Cat Among the Pigeons

Beebs' Review

14 year old Henry is the new kid in school, the first person he meets is Julius he's a little odd but Henry is intrigued anyway. After an altercation with some bullies in the cafeteria, Henry and Julius are called into the principal's office and questioned about one of the other kids involved. Thus begins their investigation to find out what's been happening with the older kids in school because it's obvious something is going on and Julius is determined that he won't be blamed.

The investigation is a sweet little mystery and highlights the dangers of the internet but this story is really about Henry, confirming and admitting his sexuality, and the pains and insecurities of first love. I don't know if the author is planing more books about Henry and Julius but I think they deserve more.

*Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Beebs' Review

Perfect Harmony, Book 3

Michelin was a large part of the first 2 books in this series, he was responsible for both previous couples getting their big break and has worked hard to give them a strong start in a fickle industry. It's obvious he's a good man and it's equally obvious there is something going on with him so I was looking forward to finding out what was going on.

Michelin is at a birthday party in a gay bar when he almost literally runs into Lucky, a go go dancer at the bar. He's intrigued but a series of misunderstandings leads to disaster and Michelin being outed very publicly and very much against his, and his record labels wishes.

Michelin is so deep in the closet, it's almost suffocating when you're in his head space. He is very much under the thumb of his record label and his publicist and pretty much just does whatever they tell him. Lucky is dragged along for the ride and, for me, Lucky saved this book from being utterly depressing.

It's only when he almost loses Lucky for good that Michelin finally gets a backbone and starts to take control of his own life. He stops being a doormat for the record label, accepts that he has a lot of support and admitting he's gay is not the end of the world or his career. He finally admits his feelings for Lucky, to Lucky and the rest of the world.

Overall, I enjoyed it but it was a bumpy ride.

*Received from NetGalley on exchange for an honest review

Beebs' Review

4.5 rounded up

Book 2 in the All Saints series

I have been waiting for Marc's story since Come What May, I knew there must be some darkness in his past but what I got here was so much more than I expected.

Marc's backstory and Anthony's downward spiral after he lost his best friend are heartbreaking and Marc's struggle to learn to trust again felt real to me. He knows what Anthony is going through, he's been there, and he's afraid that if Anthony slips he'll drag him back down with him.

They do pull through and slowly learn to trust each other but there's a long road ahead of them and again I think the author kept it real by not making it all sunshine and roses, it is not going to be easy for these guys but they are working to make it through together.

I am already pining for the next book in this series, no idea who it's going to be but there are several characters I'd like to read more about.

*Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Beebs' Review

Book 2 in the Naked Men series

I quite like the premise of the series and I love all the guys, the "Naked Men" of the series title but I didn't like Madison.

At first, she came across as charming and fun if a little naive but after a while, she got on my nerves. Her pure determination that this was what she wanted in life and this was what she was going to have and basically she was going to do whatever it took to get it just didn't work for me. For me and I stress me, it read more like desperation than anything else.

So 3 stars because I liked Knox and I want to read more about the other Naked Men.

*Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Beebs' Review

This book cracked me up from start to finish. Nick's inner monologue and total lack of filter are hysterical and have a tendency to get him into trouble but he has a good heart. At times Nick comes across as very young and at 18 he is, but as I live with an 18 year old (son) I'm fairly convinced that is how their brains work, moving from topic to topic at lightning speed.

Jai is very chill and laid back and though at times he struggles to follow Nick's train of thought, he goes with the flow and despite all falls for him, hard. The ending is more HFN than HEA, but given Nick's age I think anything else would have been unrealistic.

*Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Beebs' Review

3.5 really

Graham has been pining after his friend Jackson for years but the one time they tried to move beyond friendship was a disaster, so they pretend it didn't happen and just continue as before. That's no longer enough for Graham, he's tired of the rodeo, tired of being alone and then he meets Kaz.

Kaz is nothing that Graham ever wanted, he's a vegan, animal rights protestor and Graham rides in the rodeo but when they talk, they admit that maybe they've both been a bit hard on each other and when Graham helps Kaz rescue some neglected horses and that's that, Kaz is goner.

This story really didn't go in the way I was expecting, I really thought it was going to be Graham and Jackson for the HEA, that wasn't a bad thing just unexpected, so I'm hoping there's a follow up where we get Jackson's story.

*Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Beebs' Review

Book 2 in the End of the Line series

It was obvious from the first book that there was something between Will and Hunter and this book picks up a couple of weeks after that. There is major chemistry between Will and Hunter but Hunter is not sure whether he can trust Will given his family's criminal past and Will is wary of Hunter when he finds out his part in bringing his family down. There's a lot of action in this book but there is still a lot of page time devoted to the relationship which I really liked.

Overall, I enjoyed this book more than the first and I'm looking forward to the next, which I'm hoping is Seth's.

*Received form NetGalley in exchange for and honest review

Beebs' Review

Book 2 in the Kick series

Sawyer seeks physical pain to escape the emotional pain he's been bottling up since the loss of his family when he was 16. He hooks up and moves on, never getting close to anyone or letting anyone close to him.

Asher has been hiding in the closet for years, he can't bring himself to tell his family the truth about himself and while he has his friends in Kick, he pretty much keeps himself to himself.

They meet when Sawyer comes to work at Kick for the summer season, there's an immediate attraction and the sexual tension between them is combustible BUT though they hook up, Sawyer runs at every opportunity. It takes him a very long time to open up to Ash about his past and when he finally does, he runs again.

