Hard Ride: A Gay Cowboy Romance (Book 5 Clean Slate Ranch series) by A.M. Arthur had me up all night reading to see if our two main characters, Slate and Derrick could go from fake boyfriends to something real. I have enjoyed this whole series so far and this newest book was no exception.
This one takes us away from Clean Slate Ranch, though all the previous characters I’ve come to know and love, regularly make appearances. After Slate has an accident he makes a deal with Derrick, they will be fake boyfriends for the summer, so Derrick has a date for 5 family weddings he has to attend, and in return Slate can recuperate at his place in the city where he has access to medical facilities.
The fake boyfriend/girlfriend trope is not a new one, but I personally haven’t read many of them, and I really enjoyed this one, watching them fall for each other, they already knew they had the chemistry, but watching that chemistry turn to something more was really enjoyable even if they were both too stubborn to say anything to each other. Cue best friends who can help out.
I loved the new cast of supporting characters who live in Derrick’s house and who Slate also becomes good friends with. I especially liked Dez who’s sweet, quirky and an individual and made Slate’s time recovering more enjoyable and set him on a new and completely different path from his former interests.
Slate has kept a secret from everyone, a teenage daughter who he is desperate to form a proper relationship with. I liked the way this played out and I liked how open she was to Slate and Derrick’s relationship and how that made her look at her dad in a new and better way.
A really enjoyable romance and I’ll be cheering this couple on, as I have for all the couples so far. I hope there is another book in this series to look forward to.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin – Carina Press for a digital copy in return for an honest review.
Tough Guy is book #3 in the Game Changers series, MM romances set in the world of hockey. I really enjoyed book #1 Game Changers and book #2 Heated Rivalry, so I was straight onto it when I saw book #3 was out.
he True Story of Maddie Bright by Mary-Rose MacColl was a book that evoked many emotions at the time of reading.
The Lost Boy by Rachael Wright was another book that packed an emotional punch.
Sunshine by Kim Kelly, this is a novel I have read twice this year as well as listening to the audio book.
Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry was yet another emotional read (I’m beginning to sense a theme here as I start putting these onto the page)
Invisible Boys by Holden Sheppard was a very emotional read that everyone should read.
In a Great Southern Land by Mary-Anne O’Connor was another emotional read.
Under the Midnight Sky by Anna Romer was a book I enjoyed so much I bought it for my mum for her birthday.
The Scream Behind Her Smile by Athena Daniels was brilliant.
I’m feeling extremely emotional as I’m writing this review, I’ve just finished Invisible Boys and what an incredible novel it was. From the beginning Charlie, Zeke and Hammer grabbed hold of my heart and wouldn’t let go. I read 70% of this novel in one sitting; I was up until 1.30am and the only reason I put it down was because I literally couldn’t keep my eyes open. I picked it straight up again 5 hours later and was mightily upset that I had to go to work without finishing it. It stayed in my mind all day, I couldn’t wait to get home to finish the journey these 3 guys had taken me on.
The story starts with a tragedy and a secret uncovered, both which completely throw Jack’s emotions into chaos. What a journey of growth and learning Jack and myself were taken on, from the moment Jack runs away from home.
Bromley Brothers books so I treated myself to her first two books from the Timeless love series.
didn’t realise that I had 6 of her books on my bookshelf, I’m not sure I’ve read them all though, I’ll have to do that now, she has way more books than I realised.
the other week and a great review of the first book in her new WASP Team series, Undaunted, well today I had preordered book 2 Defiant for pick up, I can’t wait to read it.
but 2 of her books, this will be rectified at some point, but my sister bought book 2 in her Texan Quartet series, I’m sure she’ll enjoy it.
over from the US, she’s a new author for me so I bought her latest book (which my sister says she’ll borrow). They were lovely to chat to.
I’m currently reading, and thoroughly enjoying, it’s a different genre a SFR/fantasy romance with m/m/f relationships, it has had me hooked.
collector I am I couldn’t go past her new mug.
author and delightful to chat to, I picked up one of his shorter novels, due to watching my spending and look forward to trying out this new author who popped over from Victoria for the event.
I think this my favourite book in this series, I loved that Valiant got her chance at true love. I really enjoyed Anthony, he was a cheeky bastard with a sad past, I thought he was perfect for Valiant and enjoyed the way he pushed her completely out of her comfort zone. Valiant has always done her best to see her brothers and her friends find the love they deserve, but she doesn’t believe she deserves the same due to her horrible dead husband. Seeing her struggling with her emotions and sexual feelings towards Anthony was deliciously amusing to me and I couldn’t wait for her to realise what she was worth. Deborah Wilson always manages to have you on the edge of your seat just when you think things are all going to work out well. While I knew who the bad guy was, I was still surprised at the extent of his depravity when he was discovered. It was so good to revisit with Valiant’s brothers and their wives and see how they were all going. I highly recommend this whole series.
