Three Truths and a Lie by Brent Hartinger

Three Truths and a Lie by Brent Hartinger

Review by Lauren

source: copy for review; all opinions are my own

Official Summary: A weekend retreat in the woods and an innocent game of three truths and a lie go horribly wrong in this high-octane psychological thriller filled with romantic suspense by a Lambda Award–winning author.

Deep in the forest, four friends gather for a weekend of fun. 

Truth #1: Rob is thrilled about the weekend trip. It’s the perfect time for him to break out of his shell…to be the person he really, really wants to be. 

Truth #2: Liam, Rob’s boyfriend, is nothing short of perfect. He’s everything Rob could have wanted. They’re perfect together. Perfect. 

Truth #3: Mia has been Liam’s best friend for years…long before Rob came along. They get each other in a way Rob could never, will never, understand. 

Truth #4: Galen, Mia’s boyfriend, is sweet, handsome, and incredibly charming. He’s the definition of a Golden Boy…even with the secrets up his sleeve. 

One of these truths is a lie…and not everyone will live to find out which one it is.

Review: I've read almost all of Brent Hartinger's novels and this one is definitely a favorite of mine! First off, I'm excited that a book with prominent gay characters is being pushed so heavily by a major publisher. Times are changing, and to show we appreciate it, we have to buy these books. Order a copy, ask your library for a copy, tell people about the book.

Anyway, back to the actual story! This is told from Rob's point of view. He is staying in a cabin over the weekend with his boyfriend Liam, Liam's best friend Mia, and Mia's boyfriend Galen. It's supposed to be a nice time to hang out and get to know each other better. Unfortunately, things aren't that easy. First, there satellite phone goes missing and this is their only way to call for help if they need, since nobody's cell phone gets a signal. Then there's a mysterious fire, and on and on.

I was never sure what was happening. Is someone else staying in a cabin near them, playing tricks or is it something more deadly? What about the four people in the cabin? Can any of them be trusted? But why would they mess with their boyfriend/girlfriend/friend?

I would recommend just reading the book and getting lost in the story. Don't worry so much about the answers, because sometimes mysteries are better that way. You allow yourself to be taken by surprise and to enjoy the reveals. Of course, if you do want to read close and try and guess, be my guest! I hope the experience is still enjoyable for you!

Definitely another good read from Hartinger; it's perfect to read now if you don't like "spooky" stories in the fall, but you could always buy now and save for an October night too!

Playing for Keeps by Avery Cockburn

Playing for Keeps by Avery Cockburn

Review by Lauren

source: personal copy; all opinions are my own

Official Summary: Rule One: No Drama!

Fergus Taylor is damaged goods. Reeling from a brutal breakup, he’s determined to captain his LGBT soccer team out of scandal and into a winning season. For that, he needs strict rules and careful plans. He does NOT need a brash, muscle-bound lad messing with his head and setting his body afire.

John Burns has a rule of his own: Don’t get attached. Boyfriends are for guys with nothing to hide. Nobody—not his university mates, not the men he beds—knows his family’s shame. Now his double life is starting to unravel, thanks to a certain Highlander whose storm-riddled eyes turn John inside out, who wears a kilt like he was born in it.

Fergus is the first man John wants to share his secret with—but he’s the last man who could handle it. John knows the truth would shatter Fergus’s still-fragile heart. But how can he live a lie when he’s falling in love?

Review: To be honest, sport-related books aren't usually my thing but I've found that I tend to like the ones that also feature an m/m romance. Enter Playing for Keeps! There is actually a novella before this one, but I just went straight to this book. Cockburn also has other books in the "series" featuring other members of the LGBT+ football (soccer for us U.S. folks) team. In Playing for Keeps, the new captain Fergus is introduced to John, who helps a non-profit in Scotland that works with refugees. The two are working together to set up a friendly (meaning the score doesn't count toward the regular season) between Fergus' team and another where all the money benefits the charity that John helps.

The two are immediately attracted to each other, but John is dealing with a lot of family issues and he knows that part of them need to stay hidden. Well, he believes they should. At least until he can figure out how to break the news to his dad that he no longer wants to be part of the whole Orange Order. Okay, I'm going to stop here and say that if you live in Scotland, maybe some of this will make sense to you, but I didn't know about any of the bad blood between various parts of Scotland. I think the author did a good job explaining everything and how John's family is on the opposite side of Fergus - a lot if is religion. John is Protestant and Fergus is Catholic.

Anyway, I might not explain it 100% perfectly but the book does a good job, so no worries! Back to the book - as John and Fergus work together, they start up a relationship and Fergus thinks he might be getting over his ex, who up and left him at the end of the last season. He still has troubles with trust though. As readers, we know that John isn't always telling the truth to Fergus but he's not cheating and he does care about Fergus. However, Fergus is burned from a past relationship with lies that he second guesses things and jumps to the wrong conclusions at times. It makes sense, but you definitely want the two to get things all out in the open and make it work.

