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annen's reviews
1149 reviews
Reasonable Doubt by Gregory Ashe
3.0
This one was a struggle. too much awful people, bad religion, unnecessary relationship angst and general pain all around and no sex to soften it. The fade to black is getting annoying now.
loved Hazard getting to know Somer's daughter despite the ending.
loved Hazard getting to know Somer's daughter despite the ending.
Enemies of the State by Tal Bauer
5.0
This was GOLD! When I started reading [bc:Enemies of the State|28814263|Enemies of the State (The Executive Office #1)|Tal Bauer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1454262376s/28814263.jpg|49030205] I wasn't sure what to expect, the blurb promised a suspense filled gay romance but I wasn't sure that this could combine in such a delicious way to give forth the most awesome book I have read this year.
It had everything I want in a book.
It had forbidden romance, a secret service agent assigned to the president falling in love with his protectee despite the rules against it.
It had the angst, Ethan was unsure of the president's feelings, is he flirting with him or is he being friendly? is Jack into men at all? and the worry of getting caught built up the fiery anticipation of what's going to happen next. Will Jack reciprocate or rebuff Ethan? will they be caught? What will happen if or when they are caught.
It had the suspense, the traitorous machinations happening without Jack and supporters' knowledge, the guessing of who the bad guy/s is/are, What are they planning? How will they execute their plans? This was as pulsating as the romance which was hot.
The sex was just sufficient after the intense build-up, not too much that it became voyeuristic erotica and not too little that it was a cock-tease or whatever the female version of it is (vagina-tease)? It was hot, intimate and loving.
I loved the Authors attention to detail on international affairs, it felt too current in view of what is happening in the world. It gave me a scare considering how crazy the world could truly turn and how much we have no control of where we are headed right now. It is a depressing consideration to make but nothing seems unlikely.
I also liked that the author didn't go to ethnocentric stereotyping of any people, he portrayed the good and the bad of society but not based on their geographical locations.
I hope the author hurries up and writes another one just like this one.
It had everything I want in a book.
It had forbidden romance, a secret service agent assigned to the president falling in love with his protectee despite the rules against it.
It had the angst, Ethan was unsure of the president's feelings, is he flirting with him or is he being friendly? is Jack into men at all? and the worry of getting caught built up the fiery anticipation of what's going to happen next. Will Jack reciprocate or rebuff Ethan? will they be caught? What will happen if or when they are caught.
It had the suspense, the traitorous machinations happening without Jack and supporters' knowledge, the guessing of who the bad guy/s is/are, What are they planning? How will they execute their plans? This was as pulsating as the romance which was hot.
The sex was just sufficient after the intense build-up, not too much that it became voyeuristic erotica and not too little that it was a cock-tease or whatever the female version of it is (vagina-tease)? It was hot, intimate and loving.
I loved the Authors attention to detail on international affairs, it felt too current in view of what is happening in the world. It gave me a scare considering how crazy the world could truly turn and how much we have no control of where we are headed right now. It is a depressing consideration to make but nothing seems unlikely.
I also liked that the author didn't go to ethnocentric stereotyping of any people, he portrayed the good and the bad of society but not based on their geographical locations.
I hope the author hurries up and writes another one just like this one.
Life Lessons by Kaje Harper
3.0
I liked the idea of this story, it had a lot of potential to be a phenomenal book but it fell short probably because the writer wasn't able to combine both the romance and the mystery suspense. I feel like she didn't place much importance on the emotions of the suspense part of the book. The supposed trepidation and stress of experiencing a murder or worry for the safety of a loved one didn't translate very well in the book.
For example
For example
Spoiler
Having sex for the first time the day your best friend is violently killed seems uncaring and loses the opportunity to portray the grief that Tony should have felt, I understand it for the need to affirm life in the case of risk but when someone is in physical and emotional pain it seems like the wrong place to start. Also Marty's death was sort of pushed aside and Tony's grief should have been better depicted./Spoiler
The Spiral Down by Aly Martinez
4.0
3.5 stars. I thought this book was going to be a GFY but it wasn't, the beginning of the book read like Ethan is straight I mean he had a girlfriend and an ex called Shannon. I felt like the author had an idea for the book then changed it mid way to create a ridiculous conflict that made Henry look like a tool.
