Just Ash by Sol Santana

 

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Ashley "Ash" Bishop has always known who he is: a guy who loves soccer, has a crush on his friend Michelle, and is fascinated by the gruesome history of his hometown―Salem, Massachusetts. He's also always known that he's intersex, born with both male and female genitalia. But it's never felt like a big deal until his junior year of high school, when Ash gets his first period in front of the entire boys' soccer team. Now his friends and teachers see him differently, and his own mother thinks he should "try being a girl."

As tensions mount with his parents and Ash feels more and more like an outcast, he can't help feeling a deeper kinship with his ancestor Bridget Bishop, who was executed for witchcraft. She didn't conform to her community's expectations either; she was different, and her neighbors felt threatened by her. And she paid the ultimate price. Ash is haunted by her last recorded words: You will keep silent.

Ash realizes that he needs to find a way to stand up for who he really is, or the cost of his silence might destroy his life, too.

My Rating - 4 Stars!

Just Ash is a wonderful young adult story about an intersex teen. This Sol Santana had me gripped from the start. 

Good god, Poor Ash. His body causes so much pain and heartache for him, just because of people being so damn judgmental. 

Omg, this book. There's so much going on for Ash, as puberty is changing his body. With his female parts starting to develop further, his family is pushing him to be a girl, both mentally and physically. 

Add in issues with his friend who he likes romantically, a whole lot of homophobia and racism, and the hits just keep coming. 

And it's all as emotional and intense as you'd expect.

I appreciate the way the author approaches this difficult subject matter. Everything is written with care and compassion. I enjoy the layers, mystery, and intrigue throughout. 

Just Ash is the perfect choice next time you're in the mood for a serious tale exploring the life of an intersex teen. 

PRE-ORDER REVIEW - Just Ash by Sol Santana

 

 

COMING October 5, 2021!

PRE-ORDER NOW!

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Ashley "Ash" Bishop has always known who he is: a guy who loves soccer, has a crush on his friend Michelle, and is fascinated by the gruesome history of his hometown―Salem, Massachusetts. He's also always known that he's intersex, born with both male and female genitalia. But it's never felt like a big deal until his junior year of high school, when Ash gets his first period in front of the entire boys' soccer team. Now his friends and teachers see him differently, and his own mother thinks he should "try being a girl."

As tensions mount with his parents and Ash feels more and more like an outcast, he can't help feeling a deeper kinship with his ancestor Bridget Bishop, who was executed for witchcraft. She didn't conform to her community's expectations either; she was different, and her neighbors felt threatened by her. And she paid the ultimate price. Ash is haunted by her last recorded words: You will keep silent.

Ash realizes that he needs to find a way to stand up for who he really is, or the cost of his silence might destroy his life, too.

My Rating - 4 Stars!

Just Ash is a wonderful young adult story about an intersex teen. This Sol Santana had me gripped from the start. 

Good god, Poor Ash. His body causes so much pain and heartache for him, just because of people being so damn judgmental. 

Omg, this book. There's so much going on for Ash, as puberty is changing his body. With his female parts starting to develop further, his family is pushing him to be a girl, both mentally and physically. 

Add in issues with his friend who he likes romantically, a whole lot of homophobia and racism, and the hits just keep coming. 

And it's all as emotional and intense as you'd expect.

I appreciate the way the author approaches this difficult subject matter. Everything is written with care and compassion. I enjoy the layers, mystery, and intrigue throughout. 

Just Ash is the perfect choice next time you're in the mood for a serious tale exploring the life of an intersex teen. 

Love Limits (Love Language #3) by Reese Morrison

 

Amazon Link - Available in KU
Goodreads Link

Ash wants a Daddy. Zhong wants Ash.

But Zhong knows he can't give Ash what they need. He's asexual, and when he looks for someone special, it should be someone who will be satisfied with what he can offer. Right?

Zhong has never been enough for anyone else, so when the playful sub who loves board games and wants a Daddy bounces into his life, he knows he’ll have to sit on the sidelines.

But as Zhong grows closer to Ash, he learns more about himself. Maybe he can be the Daddy Ash needs. Maybe his love doesn’t have to have limits.

Love Limits contains a caring asexual Daddy, a genderqueer sub, age play, puppy play, sign language and a HFN. Love Lessons and Love Limits share intertwined characters and timelines, and this book should be read only after reading Love Lessons.

My Rating - 5 Stars!

In Love Limits, once again Reese Morrison impresses with complex characters. I love the whole Love Language series so far. With this being the third book in the series, be sure to read them in order. 

This part of the series is about Zhong and Ash. It follows the same timeline as Love Lessons so it definitely helps to read both. We learn more about Dustin, and wow, some new things come to light that surprise and confuse Zhong.

