Review: Family Man

Family Man
Family Man by Heidi Cullinan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’d sum up Family Man as a feel good story. The two men have obstacles in their lives but really the power of family and acceptance makes everything ok. It doesn’t matter that one of the men was married three times before or the other is ten years younger and has an alcoholic mother, family will get you through anything seems to be the moral of the story. It’s a nice moral definitely and the couple is sweet with a nice combination of personalities. The relationship and especially the physical side are well developed and very genuine. It’s a well-written story with a ton of romance that makes you happy you read it. Continue reading

Review: Between Sinners and Saints

Between Sinners and Saints Between Sinners and Saints by Marie Sexton
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Between Saints and Sinners shines in many ways; the skillful handling of abuse and PTSD, the inclusion of a very sticky subject in religion and theology, difficult and absentee families, and a complicated relationship. This book could have gone horribly wrong but Sexton is a great writer and kept the subjects complicated yet not overwhelming. None of the characters are perfect or evil but show various shades of grey. They have intolerance yet also an ability to learn and change. Although not wholly successful for me, I think the story is an excellent example of complex issues and characters that never verge into extremes yet remain fascinating. Continue reading

Review: Paris A to Z

Paris A to Z (Coda Books, #6)Paris A to Z by Marie Sexton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I want to be sad that a fabulous series (Coda Books) has ended but the concluding novella, Paris A to Z, wraps everything and everyone up so well that I feel satisfied and happy. The story could have been longer and had more Jonathan and Cole but really that’s just getting greedy since the story is nearly pitch perfect in offering solid happy endings to everyone. In some ways the various arc are the inevitable conclusions to the growth that each character has over the course of the series. Angelo and Zach grow the most but then again they had the most tenuous and perhaps out there relationship. In the end there’s no doubt everyone is happy and with their intended soul mates.

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Review: Putting Out Fires

Putting Out Fires (Coda #5)Putting Out Fires by Marie Sexton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Putting Out Fires is a short story featuring the main characters from Promises and cameos from those in A to Z. You definitely don’t need to read the prior books to understand and appreciate the story offered here but fans of the series will delight in revisiting favorite characters in a familiar setting. The typical guy behavior about the holiday offers some nice humor mixed with tons of romance. This is easily worth reading and I think will be a big hit with romance fans.

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Strawberries for Dessert by Marie Sexton

Strawberries for DessertStrawberries for Dessert by Marie Sexton

Blurb:
When Jonathan Kechter agrees to a blind date with Cole Fenton, he expects nothing more than dinner and a one-night stand… but he gets more than he bargained for in Cole. Cole is arrogant, flamboyant, and definitely not Jon’s type. Still, when Cole suggests an arrangement of getting together for casual sex whenever they’re both in town, Jon readily agrees.

Their arrangement may be casual, but Jonathan soon learns that when it comes to Cole Fenton, nothing is easy. Between Cole’s fear of intimacy and his wandering lifestyle, Jonathan wonders if their relationship may be doomed from the start—but the more Cole pushes him away, the more determined Jon is to make it work.

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

how to repair a jerky dick

One More Soldier by Marie Sexton

One More SoldierOne More Soldier by Marie Sexton

Blurb:
Houston, 1970

Will has known Bran since he first taught him to swim, when Bran was eleven years old. But now, seven years later, Bran has returned from a year of hard work on a ranch outside of Houston and he is no longer the boy Will remembers. He’s now eighteen, quite grown up, and making no secret of the fact that he’s interested in a sexual relationship with Will. At first, Will is horrified. He has a hard time forgetting the Bran he knew as a child, and given their seventeen-year age difference, he can’t understand why Bran is interested in him. But everything changes when he finds out that Bran has been drafted.

Will and Bran will have only two weeks together. But two weeks may be enough to change Will’s life.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

who doesn’t love virgins?

The Letter Z by Marie Sexton

The Letter ZThe Letter Z by Marie Sexton

Blurb:
Sequel to A to Z
Spin-off of Promises

Zach and Angelo have settled into their new lives in Coda, Colorado, finding their place in the community with the help of their good friends Matt and Jared. Zach and Angelo are also working out the particulars of their relationship, but when they make a decision Jared disagrees with, Angelo finds himself at odds with his partner’s best friend. And his best friend’s partner.

When the four decide on a quick trip to Vegas, Angelo thinks he and Jared may be back on the right track. But a chance encounter with Zach’s ex-boyfriend will make Angelo question everything about himself and his relationship with Zach. Matt and Jared have always been there when Zach and Angelo needed help. But when it comes to sorting out their relationship, their friends may do more harm than good.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

sequel to a spin off of a sequel?

A to Z by Marie Sexton

A to Z by Marie Sexton

Blurb:
Zach Mitchell is stuck in a rut. His college boyfriend left him ten years ago, but Zach still lives in the same apartment, drives the same car, and feeds his ex-boyfriend’s ungrateful cat. His Denver business, A to Z Video Rental, is struggling. He has annoying customers, eccentric neighbors, and an unfulfilling romance with his landlord, Tom.

A combat boot-wearing punk with an attitude, Angelo Green was raised in foster homes and has been on his own since he was sixteen; he has never learned to trust or to love. He doesn’t do relationships, so when Angelo takes a job at A to Z Video, he decides Zach is strictly off-limits.

Despite their differences, Zach and Angelo quickly become friends, and when Zach’s break-up with Tom puts his business on the line, it’s Angelo who comes up with a solution. Together with Jared and Matt, their friends from Coda, Colorado, Zach and Angelo will find a way to save A to Z, but will they be able to save each other too?

not as good as the first but ok…

Promises by Marie Sexton

Promises by Marie Sexton

Blurb:
Jared Thomas has lived his whole life in the small mountain town of Coda, Colorado. He can’t imagine living anywhere else. Unfortunately, the only other gay man in town is twice his age and used to be his teacher, so Jared is resigned to spending his life alone.

Until Matt Richards walks into his life, that is. Matt has just been hired by the Coda Police Department, and he and Jared immediately become friends. Matt claims he is straight, but for Jared, having a sexy friend like Matt is way too tempting. Facing Matt’s affair with a local woman, his disapproving family, and harassment from Matt’s co-workers, Jared fears they’ll never find a way to be together—if he can even convince Matt to try.

romance comfort read…