New Release Review: The Ghost and Charlie Muir by Felice Stevens #Review #Giveaway

Title: The Ghost and Charlie Muir
Author: Felice Stevens
Self Published
Release Date: August 13, 2020
Length: 328 pages

Reviewed by Truus

Synopsis

Bad enough the big old house Charlie Muir inherits is next door to Ian Gregg, the most gorgeous guy he’s ever seen—it also happens to be occupied by Rachel, the ghost who keeps running off his dates. It’s impossible to get any loving when the bed starts shaking…and not because you’re having fun in it.
When Ian helps Charlie search for the source of strange noises in his house, they stumble upon a stack of photographs hiding century-old secrets. Curious of the friendship between the two men pictured, Charlie and Ian set off to solve the mystery of their relationship. With the help of the meddling ghost, a magical mirror, and a way too Smart TV, they find answers…and more.
And as things heat up between Charlie and Ian, they begin to wonder if Rachel's meddling has gone too far.
Doesn’t Rachel know Ian is straight?
Or is he?
That kiss they shared the other night sure didn't seem like it.
Or the one after that…

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Review

What a precious story, I loved it dearly!

What do you do with an inherited estate at Willow Place, Brooklyn, where a ghost lives?

The estate pulled Charlie in from first sight… or was it the other way.

Entering the house at Willow Place for the first time was already the experience of his life. The house has preferences about his visitors and a story to tell.

Ian Gregg, Charlie’s neighbor, is one of the visitors the house allowed to enter.

When strange things happen right away, they both want to figure out what’s going on.

Ian helps Charlie with the roof and upper rooms when they find a box, without a key.

After opening it they find a stack of photographs and there is a story, about two men, from a century ago. The universe is pushing Charlie and Ian to a point where they have to be together. Interactions with other persons seem impossible.

The ghost named Rachel wants them to work together and reveal something important, for them and her.

On their journey, we get to know Charlie and Ian. Dear Charlie, his heartbreaking past made me so intensely sad, hopping through the foster care system, never long at one place, no friends, never enough, lonely. He has an awesome job, so Charlie-ish.

Ian was overwhelmed by his feelings for Charlie, Ian's inner struggle was palpable, his fight and surrendering was beautifully pictured.

“Happiness”

It seems a simple word, happiness, only it’s huge, the most important feeling that rises above all. That one word shows that then and even a century later it still isn’t simple to gain happiness and love the one you want.

I found this such a beautifully layered narrative, widely developed, with the kindest personalities and quite an extraordinary plot. Every part fits organically in the whole picture.

The writing is amazingly done, entertaining with just the right weight on the issues.

The author put such a subtle sense of humor in this story, more than lovely!

I can’t say it enough, it was just wonderful! Every little detail was exclusive I loved every part of this story, the past, the present, and the future.

Highly recommended!

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Audiobook Review: Gideon by Lily Morton Narrated by Joel Leslie #Review #Giveaway

Title: Gideon

Series: Finding Home #3

Author: Lily Morton

Narrator: Joel Leslie

Length:  9 hours, 43 minutes

Publisher: Audible

Reviewed by Sammy

 Synopsis

Gideon Ramsay is so far in the closet he should be a talking faun.
A talented, mercurial, and often selfish man, Gideon has everything he should want in life. Fame, money, acting awards - he has it all. Everything but honesty. At the advice of his agent, Gideon has concealed his sexuality for years. But it’s starting to get harder to hide, and his increasingly wild behavior is threatening to destroy his career. Then, he’s laid low by a serious illness and into his life comes Eli Jones.
Eli is everything that Gideon can’t understand. He’s sunny tempered, friendly, and optimistic. Even worse, he’s unaffected by grumpiness and sarcasm, which forms 90 percent of Gideon’s body weight. And now, Gideon is trapped with him without any recourse to the drugs and alcohol that have previously eased his way through awkward situations.
However, as Gideon gets to know the other man, he finds himself wildly attracted to his lazy smiles and warm, scruffy charm that seem to fill a hole inside Gideon that’s been empty for a long time. Will he give in to this incomprehensible attraction when it could mean the end of everything that he’s worked for?
From the best-selling author of the Mixed Messages series comes a story about a man who needs to realize that being true to yourself is really just a form of finding home. This is the third book in the Finding Home series, but it can be listened to as a stand-alone.

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Review

Gideon is drunk—again--and happily enjoying watching his current hook-up and their third make out in the limo. Still feeling a bit washed out from being sick during his last filming, Gideon refuses to give in to going to the doctor like his brother would like and instead parties even harder. But just as he is about to join the twosome who have made their way to his hotel suite a coughing fit causes him to pass out and the next thing he knows he’s in hospital recovering from a near deadly bout of pneumonia. His brother has hired him a nurse, Eli, and booked them on a cruise for senior citizens and Gideon has nothing to say about it even though his snarky moth is still going a mile a minute.

