Unmasking Zach by Edie DanfordMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Having loved Uncovering Ray, I jumped at the chance to read Unmasking Zach
. 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?I loved both of these guys. They come from completely different socioeconomic backgrounds and while Kirby assumes that Zach has it easier because he lacks the financial woes Kirby has, he comes to understand that money really isn’t everything when he realizes that he has more freedoms in his life than Zach does. Although they embark upon a friends with benefits arrangement due to Zach’s college plans, the guys find themselves feeling more for one another than they should for a summer fling. Watching their relationship develop was both sweet and hot as heck. Seriously, can we get a camera in that yurt? We are talking about two men in their early twenties here and while there is a good amount of sex, it flowed with the storyline. Seeing how Zach backed away from Kirby after his first accident was heartbreaking, especially when the reader is given a chance to see the withdrawal from Kirby’s point of view. It’s also what makes Zach’s handling of Kirby’s recovery after the second injury so enjoyable and entertaining – especially when Zach introduces the compromise. Again with the hotness! Holy heck!!!
Because they were doing so well, I was shocked by the actions Kirby took to insure that Zach went off to college when the time came. I understood why Kirby did what he did and I thought his heart was in the right place, but how he went about doing it shocked me because I didn’t see Kirby willing to ask others for that level of help – even if it were for Zach and not him. But it absolutely ripped my heart out on both Zach and Kirby’s behalf. While I hated that Kirby endured what he did with his mother, taking yet another emotional hit, I liked that it enabled Zach to be there for Kirby when he needed Zach the most. The ending was great because the author lets you know where the couple is headed while leaving it open ended enough that I suspect we’ll see the guys in a future installment in the series. Kudos to Danford for including Ray and Wyatt in this installment and keeping the lid on Ray’s sexual identity so that should someone pick up book two first, they can read it as a standalone without the secret of book one being spoiled. Unmasking Zach was a great addition to the Ellery College series and I can’t wait to see who the author has set her sights on next.
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 Unmasking Zach (Ellery College #2) by Edie Danford blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.
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. I was apprehensive when I began the book because a couple of my fellow readers weren’t enthusiastic about it when they finished it. They weren’t negative about it, but they weren’t glowing about it either. But me, I so totally connected with Rafi and his struggle to fit in, to do everything right, to juggle work, school & scholarship requirements, and to be the first person in his immediate family to go to college. That feeling of being a little fish in a big pond after having been the big fish in a little pond is so overwhelming and having been there myself, I felt it for Rafi. Cousins brought back all those feelings from almost two decades ago and made me experience them all over again, right alongside Rafi. Thank goodness I didn’t have to deal with the added pressure of sports practices and navigating my first relationship at the same time, but it made it that much easier to see where Rafi was coming from when he lost it. And lose it he does, more than once.
ended up (no pun intended) being a much sweeter read than I expected. As we’re dealing with two college freshmen, one of whom was new to sex, I was expecting the obligatory angst, a butt load of sex (still, no pun intended), and just a little bit of romance. Harris does angst well as Frankie sets out to help his roommate, Jeremy, navigate the perils of dating and sex. Fortunately, the author does not go over-the-top with the angst as Frankie finds himself getting far more attached to Jeremy than he expected. After all, how can a relationship ever work between two bottoms with no interest in topping?
and I have found yet another Bluewater Bay resident to love.
and it has joined the author’s other books on my re-read list. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Okati’s writing. 
. I was drawn in by the premise of the story – an out and proud gay figure skater and a straight (possibly) homophobic hockey player separated by sexual orientation and culture differences falling in love. I could not resist and Ashling did not let me down at all. The author delivered on the premise and then some.
is a short story that is exactly that. The tale of a young man, Seth, who finds himself just far enough on that side of tipsy to re-approach the beauty he met earlier in the evening. Because Seth is intoxicated by both alcohol and the peacock – it’s a Mardi Gras masquerade party after all – he completely misses the verbal clues as to who has caught his eye. Needless to say it’s both amusing as heck and endearing when Seth discovers just how cocky his peacock is while they’re dancing. And yet our straight young man finds he can’t resist Jean and what starts out as a rather sweet misunderstanding turns into an even hotter bout of sex when Seth accepts Jean’s invite to his place. The chemistry between the two worked well and I really liked how Jean kept giving Seth opportunities to “back out” as Jean obviously worried that Seth would suddenly sober up and freak out. That spoke volumes not only about the kind of person Jean was, but also to his past experiences. But the absolute best part was how once the deed was done, it was then Seth’s turn to reassure the previously confident Jean that all was well and he did so admirably. I am quite thankful to have gotten the opportunity to review The Wrong Bird for the blog because otherwise I would have missed out on a rather enjoyable tale because I just don’t buy short stories. 
