This was quite a unique story - not a romance as such, and not very romantic at all - but rather a story about what happens to a relationship when everyday life takes its toll on the big epic romance. It was beautiful, honest, heartwarming and so very realistic. Life is Good and Other Lies is the story of one messy holiday, two crumbling marriages, five bored kids and a farm full of secrets. It follows the Swedish/Norwegian couple Thomas and Frank, who have inherited a remote Swedish farmhouse and who decide to rent out the guest house to the German/Italian couple Bruno and Gabriel, to spend a month together at the farm with all their children (three of them teenagers). Both couples struggle with their relationship and with life in general. But as the summer proceeds, friendships and bonds are formed both between the adults and their children, which provides support and new insights. So between the fighting and miscommunication, they might all maybe, just maybe, have a shot at finding the way back to the love that has been there all the time.
I really rooted for all characters. They were so well-developed, full of flaws and relatable. I appreciated how the story didn’t shy away from any of the characters’ mental health issues, body morphia and the fact that all relationships have their ups and downs, but how their love for each other always was strong enough. And, being Swedish myself, I really enjoyed the description of the Swedish countryside and the people in the small town. It was truly spot on! For me personally, I found the pacing to be a bit slow though. The story took place over the course of a few summer weeks, who were supposed to show a slow, simple, life in the Swedish countryside, but I still think the story itself could have been told in a bit faster pace. I also didn’t quite see how the subplot with the aunt and her love story fit into the maim story. It added a bit of a mystery element to the story that was fun, but maybe it could have been made either as a separate add-on novella, or have been more interwoven with the main story? But all in all, this was a heartwarming, unique and realistic story about love, mental health, family bonds and the ups and downs of life. A beautiful story that makes you reflect about what’s really important in life and which, despite all the hardship the characters go through, gives you hope for the possibility of forever love. No matter what, some people are just meant to be! Thank you to Gay Book Promotions for the free ARC of the book, which I have voluntarily reviewed. Rating: 4 stars Get your own copy: Amazon Add to Goodreads Author info: Magdalena di Sotru Sophia Soames
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10/9/2022 0 Comments Attractive Forces by Jax CalderJax Calder does it again! I was a bit nervous starting Attractive Forces, since Jax Calder’s book The Other Brother is one of my all time favorite YA m/m romances, but luckily this book met and exceeded all of my high expectations! I absolutely loved this adorable, slow-burn nerd/jock friends-to-lovers romance! The two main characters of this story are teenagers Jake and Logan. Jake Stenton is the smart new kid, who’s moved to a new town to start over with his mother and younger brother, trying to escape the scandal caused by his father. Logan Madison is the captain of the rugby team and the most popular guy in school, who is hiding who he truly is from everyone. Being gay is just not an option when you’re the star rugby player and the son of a homophobic Presbyterian minister. But when Jake is assigned as Logan’s chemistry tutor, the feelings that develop between them might be too powerful to control…
I rooted so much for both Jake and Logan from the very first moment and my heart ached for them in their struggles. They were both such wonderful characters, with depth and as far from any stereotype cliches you can come. Yes, Logan was a star rugby player, but he was certainly not the typical jock. And yes, Jake was a chemistry nerd, but he was also so fun and easygoing. And the banter between them and the fun chemistry jokes, as well as their mutual respect for each other, was amazing. I love Jax Calder’s writing style and how she captures the suppressed feelings and longings between the characters. The slow burn romance was so well executed and so heart-warming! I especially loved the way she made us readers come along on Jake’s and Logan’s journey to finding themselves, understanding their sexuality and coming to a decision what’s really worth living for. It was so accurate how Jake thought he was just a late bloomer when in fact he’s on the asexual spectrum and only starts to have feelings for Logan after they become close friends. All in all, Attractive Forces was such an adorable, gripping and heart-warming m/m romance with all the feels and amazing character growth. I read it in one sitting as it was completely unputdownable until the very end! Thank you to BookSirens for the free ARC of the book, which I have voluntarily reviewed. Rating: 5 stars Get your own copy: Amazon Add to Goodreads Author info: Jax Calder This was such a witty, fast-paced, adorable and completely unique vampire story! I binged it in just a few hours, so smitten by the sweet and nerdy characters, and the hilarious plot! How to Bite Your Neighbor is a very different kind of vampire tale and Vincent is as far from the strong and lethal vampire stereotype as one can be. Growing up, he was the shy and awkward bully victim, and being turned into a vampire unfortunately didn’t make his life any better. Still shy and awkward, but now also homeless and broke and on the hide from vampire haters, he’s too poor for black market blood and has to sneak into homes to feeds from sleeping humans. He never feeds from the same person twice though, and he always make sure that they won’t feel or remember anything. That is, until he breaks into the home of his former school friend Wesley, who has the most delicious blood Vincent has ever tasted. Coming back for just one more round can’t hurt, right?
