Review: Falling for His Best Friend by Casper Graham

Awkward writing and character motivations that don’t make sense made me DNF at 17%

1 out of 5 stars

E-book. 149 pages. Published June 8th 2019 by JMS Books LLC

Blurb:

Keenan Underwood finally reunites with Pablo Cotilla, his first ever best friend from his younger years. They begin hanging out again, spending plenty of time together. He enjoys every moment with Pablo, but doesn’t expect to fall in love with his best friend, who doesn’t reciprocate his feelings. 

Pablo has a hard time controlling himself around Keenan. Keenan is gorgeous, and the man has grown up into a hunk. Pablo doesn’t think he has a chance with Keenan because his best friend doesn’t have any romantic feelings toward him. It would be better for Pablo to conceal his real feelings rather than risk the possibility of being rejected by Keenan and also losing his best friend. But that’s easier said than done. 

Can they figure out their feelings? Or are they destined to only be best friends forever? 

Likes:

  • The plot and setup are classic.

Dislikes:

  • The writing was clunky. Awkward phrases, few contractions, too many exclamation points, and lots of people not laughing normally.
  • The characters weren’t engaging.
  • Their decisions not to try for a relationship don’t make sense.

DNF 17%

This book made me cringe. It reminded me of other books I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited where the author clearly never had someone edit the content. This book didn’t have spelling mistakes or incorrect words, but it is in dire need of someone to come along and iron out the plot and smooth out the clunky writing.

When I started reading, I assumed that this was the Graham’s first book. The writing has that ‘enthusiastic but unpolished’ feel to it. I pushed myself to continue reading, both because I assumed that Graham was a first time author and because the publisher, JMS, is a small queer press and it feels good to support them. When I eventually did look Graham up, I found that he has 30 unique works registered on Goodreads. And in that instant, all my acceptance of the book’s flaws disappeared.

If the clunky writing was only occasional, I could have kept reading. But there were so many awkward phrases that I couldn’t ignore them. Here are some of the ones I highlighted:

Keenan glared at the triumphant grin on David’s face before expelling his breath through his mouth.

“Judging by the tight clothing on the man’s body, his lean body is to die for.”

He also remembered how he almost drooled mouthfuls of spit at the sight of Pablo’s naked, muscled chest behind the counter.

Then there’s all the chuckling, chortling, and guffawing people do. Ugh.

The biggest issue, and the one that ultimately made me call it quits, was the reasoning behind both men independently deciding not to start a relationship. It doesn’t make sense. They both like guys, they both know about the sexuality and dating history of each other. They both think the other is hot and want to get together. And yet there is no flirting. No hinting. No testing the waters to see if the other would be interested in a relationship.

Because neither makes the first move, they both assume the other isn’t interested and so they pretend not to be interested. All because they “didn’t want to make things awkward between them and lose his best friend all over again.”

That in and of itself doesn’t make sense. These guys were best friends, but lost touch. Just because they suddenly meet up as adults doesn’t make them automatic best friends anymore. I honestly don’t get what’s going through their heads. The process of seeing them become friends – and more – should be the whole focus of the story. Instead, they both try to go straight to ‘we’re best friends again’ despite not knowing the other person as an adult. It just doesn’t work.

I’ve never read anything by Casper Graham before, and this book was not a good introduction. I’m tempted to read one of his short stories to see if I like it or not. I’ll also be interested to see what other people have to say about the book since there are no reviews for it on Amazon or Goodreads yet. I don’t keep track of how quickly people review things, but this book had been out for almost a month.

Review: Be Loved (At Last, The Beloved Series #3) by Stella Starling

These books were so interconnected that this book contained very little that I didn’t already know.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Kindle Unlimited. 275 pages. Published March 4th 2017

Blurb:

“How do you fall out of love with your best friend?”

Police Officer Brandon Byrne has carried a torch for his best friend since the day they first met. He’s mastered the art of keeping his feelings to himself as Shane, a serial monogamist, falls out of one bad relationship and right into another, again… and again… and again. But now, after ten long years, it’s finally time to face reality.

Shane’s getting married, and what Brandon once thought was his destiny is just never going to happen.

On the cusp of saying yes to his boyfriend’s marriage proposal, Shane Allen is getting cold feet. He’s always wanted a happily-ever-after… so shouldn’t he be more excited at the thought that it’s finally about to happen? But when he takes a compatibility quiz on the popular gay dating app, bLoved, it does more than just help him answer that question, it opens his eyes to some scary truths.

