Guarding Mr. Fine, by HelenKay Dimon (Tough Love #3)

(alternative title: Mr. Fine INDEED, where do I find myself one of those to keep guarded in my room? *–*)

Good night, everyone! Welcome to a very special moment in the form of my review for the third book in the Tough Love series, by goddess HelenKay Dimon: Guarding Mr. Fine! ❤

You see, this book holds a special place in my heart because the first volume of the series was my first ever spies gay romance ❤ I looooove action/adventure books and sadly is still hard to find good ones in the diverse shelves, aka my favorites, so it was a huuuge moment for me to have virtually met HelenKay’s work *–* I’ve read and reviewed all books so far and since I had finished The Talented Mr. Rivers I knew I just had to have Guarding Mr. Fine ❤

Now that I’m done with all the raving, let’s go to the particulars: I have received this book from Loveswept, the publisher, in exchange for an honest review and this is the moment of truth! [haha]

As an agent with the CIA’s special activities division, Seth Lang lives for risk—and yet he’s stuck playing bodyguard to the U.S. consul general in Munich. Although Seth’s last assignment nearly killed him, babysitting some desk jockey in a suit sounds way too easy. But when he lays eyes on the new top man, tactical expert Rick Fine, Seth’s thrilled to see just how hard this job is going to get. Mr. Tall, Dark, and Quiet has a body worth guarding—and he requires hands-on attention day and night.

Dispatched to a German consulate to expose the murder of his predecessor, Rick finds himself in an extremely vulnerable position. He needs a man like Seth—in so many ways. This mission will inevitably plunge them both into jeopardy, but each new threat only brings them closer. Rick just hopes that he can keep his deepest, darkest secret hidden—or else risk imperiling a relationship they’re both fighting for their lives to protect.

Me after finishing this book:

The Farther He Runs, from Lynda Aicher (Kick #3)

Good night, people! Are you ready to rock?!! I hope so, as the book I’ll be reviewing Tonight r o c k e d my world ❤ I’m talking about the third book of the Kick series, from Lynda Aicher: The Farther He Runs! Please, on’t get sad that we are “already” on the review for book 3! All books in the Kick series can be read as standalones, so you can pick your favorite and devour it without worrying about losing content =D

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, so buckle your seatbelts and let’s do this! Thanks so much to Loveswept for my copy, I loved it!

Read here my reviews for the previous books in the series!

The Harder He Falls (Kick #1) | The Deeper He Hurts (Kick #2)

Finn’s survival and recovery from a tragic accident with his cousin and best friend ten months ago can only be described as miraculous. After many months spent into a comma and struggling to recover his movements and basic motor coordination, anyone would be happy to know they are alive.

Not Finn. His Marine pride insists on reminding him all that he had lost in the accident. His shape. His dignity. His best friend. Finn was now just a broken and shallow vessel of the man he used to be – the man he loved to be. And now his remaining best friend and long-term platonic crush, Tanner Dorsey, came home after deployment.

How is Finn supposed to look Tanner in the eye and feel worthy of his attention now?

If anyone ever cares to find out how a true bitch-slap from life can hurt, just ask Tanner Dorsey. After months with barely any communication outside the military world, Tanner comes home to find out one of his best friends is dead and the other, broken.

Tanner has mixed feelings about the tragic accident that took Chris’ life away. While his heart won’t stop bleeding for his best friend any time soon, it’s also his one in a million chance to show Finn, his platonic soul mate, that he is no lesser of a man for relying on others. For relaying on Tanner. However, how could he prove to Finn he would always be there for him?

How is Tanner supposed to convince Finn they could work together?

Me after finishing this book

The Deeper He Hurts, from Lynda Aicher (Kick #2)

(Alternative title: the book in which I would gladly wave goodbye to half of the sex scenes as BSDM is so not my cup of tea)

Hello, again! YES, I DECIDED TO BREAK RECORDS AND WRITE TWO REVIEWS ON THE SAME DAY. HOW ABOUT THAT?!

I would like to thank my mom and my dad for this special moment, along with my lack of a social life and sense of needing to get things done for this winner moment. Now shall we start talking about the book in question? Hahaha!

