“Give your heart to a man worthy of the claim.”That’s been his constant excuse for keeping distance between us.Little does he know that I’m his for the taking. If only he’d have me. Nolan Jasper has been my broody neighbor for almost six years.I’ve been hopelessly infatuated with him just as long.The bond I have with his little girl only serves to strengthen that hold. Since they moved in that stormy night, I’ve been trying to restore what was lost.I would do just about anything for those two.Acting as Nolan’s reliable doormat is getting old, though.Especially when he seems incapable of accepting love.I’m finally willing to admit that man is a lost cause.Too broken. Jaded. Withdrawn.Nolan Jasper has pushed me away for the last time.If only he realized it before I’m already gone.
Harloe Rae is a USA Today & Amazon Top 10 best-selling author. Her passion for writing and reading has taken on a whole new meaning. Each day is an unforgettable adventure.She’s a Minnesota gal with a serious addiction to romance. There’s nothing quite like an epic happily ever after. When she’s not buried in the writing cave, Harloe can be found hanging with her hubby and kiddos. If the weather permits, she loves being lakeside or out in the country with her horses.Harloe is the author of the Reclusive series, Watch Me Follow, the #BitterSweetHeat series, Ask Me Why, the Silo Springs series, Left for Wild, Leave Him Loved, Something Like Hate, and There’s Always Someday. These titles are available on Amazon.
Shaw isn’t his friend—until Ross discovers he’s so much more.
Ross Stanton is having a bad week—a bad month—really, a bad year. But the last thing he wants, after the betrayal of his friend and business partner, is for anyone else to know just how much he’s fighting for survival.
He’s struggling to keep his food truck and to maintain appearances, but what Ross doesn’t realize is that Shaw Finley, the bartender from the Funky Cup, has seen right through his charade.
Shaw offers the couch in his apartment over the bar, suggesting that saving money on rent might help salvage Ross’ failing prospects.
Even though he doesn’t really consider them friends, Ross discovers that Shaw is great to talk to, easy to look at, and he likes him. Late nights and lazy mornings and evenings with only the polished wood of the bar between them lead to an attraction that Ross can’t deny—and that Shaw doesn’t even try to.
But falling in love isn’t as easy as falling into bed together, and Ross isn’t even sure what he feels is love, until he figures out that it couldn’t possibly be anything else.
Wheels Down is the fifth book in the Food Truck Warriors series by Beth Bolden. It can be read as a standalone but is best enjoyed as part of the series.
Ross is struggling with keeping his food truck going, as his ex partner stole all the money from the business. His food is in demand, but he can't afford to keep it going much longer.
Ross is a likeable, sympathetic character from the start. And Shaw is fantastic the way he understands Ross and sets out to help him.
Everything about this couple is sweet. Their tale is a slow burn, low angst one with plenty of desserts and waffles. Their story is one of dealing with trust issues, opening up, and learning to let people into one's life again.
This whole series is enjoyable and fun, with wonderful couples and a slew of captivating secondary characters. If you haven't yet read these books, start now. You won't regret it.
Wheels Down is a great addition to this world of food trucks. Beth Bolden delights as usual in this slow burn romance.
Shaw removed his glass, replaced it with a full cup of water and ice, and then a moment later he was back, with a plate full of delicious-smelling food.
“Steak and mushroom hoagie, with horseradish aioli,” Shaw said, depositing it in front of him, “and our famous sweet potato fries.”
“They’re famous?” Ross wondered, even as he realized he had heard people talking about them.
“According to our Yelp reviews,” Shaw said. “Can I grab you anything else?”
Ross was about to ask for napkins, because the sandwich looked absolutely delicious but also messy, but then one appeared next to him, like Shaw had known he’d need it.
“I think I’m good, thanks,” Ross said, and picked up the sandwich. It had a surprising heft to it, and he had to give Jackson and Shaw credit—they’d revamped the kitchen and the work they’d put in showed. When he took a bite, he was even more impressed, half a dozen flavors exploding across his tongue as he chewed spiced sliced steak working in perfect complement to the earthiness of the mushrooms.