Overall, this was a really layered story and I loved that. It's a romance, but there is more to it than that. I like a romance with substance! I'll certainly be checking out the next book in this series.

Music: "Youth" by Troye Sivan

For some reason, I couldn't get the actual video so I'm including a lyric video. However, I do suggest you go directly to youtube and look it up.

Anyway, this is "Youth" by Troye Sivan. I think I shared another of his songs awhile ago, but I thought I'd do another one as he's a great performer and if he's coming near you on tour, you should go! I wish I could, but he's not touring near my city. Sigh.

At any rate, in case you don't know, Troye is an out Australian singer who used to be a Youtube Star before sharing his wonderful music!

Finding North by Carmen Jenner

Finding North by Carmen Jenner

Review by Lauren

source: personal copy; all opinions are my own

Official Summary: Red Maine’s blue-collared bad boy, North Underwood, has a dirty little secret—Will Tanner.

Friends since kindergarten, North had been the one to jump first, and his fall into Will’s bed ten years ago had been no exception. Will and North had been inseparable, but things change, people grow apart, and even a blazing flame can dwindle to a dying ember over time.

The more things change the more they stay the same.

After a run in with a bottle of Bundy rum, Will and North find themselves in a compromising and all too familiar position.

Blurred lines, bad decisions, and one wrong foot after another lead these two down a spiral of sarcasm, secrets, and sex, but when North’s hetero status is called into question he can’t figure up from down. And despite Will telling himself he wouldn’t fall again, he’s head over heels and wandering without a compass.

Love is love.

Love is truth.

Love … shouldn’t be this damn hard to figure out.

Review: I've had a lot of ebooks saved on my wish list on Amazon, so I decided to grab some of them recently when I could and finally read them. One of these was obviously Finding North. I gave this 4 stars on Goodreads, but I left a comment saying it's really more of a 3.5 read. It's good, but it's not something I'd tell people to run out and ready right away. However, it kept me engaged well enough and I'm happy to have it read in the end.

What surprised me a bit about this one is how Will and North are both pretty similar to each other when it comes to their temper. Both of them let people and circumstances get to them and react with violence. Granted, Will does this a lot less than North, but it did surprise me to realize. I thought North would have been the more reactive character. At any rate, the two of them together seems to work well. Of course, North doesn't seem to want himself to be happy. He lets fear and other people dictate his life and while it made sense when he was a kid, he's a grown adult now and he's still letting life slip by him. Instead, he's sleeping with random girls, working in the mill with his alcoholic deadbeat father, and drinking himself at the local pub...where childhood friend Will lives and works with his own father.

I appreciated the fear that North had about being open to loving Will. You get enough from their past to understand it. I did think they seemed like an odd pairing when they were younger, because North seems to push Will into doing what he wants, in a way. It's not that Will doesn't want some of the same things - especially concerning loving North - but it just seemed as if North made some of those decisions for him in the beginning. I don't know how much this makes sense without giving things away though!

In the end, this was good, not great, but hey, they can't all be 5-star reads! I do want to mention that the cover model is Will, not North. You tend to think if someone's name is in the title, then they are on the cover, but the description of Will is definitely the model.

Teach Me by Sloan Johnson

Teach Me by Sloan Johnson

Review by Lauren

source: personal copy; all opinions are my own

Official Summary: Two words stripped Austin Pritchard of the privileged life he’s used to. The moment he uttered the words, “I’m gay,” he realized there is no such thing as unconditional love. Now, he’s gone from traveling the world with his family to living on the streets trying to figure out how he’s going to stay in school.

A chance opportunity changes everything. Austin impresses the foreman and lands a job, but even more, he catches the eye of David Becker, who is determined to teach him that true love doesn’t come with strings. 

The only thing David had as a child was love. His family struggled to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. That has driven him to stay focused on his goals; become a tenured professor at a university and save enough money to build a home of his own. It’s not until he sees an insecure college student working on his new house that he realizes that he hasn’t planned on someone to share his life with. He’s about to learn that everything he’s already accomplished is nothing compared to the task of making Austin see that he is worthy of love.

Review: I've owned this book for awhile now, having received it in a blog swap. I finally took the time to read it and I'm glad I did! This is the first book I've read by Johnson, but I'm curious to check out more by them. I'm not someone that seeks out relationship books where this is a big age gap, as I think sometimes it's done well and sometimes it's not. In this case, I thought it worked well. Austin is a 20 year old college student living on the streets because he told his parents he was gay and they effectively told him they didn't want him part of their family. As for David, he's a 35 year old professor who has worked hard for his lot in his life, but he's always had a supportive family.

The two meet when Austin works on David's new house over the summer. Austin needs the money to help him survive the streets, and David starts to help the contractor and his workers because he wants his house ready by the time school starts again. David is immediately intrigued by Austin and wants to get to know him more, so he asks him out to dinner and even helps him find a more long-term job. He doesn't know Austin is homeless and Austin wants to keep it that way as he already feels inferior to David, despite really liking him and of course, being attracted to him.

