And Thank You to These Wonderful Reviewers Too!

Here's the second half of the reviews I promised in my last blog post. Thank you so much to all the reviewers who took the time to read and respond to When Adam Fell. I can never convey how much your time and consideration mean to me.

Three Chicks After Dark:

Pat Henshaw can pull me through a story like no other. When Adam Fell is the fourth book in her Foothills Pride series and is just as interesting as the others.

Molly Lolly: 4/5

I loved that we get to see Adam’s story. He was intriguing when we saw him in previous books with his quirky mountain bistro that’s only open seasonally. But I so didn’t expect what we got. It was heartwarming to see this second time around story go so well.

The story is just enough to get your teeth into it and connect with the characters. I love these Foothills Pride novellas. I want more of them so we can see how the town evolves and develops and so all of my favorite characters can get their happily ever afters. The one I want the most next is John’s story. He’s intriguing with how tight lipped about his private life he is.

MM Good Book Reviews: 4/5

I simply love returning to Pat Henshaw’s world of the Foothills Pride series, where a community in Sierra Foothills near San Francisco is the location for a small group of gay men to settle and call home.

If you’ve been reading the Foothills Pride series this is another satisfying instalment. If you’ve not read the books, while this reads well as a standalone, I think it would be nice to go back and read the first three – if not for anything else you get to read about other charming characters such as Fredi, Max, Jimmy and Guy.

Bike Book Reviews: 5 double fudge brownie/5

It is no secret that I love this series, I have loved the guys of Foothills Pride from day one, and I knew I would love this book too, and boy did I! Pat Henshaw outdid herself on this one!

Love Bytes: 4 1/2/5

I loved the continuing tale of Stone Acres and how these two men fit in with the other men and background characters we’ve met in previous stories.  I really feel like Stone Acres, California is a real place, and I could stop by and visit.

I would highly recommend you pick up this series.  The novellas could probably be read as standalones, but take my advice, read them in order.

I highly recommend this book, and the entire series.  Enjoy.

Joyfully Jay: 3 1/2/5

Overall, this was a nice addition to a great series. While not my favorite of the series, I got a chance to meet back up with some of my old favorites. If you are a fan of this series, you don’t want to miss this one.

Boy Meets Boy Reviews: 3 ½ /4

On the other hand, I enjoyed the plot of Adam trying to reestablish himself in the town he grew up in. I liked the quirky drama and the way it was resolved. The overall story was promising, and I enjoyed it.

Oh My Shelves: 3 1/2 / 4

Seeing David and Adam work together, to learn how to be with one another after being apart and yet having the history they do between them was bittersweet. I kept wanting them to give in and do more than just lie on a bed while mattress shopping, I wanted these to heal and be together again.

Jessie G. Books: 3.75 / 5

…ultimately, I liked Adam and Jason/David. I like that they found each other again and were able to love each other again…

Making It Happen: 3.5 / ?

This is the first book I've read by Pat Henshaw, and I'll definitely be reading more by this author in the future.  When Adam Fell is a good, quick read and is a second chance romance.

V’s Reads:

It’s breezy and shiny with a “we’ll conquer their town!” spirit that’s just a shade light. I’m always happy to see bullies and bigots get shafted, and you can expect that happens here.

Play List and Terrific Review for When Adam Fell

Inked Rainbow Reads posted a wonderful review of When Adam Fell today.

Also included with the review is my playlist for the book, including such goldie oldies as Walk, Don’t Run by The Ventures, Things We Said Today by Dwight Yoakam, and House of the Rising Sun by Eric Burden and the Animals, among lots of others. Check it out for a list of old hits.

And if you'd like to buy a copy of the book, here's where it can be found:
Dreamspinner

Amazon

AmazonUK
Kobo

Barnes&Noble

AllRomance Ebooks

Boy Meets When Adam Fell

Boy Meets Boy Reviews looked at When Adam Fell and reviewed the book.

Take a look at what the guest reviewer had to say about it.

Buy a copy of the book at
Dreamspinner
Amazon
AmazonUK
Kobo
Barnes&Noble
AllRomance Ebooks

The Blogger Girls Review Blame It on the Fruitcake

The Blogger Girls bottom line about Blame It on the Fruitcake: Overall Impression: I really liked it. Read the rest of the review here.

