Sunday 31 August 2014

✪ Blog Tour ✪The Family #1 - #3 ✪ Cardeno C ✪





Police captain Asher Penazs staunch professionalism bleeds into his home life, down to his neatly pressed attire and spartan apartment. He enjoys being the man in charge, and leather bars satisfy his need for dominanceso his sudden and powerful attraction to the lighthearted, free-spirited Daniel Tover throws him for a loop. In his entire life, Daniel has never gotten what he needs, so he moves to the next place, the next job, the next attempt to find something worth staying for, always landing at the top of his game, but never feeling like he belongs.

The chemistry between Asher and Daniel sizzles, so Asher invites Daniel home. As both men struggle to learn themselves while getting to know each other, the lines of desire and control blur. With all that fire comes the risk of getting burned. But if Daniel and Asher can walk through the flames together, they might find what they desperately need.




I am a fan of Cardeno C's work, she writes sweet m/m romance like no one else, but Something In The Way He Needs just rubbed me a little the wrong way. 

It has been a couple of weeks since I finished reading, and that "thing" that rubbed me the wrong way - I pretty much think it was Asher in general.

I am all for a dominant alpha man, but Asher just took this to the extreme, and his ultra possessiveness just irked me. For a Dom he just seemed to lack that control that we expect and his behaviour felt more assholey then protector.

Don't get me wrong, I loved the attraction between Asher and Daniel, but the whole relationship felt a bit off balance to me.

Daniel is sweet and not naive per se but he just seemed a little off with the faeries at time.  I know he wasn't and he was actually a smart guy, but at times he felt like he was 15 years old not in his early 30s!

And Asher with "sugar".  Sweet enough nick name, BUT all I could picture was a southern belle with a thick accent, a la Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Not the image I needed for a strong policeman!

So while I liked this story, I didn't love it like I wanted to.

Now, off to the next book in the family series.





ARe 

When twenty-two-year-old Emilio Sanchez sees handsome Spencer Derdinger walking by his construction site, Emilio makes it his goal to seduce the shy professor. Getting Spencer into bed isnt difficult, but Emilio soon learns that earning the trust of a man deeply hurt will take time and patience. With a prize like brilliant, sweet Spencer on the line, Emilio decides he is strong enough to face the challenge.

Spencer is surprised when hes approached by the gorgeous construction worker hes admired from the safety of his office window. Acting spontaneously for the first time in his thirty-eight years, Spencer takes Emilio home. When the casual hookup turns into the potential for love, Spencer realizes that if he wants to build a life with Emilio, hell need to be strong enough to slay his personal demons and learn to trust again.

 

This is the second in the Family series by Cardeno C, but can be read as a standalone, as the characters do not overlap with the previous book.

I gotta admit, I liked this one a lot better than the first one in the series!

Wow, these two don't know the meaning of slow.  They went from meeting to moving in quicker than I could eat my lunch!!! Don't know about insta-love but boy this was insta-nesting!

Spencer is the shy professor, pretty much obsessed with the hot construction worker he has been perving on for the past couple of weeks.  Spencer has not gone unnoticed by Emilio - said construction worker - and when Emilio makes his move, there is no mistaking the come on!

And from there, things move full steam ahead.  

Even though Spencer is 38 to Emilio's 22, there is a role reversal in their relationship, with Emilio taking on the protector role.  At times though, Spencer felt more like an inexperienced 16 year old with his first boyfriend more than a smart, successful professor, but I could understand his trust issues and his hesitance.

I loved Emilio and all his family, especially his brother Henry and his sister Alicia.  They were funny and wise and just all around likeable.

If you are in for a sweet, comfort read then this is the book for you.  But have your dentist on speed dial because the sweet factor is turned up to the max.

 





ARe 

 As a teenager, Charlie "Chase" Rhodes meets Scott Boone and falls head over heels in love with the popular, athletic boy next door. Charlie thinks he's living the dream when Scott says he feels the same way. But his dreams are dashed when Scott moves unexpectedly and doesn't return.

Years later, Chase meets brash and confident Adan Navarro, who claims all he wants is a round between the sheets. When they're still together after eight months, Chase is convinced Adan returns his love. But then the time comes to be open about their relationship, and Adan walks away instead.

