I am so glad I gave this book a chance. I wasn't eager to get back to this series since the first book sucked balls and - in it - Jax, the has-been TVI am so glad I gave this book a chance. I wasn't eager to get back to this series since the first book sucked balls and - in it - Jax, the has-been TV star, was portrayed as a bit of a superficial airhead who was as self-obsessed as Theo and Kieran. Matter of fact, everybody in Put a Ring on It just seemed like awful people.
But I was wrong, so wrong. Jax was great. Not perfect, far from it, but he showed such growth from the moment he met Oz up to the end of the book when he finally realized what really mattered.
I also loved how his relationship with Oz developed - from a quick fumble in the back of a car to meeting exes (who I imagined was just like Gloria's ex from Modern family) to family dinners to their well-deserved HEA. I adored that it wasn't insta-love and there was a lot of growing up that happened first before they exchanged I love you's. I loved the moment when Oz realized he's in love with Jax. I loved the moment when Jax prioritized Oz and the girls. I loved the whole fucking journey and I'm just ecstatic that - contrary to my suspicion based on the latest release - Mitchell hasn't lost her touch.
Another reviewer mentioned that this was a grown-up story, which is a perfect description, I feel. Oz and Jax were grown-ups that dealt with grown-up issues in a grown-up manner. That doesn't sound like something you'd spend a couple hours reading, but trust in Mitchell, man. She's got it. She's also got the smut turned up to scorching and mama always appreciates a vividly described uber hot boink session. ...more
Surprisingly thoughtful and restrained for a Calmes book. Maybe it's the collab with Cardeno C., but whatever it is, I like it.
Robert is a gentle giaSurprisingly thoughtful and restrained for a Calmes book. Maybe it's the collab with Cardeno C., but whatever it is, I like it.
Robert is a gentle giant who believes in getting to know a person first before proclaiming your undying love for them just because hormones. He has not shifted to his bear form since he was a kid, so is not saddled by all the "you mate, you bend over now, we'll be together forever" mantra that is prevalent in the majority of m/m shifter stories.
Vy is a graduate of the Mary Calmes Mating School and is totally disappointed when Robert does not go the Logan Church route and he had to go through the majority of the book without a mating bite. The horror! He changes his tone, though, and decides to give Robert a chance when he stopped for a bit to actually talk to the guy and not at him.
I love Change of Heart and other supah insta love stories, don't get me wrong. I adore Mary Calmes's books and their predictability. I like how there's always eyebrows waggling and a Jory character and conversations that do not quite flow continuously because the MCs are firm believers of rude interruptions and dicks that won't quit.
And this one still had all of that but dialed down so you're not constantly straddling the line between entertained and irritated. While Vy was sometimes passive-aggressive and a bit of an asshole with a Napoleon complex, he grew on me when he started to act his age and minimize his interruptions and talking over people. He still had some TSTL and avoidable misunderstanding moments, but that was all okay because Robert.
Robert is the Jory character that I can get behind. He's gorgeous and kind and adorable but didn't have that much of an opportunity to be a Gary Stu. People like him but don't have a hardon for him. He can actually be around other people without them wanting to bone him. He's a Calmes's character that's the most rooted to reality without being too pedestrian, I feel.
I dunno. Maybe it's because, due to recent Calmes releases, I was expecting a messy debacle filled with insta-love and winking buds and people talking over each other -- which you're supposed to buy as them being so in love they're incapable of proper communication -- but I really enjoyed this book. It still has the sap and the fluff and all the other ingredients found in a Calmes book, but it's subdued. Or subsumed? Subsu... or a word like that. Sub something or other. You know, just sort of folded in. So that made it more....more
This reminded me so much of Muscling Through but with an orange Al Fletcher. An orange, h-dropping, model wannabe, glitter pirate of an Al Fletcher. SThis reminded me so much of Muscling Through but with an orange Al Fletcher. An orange, h-dropping, model wannabe, glitter pirate of an Al Fletcher. Sure, the Larry Morton in this was a bit of an asshole and had he not been doing the narration, I wouldn’t have had any sympathy for him, but Darian was kind and sweet and funny and adorable in his cluelessness, so it’s all good. Also, I related in most of Ash’s narrative, which makes me a bit of an asshole as well, so I shouldn’t judge too much, I guess. Suffice it to say, with how hilarious and touching and brilliant this book was, I’m a certified Alexis Hall fangirl now and will defo stalk him watch out for his next book. Which I’m sure will be well nice.
Oh, and another fing that’ll be well nice? Even just a quickie sequel to this book coz I need to see Ash making it up to Darian.
I have a thing for quiet unassuming books that innocently pull you in, giving the impression of being something you can easily put down because, hey tI have a thing for quiet unassuming books that innocently pull you in, giving the impression of being something you can easily put down because, hey there's really not much going on and you've read something like this before only flashier, but then it's three hours later and your stomach is growling, you've missed breakfast, none of your weekend to-do list is getting done, and you don't give a fuck because you're hooked and would rather starve than close your Kindle. Sure, nothing has changed - the pace is still pretty slow, the characters subdued and realistic, but that's just it. You're practically inhaling the book because it's so simple and low-key and engaging and just so damn earnest. Kieran & Drew is such a book.