Get your copy today and put some AWWWsome in your holidays!  Buy the eBook online at these booksellers or wherever eBooks are sold:
Dreamspinner

Amazon

Amazon UK

ARe

Barnes &Noble

Bike Book Reviews Likes Blame It on the Fruitcake

Wow!  Another great review of Blame It on the Fruitcake!  Talk about make my day.

Thank you, Becky of Bike Book Reviews, for the terrific review.  It's so nice to be appreciated.

For those who want to read the story and make their holidays AWWWsome, Blame It on the Fruitcake is available at these online bookstores and wherever eBooks are sold:
Dreamspinner
Amazon
Amazon UK
ARe
Barnes & Noble

Great Review of Blame It on the Fruitcake!

Danielle gives an in-depth review of Blame It on the Fruitcake at Love Bytes today. She gets the story! 

As an author it's nice to know when I throw my baby out into the cold, hard world that someone understands the baby's complexity and what I was trying to do in very few words.

Thank you, Danielle!

So, as I'm saying these days, put some AWWWsome in your holiday by buying and reading Blame It on the Fruitcake, which you can get at these online booksellers and wherever eBooks are sold:

Dreamspinner

Amazon

Amazon UK 

ARe

Barnes & Noble 

USA Today and Other Reviews

This has been a banner day for Redesigning Max, the second of the Foothills Pride novellas after What's in a Name?

First, Becky Condit reviewed the book for USA Today and said some very, very nice things about it.  She made me cry at the end when she said, "I recommend Redesigning Max as a fun, enjoyable romance with memorable characters, good and bad, and I recommend Pat Henshaw as a romance writer to follow."

Not only did she like Max, but she also recommended the first book, What's in a Name?  How wonderful is that?

As if that weren't enough for one day--and it is terrific!--Max was reviewed in two other places: Two reviewers give their opinions of the book at Inked Rainbow Reviews, one with a 5-star and the other with a 4-star review.

And Lucy at Hearts on Fire pins 4 stars on the book with her lovely review.


Where can you buy a copy of the books?  Well, there are always the links on the right side of this blog piece and the titles above are linked to the Dreamspinner Press online store.  Or you can buy the books wherever eBooks are sold.

Another Hit from Reed and Reviewing Gay Romances Update

Rick R. Reed's gay romances are often the highlights of my reviewer pile.  Hungry for Love is no exception.

Reed travels from the general to the specific, making his almost painful story not just a story about how two guys hook up for more than sex but also a story about meaning of love in general.  As he says in the book,  "Love was also about taking a leap into the unknown, making yourself vulnerable. It was a chance taken. It was a cosmic gamble. It was faith. It was a belief that happy endings could happen and did, every day."  The novel is a messy, all-too-human example of that.

In other news, my days as a reviewer of gay romance may be numbered.  I bought a great majority of the gay fiction I've reviewed for AAR, a review job that is unpaid.  But after reviewing over 40 gay novels, my retirement budget no longer supports that approach, and having publishers reluctant to send me galleys, I think it's time to go back to picking review books from the pile of those sent to AAR or those posted on NetGalley that sound interesting and are okayed by my AAR editor.

I'm pretty sure that Dreamspinner, Rip Tide, and the other gay publishers won't miss me.  Perhaps some of the authors will.  But who knows?

Beautiful Disaster

One of the joys of reviewing for AAR is finding others who enjoy the same books as I do.  A case in point is Louise VanderVliet (aka Aimee) whose review of a book that I too loved runs today.

Even better than sharing a reaction to a book is finding a reviewer who puts what I feel about the book into exactly the right words.  Aimee does that in the review of Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire.  This book was so controversial on the in-house message board that I decided to read it even though at first glance it didn't seem like something I'd enjoy.

What I found, however, was a contemporary romance like Sarah Mayberry's She's Got It Bad, another book that I read on the recommendation of an AAR reviewer, Katie Mack.  Both show a grittier side of life than is usually explored by romance writers, yet both highlight why romance and the promise of love are so pervasive and enduring.

(NOTE: Word has it that McGuire's next book will be the Beautiful Disaster story as seen from the guy's point of view.  Considering that so much is left out of Disaster because the woman isn't involved, this should also be a terrific book.  Can't wait to read it!)

To Read My Online Reviews

While I originally had at the left an alphabetical list of my online reviews, I'm now linking the reviews in the blog itself.  Clicking on the link will bring you to the review.