“You’re nodding over there,” Shaw said, his voice teasing. “Is that a good or a bad thing?”
Ross finished chewing and swallowed. “Really good,” he said. “I’m impressed.”
“Wow,” Shaw said, looking surprised. Too surprised.
“Am I really that notorious?” Ross asked, before he thought better of it. He ate a handful of sweet potato fries and they were really good too. “That picky?”
He didn’t really want to hear the answer; he really didn’t want to hear Shaw’s answer.
“Not exactly notorious,” Shaw said, returning to slicing his lemons.
“Then what exactly?”
Shaw sighed and put down the knife.
“You’re gonna get me in trouble,” he said with resignation.
“I am?”
Ross almost told him to forget it. After all, hearing the truth was probably not going to be all that enlightening and might actually make the next few months of living together uncomfortable.
Shaw smiled then, and it wasn’t the same smile he gave to all the random guys at the bar. It was softer, sweeter, more genuine somehow. Ross had never seen it before, and it hit him somewhere deep, a place where he hadn’t felt much of anything in years.
Maybe the last time had been when his grandmother had smiled at him, over pots and pans and pie dishes.
“You gotta know that you’ve got the best food at that whole lot,” Shaw said. “Objectively. The other food there is good, don’t get me wrong, but those guys? You know why they keep you at arm’s length? They’re all terrified of you, though they’d rather die than admit it. You’re brilliant. You should be working in the best, the fanciest, the most expensive restaurants, and instead you’ve got this food truck and it’s just amazing. Every time I go to Basket, I’m blown away.”
“And,” Shaw continued, leaning over, his blue eyes twinkling again, and Ross’ breath caught in his throat, “you’re gonna get me in trouble, because Jackson would have my ass for not thinking Alexis serves the best food on the lot.”
A lifelong Pacific Northwester, Beth Bolden has just recently moved to North Carolina with her supportive husband. Beth still believes in Keeping Portland Weird, and intends to be just as weird in Raleigh.
Beth has been writing practically since she learned the alphabet. Unfortunately, her first foray into novel writing, titled Big Bear with Sparkly Earrings, wasn’t a bestseller, but hope springs eternal. She’s published twenty-three novels and seven novellas.
The fall from NHL superstar to domestic disaster was swift and painful. When I became the legal guardian of my five younger siblings, I had no idea what I was doing.
One year later, I’m still lost.
Coaching CU’s hockey team might be the only thing I’m excelling at. But when our star forward is failing math, I have to do what it takes to keep him on the team. Even if it’s going head-to-head with Jasper Eckstein.
One minute I’m confronting the notorious hockey-hating professor, and the next I’m agreeing to be his date to his twenty-year high school reunion.
I don’t know how that happened.
JASPER
My rules are simple. I don’t give extra credit. Ever. No matter how entitled jocks think they are, I refuse to give them special treatment.
It's not because I hate them. It's not because a hockey player broke my nose in high school.
It's fair.
But when Westly Dalton bursts into my office like a hurricane, all my principles fly out the window.
Suddenly I'm giving extra credit.
And I have a date to my reunion.
After one explosive night together, I want more, but his home life is a mess, and I don't want to get in the way. If all we can have is quick thrills, I’m okay with that.
Puck Drills & Quick Thrills is a fabulous addition to the world of CU Hockey. The fifth book in this Eden Finley and Saxon James series, it's easily read as a standalone.
Dear lord, I love every second of this book. Their first meeting is memorable, and everything that follows is awesome.
I love Jasper's firmness as a teacher, but learning about his past certainly makes him a well rounded character. He's definitely more than meets the eye, with a past that has shaped him.
And Weston. Poor, lovable Weston. He's doing the best he can for his siblings, but it isn't easy. I admire him greatly and am thrilled to see him find some happiness and peace for himself.
I absolutely love the character growth for both men. Together, they lift one another up, encourage each other, and help each other find happiness in their futures. I love them together.
As usual, the writing is fantastic. You can't go wrong with this writing duo or this series. The full cast of characters in every book are well worth the read.
