Title: Cash Series: Blue Haven Boys, #1 Author: Tyler Robbins Genre: Contemporary Length: Novella (64 pages) Publisher: Naughty Notions Publishing (June 18th, 2014) Heat Level: Moderate Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥41/2Hearts Blurb: Ryan Blake had never been far from his small Texas town. Single and hating it, Ryan wanted nothing more than to change his relationship status. However, falling for his best friend, Cash, an experienced pretty boy, hadn’t been part of his summer plans.
Still reeling from an embarrassing heartbreak, Jameson Cash looked forward to another summer working at the Blue Haven Resort. He didn’t need the money, but surrounding himself with great people, a beautiful lake, and countless days of fun in the sun, was just what he needed to move on.
Cash was down for anything, but never dreamed that would include his best friend, Ryan. One amazing night changed both of their lives forever, showing them a life they’d never dreamed possible.
Unfortunately, just when they thought they’d figured it out, an unspeakable act of violence strikes too close to home, and they soon realize, no one’s future is certain.
The only thing better than having a friend to watch your back, is having a best friend to scratch it in your bed.
Review: Ryan loves his best friend Cash. When things change for them one night they both begin a journey a of exploring and discovering just how deep their feelings for each other are. Just when things are going great an unthinkable event happens that strengthens their feelings even more.
Loved this story about friends becoming lovers and more. So sweet how Ryan and Cash came together and actually talked before jumping into things. It was horrifying what happened to Ryan because of a homophobic guy. I was very glad Ryan had Cash to help him with his recovery after the incident. The intimate scenes between Ryan and Cash were sexy and hot. Great read.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com*
Blurb: Six years ago, Quinn Kelly barely escaped the brutal murder of his parents. Now the lone wolf is searching for a place to belong. Well aware of his proclivity for men, his nomadic life hasn’t allowed him to find anyone to call his own—until now.
Wolf-shifter and future alpha of his own pack, Killian Masters wants nothing more than his father’s approval. After meeting Quinn, he’s more determined than ever to make his father see who he is and how deeply he loves.
Captivated by their growing passion, the young lovers have a rude awakening when the vengeful alpha who murdered Quinn’s parents finds him, and vows to destroy anyone who gets in his way.
Some say the battle between good and evil is determined by which power is fed the most, but in nature, no power compares to that of an alpha’s claim.
Review: This is book two of this series and should be read in order. I have always loved the paranormal world especially when it gives you two very hot and sexy men. Shape shifting wolves are one of my favorite things to read about. Tyler has a gift to tell a story, bringing you wonderful characters, great worlds to lose yourself into, and a hot story line. Quinn barely escaped with his life when his parents were brutally killed six years ago. He is basically a lone wolf, and if you understand wolves, you know that they cannot live without a pack. He is not loved by many because of his sexual preference. He loves men not women and there are many out there who want it stopped.
When he meets Killian, who is a wolf shifter and soon to be alpha who turns his world upside down. He is hot and very tempting. Killian has always wanted his father’s approval and when he meets Quinn, he is more than determined to show his father who he is and how deeply he can love. How deep he is falling for Quinn. But there are dangers still out there, and they are gunning for Quinn. The alpha who had murdered Quinn’s parents was intent on making sure Quinn dies also.
Killian knows that he will do everything in his power to keep his mate safe, even if it means his life. He is however planning on having a long life with Quinn. The sex and sexual heat from these two will set the forest on fire. There is so much passion between them that you can feel the heat from them.
I liked the first story to this series, but this book is even better. There is so much description of each character, their worlds, the way they are together it just makes the story even more believable when an author does this. It makes it easy to get caught into a story when there is more to read about. This story caught my attention from the start and kept it all the way to the end.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves shapeshifters, wolves, two hot and sexy men, lots of danger and excitement, and some very hot sex.
Blurb: Jesse Reagan has had more than his share of tragedy, and he may have been dealt another blow when, once again, cancer threatens the sister who raised him. Faced with the possibility of being left behind, Jesse vows to care for her young son, though he’s not convinced he can.
When Trip Cantrell returns to town, he’s blindsided the instant he’s reunited with his kid brother’s lifelong friend, Jesse. His inability to find happiness in the years he’s been gone, suddenly makes sense. Love’s been waiting at home all along.
Life begins to look promising, except for the fact that neither have come out of the closet publicly, and that’s not even their biggest problem. Someone has a secret so shocking they may never find a way past it.
Will they be accepted in their small Texas town, or will secrets, lies, and the threat of tragedy destroy everything?
Jesse has had a lot thrown at him in his young life, losing both parents, his sisters’ fight with cancer, keeping the business going and helping to raise his nephew and staying hidden deep in the closet. When faced with the cancer attacking again, Jesse vows to his sister to look after his nephew while she fights it. Trip returns to town after discovering that the life he thought he wanted just makes him unhappy. Discovering his newfound attraction to Jesse, the two embark on a secret relationship. But jealousy, lies, and secrecy threaten to tear them apart.