Maybe it’s not just cold feet. Maybe it’s time to get out.

Brandon might finally get his chance at the one thing he’s always wanted, but only if he can protect Shane long enough to take it… because when Shane’s rejection exposes his ex’s true nature, it starts to look a lot like that of a psychopath. 

Likes:

  • Sweet, fluffy, and low angst.
  • The epilogue.
  • That Shane trusted Brandon unconditionally.
  • Shane and Brandon, as characters and a couple.

Dislikes:

  • That Peter was the bad guy again.
  • Knowing most of what would happen with Peter.
  • The pet name.
  • There was no suspense because I’d read the other books.
  • The same formula of proposing one year later on Valentine’s Day.
  • The ridiculousness that was chapter 24.

This was my least favorite book in the series, mostly because the books are so interconnected that I felt like I knew most of what Peter would and wouldn’t do. I knew he wasn’t going to physically hurt Shane or Brandon because then he’d be in jail and unable to go after Kelly and Jace. I knew he would fall off the radar for a while. And knowing this took the tension away.

Still, it was a good read. Long like the others, but the romance was sweet. Brandon and Shane were both nice guys, if not the most interesting characters I’ve ever read about, and their history as best friends made their romance feel very sweet and natural. I was surprised how quickly they got together and confessed their love – complete with the ‘I love you’ scene – which happened around the 53% mark.

Unfortunately, after that the rest of the book kind of felt like filler. I’m not used to the big romantic moment happening halfway through the book. Sure, they were still dealing with Peter’s craziness, but again, because I’d read the previous book, I knew what was ultimately going to happen.

The absolute ridiculousness of chapter 24 felt like the author was desperately trying to interject one last bit of drama into what had become a rather bland story. I rolled my eyes and groaned as previously competent characters acted like idiots. Not to mention all the questions I have about the scene that never get answered. Like

Spoiler

After what was solid writing, chapter 24 just didn’t work for me, to the point that it spoiled my mood about the remaining two chapters. Even the epilogue, which was nice, felt very formulaic. Once again, a Valentine’s Day proposal one year later, just like the previous two books.

I am still planning on reading more from Stella Starling, mostly because all her books are set in the same universe and are all connected. The books are longer than I’d prefer, but the writing is solid and the romance is good.

Be sure to check out the reviews for Be True (At Last, The Beloved Series #1), Be Mine (At Last, The Beloved Series #2), the series review, and All I Want, which has some of the same characters but isn’t technically a prequel.

Review: Be Mine (At Last, The Beloved Series #2) by Stella Starling

Another long book by this author.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Kindle Unlimited. 240 pages. Published January 28th 2017 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.

Blurb:

“My job is to protect you, not like you.”

After years of being bounced around the foster care system and an unwanted medical discharge from the Army, Jase Walker has finally found a place for himself as a bodyguard with Byrne Security. His loyalty to his job goes beyond professional dedication; the Byrnes treat him like family—the one thing he’s always wanted—and he’s not going to risk messing that up just because his newest client gets under his skin.

Kelly Davis, founder of the popular gay dating app bLoved, is a hopeless romantic, but for Kelly, nothing is more hopeless than finding someone to love. His outgoing, hot-tempered personality and high-profile life help him hide his loneliness, but when a series of personal threats force him out of the public eye, the only thing he has to distract himself with is the maddeningly stoic bodyguard who drives him crazy.

When Kelly’s impulsive nature puts him at risk, the two men are forced into a situation that will either bring out the worst in each of them, or help them find the one thing they need the most… each other.

Be Mine is a gay romance novel of approximately 81,000 words that features a tough guy who like chick flicks, creepy death threats sewn into pillows, and a cocky-mouthed man convinced that he’ll never find love. It has a Happily Ever After ending, no pesky cliffhangers, and can be read as a standalone… but if you enjoy Kelly and Jase’s story, be sure to keep an eye out for the other two books in the series! Enjoy!

Likes:

  • I was interested in the story because of seeing bits of it in the previous book.
  • Kelly and Jace were both interesting characters.
  • The heat between the two simmered the whole way through.
  • Watching as Kelly slowly broke through Jace’s shell.
  • The bit of suspense because of the stalker.
  • The prologue and epilogue really added to the story.

Dislikes:

  • The slow burn was a little too slow for my tastes.
  • Long.
  • So much was made of how they shouldn’t get together.
  • The recap of the meeting scene in the last book.
  • Kelly got really annoying at times and Jace was way too damn stubborn.
  • Wish we could have seen them living together normally.

