Tag: L. B. Gregg

Comfort and Joy ~ Holiday Anthology

23524655Title: Comfort and Joy
Author(s): Joanna Chambers , Josh Lanyon, Harper Fox, L.B. Gregg
Genre: Holiday Anthology
Length: 231 pages
Publisher: JustJoshin Publishing, Inc. (December 6th, 2014)
Heat Level: Moderate
Product Link: http://www.amazon.com/Comfort-Joy-Joanna-Chambers-ebook/dp/B00QO7ZR6A

Blurb(s):

18c88a5cedc427f9a99f2d63f3163bbc7e8ef9bcRest and Be Thankful by Joanna Chambers
Two stormy hearts find peace when feuding neighbors in the Scottish Highlands are trapped by a blizzard.

Things haven’t been going well for Cam McMorrow since he moved to Inverbechie. His business is failing, his cottage is falling apart, and following his very public argument with café owner Rob Armstrong, he’s become a social outcast.

Cam needs to get away from his troubles and when his sister buys him a ticket to the biggest Hogmanay party in Glasgow. He can’t leave Inverbechie quick enough. But when events conspire to strand him in the middle of nowhere in a snowstorm, not only is he liable to miss the party, he’ll also have to ask his nemesis, Rob, for help.

Zane’s Review: Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts
Written by Joanna Chambers, “Rest and Be Thankful” introduces Rob and Cam, two lonely men, an argument/slight misunderstanding with overreactions on both parts, a friendship (possibly more) cut short by said misunderstanding… the approaching New Year… a broken down vehicle… and the chance to kindle what burned out before it really started.

A short read, this could have been rushed or lacking in substance, but it wasn’t. Well written with plenty of character back-story and detail, this story certainly fulfilled its premise. Who doesn’t want a second chance at a rich and full life? At love? I was rooting for these two from the get-go.

I really liked Cam and Rob – both individually and as a couple. Bring on the hot, broody men who find first friendship, then sexiness, happiness and a future in each other, and just in time to ring in the New Year.

Short and sweet with a bit of sexy, just the way I like my holiday stories, this one is a keeper.

81ZUu1AGa2L._SL1500_Out by Harper Fox
Can a stranger unlock the courage and passion in a young man’s captive heart?

It’s Christmas at Edinburgh’s magnificent Barlinney Hotel, and chief housekeeper Cosmo Grant is in charge of the festivities. He’s already got his hands full when handsome Ren Vaudrey checks in.

It soon turns out that Ren is an undercover cop. Cosmo wants to help him, but unless he can do it within the Barlinney’s walls, Cosmo is stuck. A victim of crippling agoraphobia, he’s been a prisoner in this gilded cage for over a year. Cosmo gathers all his courage to do the right thing by Ren and Sam—and as a glittering Christmas Eve descends on the city, finds himself confronting his very darkest fears.

Cat’s Review:  ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts (more if I can steal a few)

Cosmo loves his job working at a plush high-end hotel. He has worked up to management but his supervisor George brace is a real meany.  All of the staff fear Brace.  Brace is taking advantage of Cosmo but when he wants Cosmo to be an extra service to some of the guests, he tries to put his foot down.

A new guest arrives and Cosmo finds himself very attracted but when Brace send him to Ren’s room Cosmo tells Ren he won’t be one of the conveniences of the hotel. Ren lets him know right away that he wasn’t expecting that, he needed information.  This is where even more twists start unraveling.

Wow this story is awesome. It was like reading a full novella in a short story. It is perfectly executed.  The characters are all interesting the storyline is intriguing the romance is hot, everything is amazing.

If you like romance with a bit of mystery and intrigue, fancy hotels, cops, lots of twists and turns, sweet romance, and a good holiday story I highly, highly recommend this one!

91PIrAsyN4L._SL1500_Waiting for Winter by LB Gregg
Some mistakes are worth repeating.

Luke always thought he and Winter were the perfect couple—until the day Winter announced he was taking a new job and they were uprooting and headed for Germany. No discussion. No debate. For the first time in his life, Winter miscalculated. Badly. Now Luke is trying his best to move on with his life, but Winter is back in town and he’s set on digging their relationship out of the deep freeze.