Time heals all wounds, but when Charlie runs into Scott and Adan and realizes the only two men he's ever loved are now in love with each other, his heart breaks all over again. Scott and Adan tell Charlie they want him back, but Charlie doesn't know if he can trust two people who have hurt him so deeply. And even if he can, why would Scott and Adan want Charlie when they already have everything with each other?


Wow, this series just got better and better.

You know that feeling you get when you look through your photo albums, and a picture can take you back to the time and place, bring back all the memories and feelings of that instant?

That is how More Than Everything is told.

We get the story of Charlie (Chase) Rhodes and his loves and losses as he goes through his photos.

Spanning over a couple of decades, Charlies takes us on an emotional ride as we learn about the love and losses in his life.  Your heart will go from light and loving to heavy and dark with loss.  It is one hell of an 
Charlie's narration of the story drew this read right into the scenes with him and the two loves of his lives, Scott and Adan.  Grrrr did those two piss me off!  Yep, I judged them for what they did to sweet, loving Charlie!  I wanted to hug Charlie with one arm, and bitch slap Scott and Adan with the other!

I absolutely adored Charlie, he was comfortable in his own skin, he wouldn't change himself for anyone.  He stood by who he was and if people didn't love him for him, so be it.

As I read further and further into the story, my heart broke for Charlie, was pieced back together, only to be ripped out and shattered again. 

I was overjoyed when this trio all found each other again, but I was still mad at Scott and Adan for their past deeds.  While my heart soared for Charlie that the two men who held his heart were back in the picture, I felt that all their issues were resolved a little to quickly.  I wanted Charlie to make them grovel, walk through fire, crawl on glass before he let them back into his life.  They deserved to have to earn him and his trust back.  But at the end of the day, I was just happy that Charlie was happy.

Cardeno C has a way of bringing all three men's stories together seamlessly.  She brought different periods in their lives and different POV's across so well that everything and everyone's stories interweaved beautifully.

These are not the first Cardeno C works I have read, and they definitely won't be the last.





Cardeno C. - CC to friends - is a hopeless romantic who wants to add a lot of happiness and a few "awwws" into a reader's day. Writing is a nice break from real life as a corporate type and volunteer work with gay rights organizations. Cardeno's stories range from sweet to intense, contemporary to paranormal, long to short, but they always include strong relationships and walks into the happily-ever-after sunset.
Cardeno's Home, Family, and Mates series have received awards from Love Romances and More Golden Roses, Rainbow Awards, the Goodreads M/Romance Group, and various reviewers. But even more special to CC are heartfelt reactions from readers, like, "You bring joy and love and make it part of the every day."















Saturday 30 August 2014

✪ Blog Tour ✪ Alluring Infatuation (Bayou Stix #4) ✪ Skye Turner


   
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id909959894




*** This book contains explicit sex and graphic language. It is not recommended for anyone under the age of 18.***

Dade Rodrigue is the levelheaded, bass guitarist for Bayou Stix, the hottest rock band in the country. Hes the oldest member which often places him in the role of protector and mentor. Women love a rock star and Dade is no exception. When events in his own life become overwhelming, he takes a much needed retreat for some quiet and down time away from his Dade the rocker existence.

Melonie Bird is a well-respected OB/GYN with a successful practice. Shes beautiful, smart, and career focused. She likes things neat and orderly and her life is no exception. When her perfect life derails, she takes off on an island adventure to refresh and recharge.

An exotic location, a chance encounter, and two beautiful people -who arent quite who they seem- will have both of their worlds spinning.

What happens when the unexpected changes your life? When the things you never thought you wanted turn out to be exactly what you need, what do you do? What happens when the one you cant forget isnt exactly who you thought they were?

Can a spark of lust ignite the fire of love?

 ARC received for an honest review

You will remember that we first met Dr Melonie Bird during Alluring Temptation, and found out that Melonie and Dade knew each other right at the end of that book - and wow, wasn't that explosive!!

You could read book 4 as a

Now we find out the story behind that meeting.

I loved the instant spark between Dade and Melonie... or should we call her Rayne?  From the minute they saw each other across the pool it was hot hot HOT!  I mean you seriously get proximity burns from being in the same room as them!  The scenes on St John's were beautiful and sexy and fun.

