Release Day ARC Review:Glass Tidings by Amy Jo Cousins

GLASS TIDINGS releases on December 5th, 2016!


Eddie Rodrigues doesn’t stay in one place long enough to get attached. The only time he broke that rule, things went south fast. Now he’s on the road again, with barely enough cash in his pocket to hop a bus to Texas after his (sort-of-stolen) car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, Midwest, USA.

He’s fine. He’ll manage. Until he watches that girl get hit by a car and left to die.
Local shop owner Grayson Croft isn’t in the habit of doing people any favors. But even a recluse can’t avoid everyone in a town as small as Clear Lake. And when the cop who played Juliet to your Romeo in the high school play asks you to put up her key witness for the night, you say yes.

Now Gray’s got a grouchy glass artist stomping around his big, empty house, and it turns out that he . . . maybe . . . kind of . . . likes the company.

But Eddie Rodrigues never sticks around.

Unless a Christmas shop owner who hates the season can show an orphan what it means to have family for the holidays.

Buy Link

Riptide Publishing | Amazon 

Barnes & Noble |  Kobo | iBooks

What I thought about Glass Tidings

I was immediately sucked into this book as I read the opening scenes.  Eddie is a drifter, someone who travels light. He's chosen this lifestyle because it suits him.  He doesn't really stay in one place too long, and he's on the way to Texas for their Renaissance Faire season where he makes glass trinkets for the faire goers.  He thought he might try settling down, but when that doesn't turn out the way he plans, he borrows a car, drives until it breaks down, and then proceeds on foot to the nearest town.  On the way, he witnesses a hit-and-run that could have serious consequences.

After giving his statement to police, the cops need him to stay in town until they can investigate the hit-and-run.  Eddie ends up in a room at Grayson's house. Gray's a friend to the town cop and owner of a small Christmas shoppe in the town of Clear Lake. 

 What happens between Grayson and Eddie is interesting and very different from what I've read in other romances.  Their dance is very unique in that both of these characters aren't exactly good at communicating, and both are loners.  It takes them some time to learn how to interact with each other, even though there is some definite caring and attraction going on here. I loved that about Glass Tidings.  It felt so fresh and real and at first I thought these characters were so very different that they wouldn't make it.  As the story progresses, I changed my mind because it was clear that there was a common ground between them, and Gray and Eddie just had to figure it out.

I've been reading a few holiday novellas of late and one thing I need is for some sense of magic and Glass Tidings gave that to me, just not the way I expected it.  And that is a great feeling as a reader, to be surprised. There's a lot of magic in that, too.

Overall, I really liked this story and characters. I did feel that it was a bit wordy in the middle, which is why this isn't a 5 star rating.  I also very much liked that the focus here is on the relationship, and not so much on the sex and I really liked that about Glass Tidings. It worked for me and I absolutely recommend this holiday novella.

ARC provided for review. 

About the Author

Amy Jo Cousins writes contemporary romance and erotica about smart people finding their own best kind of smexy. She lives in Chicago with her son, where she tweets too much, sometimes runs really far, and waits for the Cubs to win the World Series.
 

http://amyjocousins.com/

https://twitter.com/_AJCousins

https://www.facebook.com/AmyJoCousins

ARC Review:Between a Rock and A Hard Place by Amy Jo Cousins

When friends lose the benefits, can the friendship be saved?

Love Me Like A Rock

With the right art tools, there’s almost nothing Austin can’t make real. Except an official relationship with his best friend, rowing teammate and occasional hookup, Vinnie.

Emotional and sexual frustration fuel a spark between Austin and Sean, the nude model in drawing class. After a quick and very dirty encounter, all the reasons Austin has been waiting for Vinnie go fuzzy in his mind.

But if Austin can’t get his head and his heart on the same page, he could lose both his friend, and his lover.

Hard Candy

Vincent always assumed he and Austin would eventually end up together. But now that Austin’s in love with another man, Vinnie is at a loss.

After the world’s most awkward one-night stand with Bryan, a dance major, Vinnie is drawn to his vibrant spirit and calm center.

Physically, the rowing jock and the glittery dancer can match each other stroke for booty pop. But for the lovers to meet on common ground, they’ll have to find a way to get moving in the same direction.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place releases on March 22. Pre-order now! 

Pre-Order Links

AMAZON  l  BARNES & NOBLE  l  KOBO  l  IBOOKS  l  GOOGLE PLAY 

 AREBOOKS  l  SAMHAIN

What I thought about Between a Rock and A Hard Place

Love Me Like A Rock
Okay, so let's start with Vinnie and Austin, because they are really the centerpieces to these two novellas. Vinnie and Austin have been hooking up only when Vinnie wants to. It's not a equal relationship. 