I received The Deeper He Hurts, second book in the Kick series from Lynda Aicher, from Loveswept in exchange for an honest review, as I had previously reviewed the first volume of the series 🙂 You may want to check it out:

The Harder He Falls (Kick #1)

Thanks a lot to Loveswept, truly! Now, let’s go:

Asher Ruggiero, a partner at Adrenaline Kick Adventures, is living a lie. As a control freak whose big Italian family thinks he’s straight, Asher likes his encounters concise, dirty, and discreet—until his company’s new rafting guide walks into work, dripping with brooding, intense sexuality. Sawyer Stevens is a mystery man with secrets and rough edges, and he makes Asher want to get to know him inside and out.

Ever since the tragic death of his parents, Sawyer has dedicated himself to the rush of adrenaline that comes from pleasure and pain. Moving from one guy to another, hiding when life gets too complicated—that’s all he can handle. So why does Asher make him long for something lasting and honest, when the gorgeous geek can’t even be true to himself? Sawyer wants to give Asher his heart, but he just doesn’t know how. After all, a life without integrity is a life without passion—and that’s the one thing Sawyer craves.

Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂

Sooooo, this is a really good romance between two fellows who seriously need to move on – each on his own way – with a huge quality stain to it. This is a heavy BSDM book and, while I totally respect adepts and lovers, this is very out of my league. I knew this when I accepted the book, but as I had read and loved the first volume of the Kick series, I decided to give it a chance. Lucky me, as everything else made up to me for all the kink play that I had to endure, haha! Four stars with BDSM and all 🙂

The narrative is third person style, switching between Ash and Swayer’s points of view. As you all may be tired of hearing, this is my favorite style, so no complains here, haha! Also, I felt substantial improvement on Aicher’s writing since the first book, especially on the humor. Ash and Swayer are so damaged as Grady and Micah, but they laugh a lot more – THANK ALL HEAVENS for that, haha!

The plot was very simple, as it tends to happen with pure romances: the characters must overcome their shit in order to be together and that’s easier said than done. Don’t expect anything out of this world or big twists, because that’s not gonna happen, haha!

I take my hat off to Aicher’s characters, by the way. They are really well developed, even the side ones, and you can feel that they could be your neighbors – in this particular case, I really hope they are not, as Ash and Swayer are really loud on their sex, HAHAHAHA! However, I miss the point: as you worry about your neighbor, you will worry for her characters. You feel their struggles, you know they deserve to be happy and you want to scream at their faces to make they see what is right in front of their noses. This kind of connection is really awesome ❤

On a more deep point, however, I felt like Aicher repeated the recipe quite literally. I felt a pattern repeating so clearly before my eyes that I could predict many of the character’s reactions and actions. The most sad thing about this is that she doesn’t use regular stereotypes! I mean, Aicher made her own recipe to have a good gay romance going and she used it again on the second book, element by element. Family loss, mental disturbs, the dominant bottom and the passive top, the hiding information and fear being the protagonists on the problems list. I felt like I was reading an improved version of The Harder He Falls and that’s why I liked The Deeper He Hurts best. Honestly, being a journalist sucks on those moments, haha! I wish I could be blind to this type of thing.

And I also feel forced to talk about the BSDM side of the book. People, it isn’t something that I enjoy and I haven’t on this book, but I have to say something: Lynda Aicher knows what she is doing here. I was wide-eyed with some of the scenes between Asher and Swayer =O This was all too professional! No labels are used lightly. If Aicher says the guy is a sadist or a pain slut, JUST BELIEVE HER.

Anyway, back to the good stuff. Have you seen this winner cover?? I really like the models that Loveswept chooses for their covers ❤ If you like gay romance and BSDM, you totally should give this book a chance 🙂

Thanks for reading a bitchy review and thanks again to Loveswept for sending me this copy 😀

Xoxoxo and see you next time,

The Harder He Falls, from Lynda Aicher (Kick #1)

Hi, there! Hope everyone is having a nice end of Tuesday! I’m back with a gay book review for a book that surprised me a lot – in the positive side! I’m talking about the first book in the Kick series, by Lynda Aicher: The Harder He Falls!

I was invited by Loveswept to read this book and provide them with an honest review. I finished the book yesterday night and here we go!