After finishing Be True, I was really excited to read this book. Having an idea of who and what the story was about made me all the more curious. And while I enjoyed this book a lot, I will admit that I liked the first one better. The writing quality was as good as the last, but I didn’t connect with Kelly and Jace the way I did with Logan and Trent. It took me more than half the book to realize that I was a little too similar to Kelly, annoying traits and all, to really mesh with him.

The one downside of having seen a bit of Kelly in the last book was the repeated business meeting scene. Especially since I’m reading the books back to back, it was annoying. Even seeing the scene through Kelly’s eyes didn’t keep me from skimming, and I was a little disappointed that there was any new info at all because it meant I couldn’t just skip the scene alltogether.

The story was pretty by-the-numbers, but not in a bad way. It was obvious near the end that something bad was going to happen with the stalker and it felt like a sword hanging over the men’s heads. It was at odds with their lovey-dovey attitude but kept me on the edge of my seat.

I liked Jace better than Kelly, because his attitudes and the reasons behind them were very clear cut. Kelly on the other hand got annoying several times because of his inability to stop making trouble. His search for love, constant hookups, and running bLoved felt like the only things he had going on his life. It left him feeling a little shallow, both as a person and a character.

There was a lot of simmering tension in the first half of the book. A lot of the men reminding themselves why they shouldn’t get involved, too. It wasn’t in big blocks like the first book but it felt like it still took up as much page space, just divided into smaller bites. It was a lot, and felt like I was being beaten over the head by it.

Once the romance started the book flowed much faster. It was still a long book, longer than I’m used to for a romance, but at least it wasn’t 400 pages this time. I do wish we’d been shown a scene or two of Kelly and Jace living together normally. They were in hiding the whole time they were together, and the epilogue, which was adorably sweet, was at a hotel.

I’m excited about the next book because once again, one of the main character of that story had an important role to play in this one.

Be sure to check out the reviews for Be True (At Last, The Beloved Series #1), Be Loved (At Last, The Beloved Series #3), the series review, and All I Want, which has some of the same characters but isn’t technically a prequel.

Review: Be True (At Last, The Beloved Series #1) by Stella Starling

All the characters in this were great.

5 out of 5 stars

Kindle Unlimited. 406 pages. Published January 6th 2017 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Blurb:

“When we’re in public, you’re mine.”

Outspoken, outgoing, and outrageously out, Trevor Rogers isn’t one to say no when opportunity comes knocking. And jetting off to New York City to play the part of reclusive billionaire Logan Carter’s boyfriend for a Valentine’s Day publicity campaign? That’s not just a yes, but oh hell yes.

When Logan Carter’s business partner, the founder of the popular dating app bLoved, starts receiving death threats and has to stay out of the public eye, Logan is thrust into the limelight. The only problem? Logan doesn’t do public. He also learned the hard way never to mix business with pleasure… no matter how tempting someone like Trevor might make it.

Trevor doesn’t want to be tied down, and Logan isn’t interested in opening up… but if falling in love is all just an act, why does saying “I love you” start to feel so real?

Be True is a gay romance novel of approximately 93,000 words that contains a bossy billionaire, a failed attempt at an utterly impossible sex position, and two men who are destined to discover that the love neither wanted is exactly what each of them needs. It has a Happily Ever After ending, no pesky cliffhangers, and can be read as a standalone… but if you enjoy Trevor and Logan’s story, be sure to keep an eye out for the other two books in the series! Enjoy! 

Likes:

  • All the characters, even the minor ones.
  • The plot.
  • Prologue really sold the reason why Logan closed himself off for so long.
  • All the sass.
  • The perfect, lovey-dovey epilogue that gave me all the feels.
  • Hot and sweet in equal measures.
  • A great start to a series.
  • Low angst.

Dislikes:

  • That All I Want isn’t technically a part of the series so I didn’t read it first.
  • Too much internal monologue.

This is the kind of book that I got a Kindle Unlimited subscription to read. It was perfect. Sweet and hot and full of colorful characters. I think I smiled through the entire second half of the book.

The book’s trope – pretend boyfriends who end up as a real couple – isn’t my favorite, but Starling made it shine. The plot worked great from beginning to end, and I loved that Logan and Trevor had a connection before the story started, even if it was a minor connection.

Trevor was a whirlwind of color, sass, and innuendos. Logan had more walls than Fort Knox. They shouldn’t have worked, especially since neither was looking for a forever relationship. But right from the beginning of the book it’s obvious that these two are going to have an amazing relationship. I’ve read some books where the characters don’t have a spark. Logan and Trevor had a sky full of fireworks, both in the bedroom and just being out and about together.