5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was an incredibly engaging story, I wasn’t sure for the first chapter or 2, but then I was hooked and couldn’t put it down as I was way too invested in Ghost and his plight and finding out what was going to happen. Ghost, what a sweet tortured young man he was, my heart ached for him and what he’d been through, and still he remained strong whilst being emotionally broken and his self esteem fragile. And what to say about Duncan Rook who takes on Ghost and his troubles because his friend and ex police partner asks him to. I fell for Duncan, he was so amazing with Ghost and I loved watching the relationship between them develop into something more than police officer out to do the right thing and prostitute in trouble. This was I felt, such a beautiful romance that developed over the time they worked together, both learning so much about themselves in the process. The action and twists in this book just kept right on coming the whole way and I really had no idea how it was all going to turn out, I was definitely hoping for a HEA for these two main characters. There’s definitely a need for trigger warnings, prostitution, rape, child abuse, they are however handled exceptionally well by the author.
5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I loved this story, I knew from the first few pages it was going to be a hot read, straight up the chemistry between the two main characters Alec and Asher was there. When Asher’s nephew is kidnapped he comes running to help and Alec is only too happy to have him around. The path to happiness isn’t smooth though with misunderstandings and drama unfolding throughout. I thought the romance that grew between them was lovely and it was a great feelgood read despite the kidnapping and then the trouble that follows. The sex scenes were hot and you could feel how many people ch they cared about each other. I loved the scenes on the boat with the sharks, it kind of makes me want to experience being in a cage and watching those incredible but scary creatures. I didn’t realise this was part of a series on starting, I think it works well as a standalone novel, but I intend to go back and read the previous books to find out Alec’s coworkers stories.
4⭐⭐⭐⭐ I absolutely enjoyed this feel good romance about a young down on his luck guy Sasha, who camps out in an abandoned house which then turns into one of the luckiest choices he’s made. I loved both Nick and Sasha throughout the story, both continually growing on me as I read. I thought the idea of Sasha being able to feel the houses energy and actually communicate with it was really interesting and different. And Nick was just such a lovely guy, going with the flow of his feelings despite reaching out into the unknown. I read this in one sitting as I just didn’t want to put it down, a perfect feel good read, it was really interesting and different. And Nick was just such a lovely guy, going with the flow of his feelings despite reaching out into the unknown. I read this in one sitting as I just didn’t want to put it down, a perfect feelgood read.
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I had to reread this as I left it too long between reading and reviewing and I have to say I enjoyed it just as much the second time. I adored Renzo, a Navy SEAL and Canaan, a nursing student and former drummer and thought they worked so well together despite being so different from each other. The chemistry between them was great and I loved how being with each other made them grow and come to new realisations about what it was they truly wanted in their lives, as well as them both being so sweet together. I thought Canaan’s love for his grandfather was really lovely and how if you wanted him then it was a package deal. Canaan’s friends, especially Eric, from his old band, I wasn’t too keen on and was glad Renzo was their for him when he had to deal with them. Both had to struggle with life issues to make their relationship work, especially Renzo and I thought that struggle made it that much more intense. I have enjoyed the whole Out Of Uniform series, but I think this is my favourite.
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I really enjoyed this, what starts out as a full blown case of lust between a professor and his student, turns into so much more. There are a few very hot scenes in the first half when Connor and Olivia are fighting the chemistry that pulls them together despite the illicit nature of the relationship they are about to undertake. That both would willingly give in to something that could destroy their careers says a lot about just how strong that chemistry was. I loved the interaction between these two and kept hoping they could make it work as something more.
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I really enjoyed this fun and very sexy read. I’d like an Owen for myself thank you very much. The scenes were hot and the growing relationship btween Stef and Owen was really quite romantic. I was definitely hoping they’d work things out, especially Stef’s hangup about being 10 years older then Owen.
3.5 ⭐⭐⭐ This was an enjoyable erotic take on a regency romance. I enjoyed the way Ashcroft completely loved the way Patience looked, and how he made her feel and believe she was desirable because of her larger size. I thought it was great how her relationship with Ashcroft allowed her to look at herself in a much more positive way and gave her the confidence needed to face the nastiness of the people in her social circle. The relationship between Ashcroft and his father was appalling and I couldn’t understand why no one had put him in his place as society seemed to dislike him and he had such contempt for them all. The sex scenes were hot and very enjoyable, whilst watching Patience come into her own, was very gratifying.
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was a very dark read, I’ve had to sit with it for the last week, thinking how to write this up. It was an addictive read, with many dark and depraved events from the past and the present. While I can’t possibly relate to the characters of Miranda or Dylan and their dark fetishes, I was still somehow enthralled in their behaviour and their relationship. Both of these characters were so badly damaged, that I wondered if they stood a chance at helping each other to heal. A dark romance that I found hard to put down at the same time wondering how these characters could do and want what they did. I do love Stasia’s writing and she manages to convey so much, both emotionally and physically. It definitely needs trigger warnings including rape, assault, dark sex games, abuse.
4.5⭐⭐⭐⭐ I really really enjoyed this sexy adventure romance. This is my favourite of Jade Alters books so far. I was completely engaged, loved the characters, the guys were all so different and had their own quirks which made laugh at times. Jeanine was a good character, a bit changeable at times, but she obviously had chemistry with the guys. The military/science aspect of using the shifters as guinea pigs was completely believable, there’s always an ulterior motive with people in power. I look forward to hopefully reading more in this series.
Claire's Reads and Reviews 