Texas Wedding by R.J. ScottMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Scott takes us back to Texas for the final installment in Jack and Riley’s life together. No, their tale does not end tragically. This is merely the last book that Scott has planned for the couple and it’s a great way to finish out the series – with the guys fighting for what’s right and using the advantages of their fortune (both financial and emotional) to try to make Texas a more level playing field for couples like them.
Within the first chapter, the author reminds us why Jack and Riley have stayed strong over the years together. They pay attention to each other, what their partner says and doesn’t say, what their partner does and doesn’t do, and each man will take whatever action he feels necessary to keep the line of communication open between them and their connection strong. Fortunately for my voyeuristic tendencies, this means that not only do Riley and Jack talk, they are not shy with their physical affections for one another. Not at all. And they just get sexier and sexier with each book. But beyond that, Jack is Riley’s anchor and Riley is Jack’s rock. There is no doubt that they have one another’s back and the support and encouragement Riley gives Jack to move forward with his idea for the ranch, to make it a safe place for young men like Liam to live and work, is merely one of the ways that demonstrate how well they understand one another. Their bond is also vital to them getting through Hayley’s first date. I chuckled several times over the course of the book as Riley and Jack had to face the fact that their little girl was growing up.
As with the previous books in the series, we get a chance to catch up with the other characters and see how their lives have changed since the last book. It was nice to see that Lisa was finally moving on and finding happiness, even if her revelation nearly gave Riley and Jack a heart attack. Being as I work with children and adults with autism, I really, really liked how the author shows Jack and Riley constantly striving to do more for Max and their willingness to learn all that they can about autism and how it affects Max as an individual. One of the things that made Texas Wedding
interesting was watching Jack and Riley’s responses to the impending SCOTUS decision regarding same-sex marriage. Watching Jack remain hesitant about Texas’s reaction regardless of what the high court said was realistic as we’ve already seen in real life how government officials have ignored the law. At the same time, Riley’s enthusiasm for what it would mean – that their home state would have to recognize their marriage – and the plans he hoped to follow-through on WHEN (because there was no IF in Riley’s opinion) the decision came down were heartwarming and trailblazing. Riley’s enthusiasm for making Texas a better place for same-sex couples is inspiring, as is his willingness to use his resources to do what he can to make it happen. Obviously there’s a wedding, so make sure you have your tissues handy because Hayley made me bawl when she talked about what it meant to her to have two dads. Texas Wedding was the perfect way to wrap up the series, with tears and laughter and lots of love, but I won’t lie – I would happily read more about the Jack and Riley and the rest of Campbell-Hayes family.I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!
Check out the Texas Wedding (Texas #7) by R.J. Scott blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.
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was no exception. Witt re-immerses readers into what brought us to Bluewater Bay to begin with – Wolf’s Landing – and does so as we follow Jeremy as he guards Anna, one of the show’s more well-known producers – hence the need for a body guard. While a return to the set means series fans get to catch up with characters from previous books (Levi & Carter), it also means a front-row seat to Anna and Leigh’s relationship (which has been rocky from the beginning of the series) as they go through couples counseling and related activities in an effort to save their relationship.
was a fun and sexy way to round out the Southern Spirits series. I don’t know that the author has ended the series officially, but as it’s been a couple of years since this installment’s original release and no new characters were introduced as potential leading men, I’m assuming this is the final book in the series and I must say that Bradford certainly went out with a blast. After Conner found love in Ascension, it was only fitting that our other long-term and interactive spirit, Stefan, find his happiness in the ever after. And Stefan’s tale reads like the best case of karma ever. 
. So I was excited to read this book. In fact, I was anticipating reading it so much that I waited until the review was due to read it because I wanted it to last as long as possible because once I finished it, I had no idea how long I would have to wait for another of Gala’s sci-fi romances. I am both kicking my own metaphorical arse for not enjoying Blowback sooner, while at the same time, basking in the afterglow of a story that was so worth the wait that the anticipation was worth it. 
was another excellent addition to the Blood and Honor series, keeping me up until the wee hours of the morning to finish it and leaving me salivating for Redemption to find out what the author has in store for the families.
, I was surprised with why I loved it due to the elements the author included (some of which I cannot tell you as they’re potential spoilers) – not because they were elements I don’t tend to enjoy in a book, but because there were some rather personal-to-me issues brought up that I wasn’t expecting to encounter. For me, this generally translates into a personal connection with the characters that tends to make a book even more enjoyable and meaningful and this was certainly the case with Jesse’s Diner.
may be my favorite. Where When the Dead Speak focused on Laine and how his relationship with Sev developed, this book is more about Sev and his ability to communicate with the spirits. Set three years later, Sev and the other residents of McKinton are taken aback when they realize that the spirits of their friends and family are no longer present. While this is upsetting for all of the residents affected as they take comfort in knowing that the spirits in their lives are watching over them, their disappearance is especially devastating for Severo because a large part of his identity is tied to speaking with the spirits.
