Day: April 1, 2015

Review: The Understatement of the Year by Sarina Bowen

Posted April 1, 2015 by Rowena in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: The Understatement of the Year by Sarina BowenReviewer: Casee
The Understatement of the Year (The Ivy Years, #3) by Sarina Bowen
Series: The Ivy Years #3
Also in this series: The Year We Hid Away , Blonde Date , The Year We Fell Down , The Shameless Hour (The Ivy Years, #4), The Fifteenth Minute (The Ivy Years, #5), The Fifteenth Minute (The Ivy Years, #5), The Year We Hid Away (The Ivy Years, #2), Extra Credit
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: October 15, 2014
Point-of-View: First
Genres: New Adult
Pages: 300
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

What happened in high school stayed in high school. Until now.

Five years ago, Michael Graham betrayed the only person who ever really knew him. Since then, he’s made an art of hiding his sexuality from everyone. Including himself.

So it’s a shock when his past strolls right into the Harkness College locker room, sporting a bag of hockey gear and the same slow smile that had always rendered Graham defenseless. For Graham, there is only one possible reaction: total, debilitating panic. With one loose word, the team’s new left wing could destroy Graham’s life as he knows it.

John Rikker is stuck being the new guy. Again. And it’s worse than usual, because the media has latched onto the story of the only “out” player in Division One hockey. As the satellite trucks line the sidewalk outside the rink, his new teammates are not amused.

And one player in particular looks sick every time he enters the room.

Rikker didn’t exactly expect a warm welcome from Graham. But the guy won’t even meet his eyes. From the looks of it, his former… best friend / boyfriend / whatever isn’t doing so well. He drinks too much and can’t focus during practice.

Either the two loneliest guys on the team will self destruct from all the new pressures in their lives, or they can navigate the pain to find a way back to one another. To say that it won’t be easy is the Understatement of the Year.

THIS BOOK IS A STANDALONE. NO CLIFFHANGERS. NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE NECESSARY.

Warning: unlike the other books in this series, this heartbreaking love story is about two guys. Contains sexual situations, dance music, snarky t-shirts and a poker-playing grandmother.

This is the third book in the Ivy Years series and the blurb (that I got off of Goodreads) does a bang up job of explaining what the book is about that I’m going to jump right into my thoughts on the book.

This was my very first m/m book. It’s not my usual thing but because I enjoy this series so much, I knew that I was going to read it and I’m glad that I did. My heart went out to both Rikker and Graham so many different times in the book but when all was said and done, I closed the book with a goofy grin on my face.

Of the two heroes, I think I liked John Rikker more. He was one of those what you see is what you get kind of guys and seeing what he went through day in and day out ever since he came out of the closet, made my heart hurt time after time. It was not an easy life to live in the spotlight all the time, not for what you do on the ice but for how you spend your personal time and the drama that they put this young man through made me want to punch everyone in their throats. Boy did I love the support system he had with his grandmother (but ugh on his parents) and I loved that he kept right on fighting the good fight to have a life, a life outside college hockey and outside of the media attention. Seeing his love for Graham throughout the book hurt my heart as well because he was so patient. A lot more patient than I would have been in his same situation.

Michael Graham was a good guy, a very scared good guy but a good guy nonetheless. Growing up the way that he did, it was understandable but I thought it took him far too long to stand up for Rikker. There were times when I wanted to give Graham a swift kick to the shin but when it mattered most, he stepped up in a big way. I ended up really liking Graham and thought he was a great character. Very three dimensional and just, real. His story reminded me of one of my very good friends. We grew up in very religious backgrounds and it took my friend over 25 years to finally come out to me. When he finally did, we hugged it out and I told him, “I know.” Being gay didn’t make me love him any less and I hurt for him because he was scared to tell me. That reminded me of Graham because when he finally comes out to his parents, the love they had for him was real and it was a relief to know that he would have a good support system.

This book made me cry, it made me laugh and it made me rejoice with a happy dance. I felt all of the emotions while reading this one so you know it was a good one. Sarina Bowen does a fantastic job of reeling the reader into whatever story she’s telling and that was the case with Rikker and Graham’s book. It’s a good one, this book. I recommend it.

