Kate Hawthorne (2)Rezensionen

Possible Triggers: Lots of BDSM, but it's all consensual
I previously read the first 3 books and really liked the characters...all into kinky stuff but very good friends. This is an excellent addition to the series and I'm looking forward to finding #5, Shared. Back to this one. It's about second chances... except it’s less of a second chance and more of an “oops, we screwed up". Seems that 15-years ago Ivey and Dalton got married in Vegas, and then "forgot about it.” This could only have happened on the pages of a book but what the heck, it made a good story. When Kate Hawthorne added a bit of the "fake relationship" trope, this all starts to sound more than complicated, but Kate is good at what she does best...write about hot, sexy guys...so she handles the variables and emotions with her usual incredible story writing skills. The kink dynamic between Dalton and Ivey, at its core, is probably one of the most typical D/s dynamics I’ve ever seen from any author. That's one of those reasons that this book reads like a kink romance that's running in reverse rather than full steam ahead. The tension between Dalton and Ivey is strong no matter if the scene takes place today or 15-years ago. We follow their journey of how they got to this point in their present day, with the two of them first connecting after the shared abuse by an ex. It begins with a trauma bond that initially develops between them and it what sends them to Las Vegas in the first place, without necessarily keeping the focus on why that trauma existed in the first place. Both men have grown up since that first college experience... but the connection between them that was always there, remains. If anything, it made Dalton’s attempt at posing as the dutiful husband in New York City even more dramatic. Unfortunately, the distance doesn’t relieve Dalton of any of the pressure of developing a relationship away from the influence and opinion of his friends. Not a single character exists in a vacuum, as Dalton faces the NYC chapter of the "Trophy Doms Social Club" who are particularly overprotective of submissive Ivey. A more significant hurdle to Dalton and Ivey’s "happy ever after" however, is the simple logistics of their lives 3,000 miles away on opposite sides of the country. When the stars eventually align, the author has once again done an excellent job of shaping the two characters of Dalton and Ivey, so that the final decisions on both their parts feels natural. Note: His parents didn't name the poor guy "Ivey". It's what ONLY Dalton has always called Carter Emerson Royce the IV...so, "I-V"...and NOONE but Dalton calls him that.

The love of Archie's life just happens to be the one he left behind when he left his hometown ten years ago. Archie is now reliving the biggest regret that he has ever had....one he never imaged he would have to endure. Owen is the man he’s always loved.... but of course, ten long lonely years have changed Both of them. Archie was ten years ago, just a twenty-year-old and a recent college graduate that has been busy building his life...and what a life it is...but it's missing something, and he soon discovers that that "something" was the one he left behind...Achcie. Fate seems to not be a "fickle lady' and has given them a second chance to make things right…but the big question is if they can. Owen never expected to see Archie again much less experience the feelings that hit him like a ton of bricks. We knew that when they meet that "best friends" wouldn't begin to describe what Archie and Owen are...but now we have a bit of an "on again off again" going on since Owen stubbornly refuses to open his heart to that kind of pain ever again. His head might be okay with that plan, but his heart says, "NO WAY"...What's wrong with you"? Kate Hawthrone is an author that is anything but bashful about the emotional damage she can cause her characters... these two in particular...before allowing them to come together. Just a warning to be prepared to have your heart torn out. I have read the first book, Humbled, so I was prepared for it but I still couldn't believe that she would ever not allow Archie and Owen to get the HEA that they both wanted and needed so much. I don't often get emotional about a book, but this story actually hurt more than the first one.... and under it all was the overwhelming emotions of these two flawed, but perfect for one another characters. I really like series that past characters from the other books show up to offer support and advise. It was good to see Grayson and Rob again and still happy, from book #1.

Yay for 'grumpy' Jasper's story ...well he has reason to be down n grumpy but sparkly Liam brings him back to feeling alive. I've been waiting for Jasper's story since his character was first introduced.

Kate has crafted a wonderful story with Jasper and Liam and the choices and life that's happened to bring them to now with love and happiness.

This is a great addition to the V n V series

Title mismatch

I don't normally mention titles but this one for me didn't really reference the book at all...yes it's mentioned Archer works in the film industry but it's not a major part of the book.

And Daddy Clint tbh annoyed me, he just didn't scream Daddy to me ..almost whiny except in bed.

Archer was fun but a handful and I'm not sure his apparent brat side was really seen on the pages

I normally adore all Kate's books but sadly not this one

I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of this anthology for charity.

I've read all the stories in here, some I loved, some I liked and some just didn't quite resonate with me.

Lucy's at the start/end is a wonderful intro to this seasons Never Have I Ever ...

AM Arthur's contribution made my heart melt with the best friends to lovers

Spencer's novella about Never Been kissed was cool but way too short LOL

I'd mini review all but not enough time
Overall this is 4

Whoa!!