takes place three years after Vacant and we learn that Ryan is still trying to get Cereus to accept who she is by owning her actions. There are parts of Deadly that are confusing, but they’re meant to be. The book is written from the points of view of Ryan, Cereus, and Blake and only one of those three is actually sane … maybe. We learned in Vacant that Cereus was not only sociopathic like Ryan, but she was also hallucinating – seeing and talking to people who weren’t there. Needless to say, her chapters are those that will make you question what the heck is going on, what’s real, and what is not. Don’t be afraid to reread passages to make sure you grasp what’s going on – remember, crazy people are narrating. Adding to the confusion is that the story begins in the present and jumps to the past so that you can see the events unfold that lead to Cereus and Ryan being where they are – pay attention to chapter and section headers because they will help reduce timeline confusion … maybe. Again, crazy people narrating. As for me, just when I thought I had it figured out, the story took a turn and I was wrong. Boy was I wrong and I was so very glad to be wrong.
was a refreshing surprise. Why? Because in the hockey romances that I’ve read, Russian hockey players have a bit of a reputation as being major players off the ice, with a tendency to over-indulge in the smorgasbord of American puck bunnies available. Despite his rather cheesy introduction at the beginning of the book, Aleksandr doesn’t live up to that stereotype. Granted Auden doesn’t realize this because she buys into the public image and hype and this is what made the book a treat to read – the breaking down of preconceived notions, fears, and walls as two people get to know one another and fall in love. 
is one of those rare reads where not connecting with the main characters was a good thing. Why? Because both Josh and Damian bear major scars – emotional and physical – and not connecting with them was paramount for my sanity. Not connecting with the characters did not keep me from feeling their pain, their frustration, their calm, their happiness, or their love, it just kept me from feeling them with the same intensity that they did, especially Josh. Scarred Souls is an extremely emotional read and I strongly suggest you take the warning seriously because if self-harm, suicide, or physical or sexual abuse are sensitive issues for you, do NOT read this book.
expecting Danny’s sexual assault that is mentioned in the blurb to be the heavy part of the book. Boy was I wrong. Not to make light of Danny’s situation nor Brad’s willingness to step in, but that scene turned out to be a minor scuffle once we learn why Brad is in the right place at the right time. While this is a new adult romance, the drama and angst isn’t manufactured – sadly it’s reality based (not necessarily a true story, but this stuff happens) and completely understandable. This made for a very moving read as the author dealt with difficult subject matter in a sensitive way.
to be even more enjoyable than its predecessors. Part of my enjoyment was in seeing how Deeka’s father Barrett had become such an integral part of the Straynar household and provided DeLynn and her siblings paternal support without “taking over” as the entire family’s Head of Household. But most of my enjoyment came from watching DeLynn blossom and come into her own over the course of the book. 
. That said, I was not expecting to cry – at all. After reading Steele: Into Your Heart and Hunter back to back, I was in the MC mindset. While the Bad Boys of Retribution MC is not as gritty as some MC romances because the members are not one-percenters, both books were action-packed and I was expecting Kinkaid to follow a similar theme. Yet Ms. Warren chose to mix it up, step back from the suspense element, and gave fans a heartfelt drama that is more reminiscent of the feel of Stone: At Your Service and Love: In the Fast Lane and I loved every page of it – even the soggy ones.
was going to be about, but it wasn’t this. And I really, Really, REALLY wasn’t expecting to have the bejeezus scared out of me…again, by Ms. Henry. While this is the first book I’ve read of M. Caspian’s, I have read two books by Ms. Henry before and one of them left me with a similar level of fear from just how real such a story could be. Fallout is one of those books in which, as the story unfolds, you stop expecting or even hoping for a happily ever after and start wondering if maybe death would be the happy ending because there really are some things people shouldn’t have to live through.
. Even though Ms. Hoover managed to rip my heart out and make me cry with both the Prologue and the Epilogue (as well as a few scenes in between), I loved this book. Confess is meant to remind us that while the vast majority of people don’t find their other half until they’re adults (if even then), there are a special few who do find love as a teenager. Auburn and Adam were among that minority, but because of a terminal illness Auburn had to say goodbye to Adam at 15 (and I’m tearing up as I remember that scene). But Confess also shows us that some of us are so deserving of love that we get a second chance at finding true happiness, even if it’s not with our first love. 
, I began to worry that it wasn’t going to work for me. Yes the tension between Cassie and Ethan is palpable from the first chapter and the author gave me just enough that I had to know where things went wrong. What did Ethan do that broke Cassie’s heart? How did he betray her? And then we get to chapter two and it’s presented in a diary-style format. I actually groaned out loud because I rarely enjoy books written like a diary. And yet, it was perfect as Ms. Rayven used Cassie’s diary entries as segues to scenes from Cassie’s past with Ethan. 
because I had to know what happened between and to Cassie and Ethan. And even though I had Broken Juliet on my Kindle, queued up and ready to go, I forced myself to read something else in between. I needed to come down from the rollercoaster ride the Ms. Rayven took me on in Bad Romeo. I had to make sure that I was starting the second part of Cassie and Ethan’s journey from sound footing, even if they weren’t. I also had to make sure that I could give Broken Juliet its own review, rather than reviewing the two books as a series. But because Broken Juliet picks up right were Bad Romeo leaves off – with the knock at the door – I found myself sucked right back into Cassie’s anxiety, her fear, her doubt, her mistrust, her love, and her brokenness.