Review : The Other Half by Jess Whitecroft

Two guys each inherit half of an old, historic house in The Other Half.

Chris is a black and Jewish, liberal, bougie book editor from New York. Son-of-a-con-artist Jody is a mainly Armenian, pansexual stripper, and just started being a porn star.

Oh, and Chris is engaged to be married to gorgeous model, Sebastian. So, you know. He's got the hot boyfriend, steady job, lovely apartment thing going. Until it's gone. In a reaction to finding Sebastian once again cheating, Chris leaves the apartment to him and takes to the hills and the rambling, rotten house he just inherited in New Hampshire. Where Jody is already staying.

Jody and Chris have already met though, during the funeral for Chris' aunt who was Jody's friend Becca. Jody had wandered away from the narcissistic conversations held between people who didn't seem to care about Becca at all. He ended up upstairs in the master bedroom, smoking some of Becca's leftover medical marijuana. Chris showed up and spends a moment upset at Jody's pot smoking, before he's hanging puffing away too. An unexpected kiss puts a stop to that when it reminds Chris that he is engaged to be married and that he probably shouldn't be smoking and making out with someone else at his aunt's funeral. This makes the unexpected shared inheritance of a historic old house especially awkward.

“Of course I’d end up owning a house with the stranger I tongue-kissed while high at a funeral. It’s like the only possible outcome with me.”

Jody inherited 50% of the house and Chris inherited the other half. They decide to share the house and work on it together as they each try to survive their own issues. Chris is working on getting past his feelings for Sebastian, while Jody is trying to earn some money making porn with his friend Dawn and her strap-on, Mr. Sparkles.

There is a lot of unresolved sexual tension between Chris and Jody, especially when they think back to that kiss. It doesn't help that Jody spends a lot of time walking around naked. And then the gaps letting in cold, New Hampshire air get too much and the pair end up sharing a tent set up inside the house alongside one of the few working fireplaces.

“There,” he says. “That’s better. No kissing.” 

“Yeah. We’ll just cuddle.” 

“We’re not cuddling.” 

“Says you,” I say. “We are spooning.” 

I feel his breath warm on my ear. “We’re not. We’re huddling together for warmth. In a manly way, like polar explorers.” 

“Emphasis on the pole,” I say, wriggling my butt. “And it’s kind of hard to miss the manly part when you’re poking me in the ass with your boner.” 

He prods me with it on purpose. “You have one, too. I felt it before you rolled over.”
“It’s a dick, Chris. It doesn’t know the difference between sexy cuddling and manly huddling. We’re just going to have to accept that these things happen.”

Just pounds of UST. But Chris is trying to get over his ex and while he has a fairly decent reaction to sex work, it's still a bit tough for him to get past when he starts thinking about how his ex cheated on him and now his new beau is sleeping with other people. At least it's honest, but still not something he thinks he can handle.

In a teasing aside the pair kid about how Aunt Becca might have set this whole thing up to get them together since she really liked Jody and detested Sebastian. Then they realize that would mean they were being manipulated from beyond the grave by a Rebecca and the possibility of the house ending up burning to the ground and they get a little worried about comparing their story to a fictional one.

They may not be yuppies, but Jody and Chris manage to have a classic house monstrosity renovation like the movie, The Money Pit. The Money Pit is hilarious, and so is the renovation work in this book. I'll never get that scene with chairs sliding like they were on the deck of the Titanic out of my head. And the bed scene could have been from High Spirits it was so visually interesting. Chaos is never ending, but the boys deal with it.

“Paint thinner and weed,” he says. “The New Hampshire high life."

So, the pair get along. Trying to resist each, making porn, and fixing up the old house. Chris trying to pretend his real life in New York doesn't exist and that he's just going Walden Pond. Jody trying to get laid. If it was just the two of them things would work out. But as time passes, and they eventually start hooking up, the outside world starts knocking at their door.

Family gets all up in arms about their actions. Chris' father spends his time hanging with his almost-future-son-in-law, Sebastian, and psychoanalyzing what causes men to cheat as an excuse for why they both are cheaters. Chris' mom and sister are a bit upset that his sister didn't inherit the house along with Chris, and they are busy trying to figure out how to get him back to sanity and New York. Jack, Jody's father is looking for his next score and trying to figure out how to con his way into money.

And is it Elrond? Legolas? Zoolander? Elf-Prince Zoolander? No, it's pretty, blond model Sebastian is sitting in their shared apartment, still expecting Chris to get over this cheating episode too and get back together with him.

The house is getting worse instead of better and the number of liveable rooms dwindles quickly. Suspension of reality is taking a beating as Chris isn't bringing in any money and Jody isn't doing porn anymore.

Funny and clever and interesting scenes abound. But there are some aspects of the book that will make readers not want to finish.

There is a lot of cheating. Previously, Chris' beautiful, model boyfriend was at a fashion party where he did drugs and slept with someone else. Chris forgave him and they got engaged. They are planning their wedding when the bf starts acting strange and Chris feels like he's trying to encourage him to look at other guys. Chris acts like an old creep leering at an intern, then gets high and kisses Jody at the funeral. Chris feels guilty about it, even thinks about admitting it. Then he catches his bf cheating on him again and they break up.

There are on page sex scenes with other people. Purposefully vulgar ones. Jody almost getting sexually assaulted by a bachelorette party with a bottle of barbecue sauce. Jody really going to town as he is licking out Dawn and they talk about shoving an eggplant toy up her. Jody just generally being skanky. Chris getting all up on Sebastian against the coffee table. I'm not really sure what the purpose of the scenes were as they are just kinda gross and don't add anything to the story at all. Maybe someone told the writer there needs to be sex right away to capture the attention of those sorts of readers? Some of the sex scenes matter. Like having Chris go upstairs and ask Jody and Dawn to not make porn when there are tradesmen visiting because flakes of plaster are falling from the ceiling and their moans are loud. Other scenes just seem to be there because the author was trying to make the book more porn than romance novel.