Kieran is the odd guy in school no one's friends with and Drew is the hot all-American athlete everybody likes. After Drew finds out Kieran has a crush on him, a friendship starts which is quickly followed by smexin in the art room. They discover sex, themselves, and I try to find other cliches I can stick in this review to help me describe the guys' growth as they navigate their senior year in high school.
Superficially, it was the usual geek and jock story that had coming of age and GFY/OFY elements in it. At its core, it kinda was the usual geek and jock story that had coming of age and GFY/OFY elements in it. There was a comic geek whose dad didn't pay him any attention, a jock who had his own family issues, a homophobic asshole, teenagers and their random acts of casual cruelty, and a good dose of teenage drama and angst.
The thing, though, was it was all written in such a way that you felt the angst and the drama and all the other plot-things without being repeatedly hit over the head with it. Nothing was overdone and the MCs were such likable characters that any issues I may have had dim in the light of their simple but relatable narrative.
Kieran presented his story with blunt self reflection that prevented him from coming off as whiny or pathetic. He could also have come off as ungrateful or heartless a time or two, but he was just honest enough about what drove him that I forgave him before I even started to think about disliking him. Also, high school is brutal and you sometimes need a dose of selfishness just to help you survive.
But while I prolly could relate more to Kieran, this book worked as well as it did for me because of Drew and his quiet strength.
I read a sample of another book before I picked this up and decided to pass because the MC in that was pretty much slapping people's faces with his balls. And not in a kinky way. More like in a "getting all up in people's faces unnecessarily and making random growly threats just so they can see how badass I am" kinda way. Such a turn off.
Anyway, Drew was nothing like that. He didn't need to pull his pants down to show people he has balls of steel. He just went on being nice and kind and considerate and a pillar of fucking strength for the people he cared about. You didn't need to see his balls to know he had them and he didn't need to slap you in the face with them to show their strength. They were like ninja balls.
The flow of the story was admittedly slow, but I never even once thought of it as dragging. Kieran's and Drew's POV were both engaging that you feel good and satisfied even when there was really nothing much going on. And I loved that they both only ever came out on-page to the people they care about. I mean, public outings have the drama I pretty much live for when it comes to my GFY/OFY books, but this was in keeping with Kieran and Drew's relationship. Nothing flashy or too dramatic, but still sincere and touching.
So, with all this understated awesomeness that I only recently realized is like catnip for me, why am I not giving this book 5 stars? Well, it was the geek part of it, you see. I mean, I buy the fact that Kieran's a comic book and creepy movies geek. However, some of the mentions of the usual pop culture geek stuff came through as a bit trying-too-hard. You know, like when a teacher uses teenage lingo to show how "hip" they are but coming off as patronizing assholes. I'd say it's me and that I've always had a problem with random mentions of Middle Earth or the Daleks in my romance books and that I've always disliked it, but I've read books that threw a shitload of pop culture stuff at me and loved it, so it's not me, book. It's you.
Also, the dig about Twilight and how books are better than movies? Not appreciated. I agree, but I didn't appreciate it. I have no problems with characters having opinions about stuff, but if the two MCs have the exact same opinion, it feels less like their opinion and more like the author's. And it really takes me out of the world the author worked hard to put me in. I read something like that and I can almost feel the author elbowing me and going, "Right? Right?".
Small niggles, though, compared with how beautiful the story was told and how memorable Kieran and Drew were.
Recommended for those who like done-to-death stories with characters that stay with you not because they were too loud or different but because they were simple and ordinary (sad but true, Kieran)....more
I currently have such a huge hardon for stories with Unresolved Sexual Tension, and this novella just showered me with it.
Ray Branigan is a Were who hI currently have such a huge hardon for stories with Unresolved Sexual Tension, and this novella just showered me with it.
Ray Branigan is a Were who has found his mate two years ago in the form of a half-fairy named Callalily Parker. He has no plans of doing anything about it, however, because Weres mate for life but fairies usually just flit from one pleasure to another. So even though Cal is practically wearing signs on his butt that say, "Please have at me, Detective Branigan!", Ray continues to mope and pine and deny himself the pleasure of taking his mate because he just knows that Cal is going to leave him sooner or later.
As a fan of instant gratification, this did not sit well with me. I mean, grab happiness while you can, dude. What's wrong with you?! But as a recent convert to angst and longing and the previously mentioned and capitalized Unresolved Sexual Tension, Ray's hangups are just so deliciously thrilling to watch unfold.
I loved the MCs. Sure, Ray was a pretty lousy observer for a police detective and Cal could have done something earlier to shake some sense into his Were, but they make up for that by being so adorable in their little dance with the teasing and the smelling and the worrying and the rubbing against the other's chair to leave a scent and the almost choking of other people when the other is disrespected. I loved how Ray is so serious and grave and how Cal balances that with his manic energy. I loved how there was no sex till I could feel my imaginary balls turning blue and how worth it the wait was. I loved the getting together at the end and hated when I reached the Author Info part because why can't there be a fucking epilogue after all the Unresolved Sexual Tension of the earlier chapters?
There was something off about the author's writing style, though, that drove me to knock off a star. I dunno what it is exactly, but some of the narrative was redundant and confusing and a bit, well, scattered. It got the point across of course, hence me loving the story, but I felt like it could have been tighter or cleaner or just more organized. The story and the characters more than made up for my beef with the writing, though. And flashback hater that I am, that little bit of jaunt in the past at the end was quite alright since it was perfectly timed, in my opinion....more
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