Random Review: Tea or Consequences by KC Burn #Review #Giveaway

Author: KC Burn
Book: Tea or Consequences
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Brooke Albrecht
Publication date: September 22, 2017
Length: 210 pages


Reviewed by Meredith

Synopsis

Riley Parker: temp, twink, geek… sleuth?

Maybe Riley isn’t living up to his full potential, but being a temp executive assistant suits him. He’s never bored at work, he’s got friends who let him geek out, and he’s got a carefully crafted twink exterior… which might be getting constrictive now that he’s on the other side of thirty. Life isn’t perfect, but it’s comfortable.

It all unravels when he takes a job working for a tea-obsessed cosmetics queen, the owner of Gautier Cosmetics. During the launch party for a new product, Riley finds his boss dead under suspicious circumstances, and the homicide detective is none other than Tadeo Martin, Riley’s high school obsession who never knew he was alive.

Tad drafts Riley to get the scoop on the inner workings of Gautier, and for Riley, it’s like a drug. His natural inquisitiveness is rewarded with more and more Tad. Unfortunately, his snooping puts him in the running for two other roles: suspect and victim. The killer doesn’t care which.

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Review

When I read the synopsis for this I was so on board. It sounded majorly intriguing. Murder, mystery, and mayhem. What’s not to love?

This is told entirely in Riley’s POV. That was interesting. He’s a temp working as an executive assistant to Gabriella Gautier, boss lady extraordinaire. It’s no secret that she’s the murder victim in this. We read that in the blurb. I didn’t realize we’d actually get some page time with her. That was awesome.

I paid attention to everything she said and did in the short time she was here and I have to say, when it came to the discovery of the who, what, where, when, and how, she was pretty vital.

Riley, he’s wonderful. I wasn’t sure he’d be able to carry the whole book but he did. The detective on the case is his old high school crush. Riley looks a lot different than when he was in high school but Tadeo doesn't and he still does it for him.

So much of this story is the murder mystery. Yes there’s sweet romance but I didn’t feel like it was the main focus of this story. At one point I wasn’t sure Tad and Riley actually would get together in the end. The chemistry seemed to be there a little, but for a while I just was like, “If it happens it happens.” It just didn’t call to me as something that needed to be. It wasn’t until the last 20% of the book that these two starting clicking for me.

I loved Riley though. His friends, all the adventures he goes through while trying to find a killer and not be their next victim.

If you LOVE whodunits then I really do feel like this is an awesome book for you!

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Random Review: My Paradise Is You by Lucie Archer #Review #Giveaway

Author: Lucie Archer
Book: My Paradise Is You
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Publication date: March 1, 2017
Cover Artist: Bree Archer
Length: 97 pages

Reviewed by Morningstar

Synopsis

When two very different men are stranded on a deserted island, will opposites attract, or will they end up killing each other—if the elements don’t get them first?

Marc Reed is an expert scuba diver and leads underwater tours of the infamous shipwrecks scattered around Bermuda. When a robbery forces him and his boss’s son—a man he despises on principle—to take shelter on an uncharted island, he might have to reassess his opinion of the spoiled snob.

Ian Blythe-Darcy II lives a life most would envy. He’s a trust-fund kid being groomed to take over his father’s empire of hotels and resorts. But it’s not a life that matches what’s in his heart. He’s in the closet and engaged to a socialite he doesn’t love, but he’s about to get a crash course in being true to himself—and maybe learn money can’t buy happiness after all.

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Review

This was a cute and low heat story about opposites attract.

Marc Reed works hard on his boat 7 days a week to make ends meet. He finally gets that day off only to be roped into babysitting Ian Blythe, a spoiled rich guy. Except things aren’t always what they appear to be on the surface; a lesson Marc ends up having to learn once he’s stranded on an island with said spoiled rich guy. Ian hated living in the closet, being engaged to a woman, and most of all hated being told what to do by his father. But fear of what he would lose kept him in that place for far too long.

The story was a quick and fun read! Marc and Ian’s chemistry was a constant thing between them while on the island trying to survive. It became increasingly more difficult for Ian to hide who he was but I loved that Marc gave him room to be who he was without pushing. I loved that the author made it clear for both guys how against cheating they were so don’t go in expecting lots of island sex.

Marc was the fun one with a bit of an attitude because of past hurts. Ian was definitely a spoiled guy who didn’t want to lose his money if he came out to his family. Understandable if you think that’s all he’s ever known. I loved both these guys more at the end then at the beginning, as it should be. The writing and pace were perfect for this novella. I was easily sucked into their island and the world they had to live for the time they were stranded. The story was heartwarming and funny and I’m glad I read it.

I will definitely be looking for more from this author.

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Random Reviews... Falling Snow on Snow by Lou Sylvre #Review #Giveaway

Author: Lou Sylvre 
Book: Falling Snow on Snow
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Publication date: December 23, 2016
Length: 88 pages




Reviewed by Meredith



Synopsis

Beck Justice knows holiday sparkle and snappy carols only mask December’s cruel, black heart. He learned that lesson even before he landed on the streets eight years ago, and his recent step up to a tiny apartment and a busker’s permit for Seattle’s Pike Place Market has done nothing to change his mind. But one day in the market, Oleg Abramov joins his ethereal voice to Beck’s guitar, and Beck glimpses light in his bleak, dark winter.

Oleg, lucky to have a large and loving family, believes Beck could be the man to fill the void that nevertheless remains in his life. The two men step out on a path toward love, but it proves as slippery as Seattle’s icy streets. Just when they get close, a misunderstanding shatters their hopes. Light and harmony are still within reach, but only if they choose to believe, risk their hearts, and trust.

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Review

This is a holiday read that begins with a heavy blanket of angst. The sadness, I will say, stays through most of the story. The lift, the joy and comfort doesn’t rise until about the last 10% of the book. 

I found this book to be majestic in its poetic writing. With the mingling of music and descriptive writing made this book quite beautiful. Beck, a musician who plays his guitar in the market, has had one heck of a rough life. It doesn’t get any better for him until Oleg enters it. His beautiful voice and equally lonely heart pull Beck and him together.

Oleg does have a huge, loving family but it’s a great love he longs for and Beck can offer him that. Now, I hoped for more happiness in this story. It did end on an HEA but I was plagued with so many questions. What would happen to his step dad? What about George? Now, I’m guessing the author leaves us with those questions in the hopes we can put our outcomes into play. But I would have loved just a little bit longer to see what happened there. 

It was a very lovely story that was full of angst and emotion.

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