This is also one of those books where they think wanting to bone someone means they are in love with them. Which is strange because of how often they think about or have sex with other people. Chris' best description of Sebastian is that he is beautiful. That Sebastian is beautiful is something Chris remarks upon over and over again. He looks at him, sees how beautiful he is, wants to have sex with him, then decides that means he loves him. Then he switches to Jody. The two barely have any story between them before Chris and Jody are telling each other 'I love yous' and screwing each other. Considering that Chris is most attracted to redheads I have to wonder if in the future he'll see one and suddenly think he is in love with someone else.

It's strange because coincidentally I recently read and reviewed a book where the bigger of the two MCs is the male of a male / female set of twins who work in the same field, just like this one, and in that book too there are constant sex and stoner scenes. Something Magic is about a tattoo artist werewolf and his book editor hipster mate who live in Seattle though and that book manages to have lots of sex scenes and scenes where they are getting high, yet comes across so much better. Perhaps it's because the scenes in this book just seem thrown in to make it more like porn while the scenes in that book mattered.

There is some harshness at the end that doesn't usually occur in romance novels. No neat little bow making everything better and everyone getting along. No character development to become better people. Jody doesn't lose his bitterness, instead he gets more cynical. Chris just goes with the flow like he always does. There is also a weird scene about the beauty of place that doesn't really match any of the rest of the book. It's just off.

So, this book won't appeal to everyone. But it is good in its own way if you have a higher tolerance for its issues or like this style of book. Maybe you like funny books with chaotic scenes and things going wrong. Maybe you want to read porn but want to pretend it's romance to make yourself feel better. Maybe you too loved The Money Pit and this book makes you happy just remembering that movie. It is funny, it is well written, it just happens to heavily favor sex and cheating.

Even though I didn't like a lot about the book, I liked it more than I didn't. The funny renovation scenes are worth skimming over the icky parts. I'll probably reread it in the future too.

The guys play off of each other well. Jody tends to be pushy and Chris is generally a pushover, so they work. Hopefully they get some therapy in the future because instead of most books that have their characters mature, those boys started with issues and only got more as time went on.

Abandoning the city and moving to the country is a great trope, and though it would have been good to have more country in the story, it was still good. Though why would you add a scene about the MC seeing his friend wearing a robe so short he can see her vagina after having just ridden an eggplant, and only do a mention of a possum getting in the house and scaring one of the main characters? If a possum is running around the house and scaring the MC, ou feature it! Not one single wild animal scene in the house was in the book. That old of a house and there weren't any scary spider or mouse scenes?!

So, there was a lot of disappointment in reading this book. Scenes that could contribute to the good parts of it were neglected to spend more time on junk. It would be hard to like the book if the premise wasn't so good. But it is, and city boys having to renovate a country house, and having to share that house with a stranger you kissed at a funeral is too funny not to like the book at least a bit.

Review : Something Magic by Justine Taylor

For most of his life Caleb has dreamed of a wolf. A big, black wolf with red eyes who meets him in a meadow. Caleb can never move in his dreams of the wolf. He is held in place and can only try again and again to get to the black beast. Caleb feels more alive in his dreams than in his real life. He feels like he is where he belongs. But years pass, the dream coming randomly, only changing once when Caleb is younger, the wolf howling out in grief and no matter how much Caleb tried, he could not get to the wolf to comfort him. Young Caleb was so upset over that dream that his parents held him out of school for the day and he went to work with his father, the sheriff. It was there that Caleb saw the boy.

A glimpse is all Caleb gets when the boy and his twin sister are led into the sheriff's office by Caleb's own mother, an english teacher at the high school. Before Caleb is chased away from the scene he hears that the twins' family have all been killed. A decade will pass before Caleb sees the boy again. Distracted by his own mother getting sick and dying, then Caleb figuring out he is gay, then going to college, and finally getting a job in Seattle, Caleb has all but forgotten the scene he barely glimpsed when he was young.

But his dreams of the wolf still remain. They happen less than they did, but he is still left feeling like he should know what it means, he should know the wolf. One morning he wakes from the dream once again, feeling a need to bridge the connection between the two of them and acknowledge how much the wolf means to him. So, he does his best to draw out the wolf, his thick, black fur, his shining red eyes, then he finds the best tattoo shop in town and heads there with his art.

Triskele Tattoo seems staffed solely with stunningly gorgeous people when he arrives. Each have a certain something that catches the attention, and while they seem a little different he finds that he likes them and ponders whether he can be friends with an entire tattoo studio. He hands over his artwork to a real artist who seems a bit surprised by the image. She redraws it, capturing the essence of the wolf even more, then inks it on his skin, all the while getting to know Caleb and chatting about the tattoo artist who isn't there, a seemingly grumpy guy named Mack.

One month later Caleb goes to the tattoo shop for a touch-up and runs into the mysterious artist himself. Caleb finds himself drawn to the man, and while Mack seems a bit stern and is hard to read, he seems like he might be interested too.

Something Magic is a really good story with a simplistic plotline, but it is one of those that don't need to be convoluted. Split up by the murder of Mack's family, Caleb and Mack are reunited a thousand miles away from where they started, drawn together by their shared dreams. Dreams that Mack knows mean that the two are soul mates because that is what happens when a werewolf shares his dreams with another. Mack must explain to Caleb about wolf shifters and what the dreams mean, but first Caleb has to admit they share a hometown and small amount of history.

Caleb and Mack are perfect together. I really like the couple. Mack is a little gruff, while Caleb is at turns shy and flirty. Where one is unsure, the other is there to back him up. They just fit. They're both a little hipster; Caleb likes slouchy beanies and graphic tees, Mack is a Seattle tattoo artist sporting a bit of scruff. They like sitting around and smoking pot while discussing literature and offbeat music. And they have a lot of chemistry.