Zhong is asexual and panromantic, with the most complicated of emotions. Or I should say, he struggles to understand love and his wants. He's a total cuddle slut, which I came to adore in Love Lessons. And it isn't until now that he learns he was in a relationship with Dustin. 

Oh, I adore how clueless and complex Zhong is. His asexual side is beyond perplexing to him.

Add in the multi-layered Ash and things get even more convoluted.

Front and center of this story, and series, is the deaf community. There's plenty about the deaf community and the complexity of dating a hearing person if one is deaf.  I absolutely love and appreciate how much it means to Ash to find friends who are in the community. As Ash had discovered, living in the hearing world has it's own set of complications. I appreciate how much they enjoy finding people who are also deaf. 

Ash, oh sweet Ash. Ash is gender queer, born intersex and deaf. Ash longs to find a Daddy for themselves, as well as a handler during puppy time. Talk about a particular and complex set of needs. 

There is a whole lot of in depth discussions about polyamory in this book. I won't give anything away. But all the characters understand that for some people polyamory is the best choice. Given Zhong's asexual status, I enjoy the way this is all discussed.

At the heart of the story, Ash desperately wants a Daddy. They're instantly attracted to Zhong, but Zhong is far from Daddy material. Or is he? 

I don't want to give anything away, but, damn, these two are so good together. They're such opposites, but their desires and needs mesh well in the end. The journey to get there though is full of doubts, fears, and plenty of internal debate. It isn't easy. But it's worth it.

And oh, the puppy scene is just darling. This is my favorite moment in the book. Most of all, the amount of trust it takes for Ash to become a puppy and lose their ability to communicate is amazing. It's remarkable and absolutely beautiful that Ash can trust Zhong to care for them in this moment. 

In addition to all I mentioned above, I love the relationship between Ash and their mom. Omg, the fact that they are so open about their sex life with their mom is truly remarkable. I love it. 

Once again, the author excels in developing a multi-layered tale with complex characters. No one is better at writing diverse and unique characters. Sexuality and gender play a large part in who these characters are, and the author wonderfully develops and explores this. Hell, the fact that Ash is intersex and it doesn't matter at all, is stellar! 

Love Limits is a sweet and tender romance. Reese Morrison once again impresses and entertains in this romance. This is a must read when you're in the mood for an emotional romance. The heat isn't here for this one, which makes sense given Zhong's sexuality. But the emotions are front and center throughout.

Whirlwind by Reese Morrison

 

Amazon Link  - Available in KU
Goodreads Link

A magical moment.

A single night.

A collection of stories about first kisses, second chances, kinky explorations, and having the confidence to ask for what you want.

Five whirlwind relationships celebrating queer bodies and queer love.

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Waiting for You: Taylor has been pining for his best friend, Julio, for most of his life. But he knows that he’s too big, too fat, and too plain to ever appeal. It doesn't help that his secret desires for lace, makeup, and submission don't match his outsides at all. He could never catch Julio’s eye, could he? (MM, friends-to-lovers)

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Here for You: Eric has always avoided dating. But something’s different about the new sub, Micah. He’s both vulnerable and strong, owning his disability, his transgender identity, and his unconventional desires. Eric is happy to arrange a group scene for the night... and perhaps look for something more tomorrow. (MM, first time)

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Game for You: Ben and Parker have been circling each other for years in a frenzy of insane dares and sexual innuendo. But as two Doms, they know they could never get together. Enter sassy, gorgeous Dakota, a perfect mix of masculine and feminine, and a perfect challenge for the two men to claim. This story contains spanking, whipping, an erotic game of darts, and an even sexier bet. (MMX, friends-to-lovers with someone new)

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Back for You: When Nina was betrayed by her teenaged crush at their all-male boarding school, she vowed to move on in her life. She transitioned to being the woman she always knew she was and didn’t look back. But when she meets a gorgeous new customer, it takes only a moment to recognize those eyes. Angel has a new name, but she’s as intense and commanding as ever. And she wants to ask for another chance. This story contains role play, spankings, foot worship, and a chance to reclaim the one who got away. (FF, second chance)

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Time for You: Charlie knows that she’s too old and grumpy for someone like Carla. He’s young, dapper, confident, and most of all, just as butch as she is. It’s easier to just ignore his flirting and push away any hope for something between them. What would that even look like? When Carla asks her out, Charlie has to decide. Can she take the risk to not only trust Carla, but explore sides of herself she never dared to face? And if she does, will Carla still want her? This story contains shibari and first-time submission. (XX, friends-to-lovers, younger Dom/older sub)

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The first three stories (Waiting for You, Here for You, and Game for You) were previously available as separate books.

My Rating - 5 Stars!