Tams’ Review: ♥♥♥♥4 Hearts
Six months ago Luke’s boyfriend, Winter, walked out on him, their life and their home for a job in Germany. Now he’s back and he has one goal in mind, to reclaim what is his. Luke gives being angry and complacent a valiant effort, but Winter knows how to make him squirm, and it doesn’t take long until they are in very familiar territory, the bedroom. The sex is mind-blowing and reminds Luke of when they first met. He’s not going to wait around to be hurt again though, and this time he walks out on Win.

When Christmas rolls around Winter is back and once again trying to prove to Luke that he loves him and that they belong together. Luke is convinced that what happened over the summer was a mistake, the question is, was it one worth repeating?

A fast, fun read about the importance of communication and compromise. Luke and Winter have lost a year they could have spent together all because Luke wanted Winter to ask. But the blame doesn’t lie solely on Win’s shoulders, since Luke was too stubborn to be honest with him about how he felt. Now it’s Christmas, it’s snowing, they are trapped in a beautiful cabin with a glistening tree and two hearts that belong together.

Definitely worth the read and appropriate for the season!

916s3pdVZiL._SL1500_Baby, It’s Cold by Josh Lanyon
Or maybe it’s the flu. Breaking up is hard to do — especially around the holidays.

Talk about Kitchen Nightmares! TV Chef Rocky and Foodie blogger Jesse have been pals forever, so it should have been the most natural thing in the world to move their relationship to the next level. Instead, it turned out to be a disaster. But Christmas is the season of love, and someone’s cooking up a sweet surprise…

Leigh’s Review: Heart Rating: ♥♥♥ 3 Hearts
Rocky and Jess had three months together and two months broken up. They have been friends for years prior to that. So they decided to give it a go as boyfriends. Only their own insecurities got in the way and destroyed what they were trying to have. Jesse in a last-ditch effort decides to put together a surprise dinner for Rocky. Only things to not go the way he plans. Both MCs know they made mistakes and the reason they didn’t work. It takes them finally opening up to each other to see what they should have from the start.

This was a well-written piece. However, I was not really drawn into the story. There was just something missing, maybe an emotional pull that I didn’t feel.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *

There's Something About Ari by L.B. Gregg Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway!

L.B. Gregg - There's Something About Ari Banner
Hi peeps, we now have Riptide Publishing’s L.B. Gregg stopping by with her newest release There’s Something about Ari, the second book in the Bluewater Bay series. So check out the books, my review and the giveaway where you have the chance to win $10 of Riptide Publishing store credit *you can buy any book with that!* <3 ~Pixie~
L.B. Gregg - There's Something About Ari _500x750

There’s Something About Ari

(Bluewater Bay 02)
by

L.B. Gregg

Buck Ellis’s future seems pretty damn bright. With a full college scholarship in hand, he’s going to ditch Bluewater Bay and pave the way for his kid brother Charlie to do the same. The only fly in Buck’s ointment is his ten-year addiction to his best friend since second grade, his true love, and his Achilles heel: Ari Valentine, Mr. Least Likely to Succeed.

But then Buck’s mother dies, changing everything, and five years later, his future is still on hold. It’s a struggle to keep food on the table, a roof over their heads, and Charlie on the straight and narrow. Buck can’t afford any temptation, especially in the form of the newly returned, super hot, super confident, super successful television star Ari Valentine.

ADHD poster-child Ari Valentine left for Hollywood and lost everything, including his bad reputation. Then the breakthrough role of his skyrocketing career lands him back in Bluewater Bay, to the stunned disbelief of, well, everyone. But there’s only one person Ari longs to impress—the only person who ever really mattered to him, the person he left behind: Buck Ellis.

Continue reading “There's Something About Ari by L.B. Gregg Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway!” →

How I Met Your Father by L.B. Gregg

81CCuABXU7L._SL1500_Title: How I Met Your Father

Series:   N/A

Author: L. B. Gregg

Genre: Contemporary

Length: Novella (112 pages)

Publisher: Riptide Publishing (November 18th, 2013)

Heat: Moderate

Heart: ♥♥♥2.75 Hearts

Reviewer: Eli/Mandingo

Blurb: The man of your dreams could be sitting right next to you… 

Former boy band member Justin Hayes isn’t looking for a man. He just wants a quiet, scandal-free Christmas at home in Chicago, out of the public eye. But his best friend and bandmate is subjecting everyone to his destination wedding, and Justin can’t dodge the “best man” bullet. All he has to do is get to the island on time, survive the reunion, and get Chuck to the altar with as little drama as possible. What could possibly go wrong? 

