Diverse Reader: Brandon Witt

Review

I absolutely love Brandon Witt's books! Just when I thought he couldn't make me fall in love with another one of his fabulous books he went and outdid himself again. He made me laugh and fall in love with an ugly dog with vampire teeth and big eyes! Showing me that even the ugliest dogs are beautiful and amazingly funny!

Randall Morgan was a man that came from money and showed that he would rather have an ugly dog, a bathroom with hideous yellow linoleum tiling, a tilted window, and an absolutely beautiful man with his man bun, beard and hairy chest instead of all the money that he was born into! Someone that definitely would never fit into his uptight high society family!

Noah Carroll being a son of missionary moved around a lot and after a one time kiss with Randall when they were only 13 years old; he is back and willing to do whatever it takes to be with the only man that he has ever loved. But whoever said getting the love of your life could be easy?

This is an amazing story filled with, loss, love, fear, regret, and coming together and did I mention a few laughs in between all the craziest? A definite must read!

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Monday, November 13, 2017

Release Day Review: Braving the Rapids by Brandon Witt #Review #Giveaway

Author: Brandon Witt
Book: Braving the Rapids
Series: Rocky Mountain Boys #2
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Anne Cain
Publication date: November 13, 2017
Length: 256 pages

Reviewed by Michael

Synopsis

Estes Park native Todd Fleece works hard to honor his obligations to family and the businesses he inherited, but only his friends and the horses at his ranch brighten Todd’s life. In fighting his attraction to his best friend’s ex-boyfriend, Todd has focused solely on his work, leaving little room in his life for finding love.

Matt Abel’s reckless youth put him on a path to a self-destructive life—his most painful failure was being a horrible father. He excels at extreme sports and living on the edge. Now back in Estes Park and teaching white-water rafting, Matt tries to reconnect with his mother and his grown daughter. When he runs into his ex’s friend Todd, Matt longs for more than a fling.

But achieving happiness isn’t simple, not with Todd’s family conflicts and Matt struggling not to slide back into alcoholism. With hurdles threatening to drive them apart, Todd and Matt try to find the courage to brave the rapids and face a future together….

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Review

I’ll admit, I was thrown when I started reading this book. Brandon does something with it that I’ve never seen before. While each chapter centers around one of the two MCs, they alternate between First Person for the main character and Third Person for that characters love interest. I wasn’t crazy about the idea. I was concerned that it would distract from the story, but, much to my amazement, it worked. In fact, it made the story even more enjoyable. Too many novels rely on the split POV, and the voice of each character sounds the same. There have been times with other books where I have had to reread certain sections to fully grasp who was “speaking.” But in taking this approach, there was never any of that confusion. It allows the reader to know, without a doubt, which character is the focus. Is it unorthodox? Yes. But it also separates this book (And this series) from an already saturated market.

The story itself was great. Matt and Todd both have personal issues that easily make them relatable. There’s just enough angst and drama for it to be emotional without becoming overbearing or soap operaish. Each character showed growth, had personal obstacles they had to overcome, but in doing so, showed enormous growth.

Fair warning, the structure of the story may not be for everyone, but if you allow yourself, you may really enjoy the story.

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Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Random Review: Deeds & Confetti by Brandon Witt #Review #Giveaway

Author: Brandon Witt
Book: Deeds & Confetti
Series: Mary's Boys #4
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Angsty G
Publication date: September 27, 2017
Length: 100 pages

Reviewed by Michael

Synopsis

Steven Conley loves the excitement of owning his own Hamburger Mary’s restaurant in Denver, Colorado, and his chosen family of coworkers makes life even better. Steven never regretted leaving the corporate grind behind until his father’s harsh deathbed words leaves him doubting himself.

Ryan Fuller abandoned a lucrative career to start his own party-planning business, but he keeps afloat by coordinating funerals for the local mortuary. When Ryan bumps into Steven—his best friend’s uncle and the man Ryan has secretly crushed on forever—the attraction explodes into a night of passionate abandon for both men.

