Review of Dating Ryan Alback by J.E. Birk

Dating Ryan Alback by J.E. Birk

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2-2,5 stars

I received a free advanced reader copy from NetGalley.com, for my reading pleasure.

This premise and the cover of this story pulled me in, so cute and fun. And to be fair, the story was cute. But that was all it was, unfortunately.

Ryan Alback is a TV-star, who is insanely paranoid about his private life remaining private, yet he is coerced into being set up for a blind date by by his manager. Jason Santos is a middle school teacher, still pining after his ex and annoyed at his friends meddling in his love life. The two end up on a blind date together, but both are loaded down with the issues of their pasts.

This felt so much like an after school special. Just a little too preachy and awkward to get me invested in the story and the characters. The characters had no chemistry, so I never really felt that they were right for one another. The plot was cute, but the conflicts felt contrived and a bit out there, to be honest.

All in all I was left a bit dissatisfied. The premise was great, but the story itself lacked a bit and the ending wasn’t really that satisfying either. It was cute and fluffy and easily read, but completely forgettable the second you close the book.

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Review of Shelton in Love by Dianne Hartsock

Shelton in Love by Dianne Hartsock

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This is a compilation of 5 previously released shorter stories about the same couple, Shelton and Nevil, now collected into one long novel. This might be why the story has a very abrupt feel to it, with large time jumps.

The first part – the original “Shelton in Love” – was actually quite good, as a short. But instead of the expansion of what happened after the ‘I Love You’, I would have much preferred a longer build up of back story. There was so much missing to flesh out these characters and their behaviours. These lacks I could have easily overlooked in a short – but in a full length novel it meant, that I never really believed or cared about the couple and their love story.

There were some really annoying and superfluous side plots that made absolutely no sense and brought nothing to the story and, as weird as I find it to say this: there was waaaaaaay too much sex. I found myself skimming page after page of sex, just to get to some actual story line.

I needed more back story. I wanted to know about Shelton’s past, about how his scars formed him and his sex life. Why Nevil changed from man slut to loving dedicated partner and when. How long the two had lived together, how long they had secretly been in love with each other each thinking the other one didn’t feel the same. The life after the ‘I love you’ isn’t nearly as interesting – at least not to me.

Not for me. Might have worked if it had stayed a series of shorts, but as a full length novel it needed more back story and at least half of the sex scenes edited out.

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Review of Festival of Lights by D.L. King

Festival of Lights by D.L. King

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2-2.5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

Marc & Judith are getting ready for Hanukkah, Marc is impatient to find out what is hiding in all the presents, but doesn’t know that Judith has arranged a special treat for him, involving another two couples and a play party.

This was a sweet little story about an established couple and their Hanukkah preparations and celebrations, but it was billed as LGBTQ erotica, which it is not. It’s certainly not LGBTQ – yes, yes, one of the couple’s attending the play party is same sex, but other than their names, they hardly figure in the story – and even though there is a spanking scene and a group scene involving hot wax there was no real erotic content to the scene – except for the submissive partners being naked…

Sweet story, interesting to learn about Hanukkah traditions, but based on what I had been expecting, quite a disappointment.

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Review of Cam Boi by Ivan T. Dickinson

Cam Boi by Ivan T. Dickinson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Not averse to the idea of step father / son getting it on, but the idea turned creepy when he thinks of him as his “little boy” / his son and the kid calls him “dad”… The taboo fantasy turned a bit too far fetched with the kids’ confessions though. Also, wtf is up with cheating on your wife with her kid?

Needs a bit of editing, typos, wrong, words, grammar etc. and it might be a good idea, to put the fact that this is basically incest-erotica in the blurp?

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Review of Losing It by Cora Carmack

Losing It by Cora Carmack

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Cute, sweet – waaaaay too sweet and very definetely american YA. God free me from twentysomething virgins. Enjoyable enough, but not for me.

Also made me a bit sad, because after reading some Elle Kennedy and Sabina Bowen MF I actually had gotten the impression that contemporary MF had moved up in the world. That women were allowed personalities and a sex drive, but no…

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Review of Becoming Brad’s by Aubrey Cullens

Becoming Brad’s by Aubrey Cullens

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2 stars.

I don’t know. The premise of the meet between these two is horrible. It’s basically coercion. And the fact that Justin identifies as straight makes the coercion even more icky. If you are able to overlook the fact that Brad basically forces a 20 yr old straight kid into a sexual relationship, its a cute story otherwise.

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Review of Last Minute Customers by Jessica E. Subject

Last Minute Customers by Jessica E. Subject

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

MFM menage erotica. Pure PWP, not terribly imaginative, but it was free and ok.

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