The pot smoking is a bit overboard. Caleb is a bit of a stoner and since pot affects werewolves while alcohol doesn't, Mack tends to smoke often too. Then again, it's set in the Pacific Northwest.

The book has a lot of pot and / or sex scenes, probably about half the book. The sex scenes are good and hot. The boys are both versatile unlike many shifter novels, so they tend to alternate a lot. There's some knotty heat going on as well once Mack confesses his werewolf nature and is able to top Caleb. I'm not usually a fan of sex scenes interrupting the story of a book, but the sex in this book is better than average.

It's kind of funny as another book I recently read and reviewed: The Other Half by Jess Whitecroft, is very similar in some ways. That book features the male of a male / female set of twins getting together with a small guy and spending a huge portion of the book hooking up and smoking pot. A bit of a strange coincidence to end up reading them back to back.

The flow of the story is fairly decent. We get a little insight into Caleb before he literally runs into Mack. Then there is the slow, getting together, followed by almost instant coupledom, and eventually the dramatic ending scenes that tie up loose ends. The ending works, but just try to not get nitpicky over it as logic applied will probably make it fall to pieces. It's a good scene, just missing some details that would make it make more sense and filling in holes. And it's a little abrupt and too quickly over and dealt with. Like I said, just read it and don't think about it and it's good.

In Something Magic the shifter world is somewhat like more modern shifters tend to be with a bit of old-fashioned werewolf style too. Humans don't know about werewolves. Werewolves are born, but can change people with their bites. They are not forced to shift on the full moon only, they can shift at any time but feel the urge to do so more when the moon is full. Alphas and a few others can knot their mates. They are hunted by werewolf hunters who sometimes only kill bad werewolves, but others kill every werewolf they can find.

It is a well-thought out world, which isn't a coincidence as this is actually Teen Wolf fanfiction. I like fanfiction and often find the writers better than many commercial writers. But...it's a little disingenuous to present something as an original work when the ideas belong to someone else. Using someone else's world as a starting point is fine, just give credit where credit is due. And the writer accidentally even left one of the characters names in, so it's pretty obvious to those who have watched Teen Wolf.

The writer captured a lot of good imagery in this story, from the tattoo shop to a boat trip that turns out pretty beautiful. Characters aren't described a ton, but enough to get a good idea for the main ones. It definitely feels like a fill-in your own ideas kind of book instead of the author telling you exactly what everything looks like, but that might be because of its origins of being based on something most people would know what the characters look like. For a good grasp on the setting it can be helpful to look up a few images to get a better grasp on the location. Many of the images associated with Seattle are easy to find.

A Triskele Tattoo


Looking for YA werewolf books at Elliot Bay Bookstore


Evening falls as the Seattle Ferry passes in front of Mount Rainier on its return from Bainbridge Island.


Where the book really takes a hit is the editing. Some misspelt words are easy to pass off, but others catch your attention more. And there are some major issues with the timeline. The wolf howling in grief in Caleb's dream supposedly does so at night while he is 12. But why would the wolf be howling the night before anything happened? And Caleb's age changes a lot in various parts of the book when he's talking about what happened to him and when. Major errors. Stop and page back to make sure you aren't remembering wrong sorts of things. The author really needs to grab a couple friends and make them read their books before putting them out.

Luckily, the story is good enough that the errors are just frustrating, not bad enough to stop reading. The plot and style make up for a lot. And of course most readers are willing to forgive a lot for some knotty heat.

Review : His Someone Special by Sammi Cee & Brittany Cournoyer

His Someone Special is boss / employee and Daddy / boy romance novel about a down and out boy named Davis and the bar owner who hires him, Sarge. Davis is a shy, little virgin who has to stare down a dragon in his cave when he walks into the bar, Full Throttle, looking for a job. He hasn't been able to find one in a while and even eating ramen he is in danger of losing his dangerous apartment so Davis is desperate enough to go to a biker bar for a job at a dishwasher.

Big, bad, and bearded Sarge takes one look at the scared man and immediately feels the urge to take care of him. He thinks it's unlikely that Davis will work out, but seeing the need in the man's eyes, he hires him anyway. Even though it has been several years since he had a boy of his own, Davis is hard to resist and soon Daddy Sarge is having to come clean about his feelings.

His Someone Special is pretty good. It is fairly predictable as it is a standard fare employee / employer romance, but it is a well-done version of the trope. It has less Daddy / boy element than normal, which I personally feel sad about, but it would likely appeal to readers who aren't as fond of a heavy touch on that trope.

Davis is super sweet and shy, though he comes out of his shell fairly quickly and his constant glances at Sarge for reassurance are definitely cute. Sarge tries to be the big and bad bar owner, but his marshmallow center definitely shines through, which is the best sort of gruff, older man character. They both have back stories, but they are fairly thin. Sarge is older and has an ex-boy who left him when he got busy and now is afraid to try again. Davis' mother was ill, then died, and his uncle was in an accident and had to move to a care center, leaving the Davis on his own.

The book really shines with the background characters. Davis was once friends with another boy who told him about Daddies and told Davis that he was boy and should look for a Daddy. Russell is so complete of a character that I wonder if he and his Daddy, Brian, have their own book. Then there is another waiter, Billy, who is a bit of a good-natured brat who looks out for Davis and sounds like he has more backstory than Davis. Sarge's best friend, Lawson, hangs out at the bar a lot. He seems lonely, and I wonder if there might be a future story between him and Billy. Add in a bouncer named Bull, a bartender named Rex, a cook named Ralph, and numerous bikers named things like:
Hunt, Trash, Diesel, and Sledge, and there is quite the cast.

I very much wonder if this will be the first book in a series set in the bar as there is definitely a lot of potential for it. Lawson and Billy, Bull finding a playmate, Hunt maybe getting together with Sledge? This is not listed as being a series yet though.

