Book Review: Ty's Obsession (Whispering Pines Ranch #3) by SJD Peterson

In this third book in the Whispering Pines Ranch series, we find Ty completely filled and overwhelmed with rage, frustration and hurt at the fact that the man he loves, Quinn, has rekindled his relationship with Lorcan. Determined to show Quinn he's the better man, Ty sets out to make Lorcan doubt his feelings for Quinn and eventually cause them to split.

Ty's rage and obsession were unsettling and scary at some points. He just could not understand why Quinn, who made no qualms about his love for Lorcan in the last book, would choose someone else over him.

When Blake Henderson enters Ty's life, he immediately resists. He knows what's best for himself and Quinn and does not want this stranger telling him his business. As Ty's dark feelings grow stronger and seemingly take over his life, Blake finds a way, through their mutual need for the the BDSM lifestyle, to help Ty shift his focus.

While reading this book, I was taken aback by Ty's unflinching need to inflict pain on Lorcan, the bane of his existence and the supposed reason for all of his problems. It was scary and disturbing, but definitely showed me the depth of Ty's obsession. I really liked Blake and felt his heartbreaking backstory was very necessary for Ty to come to grips with his feelings.

The feeling of hope and good things to come at the end of the book was a nice change from the darkness displayed throughout much of the book.

Buy Ty's Obsession  here and here.

~ M

Fourth Time's the Charm by MsNJS

Fourth Time's the Charm by MsNJS

Flight attendant, Nasir, feels as though he's met a certain tall, handsome and ruggedly built passenger before. At first he can't remember, but then memories suddenly flood his mind. He would love to grab the attention of his one time lover again...if only he could remember his name.

Adorable, sweet and full of heat, this story will definitely pique your interest! Nasir is cute as the shy and kind flight attendant and Agron sizzles and oozes sex. In order to find out what happens, click the link above and read it for yourself. You won't be disappointed! :)

~ M

I ❤️ Houkago No Love Call by Kitazawa Kyou

Hello yaoi lovers! This week's selection is Houkago No Love Call by Kitazawa Kyou.

A high school teacher, Ueda Wataru, was rejected by a person he loved when he was a high school student and has been timid with love ever since. However, he's now fallen in love with his student's father, Ippongi Kazushi, a Yakuza. Although Ueda knows that he shouldn't be, he's fascinated with the good looking Ippongi's sweet words...

I thought the main story was pretty cute. It was pretty interesting to see how the mild mannered and shy teacher falls in love with the hardened and sometimes scary Yakuza member. However, the one-shots that followed left a lot to be desired. The first one-shot was cute and fluffy, the second was downright scary and weird, and the last one shot's storyline was boring and contained artwork that was not up to par.

In my opinion, readers should just read the main story and the first one shot. Everything else is just poorly executed filler.

~ M

The Reception of the Year by rivlee

The Reception of the Year by rivlee

Agron and Nasir are finally taking that final, major step in their relationship, but will the joyous occasion go off without a hitch with Agron's big, crazy and often overwhelming family involved?

If you enjoy humor, sweet fluff and a smartass Duro, this is the perfect story! You will chuckle uncontrollably as Nasir and Agron try to navigate wedding planning amongst a raucous crowd of loud, but well-intentioned, family members. Definitely give this story a try!

~ M

Book Review: Quinn's Need (Whispering Pines Ranch #2) by SJD Peterson

3.5 stars

I was so anxious to read this book after I devoured Lorcan's Desire. However, once I made it through this sequel, I was left cold.

In Quinn's Need, Quinn Taylor is dealing with the loss of Lorcan James, the man he is love with but lost because of his fears. Lorcan has now moved on and is in a good relationship with Jess Jenkins. When Lorcan and Jess decide to move back to Pegasus to start their own ranch, old feelings that had been cast aside by both Quinn and Lorcan come bubbling to the surface.

While trying to move on, Quinn finds himself within the BDSM lifestyle. He enjoys exerting his power and dominance over willing participants and while he receives a physical release, his mind still tends to drift to his former lover. He eventually finds a partner, Ty, who can take all of the anger and roughness Quinn bestows upon him due to his need for the rush that pain from a Dom. Quinn doesn't quite understand that need, but he's more than willing to provide it. Their arrangement is established from the start: it's only physical and feelings aren't involved. Quinn makes it clear that he's still in love with Lorcan and Ty seems fine with this...at first.

Although their brief interactions are tense and painful, Lorcan and Quinn at least try to be cordial to each other knowing they'll be living in the same town. In some scenes, you could literally feel the anger-filled, sexually charged electricity crackling between them.

Family Ties by Brinchen86

Family Ties by Brinchen86

Agron is in the depths of despair and life holds little meaning. When a rambunctious little boy and a beautiful man with long, raven hair and soulful eyes comes into his life, the walls around Agron's hardened heart begin to slowly fall.

Family Ties is the full length story based off of Brinchen86's one-shot Blown Kiss. Much like the one shot, this story is filled with emotion, love and hope. If you enjoyed Blown Kiss, I know you will love Family Ties even more. Nasir's nephew, Kalib, steals the show!

~ M

artwork credit: crazzzdope

I ❤️ Yaoi: Dolce by Kitazawa Kyou

Greetings! This week's yaoi recommendation is Dolce by Kitazawa Kyou.

Usami is a chef of an Italian restaurant called MIYA. One day, the whimsical owner decides to turn the restaurant into a "bishie (handsome man) restaurant"! Usami refuses to be part of this frivolous idea and will do anything to get out of it. This leads him to strike a deal with the owner. He's now stuck training Komiya, the spoiled, playboy son of the owner, to take over the business, but Komiya decided to make a deal of his own!

This is another cute offering from Kitazawa Kyou and I really enjoyed the restaurant setting. I expected the storyline between Usami and Komiya to be quite typical - the silly, irresponsible man falls for his strong-willed and intelligent mentor - and it does eventually, but the start of their relationship disturbed me.

Even though he's portrayed as a klutz, I thought Hanano stole the show. He is extremely kawaii and I wish readers could have learned a little more about him. He does have a brief storyline with fellow MIYA employee, Morinaka. I wasn't a huge fan of Morinaka's, but I was just happy to see more of Hanano.

Overall, this is a pretty good manga, but the topic of rape in both storylines (carried out in "Dolce" and implied in "Antipasto") didn't sit well with me. Had that topic been eliminated, because in my opinion it was completely unnecessary, I would have given Dolce another star and a half. I liked the characters, for the most part, the romantic conflict and the restaurant setting. Another thing that I appreciated was the fact that Usami didn't immediately forgive Komiya for assaulting him. He even made it clear that what was done to him was horrible: something I don't often see in manga.

2.5 stars

~ M