Loved this read ..I can do cliffhangers if I know the next book isn't too far away

Grant and Wyatt, forbidden love? Age gap romance with heat

Grayson knows that getting involved with his sexy boss, Robert McAvoy, would be a supremely bad idea. Rob is commanding, gorgeous, wealthy, and a Dom. But Grayson is a Dom as well, and he is not interested in getting on his knees for Rob, and he knows Hell will freeze over before Rob is getting on his knees for him. Not to mention that people don’t tend to stick around in Grayson’s life and the idea of finally having Rob and losing him is more than Grayson can handle. Rob wants Grayson and he knows they could be amazing together. He loves that Grayson is strong willed and it makes it all the more rewarding when Grayson is willing to submit to him. Rob is also pretty sure that Grayson isn’t the total Dominant that he believes himself to be, but getting Grayson to give them a chance isn’t easy. Luckily, Rob loves a challenge. The characters in this first book, and it seems that it's going to be true for the rest of the series, are a group of very wealthy, and extremely gorgeous Doms. The conflict is that both of these men are a little skittish about relationships in general, combined with the fact that they are both dominate. Grayson might have more of a desire to submit than he has realized...or at least, to submit to Rob. Knowing it and accepting it is two entirely different things for Grayson...and that creates a lot of on again, off again. I think the author does a really good job of exploring things for both men... what they want from each other...what they are willing to give. Grayson has the biggest change, as he is fearful both of accepting his interest in submitting to Rob, but also of taking a risk on any type of relationship in general. I liked the characters, and I liked the idea of the storyline. My biggest issue was that this is such a l-o-n-g story with so much push and pull. It just went on a bit too long with no compromise in sight. Every time it looked like the guys had found a way to get on the same page, something immediately seems to happen to throw them off again. About the time that you think you've reached a part where they have figured it out, they'd be right back to where they started. Some of it is a lack of communication and some of it seemed to be just insecurities coming back. It was just way too much repetition and not enough give and take taking place to move things forward until really late in the story. I think ultimately things come together well when they do finally manage to get it together. In this story we also meet Grayson’s best friends, Wes and Miles. Wes and Miles play big side roles here and their new relationships are impacting Grayson and part of what is making him nervous about being with Rob. There are other connections to various Hawthorne stories as well. Archie, from this book, gets his story in the next book, Edged½

I started out just not really connecting with the characters, but it actually grew into a dislike. They were just such fools, and they spent almost the entire book seemingly purposely standing in their own way. And they really don't share much with each other emotionally, like they actively shut down any sort of halfway meaningful communication 95% of the time, but then we're supposed to buy that they're in love and meant to be or something by the end. It just all felt ridiculous. I really just didn't like any of it, and that's an unusual reaction for me.

Never Have I Ever… Fallen in Love by Lucy Lennox - 4 stars

Never Have I Ever…Cold-Called A Stranger’s Phone Number by A.M. Arthur - 2 stars

Never Have I Ever…Ridden A Bike by Alice Winters - 2 star

Never Have I Ever…Dyed My Hair Flaming Red by Daryl Banner - 3 stars

Never Have I Ever…Worn That For Halloween by E.M. Lindsey - 2 stars

Never Have I Ever…Sung in Public by Jodi Payne - 3.5 stars

Never Have I Ever…Gotten Lost by K. Webster - 3.5 stars

Never Have I Ever…Taken a Vacation by Kate Hawthorne - 2.5 stars

Never Have I Ever…Spent The Night With Blanche by Louisa Masters - 5 stars

Never Have I Ever…Had a Makeover by Mia Monroe - 3 stars

Never Have I Ever…Flown In An Airplane by Neve Wilder - 2 stars

Never Have I Ever…Gone Skinny Dipping by Riley Hart - 3 stars

Never Have I Ever…Watched The Godfather by S.E. Harmon - 4.5 stars

Never Have I Ever…Kissed Someone on the Lips by Spencer Spears - 3 stars

Never Have I Ever…Been On A Date by Tal Bauer - 3 stars
I was afraid of finding another well-written story but sinking into the ridiculousness and cheesiness that I found in [b:Enemies of the State|34664699|Enemies of the State (The Executive Office #1)|Tal Bauer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490216550l/34664699._SY75_.jpg|49030205], but this one was a pleasant surprise; maybe I'll try one of his standalone mysteries.

I look forward to this anthology every year! As always, a mix of stories from authors new and familiar to me, and many very entertaining ones.