The setting is a fairly good one too. The bar is a LGBTA-friendly biker bar. It is a bit of a dive, but a friendly one that tends to have plenty of customers of all sorts. Run by a grumpy Daddy and looked over by a big bouncer, there are only a few skirmishes and those are put down quickly. The rest of the town isn't as well described. We know there is a free bus that runs through it and it has a couple of crappy apartment buildings, one very bad with the cops coming out often. And we also know that the bar is walking distance from the apartment building, but that's about all we know. It seems big enough that no one automatically expects to know each other and it supports a fairly busy niche bar, so we can assume it's a decent size town.

Like many Daddy / boy stories, His Someone Special is pretty fast-paced once the two get together. Sarge and Davis have their first date, then Davis is moving in and losing his virginity. It bothered me a bit that at no time did Sarge take the time to reassure Davis that no matter what happened between the two Davis would still have a job and a place to live. Davis never stops to think this could be a problem anyway, but then again he pretty much just leaps in and within days is on his way to becoming a kept boy. But making someone dependent on you should always be done with care and sometimes a Daddy has to say things that are understood and stick to a slower pace no matter what everyone wants.

The pacing up until the two get together is good, but after it feels fairly rushed and the plot takes a backseat to sex scenes. Most non-bedroom scenes after that have a just tacked on feel and seem added just for filler between sex and playing with their dynamic. It doesn't go very heavy into Daddy / boy play. There is no age play, just a slightly Dominant Daddy who makes sure his boy is staying safe and happy. Some slight spanking, but Davis isn't a brat, he's a good boy.

The sex scenes are pretty good if you read stories for them. Davis is definitely not hesitant for a virgin, but Sarge takes care of him. There is a hot scene between the two with Davis getting all hot and bothered over Sarge's beard, so pogonophiles will enjoy that. I don't even like beards and found myself reassessing my opinion of them.

So, if you like your MCs to be intimidating bearded bikers who fall for shy boys, and you like an age difference combined with a hint of Ds, you may want to check out His Someone Special. It's a good, solid story that might have a few flaws, but we all do.

Review : The 5th Gender by G.L. Carriger

The 5th Gender is a sci fi mystery romance about Tristol, an alien with lavender skin and prehensile noodly hair that has a mind of its own. He has quite a crush on the tall, dark, and handsome detective of the space station who has a crush on him back, but is reluctant to get together with the flirty purple one as Detective Drey can only do monogamy and the Galoi aliens are considered promiscuous. The two may finally be getting somewhere when they are interrupted by an emergency.

A ship from Tristol's home planet has docked at the space station. They are requesting help because there has been a murder on board and they have no idea how to solve the crime as their language doesn't even have a word for murder. Detective Drey is called on to help. Little is known about the Galoi though, so even though he's been exiled and is treated like he doesn't exist by his brethren, Tristol somehow has to help Drey solve the crime. And Tris hopes the detective decides to keep him along the way.

I like an awful lot about this book. The setting is well-thought out and explained well enough that it is easy to picture, but not overly explained where it takes away from the story.

The point-of-view shifts between Tris and Drey's viewpoints. This allows us to see the other one through a different light. They each have unique voices and it is very clear each time the viewpoint shifts. The changing POV really enhances the book. It also backs up the point that how we see someone isn't always how that person is, instead it is colored by our own perceptions.

The 5th Gender uses a higher level of language than most modern novels. This book is not at a 6th grade reading level and someone who reads at that level will quickly become confused and irritated. Of course the opposite is true as well. Those who like the way precise language feels will probably find the way it is written enjoyable. Personally, it was a relief to see words such as "foibles", "sentience", and "I shall be most diligent in his alimentation". Tris tends to use more complicated language when trying to explain things to humans.

We meet just a few alien species, which adds interest to the story without making it too confusing trying to remember which is which. The book is mainly about Galoi and humans, comparing and contrasting the two through interactions.

Tris had learned early on that there was very little humans would not do in pursuit of entertainment. (This also possibly explained all the progeny. ) They were easily entertained, especially, as it turned out, by Tris. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement. Tris was wildly curious and naturally flirty, and humans were easily flattered by both. Perhaps cats were the same.

The 5th Gender is cute and funny, but also deals with serious subjects. Gender identity, roles in society, even assumptions about who people are that are based on our own experiences and about how those assumptions can be hurtful and not capture who that person really is because we are looking at them through our own lens.

Based on the title of the book I sort of assumed it would feature gender prevalently (which it did), but I was expecting something about how some cultures on Earth consider humans to have five genders. This was not connected to that at all. It is about the Galoi alien race that comes in five genders. They are sexually dimorphic, and have very precise roles for each gender. It made me think a little of honey bees.

Galoi come in five genders. Antigua, which are the inseminators, they take a sort of matriarchal role. Male Isoga and female Isoga are those who nurse and raise the young, and they also are larger and protective. Male and female Loga are those who give birth. Tristol is a male loga, which means if he wanted to he could get pregnant by an antigua, but Tristol was exiled because he didn't want to carry children. Loga are required by Gal law to give birth to three children and choosing to be childfree makes him an outcaste, known as zyga. Tristol is commonly assumed by humans to be a gay male. This could technically be considered an mpreg, but Tristol does not get pregnant and no pregnant characters are shown in the book.

This really is the best kind of story, one that causes you to think about things in a different way. There is still fluffy and cuteness, but tied in are some scenes that make you ponder things and make some good points.

No one knows what someone else is going through or how they feel. We all have our own identities and emotions tied to those identities. Allowing your ego to decide for someone else how they should feel and forcing them into that box can be dangerous. This applies not just to aliens, but people on Earth too. Someone who is not interested in participating in heteronormative behavior or who is transgender have different experiences than people who do and never will the two completely understand each other because their experiences lead them to look at things differently. That is why it important to just accept that not everyone is the same or feels the same way, and how someone feels can be right for them. It may not be something that person even wants to feel, but denying it only makes things worse.

