Tag: J. M. Cartwright

If Wishes Were Horses by J.M. Cartwright

jc_ifwisheswerehorses1Title: If Wishes Were Horses

Series: Sequel to The Trouble with Angel

Author: J.M. Cartwright

Genre: Contemporary

Length: Novella (86 pages)

ISBN: BOOIDVPX78

Publisher: Loose Id (Feb 11th, 2014)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts

Reviewer: Cat

Blurb: Sequel to The Trouble with Angel

Hot-tempered Angel and sexy, easy-going Brandon are pretty happy. Brandon’s baseball career is over, Angel’s no longer missing LA, and the guys are living in a vintage house in southern Oregon. Well, Angel thinks the house is just damned old.

Marisa and Trey have adjusted to the men as substitute parents, and Angel and Brandon have figured out how to have regular sex even with kids in the house. Angel even loves his marketing job at the winery.

But when Brandon gets an offer of a new job back in California, is their new life going to fall apart? Tough and scrappy Angel is afraid that their hot sex life and the family they’ve built won’t be enough to keep Brandon in the confoundedly cold Pacific Northwest. And being afraid pisses him off.

Brandon’s really keen on the job, and not at all keen on the cold. Will hot and sunny California call Brandon home again?

Purchase Link: http://www.loose-id.com/if-wishes-were-horses.html

Review: This is a sequel to The Trouble with Angel. I have not read the first book and this book was easy to follow and interesting. There is enough backstory dropped skilfully throughout the story to make it work on its own. I will admit I am intrigued with Angel and Brandon and definitely will be reading the first book to see how they met and acquired the children.

This story takes place 2 or 3 years after the first book. They are living in Oregon in an old remodeled farmhouse. I have to say from the way Angel and Brandon both feel about the house or the cold, why they chose this place (another good reason I want to read book one.) Brandon has been offered a job back in California as a sports announcer having his own show. It’s a once in a lifetime job. Brandon is stalling on telling Angel and the kids. When Angel finds out Brandon is holding secrets back and what the secret is, he jumps to wrong conclusions and takes the news hard. Will the job come between Angel and Brandon? What about the kids? Is Angel or Brandon finding fatherhood too stressful to continue? I highly suggest you buy the books to see.

I love the contrast between Angel and Brandon. Brandon is an ex-ball player, cool and collected, and laid back. Angel is hot-headed, smart, likes his new job at the winery, fun-loving, and high maintenance. They are definitely each other’s Yin to the others Yang. I liked that the story was filled with conflict, yet still sweet and loving. It’s a very good story with great characters.

I highly recommend this if you like sweet romantic stories, sexy ball players, architects, foster children, wineries, conflict of interest, a touch of humor, and of course hot, sexy mansex that isn’t over explicit.

Brainy and the Beast by J.M. Cartwright

brainy-and-the-beast-1_1_rx453_c340x450Title: Brainy and the Beast

Author: J.M. Cartwright

Genre: Contemporary

Length: Novel (311pgs)

Publisher: Loose Id (9th April 2013)

Heat Level: Moderate – Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥3 ½ – 4 Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: Robotics researcher Henry Travis uses his brain for just about everything, but once he meets Nick Shelton over the hood of his 1960 Mercedes 300, he’s at a loss. How does he control his attraction to this brash, sexy mechanic?

Nick owns his own classic car garage, and he is more than willing to hit it with the brainy, seriously hot, Henry. What he doesn’t need is the aggro that comes with feelings. But since his 14yo nephew, Grant, has come to live with him, he’s been dealing with aggravation every day. And now his dad lives with him, too. A dad who doesn’t mind commenting on Nick’s lame parenting skills.

With Henry turning his crank in a big way, and Nick enjoying not being in charge for a change, things heat up pretty fast. They’re actually dating, with dinner and everything, before he knows it. And the after-dinner drinks at Henry’s gorgeous house have Nick wiping the sweat from his brow.

But Henry and Grant don’t get along; Nick isn’t sure he wants a relationship at all, and Nick’s dad, Big Mike, has an opinion on everything.

How’s a guy to have fun on the weekends – even during the week, for crying out loud – with all the family baggage hanging around?