Grade: 4.25 out of 5

The Ivy Years

four-stars

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Cover Reveal: The Shameless Hour by Sarina Bowen

Posted April 1, 2015 by Rowena in Promotions | 2 Comments

ShamelessHour cover reveal

BELLA’S BOOK IS COMING GUYS!!

Holly and I were such huge fans of Sarina Bowen’s Ivy Years series last year and Sarina is keeping the party going with Bella’s story and I have every faith that it’s going to be a good one. If you remember, Bella was the team manager for the college’s Men’s hockey team and she was also really good friends with Michael Graham, one of the heroes in The Understatement of the Year.

Here’s the cover and blurb for Bella’s book. squee

ShamelessHour med

Announcing: Ivy Years #4
The Shameless Hour by Sarina Bowen
Coming on or before May 1st

The girl who’s had everyone meets the boy who has no one.

For Bella, the sweet-talking, free-loving, hip-checking student manager of the Harkness men’s hockey team, sex is a second language. She’s used to being fluent where others stutter, and the things people say behind her back don’t (often) bother her. So she can’t understand why her smoking hot downstairs neighbor has so much trouble staying friends after their spontaneous night together. She knows better than to worry about it, but there’s something in those espresso eyes that makes her second-guess herself.

Rafe is appalled with himself for losing his virginity in a drunken hookup. His strict Catholic upbringing always emphasized loving thy neighbor—but not with a bottle of wine and a box of condoms. The result is an Ivy League bout of awkwardness. But when Bella is leveled by a little bad luck and a downright nasty fraternity stunt, it’s Rafe who is there to pick up the pieces.

Bella doesn’t want Rafe’s help, and she’s through with men. Too bad the undeniable spark that crackles between the two of them just can’t be extinguished.

Pre-order The Shameless Hour at iBooks
Add The Shameless Hour to your Goodreads Shelf
Follow Sarina Bowen on Amazon.com
Sign up for Sarina’s Mailing List

Check out an excerpt from The Shameless Hour:

I heard the band start to play the classic one-two Merengue rhythm that I’d heard my whole life. On the dance floor, the energy picked up as the geezers began to move to the faster beat.

“Let’s go,” I said, standing up. I offered Bella my hand.

But Bella shook her head. Even worse, she scooted her chair toward the wall.

“Don’t leave me hanging,” I said, my hand still waiting in the air. “Come on now. Nobody puts Bella in a corner.”

On the other side of the table, Bella’s sister snorted into her white wine.

Bella rolled her eyes. Hard. “You did not just quote Dirty Dancing.”

I leaned down near Bella’s ear. “I did. Now get your ass out of that chair, like the girl in the movie, or I’ll have to put you in a fireman’s hold.”

Her mouth tight, Bella stood up. Not one to waste an opportunity, I clasped her hand, tugging her onto the dance floor. When we were right in the center, I put one hand onto Bella’s waist and took her opposite hand in mine. She was as stiff as a piece of wood. “Shake it off, chica. This is supposed to be fun.”

“Your job tonight was to make my life less embarrassing. Not more.”

“I am doing that. We’re going to be the best looking dancers on this floor, and everyone in this mausoleum is going to wonder how I got so lucky as to be here with you. Now listen to this rhythm, okay? Just step to the beat. And let your hips absorb the motion.” I began to move to the music. The merengue is a Dominican dance, and every kid in my neighborhood can merengue before his fifth birthday. It’s just not that complicated.

With nervous eyes, Bella began to move.

“Use these hips,” I prompted, touching the silky fabric of her dress. As I watched, she loosened up a tiny fraction. “Yes! But even more. You look great. I wouldn’t steer you wrong. And think of pressing the balls of your feet into the floor.”

Biting her lip, Bella moved with me.

“That’s it! See? Nothing to it.” Just like that, we had a proper merengue going on.

“Can I sit down yet?” Bella asked.

“Not even close,” I laughed. “See, I knew you could move.”

Bella pouted. “We’ve seen each other’s moves, Rafe.”

She lifted her eyes, and the heat in them went straight to my dick.

Jesucristo. That was the trouble with getting so close to Bella. I was always going to be susceptible to her. Anything she did to remind me of that night was always going to knock me right over.

“Ha.” She said. “I finally found a way to shut you up.” Bella put a little more effort into her merengue then, looking smug.