Which leads to a trigger warning. It is a major spoiler though, so all I will put down is that if you are really triggered by gender identity or the associated issues, you may want to be cautious about reading the book. It is worth reading, but you have to judge for yourself if you can handle it.

There is a throwaway comment about how ftm is hot, which comes across as a bit fetish-inclined, and some details can be a little offensive to some people. There is an alien race that comes in three genders but are all similar looking androgynous. They have neutral pronouns. Tris talking to one mentions that he is not attracted to biologically presenting females. Some people may feel a bit offended by that. Gender and sexuality are a bit too complicated to address in a way that makes everyone comfortable or fits everyone just right. It all goes back to seeing things through a different lens. Just be a little wary of reading this if you have gender dysphoria. It is a difficult subject.

But the story isn't all serious and moralistic. It is very lighthearted at turns. It hits just the right balance to make sure it isn't too heavy.

“Mister Montiguous escaped and went to visit ramen and Detective Hastion had to catch him.” 

“Tris, you can just say the cat. You don’t have to call him by name.” 

“But that would be rude!” objected Tris. “It is such a very good name: Mister Montiguous.”

His boss gave him a sly look. “Not Drey Hastion?” 

“That is a good name too. Is Drey Detective Hastion’s preliminary moniker?” Tristol tried it out on his tongue to see if it worked. It did. It suited Detective Hastion and he liked it very much. “Do you think he would let me call him Drey sometime?” 

“I think the good detective would let you call him anything you wanted.

Tris is a little flighty and forgetful. Drey is completely enamored by the little alien and goes all gruff in response. Their romance happens really quickly, definitely instalove, but it makes sense because they have been held back for so long that when they finally get together it happens with a bang. Image pulling a rubber band apart and trying to hold it there. When you finally release it it snaps together super fast. This is sort of like Tris and Drey. Tris wanted Drey immediately, but Drey was held back by his assumptions about the Galoi. When he finds out the truth he is already in love and ready to make a commitment. Though talking about marriage on their first day finally together is a bit much. Then again, who would let either of them get away?

Tris is absolutely adorable. He is bright and cheerful, good-natured and ready for whatever comes. He is also cute with a little small and lithe body, heart-shaped face, pointed teeth, and pointed ears. And he is lavender. One must be precise as appearance matters a lot to Galoi. Purple is far too generic a term. His skin is lavender, his hair is lavender, and his eyes are big, puppy-dog eyes of lavender. He also has hair very unlike humans'. It is made up of thicker tubes, like noodles, and he has a lot of control over it when he is paying attention. But, it also tends to reflect his moods and is prehensile. This means sometimes it is fluffing up in happiness and other times it's trying to sneakily touch his hot crush. A little like Medusa's hair if hers wasn't made up of snakes. Tris' hair is cute and he can be a little kinky with it.

The kinky sex scenes mean this isn't a book appropriate for young adults, although otherwise it would be lovely for that. Maybe mature YAs would be okay, but it would be a case by case basis. The audio story set in the same universe is appropriate for YA. The 5th Gender is part of The Tinkered Stars series, which so far only includes that book and the audio story that is difficult to get ahold of.

Detective Drey is a big, black man who is a little cautious with his size and strength. But his presence and warm, dark brown coloring is comforting. He is quite growly and gruff, especially as he is trying to resist flirty Tris. He has a close beard which Tris loves to rub up against, and a very large penis that tends toward purple when he gets hard. Tris thinks this is great!




And I just have to mention that I really love Tris' quarters. now I kinda want to do something similar with my own home, maybe make a napping spot in a closet. Tris' living room is really his bedroom and it doesn't have furniture. Instead, it is covered in mattresses and pillows to become a nest. The walls are painted to match his skin tone which makes them become a lavender sunset. The paint strokes reflect his emotional state. I like to think that after he adds Drey's personal palette to his walls it will turn out beautiful like the image below. A warm, brown presence adding steadiness to the lavender flow. Tris' nest is a reminder of how good art captures emotions and can convey a mental state.

Review : Falling for the Omega by C.W. Gray

Falling for the Omega is a fluffy mm mpreg romance novel about a single dad and a military veteran falling in love.

Carter Benson has just moved to a small town in rural Maine after leaving the army. Scarred, with a damaged voice and an amputated leg, he is now a plumber living next to an apple orchard. He may be a bit lonely, but with his scars he feels like an oddity that scares children more than an alpha looking for love.

Then a cute little girl shows up with a gap between her teeth, a welcome basket, dog, and her hedgehog, and Carter is stunned to find a kid that isn't afraid of him. He's even more stunned when chasing her down is her very adorable father, Elijah Wilson, who doesn't seem to even notice his scars.

Elijah and Olive live in an old farmhouse in the apple orchard next door, where the single omega makes apple bread and other apple goodies for his family farm, as well as teaches online and manages investments. But because he is a single omega he's a bit looked down upon.

Carter doesn't look down upon Elijah, instead he's captivated by him and soon falls under the spell of almost the entire gap-toothed and kooky Wilson family. Almost the entire family, as while all the cousins and aunt and uncles and grandparents are fun (if a little crazy), Elijah's parents are not so great, and Carter has to save his sweet omega from their machinations.

Falling for the Omega by C.W. Gray is one of my favorite books and the start to one of my favorite series. I appreciate a lot of things about the series. They tend to be chaotic and fun, with lots of pets and people. Each has an interesting story that isn't overwhelmed by sex scenes. And the setting is really well created, as it's easy to picture widely spaced houses in a rural area surrounding a farm store near a small town in interior Maine.