I loved the play between them.  It is not all just about the sex - which is smokin' - but they genuinely are interested in each other.  But neither is 100% honest with the other, which frustrated me no end!  They are so into each other, so imperfectly perfect for each other, and they are sabotaging things right from the start.

Dade is the one in his motley crew of friends who they all seek for stability.  He is all about his family and friends.  But Melonie has him all out of whack.  I love that he is all aflutter over her.  Although he is wonderful with his family, he has seemed a little aloof when it comes to relationships before, but now it is a new Dade we see.  I loved the insanely jealous Dade (though in real life it would drive me insane!!)

I was so happy that they got to reconnect.  Although I wanted to slap them both for being so stubborn and not talking to each other, talking out their issues, I was glad that they didn't jump straight back into what they had on the island.  No matter how much they were attracted to each other, I felt that they needed to get to know each other in the "real world" to see if what they experienced on the island was more than just a fling.

So, is real life enough good for them, can they get through the differences in their lives and get the HEA they both crave?
Nuh uh you will have to read for yourself to find out.

The whole crew is back in Alluring Infatuation. All of his band mates, their partners, their friends.  They are a fantastic group of friends.  All up in each other's business, the first to make fun of each other, but the first and fiercest to defend each other too.  

Ms Turner has created a group of people that feel extremely real to the reader.  Yes, the guys may be famous, but you don't get that feeling about them, they feel like the guys you went to school with, the ones who live down the street or you see at the pub on a Friday night.

And every book in this series just keeps getting better and better. I think that Alluring Infatuation is my favourite in the series so far - but I have loved each and every single one!

Now I am all impatient for Cruz's story!

Oh, and after reading Alluring Infatuation, you won't be able to look a Hummer the same way again!!


 EXCERPT

Dade

January

I saw her as soon as I stepped off the bus from the airport. How could I miss her? The sun was reflecting off the blonde hair piled messily on top of her head. She was laughing at something the pool boy was saying as he handed her some pink, frilly drink with a blue umbrella. The umbrella matched her bikini which perfectly showcased her curves.

Her laugh was musical. I couldnt see her eyes because they were hidden behind mirrored aviators, but something told me they would be light. I bet theyre blue.

The tap on my arm alerts me to the fact that the pretty driver is speaking to me, and apparently has been for a bit. Shifting my attention from the alluring blonde near the pool, I smile sheepishly at her and shrug. Im sorry; I spaced out. I apologize. I have no idea what you were just saying. Her eyes swing toward the pool before returning to my own. I understand your distraction. The scenery over there is quite beautiful, she says with a smile.

 Unintentionally, my gaze returns to the pool. The aviators are pointed in my direction. Pulling my own shades down, I wink. Her mouth pops open. Smiling, I turn and head into the hotel to get checked in.

After getting settled into the room, I decide to investigate the pool. Maybe the blonde is still there. Spending a few days with her in this tropical paradise wouldnt be a hardship. I check myself out in the mirror and I see a tall, fit body. My shoulders are defined. My arms are toned and tight and show off my many tattoos. My chest is also chiseled and tattooed and my torso is long and sculpted. I work my ass off for this body and Im proud of it. The appreciation from the opposite sex doesnt hurt either.
Lord, I need this break. Things have been insane at home. We just finished a tour with the band. Jude got married. Jessie got engaged. Who the hell would have thought that would ever happen?! My sister is home from California and all I want to do is protect her from the evils of the world, but she and Liam both live in my house now and its like a damn warzone. Those two are constantly at each others throats. My sweet little sister is just what my philandering band mate needs, and both want the other fiercely, yet both are too outraged at the others mere existence to figure it out. Something needs to happen with them, and soon, or everyone is going to be miserable. Thankfully, I left them alone together while Im away to figure it out, whichever way it goes, while I catch some sun and decompress. 






Skye Turner is an avid reader and an editor turned writer.
She attended Southeastern Louisiana University and Louisiana State University where she majored in Mass Communications, centering her studies in Journalism. Unfortunately life intervened and she made the choice to leave her studies.
She lives in small town Louisiana with her husband, 2 children, and 4 fur babies.
When she's not chained to her laptop pounding out sexy stories she can usually be found playing Supermom, reading, gardening (playing in the dirt), listening to music and dancing like a fool, or catching up on her family oriented blog.