Bad Boyfriend by @ka_mitchell @dreamspinners #REVIEW #AUDIOBOOK

Bad Boyfriend, KA Mitchell, Dreamspinner Press
Bad in Baltimore #2
Causing trouble has never been more fun.

Eli Wright doesn’t follow anyone’s rules. When he was seventeen, his parents threw him out of the house for being gay. He’s been making his own way for the past five years and he’s not about to change himself for anyone’s expectations. For now, romance can wait. There are plenty of hot guys to keep him entertained until he finds someone special.

Quinn Maloney kept the peace and his closeted boyfriend’s secrets for ten years. One morning he got a hell of a wake-up along with his coffee. Not only did the boyfriend cheat on him, but he’s marrying the girl he knocked up. Inviting Quinn to the baby’s baptism is the last straw. Quinn’s had enough of gritting his teeth to play nice. His former boyfriend is in for a rude awakening, because Quinn’s not going to sit quietly on the sidelines. In fact, he has the perfect scheme, and he just needs to convince the much younger, eyeliner-wearing guy who winks at him in a bar to help him out.

Eli’s deception is a little too good, and soon he has everyone believing they’re madly in love. In fact, he’s almost got Quinn believing it himself….


REVIEW:
WHEW.....this book is H. O. T.  HOT!Daddy Quinn takes Eli in hand and there is chemistry jumping of the pages right from the beginning.

We met Eli in the first book and for me he stole every scene he was in, so I was excited to read his book. He comes off as flighty but there is so much more to Eli then what he shows. He has a strength at his core from being on the streets from a young age and has walls built high and tight.

Quinn is physically attracted to Eli but he thinks he is a brat and a tease. Who better to take to the christening of his Godchild? The Godchild that just happens to belong to your ex and the woman he cheated on you with! What starts out as a joke quickly becomes so much more. But is it too much too fast?

The sex between Quinn and Eli is scorching and fun to read, but the connection they have outside the bedroom was an even better listen for me. Chet Daniel is back narrating and he does a wonderful job with the characters. His telling of the relationship kicked the story up a notch for me. I am quickly becoming a fan of Mr. Daniel.


Buy Links:
DREAMSPINNER
AUDIBLE




RATING: 4 Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries This book was given to us by Dreamspinner.

Hearts & Flour by @taralain @dreamspinners #REVIEW #AUDIOBOOK

Hearts and Flour, Tara Lain, Dreamspinner Press
A raw food fanatic and a cupcake baker -- can two hearts rise above the flour?

To Micah Truveen, raw, vegan food is his religion. So when his devoted customers start showing up with white flour cupcakes, Micah could kill. To cap off a rotten day before Valentine’s Day, Micah comes home to find his boyfriend, Dharamaram, in bed with someone else. In frustration, he throws the rat out and agrees to go to his friend’s orgiastic anti-Valentines party where he meets a gorgeous cross-dressing guy who gives him a night to remember.

Southerner, Quentin Darby wishes he could stop wearing women’s clothes. He desperately wants to live up to the glowing opinion his grandmother holds of him, so he’s never even told her he’s gay. And now there’s this guy who makes him wish he could just be who he is. But Micah finds out that Quentin is none other than the baker responsible for the plague of cupcakes afflicting the community! And Dharmaram adds a little blackmail to the mix. Two guys with nothing in common except love--food for thought.




REVIEW:
Yeah, so I wasn't a fan of Micah at first. He really comes off as judgmental and intolerant. But as the story went on and I learned more about him I came to understand his attitude....a little.

Now Queen/Quentin I adored from the beginning. He was caring and thoughtful and sassy.

Queen's line - " Funny how we shape our lives either in concert or opposition to our blood kin." I felt summed up the whole book and couldn't be truer.

This is a quick listen and the narrator has fun with the character voices and accents.


Buy Links:
DREAMSPINNER 
AMAZON


RATING: 4 Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries. This book was given to us by Dreamspinner.

Audiobook Blog Tour #Girl VS @AnAudioBookworm @XCulletto @ToniaBlakeVO

Author: Xela Culletto

Narrator: Tonia Blake

Length: 7 hours 2 minutes

Publisher: Xela Culletto

Released: May 21, 2018

Genre: Science Fiction; Young Adult

Before the Vela invasion, Rhyan's biggest concern was getting through a day of school. But when she is thrust into the madness of a kill-or-be-killed world, her true strength emerges and a deadly warrior is unleashed.

Stumbling through the new morals of a post-apocalyptic world, she learns to depend only on herself. As she gets closer to discovering what the aliens actually want, her lethality becomes unmatched, and she soon learns the extent she'll go to in order to survive.

Xela is a working mother of three, living in the Utah. Currently in her ninth year of teaching secondary education, she decided that after talking to students about achieving their dreams, she would take her own advice and complete a lifelong goal of writing a novel. When not playing Legos with her sons, or sorting through the endless laundry, you’ll find her watching The Walking Dead, horseback riding, or working on her next book.

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Growing up, Tonia told stories at sleepovers and sang in competitive chorale groups. Storytelling and songs eventually gave way to the competing interests of science and veterinary medicine, but she continued to indulge a reading addiction so fierce it led to a recurrent and rather jaunty facial tic under one eye. Audiobooks to the rescue!
Her stethoscope now lives in her sock drawer, and she’s delighted to be telling stories once again, this time narrating audiobooks from her at-home studio in mid-coast Maine. When she’s not in her vocal booth, she enjoys spending time with her family, fur-babies, and on her yoga mat.