Unlike some mpreg series where the gender issues overwhelm every story, Hobson Hills' world just happens to be a world where omega men can have kids and get accidentally pregnant. In fact, in the series, no subject becomes an overly stern and dramatized subject. Bad things happen, but the optimistic and sunny bunch keep going and making things better. As a pessimist, ordinarily the optimism of thinking the power of love and family and pets can make everything better would be obnoxious, but in this fluffy series it just works -- no matter how drama-filled the lives of the Wilsons seem to be and no matter how nice and needed it is to have lawyers in the family.

Each book has humor, love, lots of pets, and lots and lots of Wilson family. Most of books feature a Wilson as a MC, but some are about honorary Wilsons. They all seem like busy little bees, making things for the farm store, running businesses, or both, but everyone is ready and willing to lend a hand when someone needs help. It's really hard not to like the family.

Most of the characters aren't too complex, but aren't too simplified either. Elijah is really sweet and adorkable (and Star Wars-wedding geeky), but is still deeply hurt from his parent's disregard. Carter is recovering from military-induced injuries and still suffers from PTSD, plus feels unloved by his own family. Olive is precious but not obnoxious about it, just cute. They each find each other amazing and can't believe how lucky they are to find someone so great. Each of the characters actually have appealing personalities, like people you might want to know and wish a happily ever after.

Elijah danced to the music on his phone’s portable stereo as he pulled the pot roast out of the oven. He was running a little behind due to grading, but things were on track. His apple dumplings were in the second oven, ten more minutes to go, and the homemade yeast rolls were ready to bake. He popped them in the oven, shaking his butt. 

“Daddy, Carter’s here now, so stop being weird.” 

Elijah froze, turning around slowly. Sure enough Olive stood in the kitchen door with Carter. His man was wet from the autumn rain, but he looked so damn good. He wore his gorgeous half smile and his eyes were gleaming with laughter, even if he held it in. 

“I’m gonna show him my room, ‘kay?” Olive grabbed Carter’s hand and pulled him up the stairs. “Come on so Daddy can dance some more. He does it all the time, but we gotta still love him. He’s family.”

Good word stories are written into the story throughout, really making it easy to picture scenes. And the phrasing is sometimes so spot-on that I have to repeat the words in a tone like I would expect the person to use. The covers of the books throw me off a little, as they just don't look like what I was expecting the characters to look like. For example I pictured Elijah a little more like a cute hobbit, maybe like a darker pigmented Pippin who is always smiling or with an eager expression on his face.

Carter suddenly couldn’t catch his breath. The man in front of him was simply adorable. He was short and well formed, a little chubby. His black hair fell in curls around his face and his wide hazel eyes contrasted beautifully with his caramel skin. The same freckles that decorated his daughter’s nose, fell across his own. Where it looked cute on the kid, on her father… bad thoughts, Carter! Bad thoughts!

The fall leaves on the cover capture the seasonal aspect of the book, as does the title. Most of the books seem to match up with a season, so it's easy to figure out how much time passes between books which can sometimes be a problem with other book series. This book is for Autumn, the next for Christmas. This book is so filled with apple treats and fall goodness you may want to get some apple cider and maybe make a loaf of apple bread or some apple dumplings to go alongside it.

Even though they are a series, each book feels complete. No loose ends left to be tied up. It is best to read them in order (including the short stories) as there are new characters added all the time and so much happens in each story. Most of the short stories have been compiled in an anthology, so it's easy to grab them all together. Getting all the books and looking at the covers before starting might be helpful too in case your idea of each character varies from the picture. I wish I had done so as my mental images tend to be far from the pictured characters.

Some books in the series lack a bit when it comes to the editing. Things like meet-cute being written meet-cue. It takes away from the story, but it's not as bad as some books I've read and many it's easy to miss if you get caught up in the story. Later books get better about it.

I'm okay with not having a lot of realism in my romance novels as I feel it's a romance novel, written about something that doesn't exist much or at all. This book misses on the timing on a few things such as recovering from amputation and getting used to a prosthetic (but I'd rather it be a little wrong than have them not write about someone having one). And the timing of Elijah and Carter's instalove seems really fast even for instalove. Some of that is that a month passes but isn't really written in detail, but even just the first day has the pair thinking of forever. Sometimes people are like that though, they see that one and that's it, they know. So, I'm willing to give it a little artistic license, though some may not.

There is a lot of little details that are pure gold in the story. While I tend to not reread books often, the Hobson Hills series and the similar but scifi Blue Solace series, also by C.W. Gray are some of my favorites and ones I read over and over again. Things I didn't notice in the first reading I notice later and it really enhances the story. Some details are left out that don't further the story, such as the name of Olive's father. Personally, I'd rather not have to learn another name, especially when he doesn't even appear in the story.

Really, something about the Hobson Hills Omegas series just feels right. Drama and thrills, without angst, fluff without saccharin, good characters and stories while being varied and each dealing with different things. A perfect setting where some people are nice and some are bigoted jerks, but the town is thought out and populated well. In Goldilocks terms, the Hobson Hills Omegas are just right.



So, it can be a little confusing at first keeping track of all the Wilson (plus the pets!). There's Grammy and Gramps, and they have four kids who all got married and had kids. Stephan had two, Elijah and Noah. Barry had three, Zoe, Ernie, and Abel. Anna had four, Evan and Janelle, Milly, and Allison. And Marco had Harper, Shawn, and Hannah. Then Elijah had Olive, the first great-grandchild. It's not too hard to keep track and each one has a very unique voice and character, but making it a point to try and remember names will be helpful. Later books have family trees to help and here is one for this point in the series:

The Wilson Family (as of this book)

Grammy & Gramps - Laurel and Gerard Wilson

      Stephan Wilson m. Rachael
            Elijah
                   Olive
            Noah

      Barry m. Jamie Lawson
            Zoe
            Ernie
            Abel

      Anna m. Matthew Giddens
            Evan (twin)
            Janelle (twin)
            Millicent (Milly)
            Allison

      Marco Wilson m. Bennett
            Harper
            Shawn
            Hannah

Since nearly every Wilson has an adorable grin, one of the later book characters says this about a group of Wilsons at the bakery:

The kids sat at their booth surrounded by people with gap-toothed smiles. Did Lauren Hutton spawn a cult or something, Sawyer wondered.

