Hi peeps, we have Aria Grace popping in today with her newest release Choosing Us, we have a great excerpt and a fantastic giveaway so enjoy the post and click that rafflecopter link <3 ~Pixie~
Choosing Us
(More Than Friends 10)
by
Aria Grace
Adam is almost done with culinary school when Lee, his instructor, kicks him out of school, his apartment and his life. Adam quickly becomes a member of the working poverty, living on the streets, and just trying to survive. With nothing positive to look forward to, Adam resorts to the only way he knows how to escape from his life.
Joey finds Adam sick and alone in Waterfront Park one night and takes him home. Steve and Joey want to help but Adam may not be ready to accept it or them. It’ll all come down whether the three men are better off together or apart.
Title: Hands On Series: More than Friends, #5 Author: Aria Grace Narrator: Tim Todd Genre: Contemporary Romance Length: 3 hours and 47 minutes Publisher: Aria Grace (07-06-2015) Heat Level: Moderate Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts Blurb: Patton is new to town and hasn’t met a lot of people outside of the salon he works at as a masseur. He wants a relationship but he’s quick to fall in love and even quicker to scare away most men he’s interested in.
When he meets an outgoing bartender named Caleb, he is immediately attracted but isn’t sure he can date someone who has to flirt for tips all night long.
Unfortunately, that’s not the worst thing Caleb does to make a living.
More than Friends #1 (Free) More than Friends #2: Drunk in Love More Than Friends #3: Choosing Happy More than Friends #4: Just Stay More than Friends #5: Hands On
Review: Caleb is working his way through college by any means necessary. He is a good guy, smart, with attainable goals. He never factored in considering someone else’s feelings on how he made his money. When he meets Patton at the bar where he is a part-time bar tender, full-time, off the books, rent boy, there is a definite mutual attraction.
And when Caleb accepts an offer for a massage at the salon Patton works at, he starts to consider the possibility of something more for the first time in a long time. Then Patton makes an off the cuff remark and sinks the ship before it ever leaves the docks.
This has to be my favorite story and coupling in this series thus far. The story unfolds at the perfect pace, each piece of the puzzle being turned at the right time. The struggle Caleb faces was not only real, believable, it was painful. I loved the fact that he realized selling his body wasn’t the best line of work, but refused to be put down or looked down on because he pursued the only option he was given.
Patton pissed me off early on, but then Grace did a fantastic job of humbling him and showing how he struggled with his attraction to Caleb, equal only to his disdain of Caleb’s choice of profession.
Narrated by Tim Todd, and though it was my first listen with this narrator, it won’t be my last. He really captured the true voice for the characters. I could feel Caleb’s frustration and Patton’s indecision throughout the story. I thought it was poetic justice that Patton’s lying, cheating ex was read as a sniveling jackass, much like his character!
Emotional and engaging with a small dose of angst. Definitely a must read if you are a fan of Aria Grace and/or this series. Perhaps it will become your favorite as well.
I can’t wait to see what she brings to the table for the next couple in this series.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *
Hi peeps, we have Aria Grace popping in now with her upcoming new addition to her More Than Friends series, Looking For Home. We have a great excerpt and a fabulous giveaway, so check out the post and click that Rafflecopter link <3 ~Pixie~
Looking For Home
(More Than Friends 09)
by
Aria Grace
Evan spends half the week on the road, literally, and the rest of his time sitting around in an empty house. Killing time and drowning his hopes of ever finding someone to share his life with. Someone to come home to.
When he meets Georgie at a New Year’s Eve, Evan’s entire perspective changes.
Title: Just Stay Series: More Than Friends, #4 Author: Aria Grace Narrator: Chris Chambers Genre: Contemporary Romance Length: 3 hours and 54 minutes Publisher: Aria Grace (05-12-15) Heat Level: Moderate Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4 Hearts Blurb: When Spencer agreed to help take down the leader of a Portland crime family, he didn’t realize he’d end the night with the bloodied body of an unknowing accomplice in his arms. His initial interest in Dylan was purely physical but when Dylan stepped in front of Topher’s gun and saved Spencer, the lust quickly turned into something more. Something he wasn’t sure he’d ever find in the fast-paced dot com world he was from.
Review: Dylan and Spencer meet and fall for each other under the strangest of circumstances. Spencer is working undercover trying to take down a Mafioso type family and Dylan is the targets friend and bodyguard. Dylan has been growing tired of Topher’s manipulations for a while, so when Topher pulls a gun on Spencer, Dylan steps in the way.
Over the next several weeks, Dylan and Spencer exchange phone calls and get to know one another better through long distance calls and occasional phone sex. When Topher’s sins fall back on Dylan and Spencer winds up sideways involved, Dylan will do whatever it takes to keep the man he’s fallen for out of harm’s way.
I was surprised by where the storyline in the book went, pleasantly surprised. There is a mystery that slowly unravels and I was kind of on the edge of my seat throughout. I loved the chemistry between Dylan and Spencer, but Grace also took the time to let them get to know each other before they fell into bed, and eventually in love.