Steven is blown away by the care and deep connection he feels for the hot young mortician—until Ryan admits who he really is. Reeling from the recent upheaval in his life, Steven must decide whether to give Ryan a chance. To find love, they must risk it all....

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Review

At its heart, the Mary’s Boys series has been about the family you make. Many of the characters have felt rejection in one form or another, and have gravitated into this small group of people to form a surrogate family. Given that, it makes perfect sense that the last book in the series would center around the “patriarch” of the “family “, Steven Conley.

Steven left a lucrative and ultimately unfulfilling career in finance to open the local Hamburger Mary’s restaurant, which he now operates with his sister Pat. This decision, and the fact that he is gay, has never sat well with his father. Parents can be unyielding when it comes to their idea of the correct path for their children. This is very much the case with Stevens father, who takes the opportunity in his own deathbed to jab one more dig at Steven. Everyone wants their parent to be supportive of whatever career choices they make, and having a parent, on their deathbed, ridicule you for the choices you make lays the foundation for a serious downward spiral.

Ryan Fuller works at the funeral home where Steven’s father is interned. He also happens to be the best friend of Steven’s nephew, Topher. Significantly younger than Steven, he’s had a crush on the older man for years. Ryan, too, has changed career goals, deciding after college to open a party planning business. He works at the funeral home to supplement his income until the party planning business takes off.

The two meet (or, actually re-meet) at the funeral home. Steven has no idea who Ryan really is, and the two sleep together.

As the story progresses, you find that the parallels between Steven and Ryan are striking. Despite parental objection, both characters decided to go out on their own and do what they feel will make them happy. Steven may be caught in his own web of self-doubt, but in his heart, everything he has done has been about building a family of his own.

Bonus points to Brandon for not dragging Ryan’s secret out for the duration of the book. It easily could have been used to create additional, and honestly unnecessary, angst. Doing so would have not only been a disservice to the book, but also to the series as a whole. This series has relied on its characters personalities to tell the story, not high drama, and it is so much the better because of it. This was an absolutely perfect way to end this series. Even if you haven’t read the other three, this one is well worth your time.

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Friday, July 14, 2017

Random Review: Mascara & Bandages by Brandon Witt #Review #Giveaway

Author: Brandon Witt
Book: Mascara & Bandages
Series: Mary's Boys #3
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: AngstyG
Publication Date: July 12, 2017
Length: 121 pages

Reviewed by Michael

Synopsis

Ariel Merman is a new drag queen who’s already finding a family at Hamburger Mary’s. After a performance as Ariel, Zachary Cooper walks home in his makeup and is assaulted by homophobes. Zachary’s worry that the attack has thrown a wrench in his good fortune is eased when he looks into the eyes of his doctor.

Dr. Teegan Chau is a little lost after divorcing his wife and coming out of the closet, but he can’t deny the pull he feels toward the young man he patches up. Luckily, Zachary takes the initiative and asks Teegan out. But attraction is the easy part of their blossoming relationship—as they deal with an ex-wife and child, being a drag queen in a heteronormative culture, Zachary’s lingering trauma from his attack, and Teegan acclimating to life as part of an out-and-proud gay couple.

The challenges seem daunting at the start of a romance. Can Zachary and Teegan make it through the rough patches and take a chance on the love that’s been missing from both their lives?

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Review

I've read all three Mary's Boys books, and I can honestly say that this one is my favorite.

By far!

This is clearly Zachary’s book. He is the newest drag queen at Hamburger Mary's, going by the name “Ariel Merman.” He's been in the series as a background character since the beginning and has always come off as rather timid, and in this book, you find out why.