When Austin meets Sean during a drawing session, Sean opens Austin's eyes to a whole new world. A world where he is desired. A world were he can have a relationship rather than just a hookup. Even though Sean throws Austin out of his element, Austin is willing to take that step with Sean.

There is a whole lot of heat between these guys, and you know what happens next...Vinnie starts taking an interest in why Austin isn't so available anymore, forcing Austin to make a decision as to what sort of world he wants to live in. 

I loved this story. It's a simple story that I'd guess most everyone has to face at some point in their life.  I liked that about it.

Hard Candy
 
And then there's Vinnie's story. Unsettled by Austin's new relationship, he opens his eyes to the world around him. When he meets Bryan, his world changes too. 

Bryan opens his eyes to true sexual desire, and schools him on how to treat people, which Vinnie hadn't given much thought to in the past.  I adored Bryan, and him with Vinnie made sense to me. Opposites do attract!

Of course, the road to true love isn't always easy, and Vinnie has to face a few truths about himself and what he wants in his life. There's an awesome scene where Bryan and Vinnie meet Vinnie's parents that pushes Vinnie to make some decisions about who he wants to be. This was my favorite of the two stories. 

There were many elements to these novellas that reminded me why I love this series. It tackles some basic new adult situations with sensitivity and respect. Each installment gets better and better. Both stories can be read standalone and I recommend this series.

ARC provided for review. 

About the Author

Amy Jo Cousins writes contemporary romance and erotica about smart people finding their own best kind of smexy. She lives in Chicago with her son, where she tweets too much, sometimes runs really far, and waits for the Cubs to win the World Series.
 

http://amyjocousins.com/

https://twitter.com/_AJCousins

https://www.facebook.com/AmyJoCousins

 

Release Day Review: Real World by Amy Jo Cousins

REAL WORLD (Bend or Break, Book Five)
When talking fails, it’s time to break out the big guns.

Five years ago, Tom Worthington busted his ass to overcome the fear and paranoia that led him to withdraw from the world and nearly lose his boyfriend. He never thought he’d find himself right back there, shutting Reese out, keeping secrets again.

Reese Anders is ready to try anything to get Tom to talk: if he can’t seduce his boyfriend with food, he’ll get Tom to open up in bed. But even Tom’s confession that his dad is getting out of prison soon doesn’t clear the air between them. And as the holidays approach, intensive mentoring from a new British boss creates more distractions, until Reese is keeping secrets of his own.

At a company Christmas party, it only takes Tom one look at Reese’s new boss to figure out how much danger their relationship is in. But he’s not about to let the connection that started all those years ago at Carlisle come to an end. It’s time to deal with their problems like adults. Face to face. Or back to front. Starting in the bedroom.

Warning: This book contains two adorable guys with way too many secrets, conciliatory rigatoni, a bedroom lesson on the power of multitasking, and indisputable evidence on what makes the perfect holiday HEA.

Buy REAL WORLD here:  

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Google Play, Samhain website.

Add it to your bookshelf at Goodreads!

What I thought about Real World

I got hooked on this series with the very first book, Off Campus. Tom and Reese go through a lot to get to a happy place, and it was easy to get invested in these characters. 

It was great to check in with these guys again and see if they've managed to hang onto their happy-ever-after. Real World is a great name for this book, as Tom and Reese are dealing with some new problems in their relationship.   College is over and the real world hands Tom and Reese some challenges -- the kind that can make or break a relationship.  

Amy Jo Cousins does a great job of portraying these characters realistically without making it too dark and without losing the scorching chemistry between these two.  I loved seeing these characters enter a new stage in their relationship. Real World is a fabulous capstone to their story. 

Every book in this series gives me something fresh and interesting, and that's what I love about The Bend or Break series.  

Recommended. 

ARC provided for review. 

About the Author

Amy Jo Cousins writes contemporary romance and erotica about smart people finding their own best kind of smexy. She lives in Chicago with her son, where she tweets too much, sometimes runs really far, and waits for the Cubs to win the World Series.
 

http://amyjocousins.com/

https://twitter.com/_AJCousins

https://www.facebook.com/AmyJoCousins

ARC Review:Level Hands by Amy Jo Cousins

When it comes to love, there’s no such thing as smooth sailing.