Wesley (Wes) is the opposite of Vincent, a social and easygoing slacker who loves to spend his time playing games with his best friend. But lately Wes has been grieving his mother, who he believes was killed by a pharmaceutical company. Now he’s applied for a position at the company to gain access to their research labs to find evidence of what happened to his mother. The only problem is that he needs to find and catch a vampire for their experiments. So, when he wakes up one night to find a vampire on his bedside, he can’t believe his luck, and offers Vincent to keep coming back to feed on him while he finalizes his plan how to use Vincent as a bate to get into the shady pharmaceutical company and avenge his mother. What neither of them expected was how much they would like each other and how fun it would be to spend time together, and certainly not to start getting more than friends feeling for each other. Soon Wes has to decide what’s most important to him – to avenge his mother or to protect his sweet vampire friend. I loved Vincent from the very start. He was such a vulnerable, sweet and lovable character! My heart ached so much for him in his struggles to believe he was even worthy of living, his trust issues and loneliness, and hardship in a life he didn’t choose. I also really loved Wes’s best friend, the badass lesbian gamer Kendall. But it took me a while longer to warm up to Wes with his slacker attitude and his initial bad intentions. Especially since Wes kept on with his scheming and betrayal even though he knew that Vincent wasn’t an evil predator. I would have loved some more character growth on his part, as well as some more closure as regards what happened to Wes’s mother. But all in all, this was such an enjoyable, quirky and charming story, with an engaging mystery plot and an absolutely heartwarming mm romance. Highly recommended! Thank you so much to the author D.N. Bryn for the opportunity to read this adorable book for free! All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily. Rating: 4 stars Get your own copy: Author links Add on Goodreads Author info: D.N. Bryn This second book in the Hockey Ever After series was even more addictive and wonderful than the first book! The pace was even faster, the characters even more lovable and the chemistry even hotter, and I loved meeting some of my favorite characters from the first book again. This book truly warmed my heart! Both books in the Hockey Ever After series are set in the NHL hockey world, but each book can be read as a standalone as they focus on different characters. But I really loved the way Ashlyn Kane and Morgan James gave us glimpses of the characters from the first book, and how some of the characters were even part of the story in the second book but with new positions.
Scoring Position takes place about seven years after the events in Winging It, and follows the openly gay hockey player Ryan Wright, who gets traded to a new team in an attempt to support the struggling would-be superstar Nico Kirschbaum with his lack of results. Twenty-six year old Ryan is known for his fun and laid-back attitude and for being the go-to-friend for any struggling team mate. So even though he might not be the world’s best hockey player on the ice, he’s highly regarded as an asset in creating a winning team spirit. Twenty-one year old Nico on the other hand has the potential of becoming a truly great player, if only he could learn to control his performance anxiety and stop cracking under pressure, but find a way to deal with the demands from himself and his famous former hockey-player for a father. He certainly does not appreciate that management traded for another openly gay player and told them to make friends, treating him like some kind of trouble kid in need of a baby sitter. He’ll solve his problem on his own with hard work, not by bonding with the class clown. Ryan knows his future on the ice depends on how well he succeeds in the locker room and in finding a way to set Nico’s mind straight. But convincing Nico to let him help means getting closer than is wise for Ryan’s heart, which has already been broken and made him afraid of any kind of deeper commitments. Just like the first book in this series, Scoring Position was such a wonderful and sweet mm hockey romance, with the perfect amount of steam and two lovable main characters. I truly rooted for both Ryan and Nico, and I really appreciated the slow burn from loathing each other to becoming friends and getting to know each other, to slowly letting the attraction take them further. I also loved the witty banter and all the humor. Another favorite part was to meet the characters from the first book again, with rookie Yorkie from the first book now being captain in the Fuel team and with Kitty still being very much Kitty. And of course, the scenes with Gabe and Dante, which just melted my heart… So wholesome! It was also so sweet how Ryan, but especially Nico, were thankful for Gabe having paved the way to make it easier for them to be out and proud, and how Nico could tell his homophobic father off by showing him an openly gay hockey player in NHL. Compared to the first book, I also felt that there was a better balance between the actual hockey parts and the more human/relationship parts, and that the story had a great focus on character developments and mental health issues. All in all, this was such a heartwarming slowburn romance and a truly sweet and addictive reading experience. I read it in one sitting as it was completely unputdownable until the very end! Thank you to Gay Book Promotions for the free review copy and blog tour invitation! All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily. Rating: 4.5 stars rounding up to 5 Get your own copy: Author links Amazon Author info: Ashlyn Kane Morgan James |
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September 2023
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