Pre-order your own copy…I already did! 🙂

sarina bowenAbout the author: Sarina Bowen writes steamy, angsty contemporary romance from Vermont’s Green Mountains. (Her ancestors began logging and farming Vermont during the 18th century. These were rugged, outdoor types without benefit of a laptop or a good latte. It boggles the mind.)

Sarina enjoys skiing, skating and good food. She lives in Windsor County, Vermont, with her family, eight chickens and too much ski gear and hockey equipment.

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Guest Review: The Courtesan Duchess by Joanna Shupe

Posted April 1, 2015 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

The Courtesan Duchess by Joanna ShupeTracy’s review of The Courtesan Duchess (Wicked Deceptions #1) by Joanna Shupe

How to seduce an estranged husband—and banish debt!—in four wickedly improper, shockingly pleasurable steps…

1. Learn the most intimate secrets of London’s leading courtesan.
2. Pretend to be a courtesan yourself, using the name Juliet Leighton.
3. Travel to Venice and locate said husband.
4. Seduce husband, conceive an heir, and voilà, your future is secure!

For Julia, the Duchess of Colton, such a ruse promises to be foolproof. After all, her husband has not bothered to lay eyes on her in eight years, since their hasty wedding day when she was only sixteen. But what begins as a tempestuous flirtation escalates into full-blown passion—and the feeling is mutual. Could the man the Courtesan Duchess married actually turn out to be the love of her life?

Julia married her husband when she was just 16 years old. He then left – before consummating the marriage – for the continent and never returned. (He hated his father and as the father had contracted the marriage Nick wanted nothing to do with any of it) That was eight years ago. Since then Julia and her aunt have been living on a continually dwindling stipend that she receives from Nick’s cousin. They are just about destitute when Julia decides that the only way she’s going to get more money to live even a halfway decent life is to get pregnant with the Duke’s heir. Hard to do when she’s never had sex with the man.

Julia decides that she will head to Venice, act like a courtesan, sleep with her husband, get pregnant and then leave him. Sure, she’ll write him afterwards and let him know what she did but she doesn’t plan on telling him anything face to face. The whole deception is a bit tricky as she’s never actually HAD sex before so she hires a courtesan with the last of the money she has from selling her jewelry. This way she’ll know what to do – in theory.

Julia, who poses as Mrs. Juliet Leighton, is a complete success and almost from moment one her husband is entranced by her. It’s not long before they’re in bed together but Julia finds herself falling in love with him, which she wasn’t planning on doing. She’s had nothing but bad thoughts of him for eight years so it’s a bit hard to comprehend that it’s even possible to love him but she does. When she comes to terms with this she deserts Venice and Nick and heads back to England. On the ship ride back she realizes that she’s attained her goal – she’s pregnant.

When Nick finds out Juliet’s true identity he’s more than pissed off and heads back to England to give her a piece of his mind. He doesn’t believe that the baby is his when he finds out she’s pregnant – nor that Julia was a virgin when they slept together. He’s determined to keep her at arms length until he can figure out if the baby is his or not – and even then he’s not planning on having anything to do with her – even if he does love her.

There were so many things to love about this book. The setting, Venice, in the beginning of the book and the English countryside later, were lovely and well described. Though I hate deceptions in marriages I could understand how Julia would want to keep herself and her aunt financially safe and you know, fed. I couldn’t believe that this would be her first step to securing funds as she never wrote Nick to tell him what was going on, but there you have it. Their time together in Venice was fun and sexy and I really enjoyed it.

Once Nick followed Julia to England things became strained and I truly didn’t care for the way that Nick treated Julia. He didn’t believe her at all, which is understandable, but I hated the way he treated her and he fell a few notches in my esteem. Yes, he was angry but I truly thought he could have handled things better. He wasn’t a bad man or a bad hero but some of his words and actions needed to be rethought, that’s for sure.

Julia was a good woman with a bad idea. Yes, it did get her to know her husband but it was a pretty grand scheme for someone to pull off. She was a strong character, however, as she dealt with all of the happenings in the book with dignity.

Overall the book was a good one. It lagged a bit in the middle when the H/h were butting heads constantly but overall a solid story.

Rating: 3.5/3.75 out of 5

 

This title is available from Zebra. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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