Rafael Castro is so far out of his element he can’t even see it anymore. Carlisle College in Massachusetts is a long way from his Chicago home, even farther from his Dominican Republic roots.

The only thing keeping him attached to his last nerve is the prospect of seeing Denny Winslow again. The first time they met, Denny taught Rafi to fly across the water, rowing hard in a knife-like boat. Now, two years later, on the wings of a rowing scholarship, Rafi is attending Denny’s elite college.

Even before the excitement wears off, Rafi is struggling with classes and fending off rumors that Denny’s family, not Rafi’s talent, won him his spot. To quash the gossip, Rafi tries to steer clear of the man he wants. A plan that evaporates in the fire of renewed attraction.

But Carlisle’s academic pressure cooker has Rafi barely treading water. And when a family crisis hits, both Rafi and Denny must pull hard to keep their relationship from capsizing in rough waters.

Warning: Contains a surly Dominican-American guy determined to show no weakness, a golden boy who knows his soft spots, some seriously dirty bachata dancing, and an excellent excuse for voyeurism in the locker room.


Releases August 25, 2015  

Buy Links

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks, Google Play or ARebooks now.

Add it to your TBR on Goodreads.

What I thought about Level Hands

With the help of Denny Winslow and Cash Carmichael, Rafael Castro moves from inner city Chicago to Carlisle College in Massachusetts on a rowing scholarship. His excitement to see his old friend Denny is dampened by a whole slew of feelings about his new environment. He's a fish out of water and I felt that intensely throughout this book. 
  
When Rafi first arrives in Massachusetts, he's confused about how he's going to fit it, with his brown skin in a sea of white, his academics not quite up to par, and everyone thinking that he and Denny are a couple. It's been two years since they'd shared a single kiss, and Rafi's rather gruff with Denny when they finally meet. It's clear that his behavior toward Denny is a product of Rafi's own discomfort, so in the beginning, my heart swelled for both these guys.

As events progress, Rafi's anger and discomfort doesn't subside and Denny takes the brunt of a lot of it. It's tough to write a main character that isn't all that likable, and if there ever was one, Rafi is it.  He's not very nice to Denny and somewhere in the middle of the book, I wondered why Denny didn't walk away or why Rafi didn't return to Chicago.

But Denny knows that love isn't always easy, and he's very patient with Rafi, although not a pushover. There's a crisis or two that Rafi and Denny have to negotiate, and by the end of the book, Rafi has some things figured out, but not everything. Even though I didn't always like Rafi's actions, I understood them. I could feel his pain.  He's got a long way on his journey and nothing is perfect in Level Hands, and I liked it that way.

I really love this series.  The characters are unique and interesting, and the circumstances of their lives are not always wrapped up in a neat little bow in the final pages. Level Hands and it's predecessor in the series, The Girl Next Door really hit all the right emotion notes with me, and I've just loved these stories because they haven't shied away from an honesty that I really appreciate in a love story.  Love is messy -- and Amy Jo Cousins captures it's beautiful imperfections perfectly in this series.

Recommended.

ARC Provided for review.

About the Author

Amy Jo Cousins writes contemporary romance and erotica about smart people finding their own best kind of smexy. She lives in Chicago with her son, where she tweets too much, sometimes runs really far, and waits for the Cubs to win the World Series.
 

http://amyjocousins.com/

https://twitter.com/_AJCousins

https://www.facebook.com/AmyJoCousins

ARC Review: 5 Stars for The Girl Next Door (Bend or Break #3) by Amy Jo Cousins

When it comes to love, go big or go home.

Bend or Break, Book 3

Charles “Cash” Carmichael traded his high-rise condo and family-firm career for a job coaching soccer for Chicago’s inner-city kids. He’s adjusting to living on minimum wage when his young cousin, newly out and running away from home, shows up on his less-than-luxurious doorstep.

Angsty teens definitely aren’t Cash’s thing. He needs local backup, and there’s only one name he can think of: Stephany Tyler. Back in the day, the bisexual Steph was the perfect friend with benefits until she fell in love with a woman.
To his relief, his former friend steps up to the plate. Soon, though, Cash finds himself feeling the familiar need to keep her in his bed, and in his life. But Steph, burned by the ex-girlfriend and by the absentee dad she’s been trying to connect with, won’t risk her heart again.

Good thing Cash believes in leaving it all on the field. If he can just convince Steph to get in the game, there’s a chance they can both win.

Warning: This book contains ex-friends with benefits crossing boundaries a second time, several steamy encounters on staircases, copious discussions about gay sex from a “straight” guy, a shout-out to magic buttons, and an especially memorable going away threesome.


