REVIEW: The Summer Palace (Captive Prince #3.5) by C.S. Pacat

Genre: MM Fantasy

Buy The Book: AMAZON

Connect With The Author: Twitter /Blog/ Goodreads

Synopsis On GR:

"When all this is over, we could take horses and stay a week in the palace..."

Set after the events of the Captive Prince trilogy, The Summer Palace is a story about Damen and Laurent. It's an epilogue of sorts to the Captive Prince series.

REVIEW

"You were watching the road..." 

This novella is yet another proof how long I've been AWOL from the reader's world, because I've found about it totally by accident and it's the part of one of my most beloved mm fantasy series.

The one thing that prevented me from rating the 3d book of the series, Kings Rising, with 5 stars was the absence of a worthy epilogue and in this short story we get exactly that- a 30 pages long, worthy epilogue.

We finally get a glimpse of our favourite ex-archenemies in their honeymoon-phase, a couple of months after the plot of Kings Rising. Emotional, touching with a bit of steam. Almost perfect. Just like every short story- it gives you a small, sweet tast, but soon enough leaves you hungry for more. That's why 4/5 stars.

Purple's Reviews Of  The Rest Of The Series:

Review Of Captive Prince: Volume One (CP, #1)

Review Of Kings Rising (CP, #3) by C.S. Pacat

xoxo,

Purple

REVIEW: Finn Again (The Finn Factor, #5) by R.G. Alexander

Genre: MM Contemporary Romance

Buy The Book: B&N AMAZON

Connect With The Author:  

Goodreads / Website / Twitter

Synopsis on GR:

Revisit the Finn Family as they prepare for Christmas Eve and the Curious Wedding of Owen Finn and Jeremy Porter. From bachelor parties with penis cakes to proposals and new revelations, the family has one heck of a holiday season. Are you Team Owen or Team Jeremy? Whatever side of the aisle you’re sitting on, you’ll finally get to see the wedding we’ve all been waiting for.
And maybe catch a glimpse of a few new members of the Finn Club…

*This is not a stand-alone as much as a revisiting of previous series characters, but it is the 5th story in the Finn Factor series.

Warning: This holiday feel good is full of nookie. m/m, m/m/f, m/m again…and some more m/m (you’ve read the series right? Then you know how they are.)

REVIEW

Woah...the members of the Finn family are definitely a group of kinky m...*ahem* people. I've read so far only the 1st book in the series Curious which is a bffs-to-lovers mm romance (a pretty good one btw.) and this one which focuses again on Owen's & Jeremy's romance from book 1, but also on romance life of the rest of the siblings whose books I have yet to read.

I loved Owen & Jeremy as a couple in Curious, but I simply adored them in this short novella. They were fun, witty, cute and dirty more than ever. Their happily-ever-after continues in this installment with a bachelor party and and wedding bells and we get a little sneak-a-peek in the lives of the rest of the family whith a couple of pretty steamy scenes.

The only flaw of the book is its shortness, other than that I have no doubt the fans of the series will be more than pleased with the outcome. If you're a mm romance fan with fetish for friends-to-lovers mm romances I definitely recommend book 1!

* My reviews of other books in The Finn Factor series:

~ Curious (The Finn Factor, #1) by R.G. Alexander  

RATING: 4/5 stars

xoxo,

Purple  

The Diary Of Brad De Luca (Innocence, #1.5) by Alessandra Torre

Buy The Book:

AMAZON / BARNES & NOBLE 

Author's Page:

Goodreads / Blog / Twitter

Genre:

Contemporary Romance/ New Adult

Summary on Goodreads:

I was happy with my life. And who wouldn’t be? Beautiful women, money, a job that I could sleep through and still make bank. But I was bored. And I never could walk away from a challenge.

This challenge turned out to be brunette. Feisty. Just the way I like them. But innocent. Too innocent for me. Too innocent to do anything other than sample and then toss back. Anything more would be too risky, too much work.

I was unprepared for Julia Campbell. I should have done my homework, should have looked before jumping off that cliff. Ditching her proved to be problematic, my sexual needs greater than my common sense.

She was different. She became more than a challenge.

She may just bring my world crashing down.

*

This novella is meant to complement, and be read after, Blindfolded Innocence, a #1 Erotica Bestseller.

RATING:

***REVIEW***

Arc provided via Netgalley in exchange for honest review

I know, I know, I'm a bad reader. The blurb clearly states that this should be read after Blindfolded Innocence (Innocence, #1), but I love to break rules, so I read this first just to get a sneak-a-peek on Alessandra Torre's writing, because most of my friends on GR can't stop raving about her books, so I requested this arc from Netgalley awhile ago, but with so many books on my shelves I didn't have time to read it properly until last night. This is my first book by her, but it got me  intrigued.