Zachary has always viewed himself to be too thin or too feminine. As a result, he has a low opinion of how others view him. As his alter-ego, he allows himself the kind of freedom to be the type of person he really wants to be. Ariel is a mask that Zachary puts on in order to be who he really wants to be. I loved that about this book, the dichotomy between Zachary and Ariel, and how the simple creation of an alter ego can give us the courage we wouldn’t normally have.

Zachary is attacked and is hospitalized with some truly horrific injuries, some of which serve to further reinforce the poor view he has of his own masculinity. Teegan Chau is his physician, and the attraction between the two is immediate.

You really need to read it to see what goes from there. You’ll be happy you did.

There are two things that I have absolutely loved about this series, both of which shine in this book.

The first is the sense of family that Hamburger Mary’s provides. Entirely too many LGBTQ lose their families during the coming-out process, the old saying that “blood is thicker than water” is put to the test, with disastrous results. We end up recreating those familial bonds without friends, and those deep connections can last a lifetime. That idea is at the very center of this book, and it’s heartwarming to see.

The second is Brandon Witt’s use of races, ethnicities, and sub-cultures in this series. I have no idea if this is by design or merely a happy coincidence. But I’m hoping to see more of this as the series progresses.

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Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Release Day Review: Vodka & Handcuffs by Brandon Witt #Review #Giveaway

Author: Brandon Witt
Book: Vodka & Handcuffs
Series: Mary's Boys #2
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Angsty G
Publication date: April 26, 2017
Length: 112 pages

Reviewed by Morningstar

Synopsis

Vahin Arora, Hamburger Mary’s sexy bartender, plays the flirtatious role so well even his closest friends—his chosen family at Mary’s—don’t realize Vahin hasn’t had a hookup in months. Then Tall, Dark, and Handsome steps through the door, and Vahin’s libido races back to life.

Being a black cop on the Denver police force is no easy job—Marlon Barton can’t imagine adding being gay to the equation. And while Marlon loves his work as an officer, his life has taken a turn for the hellish because of his new partner, the nephew of a senator.

Fleeing his partner’s company one night, Marlon stumbles into Mary’s for the first time… and wakes up with a hangover in the bartender’s bed. The one-night stand heats up into a budding romance, but not without stress as Marlon’s partner’s actions threaten Vahin’s livelihood and Marlon’s future on the force. Can Vahin and Marlon face the challenges and hold on to the love, friendship, and family they’ve found?

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Review

This isn’t a story I would categorize as romance. Yes, there is romance in it and yes, it is the starting point for these two MC’s but this story is more about the discrimination and abuse that these two, and other people like them, suffer on a regular basis. He executed that part beautifully.

Marlon’s terrible partner on the force is every name you can think to call him. He’s bigoted against people of color, Muslim people, gay people, etc. Andrew gets away with it because his uncle is a powerful Senator and he knows he can push the envelope further than most. My heart broke for Vahin experiencing what he did in this story, the fear he must’ve felt I felt while reading it. The pain that Marlon had to go through when he was outed and even the scene with his mom. Seriously, Brandon Witt has angst down.

This is a contemporary story not a romance. There is a relationship in this book but it's not the focus. Basically right from the start of this relationship Vahin and Marlon have all these outside forces between them, separating them or causing issues. Most of their relationship was off page. The author told us of the connection versus showed us. I get that it’s a pitfall for novellas. I know it’s never easy for authors to fit an entire novel length set of emotions and connections into a novella but it can be done. I would have liked to see more connection with them but understanding it's not about romance made me accept that.

The sex being off page or fade to black honestly didn’t bother me in this story. Maybe that was because the mood that the rest of the story had set or maybe it was in part of my lack of feeling the connection between these two guys. I will say that the title can be misleading as to what to expect from this story in terms of sexy times. Even the two MC’s seemed a bit more kink then we got to see. The ending was more HFN than anything else although it’s still very early (a week maybe) into the relationship.

Overall, the writing was amazing. It flowed and let me sink into that world. The struggle is the main part of this story and overcoming it and love. We all need love.

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