue and character interactions reinforced that the setting was deep Texas, gender stereotypes and all. The only thing that threw me was figuring out their ages – maybe it’s my Yankee showing, but the nickname “Hoss” doesn’t conjure up a hot guy in his late 20s, nor does the nickname “Pooter”. It took me about 20 pages in to figure out they were between 27 and 30 years old (I think? Still not completely sure on that, but I’m dying of allergies, so maybe it’s just me…)
The plot line was a little trope-y, but that’s part of what appealed to me, and I won’t go too far into that so I can avoid spoilers. I will say that the plot twist was surprising, but handled well in a believable way for the characters. There are some rodeo and plumbing injuries mentioned, so if you have a trigger on that, beware. Nothing too graphic, though.
The characters’ speech and way of phrasing things was classic Tortuga, though, and Texan through-and-through. The plot was well-paced and of course the grammar / structure / spelling etc were professional quality (do I even need to say that for BA?)
Highly recommended for fans of cowboys, westerns, and kid-fic stories.
Also a note to readers that BA Tortuga has joined up with Julia Talbot, Sean Michael, Kiernan Kelly, TC Blue and Kris Norris to form Evil Plot Bunny: http://www.evilplotbunny.com/ Go check it out!...more
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