Pre-Order Buy Links

The Girl Next Door releases June 15,2015.

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks, Google Play


What I thought about The Girl Next Door

In this third book in Amy Jo Cousins' Bend or Break series, the gang from Off Campus has graduated and they've gone their separate ways, that is until there's a bit of a crisis when Cash's young nephew comes out and he ends up in Cash's small apartment.  Cash reaches out to Tom, Reese and Steph for help with the situation, and in doing so, sets himself up to deal with some unresolved feelings for Steph. 

In spite of the title, The Girl Next Door is all about Cash, and he's pretty awesome.  I'm going to gush about him, which I rarely do in a review, but Cash is one exceptional male protagonist, unique and refreshing to this reader. There were so many things I loved about him--he's brave, always putting himself outside of his own comfort zone. He's adventurous and open-minded, especially when it comes to sex. He's incredibly sexy and considerate toward his lovers. He's loyal, a good friend, and an understanding relative. He takes time to understand his own feelings. There is just so much to like about him.

All of these traits make him a perfect match for Steph. I loved the dynamic between them, with Steph the more alpha partner and Cash a little more easy-going, with a "take life as it comes" sort of attitude. That's not to say that Cash is a pushover because he's not. These are two people who know and speak their mind, but yet when it comes to their relationship, they hesitate. They have trouble finding the words to address the one thing that has the potential to be an all-important conversation. Just like in real life, they dance around their own relationship and struggle with being totally honest with each other.

There are some nice scenes with Tom and Reese from Off Campus, and I liked how these friends helped each other out.  The story is unlike anything I've read in the romance genre, and the strong character development had me falling for the lot of them. This book really worked for me, and it has one of the sexiest m/m/f scenes I have read in a very long time. 

So five big, bright beautiful stars for The Girl Next Door. This one will definitely be on my Best of 2015 list. 

ARC provided for review.  

Other books in the Bend or Break series

I'm a bit of a sucker for cover art as you can see! Okay, so Level Hands isn't out yet, but it's such a pretty cover line up I had to use it!  You'll be wanting Level Hands once you finish The Girl Next Door, trust me. 

Off Campus Buy Links


Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks, Google Play, or at the Samhain website

Nothing Like Paris Buy Links

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks, and Google Play.

The Girl Next Door preorder/ buy links

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks, and Google Play

About the Author 

EBK Photography

Amy Jo Cousins writes contemporary romance and erotica about smart people finding their own best kind of smexy. She lives in Chicago with her son, where she tweets too much, sometimes runs really far, and waits for the Cubs to win the World Series.

Readers interested in autographed copies of Amy Jo’s paperback books can order them from Chicago’s fabulous independent bookstore, The Book Cellar. They can ship anywhere, and will email me to let me know there are books to be signed if you care to order them!

http://amyjocousins.com/

https://twitter.com/_AJCousins

https://www.facebook.com/AmyJoCousins

Review: Nothing Like Paris with Guest Post from Amy Jo Cousins

Synopsis 

NOTHING LIKE PARIS (Bend or Break, Book Two)

Humble pie wasn’t supposed to taste this sweet.

Jack Tarkington’s life is in the toilet. He was supposed to be spending his junior year studying someplace cool like Paris or Rome. Instead, after taking out his anger on the campus “golden boy”, whose dad ripped off his parents, Jack is facing possible expulsion.

Sure, it’s all his own fault, but coming back to the small Iowa town he thought he’d escaped, after crowing about his admission to a prestigious school, has been a humbling experience.

When he runs into Miguel, Jack braces for backlash over the way he lorded it over his old friend and flame. Instead, Miguel offers him friendship—and a job at his growing farm-to-table store and café.

Against the odds, both guys bond over broken dreams and find common ground in music. But when Jack’s college gives him a second chance, he’s torn between achieving a dream that will take him far from home, and a love that strikes a chord he’ll never find anywhere else.

Warning: This book contains a humbled guy who’s on the brink of losing it all, a determined entrepreneur who seems to have it all together, apologies issued through banjo-picking duets, and two lovers who can play each other’s bodies like virtuosos.

Add it to your shelves at Goodreads!

