Title: Bianca’s Plan
Author: B.G. Thomas
Genre: Contemporary Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy from publisher
Published: November 2012 by Dreamspinner Press
Bianca worries that her daddy, Gavin, is lonely and decides he needs a boyfriend for Christmas. So she enlists her father's best friend, the straight and unattached Curtis. Gavin has a Christmas wish, too, and Curtis setting him up on disastrous dates isn't part of it! Meanwhile, Curtis finds life becoming complicated as he tries to please Bianca, make Gavin happy, and fend off his own unexpected mixed feelings. Will anyone's wish come true?
Reviewed By: J9
Bianca’s Plan is a light, fun MM romance of best friends who become lovers due to one lead’s precocious matchmaking daughter. Bianca worries her dad, Gavin, is lonely and enlists the help of his seemingly straight best friend, Curtis, to set Gavin up with potential boyfriends. I loved the relationship between Bianca and her dad and Curtis. These three are already a family and the holiday season shows them this. Yes, Bianca is the classic adorable plot moppet but I loved her spunk and sassy mouth. Curtis and Gavin are both good characters and their romance is surprisingly intimate given this is a short novella. I absolutely adore the scene when Curtis realizes he wants more than friendship from Gavin because it’s sexy and emotional. The men’s relationship is emotionally resolved so the one sex scene was the perfect whip cream on the emotional hot chocolate. This is a great MM holiday story combining the best of family and love.
J9’s Rating:
Title: Inseparable
Author: Chris Scully
Genre: Contemporary Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Innocent
Source: review copy from publisher
Published: December 1, 2012 by Dreamspinner Press
After a car accident, Adam wakes up in a hospital room with no memory and a man named Joe, who acts like his boyfriend. So when Joe says Adam is straight—and Joe’s not—and they’re just best friends and roommates, Adam is more than a little confused. But as Adam starts to fill in the gaps, the one thing that becomes apparent is that Joe is the missing piece that can’t be replaced.
Reviewed By: J9
Inseparable is an amnesia story of roommates who should be more. Adam is injured in a car accident and awakes to Joe by his bedside with Joe claiming they’re just roommates. But Adam senses they mean more to each other than just friends. If you can overlook the slight soap opera set up to this story, it’s a good one. Both Joe and Adam are sympathetic characters but for different reasons. Adam’s injury and missing memory make him sympathetic but Joe’s unease and unwillingness to admit his love for Adam makes him my favorite character. I especially like that Joe’s family is a big part of both Adam and Joe’s lives and they’re funny, loving and over-whelming—just like real families! My only quibble is the sexual denouement was kissing only.
J9’s Rating:
Title: Snowbound in Nowhere
Author: Andrew Grey
Genre: Contemporary Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy from publisher
Published: November 2012 by Dreamspinner Press
When a funeral calls his friend Martin away, sunbelt resident Chris is left alone in Martin’s cabin in the dead of winter—and in a blizzard to boot. When the power goes out, Chris thinks he’s going to freeze to death. Luckily, Horace drops in to check on him—and then runs out after a few kisses, leaving Chris upset and feeling used. Horace does come back with explanations, but is their time together keeping each other warm enough for them to see they belong together? Or are these sudden emotions the product of being snowbound?
Reviewed By: J9
Snowbound in Nowhere is the most sexual of the short novellas here and the emotional intimacy is obligatory only. Still, it’s a spicy story of two sexually combustible men snowed in a cabin that’ll have readers a tad hot under the collar too. Phoenix-raised Chris visits his friend’s cabin in snowy Wisconsin just in time to be snowbound inside. Horace is the taciturn neighbor who stops in to check on Chris and the two heat themselves through the storm. This erotic story doesn’t have the family component of the first two stories but it is still holiday themed as the men cut a Christmas tree together. This isn’t going to wow readers but it’s enough to light a little fire.
J9’s Rating:
I think Bianca's Plan would be a cute story to read this time of the year.
ReplyDeleteI hate using the word favorite but it's likely my favorite holiday read! High recommend
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