Jack Basinger’s own plans for a quiet Christmas have been dashed by the summons to his daughter’s hasty wedding with a man Jack has hardly met. On the bumpy flight to the island, he finds himself comforting a nervous—and extremely attractive—young man. One hasty sexual encounter in an airport bathroom later, they both feel much better. No one ever has to know, after all. 

Now Justin and Jack must find a way to explore their attraction, despite the distractions of disapproving family members, unexpected announcements, an impromptu concert, and an island paradise that proves there’s no place like home

Purchase Link:   http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/how-i-met-your-father

Review: I wish this book were longer. Why?  Because there are so many ideas here that really needed to be explored that would have made the story so much better.  The story premise is excellent and the characters are introduced and interact well together. The problem is that the love story between Justin and Jack just never has an opportunity to shine. Instead, it is buried amongst the other sub plots.  This felt more like Justin’s story and how he’s to navigate his way from being the boy band guy into being a man who’s ready to have a relationship. If this is the intent – perfect!  This then is what needed to be showcased much more. More so than his interaction with his former band members.  The time spent exploring that really needed to be sent on his interaction with Jack.

The notion I assume is that the background noise of the former band mates and the wedding are to enhance the relationship with the men.  What, however, ends up occurring, is the overshadowing of the romance.  The reader has to deal with the former life of the boy band, the relationship between the band members, the obvious communication issues between Jack and his two children, the lack of relationship between Jack and his son-in-law, AND the reason for the shot-gun wedding (spoiler alert).

The solution would have been to KEEP all of these sub plots but insert Jack and Justin not as players in the plot but rather as pivotal to the development of these sub plots so that we learn more about ‘who’ these men are and how they will react to these issues and how together they build a relationship.  Now of course, the story takes place over two or three days so accomplishing all that in itself is ambitious.

The title pretty much tells you what the end will be so you know it’s coming – what you then WANT to see as the reader is how they got there. The reader keeps get glimpses of the Justin and Jack story and of course you get to the ending and KNOW that, this is what is going to happen, but you never got to go along for the ride.

Dudleytown by L. B. Gregg

Title: Dudleytown

Series: A Cornwall Novella 01 (2011 Edition)

Author: L.B. Gregg

Genre: Contemporary, Thriller

Length: Novella (76pgs)

Publisher: Musa Publishing (28th October 2011)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: College sophomore Alexander Strauss has one rule: no messing around with straight guys. Especially not his mouth-watering roommate, Shannon. When their ride share drives off the side of a mountain, the two young men find themselves deep in an uninhabited forest searching for their missing friend. Wandering the famously cursed grounds of Dudleytown, Alex figures something truly unholy must be at play, because only insanity could tempt him to break his cardinal rule.

Purchase Link: http://www.musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9&products_id=75

Previously Published By Aspen Mountain Press 29th October 2010

Review: A fantastic Halloween read. Alex, Shannon and Ricky are car-sharing their way to Goshen when Ricky declares he knows a short cut… and their troubles begin.

This is a really great piece of writing, I loved everything about it; the characters were cool, the setting perfect and creepy, the story-line great and the suspense holds you by the hair on the back of your neck.

God. There’s so much I want to rave about, but I can’t without giving spoilers away… aarrrggg. So what can I tell you about… well, I can tell you that Alex seems to have a film for any setting and is quite descriptive and it’s quite eerie to have horror films mentioned and you can picture it perfectly and imagine being in the same situation and the tingles just hit your spine.  Alex also seems to be quite level-headed (except about film descriptions) and keeps his cool in what has to be quite a scary situation. Shannon seems to be more of a take action type of guy but he will ask for input from Alex and will also protect him and Ricky.  Well, let’s just say he really should have stayed on the main roads.

There are some hot scenes between Alex and Shannon even in the midst of spine-tingling suspense and it’s great when they sort out their misunderstanding. I loved how they worked well together and they made a great team.

I am going to recommend this to those who like thrillers, suspense, escaped convicts, a bit of danger, tingles down your spine, a bit of hot lovin’ and a great story.