This book didn't have much depth to it, it was simple easy read with no angst, no sexual tension and very little chemistry between the MCs, the emotions felt contrived and rushed, the second time these two guys meet the author is telling us that Henry's heart was breaking because of something Evan did.
I think I expected a book similar to [bc:Beyond the Sea|29276390|Beyond the Sea|Keira Andrews|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1456243508s/29276390.jpg|49516503] which I loved but other than the fact they were both about a pilot and music star, they were very different.
This book didn't have much depth to it, it was simple easy read with no angst, no sexual tension and very little chemistry between the MCs, the emotions felt contrived and rushed, the second time these two guys meet the author is telling us that Henry's heart was breaking because of something Evan did.
I think I expected a book similar to [bc:Beyond the Sea|29276390|Beyond the Sea|Keira Andrews|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1456243508s/29276390.jpg|49516503] which I loved but other than the fact they were both about a pilot and music star, they were very different.
Caught Running by Abigail Roux, Madeleine Urban
4.0
The beginning of this book was really frustrating because I couldn't keep up with the quick changes between who was saying what. The author alternated between Jake and Brandon without warning and I couldn't follow the conversation well.
This did improve at some point and it was easier to differentiate the two characters in the conversation.
I am glad I pressed on with this book because it was really worth it. I could tell that the book was going to be great from the way it was building up.
I really connected with the emotions expressed in this book and both characters were given a really strong presence and were easy to love.
I didn't like the way the author described the characters from the other persons view, e.g. the blond, the other man, the science teacher, the blond etc, it would have been better to use names or at least reduce the descriptive terms.
Overall this was a great book once you get used to how it's written.
This did improve at some point and it was easier to differentiate the two characters in the conversation.
I am glad I pressed on with this book because it was really worth it. I could tell that the book was going to be great from the way it was building up.
I really connected with the emotions expressed in this book and both characters were given a really strong presence and were easy to love.
I didn't like the way the author described the characters from the other persons view, e.g. the blond, the other man, the science teacher, the blond etc, it would have been better to use names or at least reduce the descriptive terms.
Overall this was a great book once you get used to how it's written.
Valor on the Move by Keira Andrews
5.0
Keira Andrews writes the kind of books I like to read. This one was so good I could hardly put it down.
It had all the things I love in a book. The sexual tension was tangible from the moment Rafa meets Shane, it was so well done it gave me goosebumps. This was a slow burn with an amazing build up you can't help but turn the page to see what's coming next and before you know it you have sat down for four straight hours reading. The sex when it happened was perfect and worth the wait.
Rafa did come off as a little juvenile in the way he expressed himself and his constant need for validation was immature and somewhat annoying but maybe that was because he was overprotected and inexperienced in many ways.
The age difference added to the forbiddingness of the relationship on top of the protector/protectee aspect of it.
I don't know nor do I care about how accurate the white house or secret service depictions are. Everything I know about the white house I learnt from the 'West Wing' and 'Scandal' and they probably took as much creative liberties as the authors of books do with real life places. I don't expect perfect accuracy from them and it only annoys me if it is something I am particularly conversant with, if not I assume the author researched the important aspects of the story but it doesn't take away from it because I don't know the difference. I am blissful in my ignorance in these kinds of situations.
I hope Keira writes Darnell's story some day, he sounded like a guy whose story I would like to read.
It had all the things I love in a book. The sexual tension was tangible from the moment Rafa meets Shane, it was so well done it gave me goosebumps. This was a slow burn with an amazing build up you can't help but turn the page to see what's coming next and before you know it you have sat down for four straight hours reading. The sex when it happened was perfect and worth the wait.
Rafa did come off as a little juvenile in the way he expressed himself and his constant need for validation was immature and somewhat annoying but maybe that was because he was overprotected and inexperienced in many ways.
The age difference added to the forbiddingness of the relationship on top of the protector/protectee aspect of it.
I don't know nor do I care about how accurate the white house or secret service depictions are. Everything I know about the white house I learnt from the 'West Wing' and 'Scandal' and they probably took as much creative liberties as the authors of books do with real life places. I don't expect perfect accuracy from them and it only annoys me if it is something I am particularly conversant with, if not I assume the author researched the important aspects of the story but it doesn't take away from it because I don't know the difference. I am blissful in my ignorance in these kinds of situations.
I hope Keira writes Darnell's story some day, he sounded like a guy whose story I would like to read.