Whirlwind is a fabulous collection of 5 Reese Morrison stories, all revolving around the Whirlwind bar. I love that it isn't the main setting, but rather a place all the couples hang out.

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In Waiting For You, we get the romance of Taylor and Julio, best friends and business partners who secretly love one another. In a nice twist, Taylor is a large man who desires the smaller Julio to dominate him. Theirs is a story of secrets being unveiled, and desires being satisfied.

Both men are lovable. Taylor's overweight, looks like a bear, but doesn't have the mindset of a bear. He prefers femme clothing, including lace, as he enjoys being pretty. I love these two friends who have secret desires that perfectly compliment one another. Their story is full of heat, including BDSM, spanking, and bondage.

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In Here for You we get a stupendous BDSM romance between Micah and Eric. 

Micah has a secret desire to be dominated, held down, and taken by multiple men at the same time. Being transgender, he's always struggled with baring both himself and his desires. He also has a physical disability caused by his cerebral palsy, which is well written and explored.

Eric's a Dom who is able to give Micah everything he's ever wanted. And oh my, I just love him and his connection to Micah.

Their story is multi-layered with characters full of pain and doubts. The plot is serious, yet fun. And be ready for some serious heat!

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In Game for You, we get a fabulous menage romance between Ben, Parker, and Dakota.

Ben and Parker are great friends, both in love with each other, but sexually incompatible. Both are Doms, and soon they find the answer to their problems in Dakota. 

With Ben and Dakota immediately attracted across the bar, things get fun. 

In general, there's a lot going on in this story. Ben's biracial, never fitting in fully, always just seen as a black guy. Parker's trans and has been abused and disowned by his family. And Dakota is intersex. I love how all are explored.

The gender identity issues are in full force throughout and make this story extra special. 

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In Back to You we a second chance romance between two trans women, Angel and Nina. 

The two have a messy past, and a lot of new things to unveil about themselves. Their tale involves some forgiveness and a new chance. 

I love how their kinks align, including roleplay and a foot fetish, which is rare to see in a book. 

This story involves two POC in this hot, erotic, and sweet tale. 

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In Time For You, we finally get to see Charlie finds love, with the trivia guy Carla.

Charlie's a butch queer, while Carla's a transgender man. It's cute and sweet, as Carla finally gets Charlie on board with a date. 

Charlie's interested, but is full of doubts, all because Carla loves kink and she's never been involved with kink before. Charlie has a lot of baggage and has a journey to get past it. 

Their tale is hot and intense, with everyone accepting each other. It's fun, playful, and passionate and a lot of fun. 

I love how Charlie can trust Carla. They understand that everyone can have different feelings about their bodies. I applaud the author for the  way they explore this with Charlie. 

And then we get some Shibari, which is hot, but gentle and freeing. I love how Charlie discovers new likes and new things about herself.

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I love the representation of varied genders, races, couplings, and gender expression. It's as varied as you'll ever get, and it's wonderful. Reese includes a variety of employment types, backgrounds, and body types. 

Overall, Whirlwind is a fabulous collection of 5 stories, all of which start at the Whirlwind bar. All the people involved are part of a type group, making for plenty of fun moments. 

Angels Among Us: A Second Chance Holiday Romance by Leona Windwalker

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Goodreads Link

Blurb

Ash and Anthony had it all planned. Sweethearts since high school, they’d gotten engaged, bought a house they were renovating together, and planned for children.

A tragic accident ended those dreams and left Ash reeling from despair. Unable to return home to even look at the tree they’d just decorated before going out, he hid from the world at his parents’ home in another city. 

Shannon understood loss. 

After his wife died shortly after the birth of their child, he knew he had to be strong, especially for little Marley’s sake. Deciding it was time for a fresh start, he moved them from Chicago to the small town he’d grown up in.

One house, a real estate agent, and a man re-awakening to life. 

When Ash finally emerges from his grief, he has but one plan. Sell the house and, somehow, find a way to start moving forward then. Google brings him to Shannon Greyson’s one-man band realty. It’s love, though, that brings them together, perhaps with a little help from Anthony.

Review 

My Rating - 5 Stars!

Angels Among Us, is a remarkable novel by Leona Windwalker.

The accident at the beginning is absolutely heart wrenching. Ash's reaction killed me, leaving me crying so many tears. Be prepared, as this is the worst of the worst, and you will be gutted. 

But, alas, it gets better. I promise you.

Ash is repeatedly assaulted with memories and ghosts of the past, and reminders of lost dreams. But, finding Shannon seems to be heaven sent. 

The Marley intersex storyline is written in an accomplished manner and is remarkably explored. 

Overall, Angels Among Us is a beautiful story of healing and finding love again. This story is phenomenal, leaving me mesmerized and super impressed. I highly recommend it! I loved every word of it.