Hobson Hills Omegas Book 2 - Snow Kisses for my Omega
Harper & Grey
Through their conversations online, demisexual carpenter Harper Wilson falls for secretly very pregnant Greyson, and decides to go down to Florida to get his omega.



Hobson Hills Omega Novella 2.5 - Hobson Hills Shorts 1 - The Beta's Love Song
David & Sawyer
Sassy and stylish beta David Bartley left his straight and married best friend to come to Hobson Hills. Now not-so-straight Sawyer is divorced and bringing his kids and pets along as he tracks down his makeup-loving man.



Hobson Hills Omegas Book 3 - Romancing the Omega
Caden & Yeo
Cue the cutest wooing ever when romance novel writer and alpha Caden Benson awkwardly tries to romance bookstore owner and single dad Yeo.



Hobson Hills Omega Book 3.5 - Hobson Hills Shorts 2 - Bennett's Dream
Marco & Bennett
Marco and Bennett Wilson have been together for years and most of their kids are grown, but when Bennet finds out about a transgender child in need of parents best alpha ever Marco makes sure nothing stands in his omega's way of welcoming more into his family.



Hobson Hills Omega Book 4 - Healing the Omega
Ray & Dean
Dean is older, scarred from his abusive and now dead husband, but looking at him Ray only sees a strong man who survived a harsh life. In love and raising Dean's kids together, the pair still haven't admitted to each other that they want more, one from fear of being old and scarred, the other from feeling like betas shouldn't be with omegas.



Hobson Hills Omegas Novella 4.5 - Hobson Hills Shorts 3 - Justin's Journey
Tanner & Justin
Everything happens at once when Justin finds out he's pregnant with Tanner's baby on the same day his mom dies. But to be together these two can't let grief and fear come between them.



Hobson Hills Omegas Book 5 - A Pint for the Omega
Mateo & Abel
One night together with alpha Mateo during Abel Wilson's vacation isn't enough for this pair, but Mateo never calls and Abel goes back to Maine and his brewery thinking he's going to have to raise their baby on his own. Luckily, the bar is in need of a bartender and the cook calls up his friend Mateo who shows up with his son, his little sister, and their dog to claim his omega.



Hobson Hills Omegas Book 6 - Unraveling the Omega
Reuben & Ernie
Debilitating social anxiety keeps Reuben from staying in the one place for very long or even coming out of the kitchen, but one knit-loving Wilson omega is there to help him through, even if his crazy family may be the scariest thing ever to the shy cook.



Hobson Hills Omegas Novella 6.5 - Hobson Hills Shorts 04 - Grey's Gift
Check in with all the Wilson couples as they dress up in costumes to try and convince Grey to publish his children's books.



Hobson Hills Omegas Book 7 - The Alpha's Christmas Wish
Jackson & Juan
Omega Jackson is scared to give in to his feelings for alpha Juan because of too many years of having to watch his alpha dad abuse his omega dad. Finally the pair get together just in time to find out Juan's father is dying, and they need to go to Juan's parents before his father dies. Hopefully finding out that another alpha is horrible isn't enough to set the pair back.



Hobson Hills Omegas Novella 7.5 - Hobson Hills Shorts 5 - Zoe's Happily Ever After
Zoe & Gib
Gib's mother still hasn't come around to accepting that her son fell for a Wilson, but Zoe Wilson is going to convince her to talk to her son again before the wedding, no matter what it takes. (story is mf, not mm)
Get Zoe's Story on Prolific Works


Hobson Hills Omegas Book 8 - Convincing the Alpha

Noah & Zed

Noah is finally feeling settled in Hobson Hills. Thanks to his injury in the army, he may not be able to hear, but the horses he rescues and trains don't care. Now if only his family would stop trying to get him to find an omega. Zed is finally out of the marines so he can watch over his family, including his newly discovered half-brother, Justin. If only his brothers would stop trying telling him he needs an omega to take care of. Can this pair of former-military alphas make a go of things together, or are alphas supposed to be with omegas only?

Hobson Hills Shorts Vol. 1
Contains The Beta's Love Song, Bennett's Dream, Justin's Journey, and Grey's Gift

Review : Kissing...Cousins? by J.D. Light

Kissing...Cousins? is a mm shorter and fluffy mpreg read about two guys who belong to an enormous, extended family, and are related by marriage.

When Evan and Scout were younger they were the best of friends, but after they hit puberty things changed. One was an alpha, the other an omega. Hormones and crushes got in the way, causing the two best friends to argue and become bitter toward each other. Unrequited feelings are easier to hide beneath an attitude.

They still see each other often as that big family likes to have regular family gatherings and at every reunion the pair snip at each other.

This family reunion starts the same as all the others, but there is a new guest, the boyfriend of their cousin in common. She's both Evan and Scout's best friend as well as cousin, so the pair decide to prank the new boyfriend to make sure the he is worthy of her (plus the rascals get to have a little fun in the meantime).

The new boyfriend thinks Evan and Scout are actual cousins commiting incest, not just related by marriage. The boys think this is hilarious and devise a scheme of pretending to be together to freak him out.

Evan and Scout make out in front of the guy, they pretend to be leaving a room after having just got it on, they even spend a long, hot bout of frottage on the couch while everyone is watching. But somewhere along the line they forget they are faking a relationship and that they don't have to be kissing when no one is looking.

This book was similar to a lot of J.D. Light's novels. She tends to write shorter novellas that are light and fluffy and a bit silly. They are a good escape from reality in a compact little package. These tend to be quick reads and inventive, whether they feature unusual plots, characters, or themes. Kissing...Cousins? falls right alongside her normal writing style.

