Gabbi Grey

Ironworker Dodge Vasilius has been in love with Maxine Reeves for the past year, but she was dating one of his coworkers. Now that she’s dumped her abusive boyfriend, he goes to her house to comfort her, never expecting to fall right into her bed.
I really enjoyed this erotic short story, but I wish it had been longer to delve more into the H/h’s lives and family. Dodge is very funny, and I loved how his internal thoughts kept steering him off track. He and Maxine are great characters, and I would love to read more about them.
5 Stars
… (meer)

On the surface, Jared Langford is completely happy with his life. He enjoys his job as the desk clerk at the Deerbourne Inn, he’s into photography and theater, and he’s always smiling. But he’s a private person with a heart-wrenching secret that he never plans to reveal. Then he meets an enigmatic guest at the inn, and for some reason, he can’t keep his distance from the man.
Award-winning photojournalist Xander Fortier goes to Willow Springs, Vermont, to finish his autobiography and to make peace with his health diagnosis. After witnessing so much pain and tragedy during his trips around the world, the last thing he expected to find was love when he didn’t have much time left.
Jared and Xander had wonderful chemistry. They’ve both experienced pain and loss, but were still true to themselves and what they wanted out of life. They fit together perfectly.
I don’t read many gay romances, and this is the first one I’ve read that was clean (no on-page sex). Their romance was sweet and heartfelt, like a melding of souls.
Since this book is in the multi-author series, the Deerbourne Inn, there were a few characters from other books that showed up in this one. It was great seeing them again.
Even though I liked the story, I sometimes had a hard time visualizing the scenes or figuring out who was speaking. I also kept wondering why Jared didn’t bring home the pets he got the day he adopted them. Maybe the rules about pet adoption are different in Vermont than from where I live?
Anyway, for readers who love MM sweet romance, this is a fun, yet emotional book to try. I teared up a few times, so I definitely enjoyed it.
4 Stars… (meer)

Noel Barker drives from Vancouver to the little town of Cataluma, California to save his irresponsible sister, Kendra, from making a huge mistake. She claims she’s in love with a man she just met, and she’s refusing to return home. While Noel tries to convince Kendra to smarten up, an attractive man intervenes and calms Noel down.
Aaron owns the local inn and has a way with people. Everyone loves him, and he’s good to the community. There’s an instant attraction with Noel, and he can’t stop himself from helping the squabbling siblings find even ground.
I enjoyed this story. It was a fast read and flowed well. The descriptions of the California scenery was great.
Noel and Aaron were strong characters with flaws and baggage that made them relatable. Noel’s protectiveness over his sister was a little tiresome at times, but I sympathized with him and, in fact, agreed with him. Kendra and her boyfriend, Javier, were rushing into their relationship, so of course, Noel had reason to freak out.
This fun, heartwarming, and steamy MM romance was a great way to pass the afternoon.
4.5 Stars… (meer)