I thought the relationship worked well. It seems as if Austin is more immature in the beginning, and he is a bit. He's never been in a relationship with a guy before and he's new to all of it, so David definitely has a lot to teach him in that regard, plus he's always trying to make sure that Austin knows he's worthy of love and that not everyone will leave him. Despite Austin being unsure in the relationship at first, he knows he wants to make his way in life and not always rely on David, so he's not an immature guy. What I liked about this book is that David has his "issues" too and there is a big moment later in the book that shows David isn't always "mature" either. They both have their moments, but they work on them together and that's the main thing.

A Bouquet for Adam by A.J. Marcus and K.T. Spence

A Bouquet for Adam by A.J. Marcus and K.T. Spence

Review by Lauren

source: copy for review from Dreamspinner Press; all opinions are my own

Official Summary: Adam Stephens’s simple life working in Denver as a computer programmer is turned upside down when his mother suddenly dies. His crazy relatives in Virginia want him to move in with them because they believe his autism makes it impossible for him to care for himself. But life improves, at least for a time. One day while wandering through the botanical gardens, he runs into struggling wildlife photographer Trent Osborn.

As a hesitant love blossoms between the two, Adam’s aunt and uncle push for him to live with them. Adam again refuses. The struggles between his desires and what everyone else wants collide. Adam disappears, and Trent is unsure if he’s run off to escape life’s pressures made worse by his autism, or if something far more sinister has happened. Trent embarks on a cross-country journey in search of Adam. What he discovers changes the course of his and Adam’s lives and the lives of everyone connected to them.

Review: One thing I really loved about this book is that Adam is an autistic young man who is as capable as most people in living his life. He has things he needs help with, yes, but overall, he's an "everyday guy." I thought the authors did a really good job at portraying Adam and his autism. It's not the only defining quality about him, but they made sure to show his various quirks and how he differs a bit from other people. At the same time, meeting Trent and them becoming friends and then boyfriends shows another side to Adam. He can care about new things. He likes getting to know people. He loves.

I initially thought this would be a normal love story, of Adam and Trent meeting and falling in love. However, the book turned into much more than that. There is a lot of familial drama on Adam's side. His mother passes and some people in his family think he should move in with them. They think 'autism' and equate that with 'helpless' even though they are well aware that Adam is smart enough to work with computers and make a decent living. He might need some help, living on his own, but he in no way needs someone to take him away from his home to keep him "safe." He's not a harm to anyone.

I won't go into much detail about the plot, because I don't want to give things away. I will say that it was an intriguing direction to take the story, but I appreciated what the authors were trying to show. People don't always understand things like autism and they don't always treat those with it with respect.

Overall, this is a well-done novel!

Broken by Nicola Haken

Broken by Nicola Haken 

Review by Lauren

source: personal copy; all opinions are my own

Official Summary: When Theodore Davenport decides to switch his mundane job for a career, he walks into Holden House Publishing with enthusiasm and determination to succeed. As he settles into his new role, makes new friends, and dreams of making it to the top, everything is going to plan.

Until he meets James Holden, CEO of Holden House.

James Holden hasn’t been able to stop thinking about his encounter with the timid man he met in a club bathroom last week, and when he discovers the one haunting his dreams is an employee, he can’t seem to stop himself from pursuing him.

Just a little fun - that’s what James tells himself. He can’t afford to care for someone who can never reciprocate, not once they find out who he really is. James believes nobody deserves the burden of being attached to him. He’s a complicated man. Damaged. Difficult. Demanding. 

Broken.

Is Theodore strong enough to confront James’ demons? More importantly, is James? 

Review: On the surface, James isn't an easy guy to like. When Theo first meets him, it's a hook up in the bathroom of a bar and they never actually speak. Theo is upset with himself. He doesn't do one-night stands. However, he's even more appalled when he realizes he slept with his new boss at Holden House and the guy's a class-A jerk. Except he's not. And eventually Theo sees that.

It starts when Theo's car breaks down at work and he can't get a hold of anyone to give him a ride. James sees him, offers him a ride, and he reluctantly accepts the offer. What he doesn't expect is James showing up in the morning to bring him too work. This routine continues until Theo's car is fixed, and Theo soon realizes he misses seeing James and slowly getting to know the actual guy behind the rough exterior.

This is a love story. It's also a story about mental health. Learning to love oneself. Learning to love others who can't always love themselves. It's a wonderful book, but it's also a difficult read. I would definitely it could be triggering if you have a history of suicide or self-harm. I just want to warn those who may be interested but think they couldn't handle the book. If you don't mind these topics, then I would definitely recommend it.

Sure, there is plenty of sex and happy times. This is a growing relationship. At the same time, Theo eventually sees the James that he didn't in the beginning. James wants to hide this because he feels he's "broken" but he's not. He has problems and issues, like anyone, and while his may be more difficult to manage, he can manage.

This is a book that definitely leaves you rooting for the characters, as well as the relationship.