I enjoyed this but it's definitely not for the faint of heart, some of the scenes between these two are very intense and definitely not for everyone.

*Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Beebs' Review

Let me start by saying that I was pleasantly surprised by this book. When I saw in the blurb that Randy was a Pastor's son I was kinda braced for some sermonising but nope!

Told from Francis' POV, we learn about his life on the streets and him selling his body in exchange for food and an occasional night off the streets. He's very young and that's all he's ever known. When the local homeless shelter burns down, he has nowhere to go and starving he goes into a church meeting in the hopes of getting something to eat and meets Randy and his family.

Francis runs away at first, not believing that anyone genuinely wants to help him but when he is beaten up one night he ends up staying at their house while he recovers. The build up of Randy and Francis' relationship is slow, Randy does struggle with his feelings for Francis and Randy's parents struggled with their acceptance too.

Meanwhile, Francis is struggling with his feelings for Randy and the idea that his life could be different. Overall, it didn't blow my socks off but I enjoyed it.

*Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Beebs' Review

Noah and Troy have been best friends forever, when in Vegas celebrating Noah's sign up to a hockey team, they finally act on the sexual tension between them. Something both of them had wanted but were afraid to act upon because they didn't want to lose their friendship. Sadly, Noah feels that they need to hide their relationship because of his career and eventually Troy gets tired of being kept a secret and ends things.

When Troy is in a serious accident, Noah soon comes to realise that labels don't matter and what he feels for Troy is more important than anything else. They begin to work on rebuilding their relationship and it takes time because Troy is afraid to trust Noah after what happened previously.

Although this is quite a short book at only 115 pages, it was very well written and I don't think the story suffered because of it. I hadn't read any of the previous books in the series but this read very well as a standalone even though there were cameos from what I assume were characters in previous books. Sweet short with a lovely HEA and I'd like to see a story for Chip and Gunnar next.

*Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Beebs' Review

This is a very short read, only 85 pages. I liked the premise, Pole dancer and company VP. But it was too short for the story to really develop, there was so much potential here, Jeremy's boss was a nasty piece of work and there is something really shady going on at David's Company but there is no resolve to any of that. So, good if you're looking for a quick read to fill in a couple of hours, there is a happy ending but no satisfactory answers IMHO.

*ARC received from Nine Star Press in exchange for an honest review

Beebs' Review

Ben is going through a rough patch, though it isn't stated he is clearly suffering from PTSD. He's out on his bike considering ending it all when he comes across a bar and meets Tanner. They have a one night stand and when Tanner goes to sleep, Ben runs.

Fate has different ideas though when Ben is sent to investigate a murder it's in Tanner's home town and Tanner might be on the hit list.

I really liked the premise of this book, it had real potential but.......I had a fair idea who the murderer was quite early on and once the killer had been caught everything was wrapped up in a neat little bow too quickly and easily for me. I love a HEA and I got one but I felt the ending made it seem like Ben had been worrying for nothing, his parents and work colleagues were great so it seemed like he'd been worried for nothing.

Anyhow, a nice quick afternoon read with a happy ending.

*Received from Nine Star Press in exchange for an honest review

Beebs' Review

Sassy Boyz Book 1

Fitch is.......steady. He's the dependable son, brother, friend. He's out celebrating his sister's birthday as designated driver when he sees the most beautiful woman he's ever seen dancing on stage, he's instantly hooked but the biggest shock of all is that he's still hooked when he discovers that beautiful woman is a man. As a joke, his sister and her friends buy him a lap dance but the instant chemistry between these two is off the charts HOT. To the shock ofeveryone, they kiss and sparks fly.

Ansel fucking Becke is FIERCE and the last thing he needs is to be a straight man's experiment but there is just something about Fitch.......he makes him hope, something he gave up on when he ran away from home at 17.

Needless to say things are not straightforward for these two, Ansel's past is reaching out to drag him back down, he falls temporarily but his friends and Fitch pull him back and give him the strength to fight through.

At times it felt like the conflict was resolved too easily but the chemistry between Fitch and Ansel practically jumps off the page. So yes, there's insta-lust/love but I was rooting for them all the way through and the ending had me squeeing happily, can't wait for the other Sassy Boyz' stories.

*Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Beebs' Review

Queers of La Vista, Book 1

Emerson has been diagnosed with MS and is very angry at the world and everyone in it. He sees it as a weakness when he has to ask for help or horror of horrors rely on his cane. A chance meeting on a bus brings Obie into his life and sloooooooowly, things start to change.

Emerson was a total douche for most of the book and spent all of his time pushing Obie away even though that wasn't what he really wanted. Luckily, Obie is persistent and doesn't give up on him. Emerson eventually comes to realise that he has some very good people in his life and that they actually want to help and that asking for help when needed is not a weakness.

Obie was a great character but I felt that I didn't know him as well as I would have liked and there are some great side characters in Emerson's students and Obie's friend Mildred. maybe there will be more about them in future books.

*Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Beebs' Review

Loud and Clear is a very short, very sweet novella about 2 men who have difficulties with every day life.

Jaxon is doing ok, despite his severe Dyslexia, he is working as a cabbie and for the most part he loves his job. Caleb is a new regular, Jaxon thinks he's gorgeous and way out of his league but finds it curious that Caleb never speaks. Things get a little awkward when Caleb starts leaving little notes because Jaxon is afraid to attempt to read them in front of him.

As they get to know each other, which presents it's own problems, it emerges that Caleb has a very severe stutter and struggles with strange people and unfamiliar situations. It was lovely watching them work things out and support each other but I really would have liked more.

*Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review