Grady is a broken man. Despite being healthy and vigorous, he’s been depressed and desperate since an accident put his cousin Finn into a coma and killed one of their work colleagues. An accident that was Grady’s fault.

Grady doesn’t want pity, doesn’t want to be cooed or saved. He only wants for Finn to wake up. Maybe then Grady himself can wake up from this permanent nightmare.

Micah is a broken man. Since waking up from a coma, Micah has been trapped into a very limited life. He can’t afford to be daring when he loses himself inside his own house. When he has no control over his brain.

Micah can’t stand pity and knows how to handle himself. The only thing he sometimes dared to ask for is the company of a good man.

What both men didn’t know is that two broken pieces can merge into a solid one… If love is your glue.

Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂

At first, I wasn’t impressed with The Harder He Falls. The writing was ok, Grady was one of the biggest asses ever on my reading resume (and that’s something), and there was a promise of BDSM between Grady and Micah. Since the moment I started this book until their first hook up, I was skeptical and dreading not liking the book. I am so glad to say that I was wrong and the book is good! ❤ There are still things that bothered me, so I rated it four stars 🙂

The narrative is third person with switching points of view between Grady and Micah. I like third person a lot, but I wish I didn’t need to be inside Grady’s head. He got too much on my nerves and doesn’t deserve Micah. Hunf. Aicher’s writing style didn’t swept me off my feet, but I really liked how she knows her business when Grady and Micah start talking dirty. It was amusing and sexy at the same time, so refreshing! Also, I have to admit that this book contains the best blow job that I have ever seen (and this phrase came out so wrong, haha!).

The plot had some interesting twists, but wasn’t complicated. Once again, love and society turn something simple into something dangerous and tricky. As if we need any more complications, right?

The characters were very well developed and I was surprised to see how Grady and Micah grew up together during the book. It was beautiful and very rewarding, even if I wanted to stab Grady between his eyes most of the time. The guy was simply too dense and couldn’t take his head out of his ass – understand that as you wish, haha!

I really loved Micah and in several times I felt like high-fiving him. He made it to my list of Bookish Boyfriends (I so have to update that!) and made this book a four stars instead of a three stars ❤

And have I mentioned that the sex was hot? A little bit over used, if you asked me, but oh-so-hot in 90% of the time!

That was Grady, haha!

Another strong point of this romance is how Aicher portrayed people that woke up from long comas. She was very didactic without being boring or disrespectful, so it was very interesting to see the medical background behind it all 🙂

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see who will be the pairing of the next one in the series. If you like gay contemporary romance, drama, hot sex with touches of BDSM and a lovely top, you have to read The Harder He Falls!

That’s it, thanks for reading and thanks so much to Loveswept for offering me this wonderful and surprising book! ❤

Mr. and Mr. Smith, from HelenKay Dimon

Hi, there! Welcome to my review for Mr. and Mr. Smith, from HelenKay Dimon 😀 And let me tell you, what an action packed book, omg! I’ve received my copy from Give Me Books in exchange for an honest review – thanks again! Let’s do this!

Secrets and seduction make for an explosive combination in HelenKay Dimon’s edgy, thrilling new series, which kicks off with a novel about two men who can handle any threat—except the one posed by desire.

Fisher Braun knows how to keep a secret. As a covert paramilitary operative, his job—and his life—depends on it. He’s at the top of his game, ready for action and always in control. No enemy has ever brought him to his knees, but one lover has: Zachary Allen, the man currently sharing his bed. The perfect package of brains and brawn, Zach is someone worth coming home to, and Fisher hates keeping him in the dark about what he does. But the lies keep Zach safe. Until the day Fisher loses everything. . . .

Zachary Allen is no innocent civilian. Although he plays the tech geek, in reality he’s deep undercover for the CIA. In a horrible twist of fate, the criminal enterprise he’s infiltrated has set its sights on the man whose touch drives him wild. Zach would do anything for Fisher—except blow his own cover. Now, in order to save him, Zach must betray him first. And he needs Fisher to trust him with all his heart if they want to make it out alive.

Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂

This book was great. I loved the characters, the development of the story, the complications, the twists… Omg, so many actions of all kinds! *–* (And with this I mean actual action + sheets action, haha!) Also, this title is just brilliant ❤ I only think that the beginning was too sudden and a bit confusing, but after we meet Zach, everything changes, haha! Five stars 🙂

The narrative was third person styled with switching points of view between Fisher and Zach. I personally liked Zach a lot more than Fisher, as I’m not a huge fan of controlling men, but Fisher wasn’t that bad, just a lot more stubborn, haha! As there wasn’t a great mystery – not from my perspective, at least – on the book, so I think the narrative style was perfect. Dimon’s writing also was alright and very fluid. I liked how she thought about all the small things without being a bore, haha!

The plot seems complicated, but it is actually quite simple: Zach needs to fight for Fisher’s trust after the betrayal and they need to work out their relationship. The thing is that half of the CIA is between them, oops! But I didn’t miss a big mystery, it was good to cheer for them to be together 🙂

The characters were very well developed, despite their tendencies for repetition. I mean, things would end up twirling in Fisher’s head more often than not, for example, and Zach would keep digging their past to build up their future together and sometimes both things got a little under my nerves and I would roll my eyes at both men, haha!

I think the strongest point of this book is the action package; we usually don’t see many gay romances that are also thrillers / action books and that as a very nice change of scenario for me 🙂 I personally loved the twist at the end and I Dimon grabbed and squeezed my heart pretty good after the big explosion, haha! Sorry, can’t say more due spoilers, so just go read the book 😉

Overall, if you like hot men, action, nerve-wracking situations and police books, you should read Mr. and Mr. Smith 🙂

Thanks for reading my review! Bellow you can find info on where to find Mr. and Mr. Smith and learn a bit about the author 🙂

You can find Mr. and Mr. Smith in ebook format only 🙂

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks |Google Play | BAM

HelenKay Dimon spent the years before becoming a romance author as a divorce attorney—not the usual career transition. Now she writes full-time and she’s much happier. The author of more than thirty novels, novellas, and short stories that have twice been named “Red-Hot Reads” and excerpted in Cosmopolitan, she’s on the board of directors of the Romance Writers of America and teaches fiction writing at UC San Diego and Mira Costa College.

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That’s it, thanks for reading the full post! Also, thanks once again to Give Me Books for my review copy and my spot on this blitz: 🙂

BOOK BLITZ: Icing, by Kelly Jamieson (Aces Hockey #3)

Hi, there! We are on a day crowded with book birthdays and I couldn’t be happier to see so many new babies around, haha! Right now I’m talking about the release blitz that Give Me Books put together for Icing, the third book in the Aces Hockey series, by Kelly Jamieson!

Icing

Aces Hockey #3

By  Kelly Jamieson

Publisher: Loveswept

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: April 19th, 2016

Duncan Armstrong may be an NHL star, but he’s a country boy at heart. His ultimate fantasy is going home with the Stanley Cup, not a gold-digging airhead who aspires to be a trophy wife and nothing more. Newly single and hoping to enjoy a night out with his teammates, he ends up hitting it off with a down-to-earth waitress who’s a complete breath of fresh air—until Duncan learns that she’s a part-time model. He tries to forget about her, but their sizzling chemistry has him coming back for more.

Amber is working hard to put herself through school, and has zero interest in dating a professional athlete. She’s seen firsthand how fame and fortune can mess with their heads—her father’s brilliant football career ended in a firestorm of addiction and infidelity. So Duncan’s attentions immediately have her on the defensive. Still, there’s something different about him. And once she stops trying to freeze him out, irresistible temptation turns into all-consuming passion.

This is not my usual kind of book, but this cover made me want to give a chance to Duncan and Amber ❤ Yes, I’m a cover girl and I regret nothing 🙂

You can find Icing in both ebook and audiobook formats 😀

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play

Book One: Major Misconduct

Goodreads | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play

~*~

Book Two: Off Limits

Goodreads | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play

USA Today bestselling author Kelly Jamieson is the author of more than thirty contemporary romance novels. She’s a married mother of two who lives a very ordinary life outside of her imagination. She likes coffee (black), wine (mostly white), and shoes (high!). She also loves watching hockey.

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That’s it, thanks for reading 🙂 Do you like contemporary with athletes??