For the first time Gideon begins to feel better—not only physically but also mentally. Eli calms and grounds him and they enjoy a smart banter between them. But Eli is a professional who refuses to get involved with a client—Gideon’s agent, Frank, and his threats about trying to hook up with Gideon notwithstanding. Eli is determined to be just friends while in Gideon’s employ. So even though both men feel the natural spark arise between them they don’t act on it. In fact, it will take a separation to really make Gideon see just how much he wants Eli in his life and it will take some real assurances from Eli to help Gideon see that the lies his agent has planted in his mind over the years don’t add up to him having little worth as an out and proud gay man.

Lily Morton completes her Finding Home Series with Gideon’s story now in audio. While Gideon can definitely be listened to as a standalone, those familiar with the series will see old characters crop up and remember Gideon for being a bit of a jerk from the previous novel. Needless to say little has changed in his personality and it is just this aspect of Gideon that the narrator, Joel Leslie, brings off brilliantly. This narrator’s ability to carry off a bored and snarky British accent allows him to completely embody the essence of Gideon. It is uncanny how Joel Leslie just brings this character to life with his vocal prowess—Gideon sounds just as you might imagine him to and honesty it’s wonderful.

Not only Gideon but the other characters in this story are done so well with just variations in pitch, pacing and certain affects. Happily the different voices never bleed into one another. They are each uniquely voiced and recognizable. The humor and romance that are present in this story are brought to life quite well. This story and Joel Leslie’s talents are a match made in heaven and honestly I can think of no other narrator who could pull it off with such aplomb.

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New Release Review: The Thomas Flair by E.J. Russell #Review #Giveaway

Title: The Thomas Flair
Author: E.J. Russell 
Self Published
Publication Date: July 27, 2020
Length: 185 pages 

Reviewed by Michael

Synopsis

A M/M Summer Games Romance

It’ll take more than medals to mend their relationship.

Diabetic gymnast Sol Ashvili, an alternate for the 2016 men’s Olympic gymnastics squad, had one thing on his agenda for the last day of competition in Rio—corner teammate Tony Thomas, his best friend for half his life, and finally confess he’d been in love with him for years. But instead of returning to the team suite after winning his second silver medal, Tony jetted out of Rio and turned his back on everything: a college degree, gymnastics meets… and Sol. The first two Sol could forgive—barely. The last? Not a chance.

Commentators had a name for Tony’s crowd-pleasing, no-holds-barred, high-octane gymnastics—the Thomas Flair. After the 2016 Games, he parlayed that reputation into a career as an internet celebrity, specializing in extreme sports and risky stunts. His decision to battle his way back into competition shape for a chance at the 2020 Olympic team is extreme all right, but now he must survive the biggest risk of all: facing Sol again after his epic betrayal in Rio.

For the sake of the team and the reputation of US men’s gymnastics, Sol and Tony struggle to leave the past behind and find a way to work together. But as the Games draw closer, they’re starting to realize that finding their way back to each other may be the only way for both of them to truly fly high.

The Thomas Flair is a 64,000-word enemies to lovers second-chance rom-com set around the Tokyo Olympics that might have been, featuring a thrill-seeker who needs reining in, a perfectionist who needs to let go, redemption, rowdy teammates, and a few gymnastics moves that will never make it into the Code of Points.

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Review

I was fourteen in 1984, and, like most of the country, was glued to the television watching the men’s Olympic team take home the gold.  I was impressed with the athlete’s strength and absolute control.  I also developed a huge crush on Mitch Gaylord.  My poor ex-girlfriend got drug to the theater to watch “American Anthem.”  Terrible movie, but Mitch was adorable.

Sol and Tony had been friends forever and teammates of the Rio Olympics squad.  Sol has had to deal with the stress of being diabetic and Tony with a father who is never satisfied.  Things fall apart after the Rio games, and Tony walks away, leaving Sol with a whole slew of unanswered questions.  Fast forward four years, and Tony is back to prove that not only is he worthy of being a member of the Tokyo Olympic squad, but also of Sol.

Their reconciliation was rather quick, but I get it.  Their friendship ran deep.  Those feelings don’t just disappear, and the circumstances they find themselves in are similar to years past.  The strength of their loyalty and devotion to each other is readily apparent, despite their rocky history.  Perhaps because of this, this book has very little angst.  Instead, this book chooses to focus on rebuilding the relationship between two former friends and taking it to the next level.  With everything going on in the world today, this is exactly the kind of book we need.

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