Puck Drills & Quick Thrills is a great ending to this sports series. This writing duo managed to capture my heart with these lovable men and this compelling hockey team. Definitely read the whole CU Hockey series the next time you're in the mood for a college sports romance.
Eden Finley is an Amazon bestselling author who writes steamy contemporary romances that are full of snark and light-hearted fluff.
She doesn't take anything too seriously and lives to create an escape from real life for her readers. The ideas always begin with a wackadoodle premise, and she does her best to turn them into romances with heart.
With a short attention span that rivals her son's, she writes multiple different pairings: MM, MMF, and MF.
She's also an Australian girl and apologises for her Australianisms that sometimes don't make sense to anyone else.
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.
When Felix the Quiz Bowl Champion reveals other oversized assets besides his brain, it takes PJ, the super-wheeler-dealer, to wangle maximum profits from it—in bets, wet jock strap contests, and Wang of the Week.
But winning money turns out to be second to falling in lust, and sexual escapades replace time at the poker tables as the number-one activity of their wicked week in Vegas.
Still, accepting the hospitality of PJ’s father’s client, the mobster Joey Oretano, proves a nearly fatal money-saving scheme, and brings Felix and PJ face-to-face with the serious side of life. Very. Serious.
Will someone take the chance to be a hero? Or will someone wind up dead?
BETTING ON HIS BF is a friends-to-lovers, bisexual awakening, what-happens-in-Vegas-can-win-you-money, dash-of-suspense, MM romance—with large assets.
My Rating - 4 Stars!
Betting on His BF is the fourth book in the Nerds vs Jocks series. This Eli Easton and Tara Lain book is easily read as a standalone, but is best enjoyed if read in order.
I have to start by stating that I mostly love this book. There are definitely plenty of Vegas moments that I am not a fan of. It's all entertaining, and adds some suspense, but it just isn't for me.
But the relationship is awesome. I love these two together. I love the sexual awakening. And I love the banter and humor throughout.
This is a story with Vegas antics, a man who loves to make a sure bet, and a man with a large package.
The writing is great, which is no surprise. The characters are great, but part of their storyline was just okay to me.
Betting on His BF is an easy, humorous romance. If you want to laugh, you will enjoy it.
The newest barista at the Busy Bean is about to steam the place up...
Former Marine Mason Rye can make a cappuccino with military precision, but he finds it much harder to serve up a smile. It’s not that he doesn’t like people. But he knows from experience that once you let someone in, it hurts like hell when you lose them. And Mason’s lost too many people already.
So it’s pretty damn inconvenient when his old Marine buddy shows up on Mason’s goat farm with his younger sister in tow. Heather’s work in Washington D.C. has turned dangerous, and she needs a safe place out of town.
Mason doesn’t need a new roommate, especially not a pretty, single one who insists on rearranging his spice rack and giving his chickens cute names. Although there’s no denying the haunted look in her blue eyes. Every time her fear shows its face, he wants to reach for her.
The problem is that she wants him, too. And when Mason breaks all his rules, they practically burn down his bed together. But her life is in D.C. And the threat against her is over.
Unfortunately, neither of their hearts is fireproof...
Warning: this stand-alone novel contains cute goats, bossy Marines, and small-town charm.
My Rating - 4 Stars!
Fireproof is the eight book in the Busy Bean series. This is Delancey Stewart's contribution to this multi-author small town series.
This is a sweet tale that starts with danger causing Heather to hide out in Vermont. And there she meets Mason.
I enjoy the way Heather takes to farm life and fully becomes involved with hard and messy work.
Mason's easily loveable and his past is heartbreaking. He's definitely one I wanted to love and protect.
The two make for a delightful couple. They mesh and connect well. I enjoy the way they both end up helping one another to live again.
The political stuff is intriguing, but I find it to be resolved far too quickly. None of that rings true, but I understand that it isn't the main part of the story.
Fireproof is a nice small town romance. This Delancey Stewart book is a nice addition to this series and adds to the charm of this small town world.