I will admit that the inner monologue, especially when both men were trying to remind themselves again and again that their relationship was fake, weighed the story down in the first half. A few sentences to reiterate would have been fine, but there were paragraphs. It slowed the momentum and made me skim a bit. Then the two finally gave in and hit the sheets and the momentum picked right back up.

I do wish that the standalone book All I Want was officially added to the series. Elliot and Ash show up multiple times in this book and I was a bit annoyed that I didn’t know their whole story. Especially because now I’m torn about whether to go back and read about them or hurry on to the next book in the series. I want to do both because if the quality is going to be as good as this book, I’m sure to love the others.

Be sure to check out the reviews for Be Mine (At Last, The Beloved Series #2), Be Loved (At Last, The Beloved Series #3), the series review, and All I Want, which has some of the same characters but isn’t technically a prequel.

Review: Set in Stone (Cray’s Quarry #2) by Rachel Kane

I didn’t really enjoy this book.

3 out of 5 stars

Ebook. Kindle Unlimited. 227 pages. Published February 9th 2018 by Rachel Kane

Blurb:

A Friends to Lovers Gay Romance 

Burns 
I never meant to fall for my best friend! I dragged Karl on a camping trip to escape from my folks. They’re busy trying to set me up with their preacher’s daughter. They don’t know I’m gay, and I’m scared to tell them…but when I see Karl out there in the woods, gorgeous and strong and sensitive, I can’t help it, I fall so hard for him. Now my life is going to get really complicated… 

Karl 
People call me a know-it-all, but if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that you can’t date your best friend, no matter how big and sexy he is. It wrecks everything if you cross that line. Yet that night when Burns reveals his feelings, I realize I have to go for it. The only problem is, he wants to keep it a secret, and I want to tell the world, and I’m really not good at keeping my mouth shut… 

Set In Stone is the second standalone in the Cray’s Quarry series, about five best friends who won’t stop meddling in each other’s love lives, until each one has an HEA. 

Likes:

  • Friends to lovers romance.
  • Coming out can be harder for some people than others.
  • The pressure of religion and family on LGBTQ+ people.
  • Fewer italics in this book.

Dislikes:

  • Did not connect with either character.
  • The female characters.
  • Most of Karl’s personality.
  • Burns’ self-imposed martyrdom.
  • So much left out.
  • Plot dragged on and on.
  • Would have been better as a novella.
  • No one does anything, they just complain.
  • I have no idea how old any of these people are.

While I’m giving this book a 3 star rating because the writing wasn’t bad, I didn’t enjoy this read. Karl was the side character from book one who made the biggest impression on me, but unfortunately that impression wasn’t a good one. He’s loud, opinionated, thinks that lecturing people is the best way to affect change, doesn’t do anything to make change actually happen, and always thinks he’s right. I felt like 90% of his character was an immature mansplainer. That goes for both the first book and this one.

Burns isn’t much better. He college educated, though I have no idea what he studied or why he doesn’t have a job or any friends. He’s living with his religious parents to save money so he can pay off his student loans, is deeply in the closet, and thinks his parents are so mentally fragile that coming out would destroy everything. So he lies to everyone, becomes a martyr, and is miserable.

The plot in and of itself isn’t bad. Loud, opinionated gay guy drags his best friend out of the closet and they get together in the process. It’s classic. Except that neither Burns nor Kyle has any qualities or traits that made me like them. Kyle literally cannot keep his mouth shut to save his job and Burns is so upset at his mom trying to hook him up with a girl that he almost drowns.

I can usually cheer on a couple as they struggle towards love, but with these guys, I just wanted them to get their heads out of their asses. They both had issues that needed to be fixed, that people kept telling them about, and that they refused to address until everything blows up. Burns needed to come out. Kyle needed to learn that he wasn’t always right. But it didn’t happen until the very end. It made the book feel long and painfully drawn out. With the lackluster subplot about Kyle’s job hunting, this story would have done much better as a novella.

I will say, the thing I liked most about the book and what ultimately pushed me to read to the end was Burns’ struggle to come out to his parents. Kane did a good job showing the difference in how easy it is for some people to come out while others struggle with it for years. Add in the religious aspect, and it was without a doubt the best part of the book.

Unfortunately, all of the religious characters who had more than a few lines were all negative stereotypes. As were the women. Of the three who were in the book for any significant amount of time, all were unlikeable.