Now, after reading it, I think that I didn't make a big mistake when I decided to read this first, because this is a short version (only 45 pages) of the 1st book in the Innocence Series written from the male point of view- Brad De Luca. That's why I don't think I've spoiled the 1st book that much.

The story was fast-paced, fun & steamy featuring a hot billonaire player  and one of the interns at his firm. I enjoyed it, even though, at first, I was afraid that this will be one of those Fifty Shades Wannabes, but that was not the case with this book. Brad De Luca was a fun character to read about- one of those typical players with a certain dose of mystery about him from who every girl tries to stay away, but secretly  wishes to be the one who'll change his wicked ways.

~ THE THINGS I LIKED THE MOST ABOUT THIS SHORT NOVELLA:

1. The poetic tone of the writing

2. The strong main female character

He was a senior partner, she an intern. 

She should have wiped drool off her mouth and scampered in,

ready to assist him in any way that he deemed necessary. 

But she didn't behave.

She was unimpressed, sarcastic. 

Not swooned by Centaur's grandiose entrance 

or the restaurant's exorbitant prices,

 she had looked him in the eye when she spoke and called him out on his bullshit. She had been, simply put, fascinating.

Julie is not your typical female character. She might seem innocent and naive at first with her physical appearance, but the minute she opens her mouth you see how far from naive she is. She is smart, strong & she can see right through your bullshit, especially the one from Brad De Luca. The chemistry between them was palpable since the moment they saw each other for the first time, but she won't be one of those needy girls who'll chase after him when he starts to have commitment issues. 

All in all- a fun, short read! The main reason for three stars rating is the shortness of the story. It left me wanting for more and it made me move up Blindfolded Innocence on my TBR next list.

"You are going to be so bad for me", she whispered.
"So bad"..."Tomorrow", she murmured. "Tomorrow, I'll stay away."

XOXO

High and Tight by Vanessa North

Buy The Book:

AMAZON /  BARNES & NOBLE / KOBO

Author's Page:

Blog / Twitter / Goodreads

Summary on Goodreads:

Pilot Adam Walker has had one great love in his life: Harris Kingston. But twelve years ago, when he accepted a scholarship and joined the Navy, he chose duty to his country over love. Their on-again off-again relationship was never more than private joy, a frustrating fact of military life.

Harris never wanted to be anyone's dirty little secret. When Don't Ask, Don't Tell was repealed two years ago, Adam broke his heart one last time. He's picked up the pieces and moved on, building a great career and dating guys who aren't afraid to be seen in public with him. But when Adam strolls into his salon asking for a haircut, his newfound happiness goes to hell in a handbasket.

Adam's been at war with himself for over a decade. Now on the verge of leaving the military, he's desperate to court Harris the right way and be forgiven. With two weeks' leave and a Navy man's conviction, he's ready to start over…if he can convince Harris he's ready to come out and commit.

RATING:

***REVIEW***

Hi everyone! So, real life= job has been preventing me to read or blog this past month, but I've managed to read 2-3 books even though it took me way longer than usual, one of that this yummie mm arc I got on Netgalley. Take that cruel world!!! *fist pump* 

Arc provided via Netgalley in exchange for honest review

"And I figured I'd come home, and I'd just go for it...

like you did that night you told me I was the biggest, 

brightest thing in you world."

"You were."

"You still are the biggest, brightest thing in mine..."

Every time I read a book about first love I remember a quote from The Opportunist by Tarryn Fisher:

"You can only give your heart away once, after that,

everything else will chase your first love."

First love has the power to ruin you for everyone else. This is a story about that type of love. To find your soul mate when only 17 years old and at the same time discover that you are gay must be terrifying. That is why I could forgive Adam for the way he handled things in the past and why I could understand Harris's behavior in the present.

The story was very emotional, sweet and hot with likable main characters: Adam, the sexy Navy SEAL ft. the super cute hairdresser Harris. I admit- the thing that won me over to request this arc was a promise of a hot Navy Seal, because I love military mm books. Add to that GFY theme (gay-for-you) and I'm yours 4ever.

The story's only flaws: 

- It was too short. Only 86 pages. That's why I felt that some developments of the plot were too rushed. That's the curse of shorter stories I guess. Cute, but not exactly completely satisfying.

- Some cheesy content. The romance was sweet, but the part with tattoos was a bit over the top in my opinion or to be more specific- the design of the tattoos. 

All in all, it was an enjoyable, sweet and short mm book which I recommend to every mm fan when in need of an easy read with no bigger drama.

XOXO