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I live for a good YA story.  I love a kick-ass heroine.  I appreciate a story that makes me think while holding on to the edge of my seat.  Girl VS has all that and more.  Quite frankly, Girl VS caught me by surprise.  I am not a huge fan of sci-fi and alien apocalype stories are not my usual go-to for summer kicks.  But something about this story sounded intriguing and I am so very thankful I took a gamble.  The story is sharp, writing is strong, action intense and emotions spot on.  The reader takes to Rhyan right away - but not in a pitying way.  She has lost everything and continues to lose what little she acquires along the way and she fights - fights for life, for her friends, for humanity.  Xela Culletto - I am waiting for the next installment because I know you are not done with Rhyan by far!

Tonia Blake is an amazing narrator.  She delivers a strong performance as the voice of a powerful young woman and her supporting cast of characters.  There were no cringe-worthy moments of mispronounced words.  The story flowed, the action swelled and the awkward social skills of a hardened loner girl were given aural life.  This was one of my favorite narrated books this summer.

RATING Four and a half Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries! (It was pretty near to perfect for me!)

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Xela Culletto. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.



Jul. 19th:

The Book Junkie Reads . . .

Lilly's Book World

Jul. 20th:

Dab of Darkness Audiobook Reviews

Jul. 21st:

T's Stuff

Jul. 22nd:

Jazzy Book Reviews

2 Girls and A Book

Jul. 23rd:

Adventures Thru Wonderland

Jul. 24th:

Declarations of a Fangirl

Guilty Indulgence Bookclub

Jul. 25th:

Holed Up In A Book

The Book Addict's Reviews

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The Alcove by @rosalind_abel #REVIEW

The Alcove, Rosalind Abel
Lavender Shores #7
Jasper Getty is living his dream as the owner of the charming bookshop, Lavender Pages. For seven years, he’s enjoyed the safety and freedom to be himself, selling books by day and curling up and getting lost in novels by night. But a dark page from the past comes back to haunt Jasper as his ex begins stalking him.
Russell Wallace hit reset on his life in Nashville and became a bodyguard after decades of living according to family expectations. But even years later, he doesn’t believe he deserves happiness. When Russell is asked to travel to the beautiful seaside town of Lavender Shores to protect a friend’s brother, he expects nothing more than a job and a paycheck.
But Lavender Shores reveals a world Russell never imagined, and his immediate attraction to the adorably geeky Jasper complicates an already difficult job. Jolted by the memory of a shared moment and paths that crossed years ago intensifies the sparks into a bonfire of passion and hope. 
When danger comes pounding at the door, Jasper is in danger of losing his life… and his heart.







REVIEW:
Back in Lavender Shores and loving the sexy men. This is the first book that did not involve a member of one of the founding families, which I thought was great because it shows that everyone is accepted not just members of those families. I also enjoyed the addition of the support group and the encouragement of the next generation. Maybe a spin-off, Lavender Shore - The Next Generation??

The prequel really set the tone for this book and gave you all the insight you needed into both characters. This is not only a May/December romance but also dealt with accepting who you are at an older age.

As with all the books in this series there is hilarity and love and family and hot, hot steamy sex! I know what I am going to get when I crack open a LS book and I am never disappointed.



BUY LINK: 
AMAZON






RATING: 4 Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries. This book was given to us by the author.

Bad Company by @ka_mitchell @dreamspinners #REVIEW #AUDIOBOOK

Bad Company, K.A. Mitchell, Dreamspinner Press
Bad in Baltimore #1
Second Edition

Some things are sweeter than revenge.

“I need a boyfriend.”

Hearing those words from his very straight, very ex-best friend doesn’t put Nate in a helpful mood. Not only did Kellan Brooks’s father destroy Nate’s family in his quest for power, but Kellan broke Nate’s heart back in high school. Nate thought he could trust his best friend with the revelation that he might be gay, only to find out he was horribly wrong and become the laughingstock of the whole school. Kellan must be truly desperate if he’s turning to Nate now.

Kellan’s through letting his father run his life, and he wants to make the man pay for cutting him off. What better way to stick it to the bigot than to come out as gay himself—especially with the son of the very man his father crushed on his quest for money and power. Kellan can’t blame Nate for wanting nothing to do with him, though. Kellan will have to convince him to play along, but it’s even harder to convince himself that the heat between them is only an act....

First Edition published by Samhain Publishing Inc. June 2011.

Listening Length: 5 hours and 50 minutes



REVIEW:
This was a re-visit for me, I read this book and several others in the series many years ago. I enjoyed it just as much this time as I did the first.

The narrator Chet Daniel did a great job of bringing the characters to life and pulling me into the story quickly. A classic frenemies to lovers story line with a dash of revenge thrown in.

Kellen Brooks is the spoiled rich boy who gets cut off and decides to "become gay" to piss daddy off even more. So he turns to a childhood friend to help with his plan.

Nate wants nothing to do with Kellen except maybe to bend him over a couch and then walk away. The Brooks family has burned the Nates family before and he isn't getting caught up in the drama again....or is he?

This is a quick listen at just over 5 hours with drama, sex, and secondary characters that make you want to come back for more.



BUY LINKS:
Dreamspinner
Audible





RATING: 4 Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries. This book was given to us by Dreamspinner Press.