They were sexy and passionate and sometimes surprising with where they went intimately speaking.
This is the first book I’ve listened to with this narrator and he wasn’t half bad. There were a few characters that had the same vocal tone, so that was a little confusing, but the main characters all had their own voice, so he is forgiven. I’ll be looking for more of his work, that’s for sure.
If you are looking for a short, suspenseful, sexy story then this one is a must read.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *
Hi peeps, Aria Grace is stopping by for a visit with her newest release Finally Found, there’s a brilliant excerpt and a fantastic giveaway so celebrate Aria’s release with her and click that Rafflecopter link <3 ~Pixie~
Finally Found
(More Than Friends 08)
by
Aria Grace
For the past six years at the University of Oregon, Trey has been completely focused on studying. With no time for relationships, he’s had to rely on the occasional hookup to fulfil his physical need for companionship. Now that he’s almost done with his Masters in Biology, his attention is on his career. Relationships will have to wait. Again.
Chuck is hitching his way down the coast, taking odd jobs to survive while trying to stay off the radar of an abusive ex. He just wants to get to L.A. in one piece so he can start over. His job skills are limited, but even working in porn will be better than what he’s running from. Hiding is hard but Chuck isn’t ready to be found.
Title: More Than Friends Author: Aria Grace Series: More Than Friends, #1 Narrator: Douglas Dale Genre: Contemporary Length: 1 hour and 26 minutes Publisher: Aria Grace (11-17-14) Heat Level: Moderate Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4 Hearts Blurb: Tired of moping around after the breakup of his long-term girlfriend, Ryan knew he needed a hookup to get him out of his funk. When he met Drea, he hoped she might be the one. But when he felt more chemistry with her gay cousin Zach, Ryan felt more confused and terrified than he had in his life.
He wasn’t gay but he wanted to be with Zach. How could it possibly work?
Review: Ryan is in a bit of a funk after breaking up with his girlfriend when he meets the outspoken and lively Drea at a party. He winds up spending the night on her couch and winds up feeling more of a connection with her cousin, the gamer and all around smart geek Zach, than he does with the girl he hoped would lift the fog in his head left after the break up.
Ryan and Zach become friends and start spending more and more time together studying and playing disc golf, but Ryan doesn’t recognize his attraction to Zach until it is almost too late. He continually tells himself and Zach that he is not gay, they can be friends, but he is not gay. Me thinks though doth protest too much.
What I loved most about this story is how you could tell from that first stare that Zach was completely attracted to Ryan. But he never really pushes the issue until Ryan opens the door. They become friends before they become lovers and that aspect of the story made it more believable when the romance unfolded.
This was my first audible with Douglas Dale, but I’ll find something else of his soon. I could always tell when there was a change in character, mood, and setting by his changes in tone, nuance, and inflection. There was emotion behind his words when there was emotion written into the story and that always makes for an enjoyable listen.
I’ve both read and listened to this story and enjoyed both variations. I’d recommend to anyone that likes a believable and well written ‘Gay For You’ type story.
Title: Just Stay Series: More Than Friends, #4 Author: Aria Grace Genre: Contemporary Length: Novel (240 pages Publisher: Surrendered Press (October 7th, 2014) Heat Level: Moderately Explicit Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4 Hearts Blurb: When Spencer agreed to help take down the leader of a Portland crime family, he didn’t realize he’d end the night with the bloodied body of an unknowing accomplice in his arms. His initial interest in Dylan was purely physical but when Dylan stepped in front of Topher’s gun and saved Spencer, the lust quickly turned into something more. Something he wasn’t sure he’d ever find in the fast-paced dot com world he was from.
Review: One of my problems when reading a series that features a different couple with each entry is that I am just not ready to let go of the previous couple. This was no different. I went into it wanting to know more about Steve and Joey from Choosing Happy so it took me a few chapters to really get my hooks in.
I won’t lie. I didn’t feel the same emotional pull towards either Spencer or Dylan as I did for Steve and Joey in Choosing Happy. Having said that, I did find them intriguing and interesting, just not to the same caliber. Dylan steps into Topher’s role as boss very well. Almost as if he was born for it, without the sadistic tweaks that his former boss had. As for Spencer, well, he doesn’t really fit in Dylan’s world at first, but the author does an excellent job of blending the pair.
Before I end my review, I should make comment to the fact that it’s said that even though this is a series, these are standalone stories. I guess that’s true to an extent. I read the first entry, More Than Friends, last year. I have not read the second one. I did read the third entry, Choosing Happy, which I reviewed here earlier. I have to say that I am glad that I read Choosing before this one. Yes, it could be read by itself but personally, I would have felt lost not having understood why Dylan took a bullet for Spencer, which is where #3 ended and this one began.
So it is in my opinion that you should read Choosing Happy before reading Just Stay.
Title: Hands On
Title: Just Stay
Title: More Than Friends