Purchase Link: http://www.loose-id.com/brainy-and-the-beast.html

Review: Nick is a mechanic who has a thing for smart guys. When Henry drives into his garage, Nick gets tongue-tied over the hot, smart genius and proceeds to wonder how he can catch the robotics researcher’s eye. Henry is a robotics researcher and likes things just the way he wants them. Driving into Nick’s garage disrupts his orderly life, when the hot mechanic catches his eye.

This is a great story of opposites attracts. The genius and the grunt both bring something unique to a relationship that balances on a knife edge. Nick has always had a thing for smart guys. He knows the relationships will never last, but the alluring pull of brains just keeps tantalizing him. When he meets Henry he is instantly attracted to him, but his bumbling makes him think Henry would never be interested. So, when Henry asks him out he is surprised, but pleased. Nick thinks his relationship is doomed though, when he keeps saying the wrong thing and it doesn’t help when his family problems interfere.

Both Nick and Henry are great characters, although you only get Nick’s perspective on things Henry’s character still shines through. Henry is rigid, his emotions rarely really engage with anything other than his work, his fish and his garden. So, when he begins to have feelings for Nick it throws him a bit. Nick really does think he is stupid, but he isn’t, he just doesn’t know what to say when put on the spot and finds it difficult to articulate what he wants to say. Expect fireworks as Nick and Henry clash and expect explosions when they make up.

They storyline is good and not just the relationship between Nick and Henry, but the development of Nick’s relationship with his nephew, Grant, the worry over his father Mike, and the prejudice aimed at Grant’s perspective girlfriend, Shawn. I did enjoy the story but at times found that the wealth of information at times was just too much, it was more like rambling in Nick’s mind and didn’t keep my attention.

I will recommend this to those who like opposites attracting, bumbling relationships, hot sex, a touch of kinky sex talk and a very happily ever after.    

 

A Change of Pace by J. M. Cartwright

Title: A Change Of Pace

Series: Change 03

Author: J.M. Cartwright

Genre: Contemporary

Length: Novel (143pgs)

Publisher: Torquere Press (10th August 2011)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: Andrew Cunningham is ticked off. He’s taken the fall for his old boss, the mayor of Chicago, and is forced to head to Asheville, North Carolina to avoid the press. He’s not in the mood to be nice. Once he meets sexy cabinet-maker Ridge Huntington, though, he unbends enough to get up close and personal.

Ridge isn’t sure that Mr. Right Now is worth the aggravation. They argue, Drew curses a lot, and Ridge rolls his eyes.

Drew manages to step on a few toes as he adjusts to life in the south, and Ridge finds himself entertained in more ways than one. Can an uppity Yankee and a laid-back Southerner meet in the middle?

Purchase Link: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=96&products_id=3251

Review: Drew is mega miffed.  He’s had to throw himself under the bus for his old boss and is being exiled to Asheville until the press backs off.  He’s not bothered that he lost his job (he hates politics), but he’s furious that the press was digging for dirt on his boss and twisting things. Ridge is a carpenter; he is also half owner of the inn where Drew is staying. They hit it off but Drew gets a lot more than he bargained for from the sexy Ridge.

Ridge is a surprising character as, at first, he came across as submissive but you soon find that he has a steel backbone.  He won’t let anyone walk all over him, which he shows Drew time and time again. Drew is just a natural asshole who really can’t stop acting that way no matter how hard he tries.  He has a natural reaction to keep people out (compounded by his ex-boyfriend cheating on him) and it takes Ridge to show him how to accept and admit love.

This story-line was brilliant and flowed well and I thought that it was a great set of characters. The pairing of Drew and Ridge is a match made in heaven.  Ridge can and will pull Drew aside and point out when he is being a prat and doesn’t let him get away with hiding his feelings. Drew seems to lend Ridge more confidence as he seems to become more confident with himself the longer he knows Drew. I loved Drew’s mum and dad and thought Ridge’s best friend was cool. The sex scenes are really hot and sexy and quite detailed as well.

So this story I would recommend to those who love hot men, hot sex, and hanging on to denial with your fingernails, a great story-line and a wonderful happy ending.