This is quite a good story with the secrets of the past being discovered and threatening to blow a family apart. Jesse has hidden his sexuality from everyone but his sister, Joslyn. Living in a small town, he can’t even tell his best friend, Eric. But, when Trip (Ethan), Eric’s brother, comes back to town, Jesse has a temptation that he just can’t resist. Trip has always hidden his sexuality in the small town, so returning home to his resentful brother he knows that he is going back into the closet again. But, meeting Jesse as a grown-up shakes his resolve. Joslyn has a secret she dare not tell, she has kept it hidden for years, but now it is on the verge of eruption. Eric resents his brother coming home and slotting himself into Eric’s makeshift family, but Eric also knows something he shouldn’t.
I really have mixed feelings about this story because while I thought it was well written and a great storyline, I found it hard to connect to the characters or understand how they could dole out forgiveness so easily. Trip and Jesse dive into a secret relationship headfirst. They are hot together and eventually they settle everything between them. Joslyn was a great sister and a great mother, but not a very nice person at all.
The secret she had would have been taken to the grave if it hadn’t have been discovered by another, and I can’t like a character like that at all. Eric was wrong in his hate and jealousy, but you could understand why he acted the way he did. He felt abandoned by his brother and hoarded the family he created.
Trip never deserved anything that happened and was completely innocent and was so forgiving. you can’t help but love him. Jesse pointed his anger in the wrong places. Just because his sister was ill didn’t justify her actions in any way, shape or form or the fact that Jesse should have been angry with her. I don’t like when someone gets automatic forgiveness, just because they are family or dying.
I recommend this to those who love complicated family drama, finding love close to home, secrets, lies, forgiveness, hot sex, and a happy ending.
Prime’s Review: ♥♥♥3 Hearts
Two small town Texan boys, both have had difficult lives and difficult parents. One has recently returned home. And they’re both buried in the closet, fearful of what could happen to them if they indeed admitted their sexuality. It’s a good story and although I felt empathy, particularly for Jesse, I can’t say that the story immediately dragged me in and had me hooked.
We encounter four main characters, Jesse, who has sacrificed a lot including a social life, for his older sister, Joslyn. Joslyn was seven when their mother left and had since helped their overworked father raise Jesse before their father had a stroke and subsequently died. On the heels of that, Joslyn, who was in her senior year of high school, later became pregnant. A couple of years after that, she got cancer.
The story picks up four years after that diagnosis with the possibility that it had returned and besides Jesse, she only has her son, Jeremy. Then there is Eric Cantrell, he’s Jesse’s best friend despite the fact he has kind of left Jesse behind since Jesse has responsibilities. Eric is a ne’er do well type of character, always sleeping with a different woman and always on a bender on either drinks or smokes.
Although, through all this, he has dependable Jesse and Jesse seems to have to hots for his very straight friend. His older brother, Ethan (aka Trip), has been away for about five years. He went off the college and has returned to his small town home after realising, that he hated the profession he had chosen to enter.
So Ethan’s back and he sets his sights directly on Jesse. However, between the four of them, there are a number of secrets and lies whizzing about, the biggest one of course being that Ethan and Jesse are gay and together.
I know there’s a lot going on and that was just the introduction.
The story ran flat to me, though well paced. I really don’t hate it and I don’t find it boring, it just seems to lack that particular bit of spark that draws me into romance stories. I think the problem is that there is too much drama, secrecy and lies going on and there wasn’t enough time for everything to evolve. It sounds contradictory to what we expect as readers in terms of entertainment value, and while Jesse and Ethan’s love story seems more realistic to those of us in the real world,
I’m pretty sure all the intrigue was giving me a migraine. There was some level of sweetness to the story and lots of sadness, as well as seeing the chain of repercussions from stupid decisions made in the heat of the moment by immature teens. At times, it was even thought-provoking.
Still I find it hard to go beyond liking it.
Another problem, while I like Jesse and his sister, Joslyn, I wasn’t too impressed with Ethan and his little brother/Jesse’s BFF, Eric. Meanwhile, at the same time, Joslyn was the most judgmental character and contradicted herself with a whopping secret of her own.
Eric was really a questionable character to me, he seems a little unhinged at times and in serious need of an intervention. He seems angry for all the wrong reasons and I’m not sure if he likes Joslyn or Jesse. At first, I found it difficult to like Ethan, but he eventually came into his own and ended out to be a very likable guy.
Then again, half the time it seems that Ethan is the one being screwed over by everyone else and I feel really sorry for the guy. While it’s Jesse that’s angry when everything goes down a certain creek, I think that Ethan had rights to feeling more anger. Thankfully, despite the sadness and secrets and lies, there is a happily ever after.
I get the feeling that this book more than most is a bit hit and miss as to whether people love it or hate it. It’s going to appeal to those that like the small town, closet storyline – there’s even a touch of coming of age in it. It’s also good for people who love over the top drama, almost like a soap opera. In the end, it’s a web of the four interconnected lives and complex in places.
Title: Cash