It had a bit of snark between the two MCs that was underlaid with heat. One of my favorite themes. And who can resist a fake relationship? Another of my favorite tropes. The family dynamics are interesting, as are the characters. The story isn't really long enough to be too in depth on anything, but it's still fun.

It's a bit predictable, which is to be expected in this type of story. If something happened that wasn't to be expected then it would actually kinda suck. It's like if there was a Cinderella story where she didn't go to a dance and meet her happily ever after. That would be disappointing. Luckily that isn't the case here. It goes where you expect the story to go and about how you would expect it to play out.

I liked most of the story. It was funny and cute. The couch scene had a bit of a uncomfortable squick factor to it for me, but some people will find it hot. It wasn't enough to not like the story, just a bit disturbing.

The story flowed well. It was a bit rapid, but it was also pretty short, so it had to be. Even though it was short it was paced well.

I like J.D. Light novels when I just want a quick and easy read that will make me smile.

Kissing Cousins? is book one in the Sprung Like Spring series, which follows along with a vast, extended family made up mostly of omegas. Each of the boys finds a hot alpha mate and gets pregnant. Most of the books are fairly good and I actually like book two, While You Were Sleepwalking even better than this one. All are fairly similar though with a lighthearted and fluffy fun story and each feature a different trope from a tattooed, trucker bodyguard to going away to a convention with a veterinarian boss. The Sprung Like Spring series has eight books, and the series is finished. There will be a spinoff series called Salacious Summer Singe, that will feature a related family and their romances.


Get Kissing...Cousins?
Sprung Like Spring Book 1
Evan & Scout
A Related By Marriage MPreg
 



Don't forget to check out the rest of the series as well. This series is completed, so you're safe to start reading it.


While You Were Sleepwalking
Sprung Like Spring Book 2
Archer & Avery
A Friends to Lovers MPreg



The Sound of You Overreacting
Sprung Like Spring Book 3
Riker & Frost
A Falling For the Nanny MPreg



Guarding Murphy
Sprung Like Spring Book 4
Fisher & Murphy
A Bodyguard MPreg



Pride and White Trashing
Sprung Like Spring Book 5
Neil & Cam
A Frenemies to Lovers MPreg



Wrong Effing Number
Sprung Like Spring Book 6
Riley & Cole
A Falling for the Boss MPreg



Are We Flirting or Nah?
Sprung Like Spring Book 7
Fox & Coley
Crush on BFF's Dad Mpreg

Changing Our Status

Sprung Like Spring Book 8

Easton & Clinton

A Bromate Mpreg

Review: His Accidental Daddy by Luna David

 His Accidental Daddy is a mm full length novel about two men that get in a car accident which leads to them falling in love.

Asher lives in fear. Terrified of driving, interacting with people, doing nearly anything except working at a garden center and staying home. His health problems and neglectful parents has led to him being afraid of trusting people and having panic attacks.

Thornton is just the opposite. He owns several businesses and is supremely confident in most everything he does. He is also an ageplay Daddy. He loves to take care of his boys and can be a bit overbearing for those not into that, but with a boy who extra needy, it is the perfect fit. But Thornton has never been interested in keeping one boy permanently. Then he slams right into Asher.

It's the opposite of a meet-cute, more like a meet-dangerous, but it's still adorable. Anxiety-ridden Asher braves driving home, but Thornton isn't watching the road for just a second and they crash. Thornton is okay, just bruised, but poor, sweet Asher is hurt badly enough he needs to go to the hospital, but he's terrified, so Thornton promises to watch over him.

"Panic bled through the pain in Asher’s eyes, and Thornton’s heart gave a jerk in his chest when the boy said, “Don’t leave me. Please.”

      The anguish in his voice and the tears he saw slip down Asher’s face broke Thornton’s heart. He felt something and glanced down and saw the boy’s hand gripping his coat in a death grip, desperation making the boy’s hand shake.

      “I won’t. I’m right here. I’ll stay with you until they ask me to move so they can help you."

Not only is Asher hurt, but he also has a heart problem and is terrified of hospitals. Thornton doesn't leave his side. After Asher is released from the hospital he needs to be cared for, so Thornton brings him to his home. What happens when you put two men together, one full of nerves and anxiety, the other with the sure hand to make him feel better?

Cute, yet huge English Mastiff puppies named Beauty and Beast, a Daddy who wants to take care of his boy, and a boy who has never been taken care of and didn't realize he was a little. It all adds up to a cute and squee-filled story.




This book turned out pretty good. It was nicely longer than many have been lately, so it was more satisfying and told the complete story. Novellas are nice sometimes, but I prefer to read a book.

His Accidental Daddy seemed fairly free from grammar errors, which seems astounding after some of the books I've read lately.

The characters were well developed as well. Poor Asher had a complex backstory, and Thornton, though simpler, was more than just a caricature. They also grew together nicely and it was good to see Asher become more himself as he developed. Both of the characters were also appealing and worth getting to know.

The story flowed really well with a consistent storyline. Not too fast, no tedious slow bits. The plot was simple at its base, an accidental meeting, forced roommates, caretaking theme, but it had a few dramatic scenes and a bit more than just the base premise. At a couple points it also avoided the easy (yet stupid) drama that could have come about and derailed the story. That was actually nice since even though it lessens their books far too many authors take to heart the idea of anything bad that could happen, should happen.

The kink aspects were pretty good too. Ageplay can be hard to get correct or explain in a way so people realize the person doesn't want an actual child, but the book managed to capture the cute and fun aspects of being a little and Daddy, without turning it creepy. Just a dominating man who loves making life better and comforting a submissive man who likes to regress (not my favorite word, but it does fit). And who doesn't want to sit and watch cartoons on Daddy's lap while drinking some chocolate milk?

So, if you like scared and hurt boys finding their ageplay Daddies and living a new life in a big house with all sorts of toys and cute doggies, you may want to check it out.