. Unlike book one, there is no doubt as to Zach’s or Kirby’s gender or sexuality – at least not for the reader. What there is doubt about, is whether or not these two guys can get along well enough to work together, much less form the relationship the blurb suggests. And while the straight-laced boy-next-door, Zach, and the free-spirted hippie, Kirby, seem to have nothing in common, the sparks certainly fly once Kirby learns that Zach is gay and the guys begin to spend time together outside of work. But with Zach leaving for college in the fall, will their time together be simply a summer romance or the start of something more?
is a sci-fi romance that combines space travel with an Old West cowboy feel similar to Firefly. Unlike Captain Mal and his motley crew, Captain Gage is a crew of one (plus a sentient computer) and he’s a legitimate wrangler. Like Mal, Rick is a former soldier who has a strong sense of right and wrong and has no problem wading in to help someone out who is being wronged. This is how he comes to meet Alexia Montoya – the last surviving member of the Montoya family, the family responsible for the discovery of the sinkhole and harnessing its properties for travel. As she had Sea-Mont enforcers pointing guns at her, an unarmed woman whose family was largely responsible for the D-side platform they were all standing on, Rick had no choice but to wade in on her behalf. And thus began their adventure.
just to refresh my memory. BIG MISTAKE! I didn’t skim it. I reread the whole book. Considering how much I enjoy the author’s writing, I’m not overly surprised that I found myself sucked back into Trent’s story. And while it didn’t help my review schedule at all, I enjoyed myself immensely on the second read. 
I’m pretty sure my low expectations for storyline and high expectations for sex had a lot to do with the fact that the title makes me think of the song You Can Leave Your Hat On, my preferred version being the one recorded by Tom Jones as heard in the movie The Full Monty. And while there was a rather steamy scene between Travis and Bo – and yes, the boots were left on – there’s far more story packed into this novella than I expected and I enjoyed it immensely. 
continues the story of Brady and Cam’s life together since reuniting with Lucy and resuming their military service, on Earth. While Brady had a possibility of advancement when in space, back on Earth he’s been relegated to janitorial work and as much as he hates it, he comforts himself with Cam and Lucy – the only things in his life worth fighting for. But when residual effects from Cam and Brady’s time with the Faceless begin to reappear, the men are left wondering WHO they will be fighting against.
. After finishing When the Dead Speak, I was expecting Matt and Rich to be the subject of All of the Voices. When Matt found his partner in book three, I assumed that Rich had been relegated to simply being support cast who wouldn't be back. Boy was I wrong. And so very glad of it. 
. At 19, Toby is the perfect combination of teenage angst and assured dominance. At 37, Laurie is a wonderful bundle of maturity, whose relationship insecurities get the better of him from time to time. When Laurie's insecurities emerge, he comes off a bit cold and much younger than his age, but not in the sense that the author lost track of who the character was. And once you learn more about his previous relationship and the reason behind its demise, Laurie’s insecurities make a world of sense. After all, he and Robert grew into adulthood and BDSM together and losing his anchor stunted Laurie in some ways. While at first glance, the characters of For Real shouldn’t work together, they do and do so beautifully.
. I have yet to read one of Petrova’s books and not love it. What did surprise me was the fact that I really didn’t care for Skye. I have a problem with people – male or female – whose knee-jerk response/accusation is that their partner is cheating on them, especially when there is nothing to support it. There is a big difference between a flirt who has a smile and compliment for others and a lech who makes passes by touching, caressing, and engaging in suggestive language. Booker is a flirt and nothing that goes down in the present or their conversations and memories about the past indicate that he was a lech. So while I felt badly for the situation that Skye found herself in – and by no means do I absolve Booker on his failure to do what he should have – she created it with her mistrust and insecurities. I do give her props for her decision to track him down and even more when she decided to avail herself of his employers’ services. What red-blooded heterosexual female doesn’t want a hedonistic week with her very own cowboy…or two?
didn’t freak me out as badly as Bliss did, it still affected me because even in this day and age, members of the military are expected to follow orders without question and Tin Man shows just how dangerous that can be.
would be about. It turns out I was half right as Matt is our McKinton resident who finds love and spirits or love with the help of spirits this time around. I’m actually glad I was wrong about Rich being the love interest because not only would it have been too easy to bring Laine’s former partner to town, but Carlin proved to be a much more entertaining choice as the city slicker finds himself swooning over the country boy.
immensely, despite Danny’s parents’ best effort to ruin Danny’s life (and my reading experience). Thankfully we don’t meet Danny’s parents directly but that doesn’t keep them from meddling in his life even after they kicked him to the curb – and the revelation at the end of the book regarding his parents really shocked me considering how close-minded they were about Danny’s sexuality. What didn’t ruin my happy reading vibe was watching Danny and Phillip’s relationship develop even as they tiptoed around it in the beginning. The chemistry between them is hot and this made for some equally hot sexy fun times – with and without the spanking. But it was watching Phillip teach Danny what it meant to be a gay man, a man who enjoyed erotic spankings, and a man who might want to be in a full-fledged DD relationship that it made it a fun read too, despite the heavier themes. I loved the ending of Delivered to Love and am already looking forward to the next Corbin’s Bend book.
. It had been a couple of years since I had read any books in the Ugly Stick Saloon and I just happened upon the series again at the start of the McFarlan brothers being lovingly blackmailed by their mother to settle down and start a family – otherwise she was going to sell the ranch. After watching Angus reconnect with a woman from his past and fall in love, I was excited to read about the next brother, especially once I realized that it was the prodigal son’s story.
, but not before he nearly mucks it up so badly even I wasn’t sure he was going to be able to fix it. With only three weeks before their mother’s deadline, Colin finds himself reconnecting with the last woman he should – his brother’s ex-fiancée and the reason for their estrangement … Fancy Wilson. While both Colin and Fancy resolve to avoid one another so as not to repeat their past mistake, all it takes is them being alone in the same room together and all bets are off … as well as their clothes!