I thought that the long-distance relationship was doomed from the start, and I was right as the distance soon became an issue. It didn't take long for the things they both liked about the relationship, soon became the thing they hated. Since they were willing in the beginning to settle for this, I really didn't see much effort being put into it on either of their parts. Unexpected feelings occur and what started out online becomes something real, so Jack starts a move across the country. That in itself has its own complications. They have built the foundation of their relationship over the months that they spend communicating online, and 3,000 miles away. Now time has been added to the relationship issues. Jack and Callum find that there have been no changes to their work schedules, even though they are now within the same city...and it came as no surprise to me that Cullum's trust and insecurity issues that caused him to pursue this type of communication to start with, was a big glaring issue. Cullum is sweet...and Jack is patient, so it works out, but it was missing some of the heat that the first book had. Still a good read and I'll get book #3.

I like audio books, but my mind tends to wander too much when I listen, so I don't do as many of them as print books, but that was the only format that Hoopla had it in and it was being read by two of my favorite narrators, Kale Willaims and Kirt Graves. I liked the characters a lot, but I felt like I missed the reasons they fell in love, other than need and proximity. I became frustrated with both characters fairly early in the story. Laim was an adult...he didn't have to get the degree his father wanted or go into politics if he didn't want to or go back to California. Jasper was into the third year of his husband's death and was trying to put his life back together and he obviously wanted Liam as part of it, so why didn't they just sit down and have the discussion and work out the kinks? I guess it would have made for a really short book if they had followed my suggestions. The two guys drew a breath of fresh air and worked on a promise of a future together, so that was really all that mattered. The books in this series are all written by a different M/M Romance author, and they are supposed to tell a story without a lot of drama and this one met the criteria, and I did enjoy it.½

I have read books that the story was centered around a BDSM theme and have found that 99% of them are very well done. This one was not an exception. I don't have anything against those that choose this lifestyle as long as it's consensual. The saving grace of this one was that the three men sincerely loved one another. I didn't believe I was going to like Justin...not because he was a bad guy, but his personality was demanding and unnecessarily gruff. That, of course, was the role that he was destined to take in the relationship as the dom. The book is filled with so many different emotions as well as characters who evolve and grow from the very first page. It has some turns I did not see coming and didn't always understand. I really liked the ending chapter and how the three guys worked out a life that worked perfectly for them.½

I have read books that the story was centered around a BDSM theme and have found that 99% of them are very well done. This one was not an exception. I don't have anything against those that choose this lifestyle as long as it's consensual. The saving grace of this one was that the three men sincerely loved one another. I didn't believe I was going to like Justin...not because he was a bad guy, but his personality was demanding and unnecessarily gruff. That, of course, was the role that he was destined to take in the relationship as the dom. The book is filled with so many different emotions as well as characters who evolve and grow from the very first page. It has some turns I did not see coming and didn't always understand. I really liked the ending chapter and how the three guys worked out a life that worked perfectly for them.

Well this was a dud for me. I was looking forward to Jasper’s story after seeing him in a previous book in the series, but unfortunately there wasn’t much going on with him or Liam. It was difficult to get through the massive melancholy which permeates the book, and I didn’t really see how these two managed to fall for each other at all (because we didn’t really get to understand either of them very well even while in their heads).

Finally a HEA for Jasper. Liam doesn’t mean to knock holes in Jasper’s carefully constructed emotional walls, but the lost younger man is just what Jasper needs right at the time he needs it. He is a breath of fresh air and a promise of a future. His music and heart-on-sleeve approach to life drags Jasper back into the land of the living.

[DNF @ 24%] "I'd remember this place, this night, for the rest of my life."

yes i too shall remember this fateful night when you slipped on ice and fell hard on your hip with the future love of your life not giving two effs and yelling at you to hurry up and get in the truck. talk about a heartstoppingly wonderful first impression

A lot of lace, and a lot of sex. (Maybe too much.) It was freakishly hot, but I was not happy with the writing. :(

Joel is a young, gay man who has been estranged from his family, and living on his own. He doesn't really date, and has very few friends. He cherishes old, forgotten things like old family Bibles and old records. What he really, really wants is to have someone who will take cherish him the way that he cherishes all those other things.

Gabriel is more than willing to be that person, Joel just doesn't know it yet. Gabriel has spent years watching and watching over Joel and he has plans for Joel, plans that are ripening. He just wants Joel to be happy, and he's sure that he can be the one to make him happy.

I really enjoyed the story. Well written, with good characters. I like Joel a lot. I sometimes liked Gabriel and sometimes hated him. That can be a sign of a well-written character, right? He does kind of cross the line into creepy stalkerman sometimes, and that is not so OK, and the times I didn't like him all that much. Overall though, good book.

I loved the story of Landon and Gregory. They parted ways many years ago, neither happy with the decision, neither knowing what the other was thinking, but they were young and sometimes the timing just isn't right. When they meet again that same spark is there. Can they take a chance at love again?

Love

Gabriel wanted to care for Joel forever after seeing him just once, only Joel didn’t know it. Can two people who met under such unusual circumstances make a life together?

Art therapy

I enjoyed this story. Donny met Roland accidentally, but couldn’t stop thinking about him. Roland was a troubled soul. Could it work?