Buy Links

Amazon ||   Barnes & Noble  || Kobo || 

 iBooks || Google Play  

Special post from Amy Jo Cousins 

One of the partsI liked the best in Nothing Like Paris has to do with bullying, so when Amy Jo offered to work with me on a blog post, I wanted to know more of her perspective about this behavior that is pervasive in school and the workplace. Here's Amy Jo Cousins talking about bullying and how it made its way into Nothing Like Paris. ~tradermare

I didn’t get bullied much as a kid. I was a strange mixture of sweet and smart and shy that somehow combined to let me fly under the radar for most of my school years. The one time another student did come after me, it felt almost cartoonish, with the demand to “Meet me after school by the bike racks” whispered with a glare that said, We’re gonna fight. I walked home a different way from school for the next week or two and the kid who wanted to fight me eventually forgot about the whole thing.

Kids who are bullied, especially LGBTQ kids, don’t get off that easily. Writing Jack as a guy who bullied another student, even though it didn’t take place until they were in college, made me extremely uncomfortable. In my original draft, he was a cartoonish figure, menacing and irredeemably awful, and I think that was mostly because I was so unhappy about what this guy was doing, I didn’t want him to have any redeeming thoughts or feelings. It was my very intelligent and perceptive editor who called out that caricature and asked for a little more depth.

When I started thinking about Jack and why he’d harassed Tom so relentlessly in OFF CAMPUS, I wasn’t inclined to cut him much slack. And even when I figured out why he’d done it (Tom’s dad was busted for running a massive Ponzi scheme that cost Jack’s family their savings, including the college money and Jack takes it out on Tom), I didn’t want to let Jack off the hook for his behavior. I don’t think anyone wakes up one day and is a totally changed person, all sins repented. I also didn’t think Jack was unaware of how crappy he was being when he harassed Tom, and I thought some of that guilt would make him extra defensive about his own bad choices most of the time.

Kicked out of school, Jack is back in his hometown, still pissed off and angry at the world. It takes the wake-up call of his former best friend and boyfriend, Miguel, to get Jack started on the road to reclaiming his basic decency. And the support of his former high school guidance counselor to help Jack address some of the addiction issues that are destroying his family and contributing to his anger. Finding a support system that holds him accountable for his actions is part of what sets Jack on the road to being a better person again.

I don’t believe you can just apologize for something like bullying and redeem yourself, though. Apologies are too easy, and too often insincere. Jack’s story arc in NOTHING LIKE PARIS requires him to do some serious work on his own issues, on his anger management and his family troubles. He also ends up finding a way to make up for some of the harm he’s caused, to balance his karmic scales, if you will. And in the end, he knows that he can’t do any of this for superficial reasons if he wants it to mean anything.

One of the things Jack does involves a gay-straight alliance at his old high school. GSANETWORK is a terrific group offering support and resources for students looking to start GSAs in high school. Check out their website for more information! And maybe we can bring a few more Jack’s back to the good side of the Force.

Thank you Amy Jo!

What I thought about Nothing Like Paris

In Nothing Like Paris, we get Jack Tarkington's story.  He's the guy that was disciplined by the school for giving Tom Worthington a hard time in Off Campus, the first book in the series, but Nothing Like Paris could easily read as a standalone.

When Jack left his hometown for school, he also left behind his best friend and boyfriend, Mike who now runs a farm-to-table store in the small town.  Mike still has a grudge against Jack for leaving the way he did, and Jack is in dire straits, with a less than desirable family situation, no job and a possible expulsion in his future.  But the feelings between Jack and Mike won't be denied, even with their past hurts.

I really liked Mike.  He's ambitious and solid, and so much more mature than Jack.  But it's easy to see the attraction between these two, with Jack providing the excitement that Mike has missed all the years he was gone.  

Jack does manage to find a way to put up with being back in his hometown, and I loved  how he got involved with the high schoolers hanging around Mike's place. It opens the door for more and I really loved how things turned out with his interactions with his former guidance counselor.  She's got an important message for Jack, and for me, that was my favorite part of the book.

This book is different from Off Campus in that it gives us both Jack and Mike's point of view and I didn't feel like I got to know Jack the same way I got to know Tom in the first book in the series. I loved Mike though, so that made it all good. There's a slow build to the last part of the book that I wish had been paced a bit better but it was worth it in the end.

I really like this series and the characters. The last 30% is so full of personal revelations and I loved where Jack and Mike ended up in this book.

ARC provided for review.


About the Author

Amy Jo Cousins writes contemporary romance and erotica about smart people finding their own best kind of smexy. She lives in Chicago with her son, where she tweets too much, sometimes runs really far, and waits for the Cubs to win the World Series.

https://twitter.com/_AJCousins

https://www.facebook.com/AmyJoCousins

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/259275.Amy_Jo_Cousins

http://amyjocousins.com/