I’m going to say that this book was just not for me. I could have come around to the characters had they been given redeeming arcs. If Karl had gone out and done something to make the world a better place instead of just lecturing everyone about the evils of humanity. If Burns had taken steps to make his life better instead of just being miserable all the time. Instead, this book felt full of a lot of talk and not much action.

I dropped this series after two books, but you can find the review for book one, Rock-A-Bye.

Review: Rock-A-Bye (Cray’s Quarry #1) by Rachel Kane

I liked this book at the start, then it went downhill.

3 out of 5 stars

Kindle Edition. Kindle Unlimited. 200 pages. Published January 20th 2018

Blurb:

Evan Cray: 
After I crashed my party-boat into a plane (long story), my uncle took my trust fund away, and made me get a job at his company. If that wasn’t bad enough, my new boss turned out to be Simon, the gorgeous guy I hooked up with at the club the other night, before realizing who he was. All I have to do to get my trust fund back is straighten up, do a good job, and keep my hands off Simon. No problem, right? But he is so shy and cute and I’m not sure I can do it…especially because I think he feels the same way about me. But here’s the thing: I don’t need the trust fund money for me. I need it for my son. Nobody knows about him, because I don’t want my toxic uncle to destroy his life. 

Simon Bowden: 
How could I fall for a rich disaster like Evan? I’m Mr. Responsibility, and for me and my friends, the Crays have been our natural enemies since high school. But when I discover that he’s hardly the shallow playboy I thought he was–that he has depth and secrets–I can’t hold back, I have to have him. But I think his family knows…and they’re trying to poison him against me. Everybody thinks I’m meek and mild, but they’re going to learn differently when they try to take my man away. 

Rock-A-Bye is the first standalone in the Cray’s Quarry series, about five best friends who won’t stop meddling in each other’s love lives, until each one has an HEA.

Likes:

  • Story and blurb got me interested.
  • Interesting characters.
  • Hot smut.
  • Plenty of options for future story main characters.
  • Low angst.

Dislikes:

  • Unsafe sex.
  • No lube.
  • Lack of important background info.
  • ‘I love you’ came way too fast.
  • Cartoonishly evil uncle.
  • Lots of unbelievable plot devices that just got more ridiculous as the book went on.
  • Not good enough motivation for the characters.

I really liked this book at the start. I enjoy watching rich guys forced to live and work like normal people. Evan goes from trust fund party boy to office drudge in an instant. That alone was enough to hook me. And the first chapter was good. Plus, knowing that he had a secret child that he was financially taking care of? Yeah, I was on board.

Then Evan blows some random guy in the club without any protection and all I can think of is ‘If this is his norm, he must be swimming in STDs.’ Seriously, the only mention of safe sex in this book is in the form of ‘they’d used an entire box of condoms that night’ kind of way to show how much sex had been had. I need some reality in my romance. Swallowing a stranger’s load in the back hallway of a club is not going to make me like a character.

Despite that, this story had potential. I enjoyed the first half, watching Simon and Evan try to stay just coworkers, then quickly fall into bed. Then the ridiculousness began to set in.

Evan’s uncle is a horrible person. But Evan always takes him at his word. I ended up constantly annoyed at Evan because he kept trying to play by the rules when his uncle was using every cheat in the book. Evan is a nice guy but he’s almost stupidly naive. Especially at the end of the book, it really felt like Evan had been so sheltered that he didn’t know how to act like a normal person. But there was no real reason or evidence for why he let his uncle push him around so much.

Oh, and the whole ‘Evan needs his trust fund money for his kid’ thing? Total bullshit. It was the flimsiest excuse in the entire book. It felt like it had been added in as the reason Evan didn’t fight back against his uncle. Only problem? Evan didn’t need an entire trust fund just to pay basic child support.

As for Simon, he was nice. Likeable in a ‘guy who doesn’t know his own charms’ kind of way. Unfortunately with Simon, he’s unexperienced in romance, although there’s no reason given. Even Simon’s brother comments that many people have said how attractive Simon is, yet he almost acts like a virgin. And maybe he is one – it’s a little unclear. That lack of important background info is rampant throughout the book.

I honestly can’t say I’d suggest this book. It was fine for a quick, low angst read, but the issues got so prevalent that I was happy to get to the end. I’m curious to see if the next book in the series will be any better. The writing was decent enough that I can tell the author has skill. But the story as a whole was lacking.

I dropped this series after two books, but you can find the review for book two, Set in Stone.