Age of Protagonists
Heat Factor: Gentle, encouraging, exploratory, emotional
Character Chemistry: They have big hug energy to offer each other, even though they both think they shouldn’t ask for it themselves
Plot: Boarding school besties Robert and David both come out of WWI with scars both physical and mental, and find their way back to themselves with each other
Overall: My heart is so full and so wrecked
Heat Factor: The first kiss happened around halfway, and then I called it quits.
Character Chemistry: Textbook definition of a toxic relationship.
Plot: Hudson bribes Kian into doing a fake relationship with him by promising an introduction to a guy who can get Kian his dream job.
Overall: DNF at the halfway point.
Heat Factor: I mean, it was nice and steamy.
Character Chemistry: I could see the chemistry but there were so many aspects that didn’t seem to get worked out, that I didn’t necessarily buy in all the way.
Plot: Kian agrees to pretend to be Hudson’s boyfriend again despite his better judgment so that Hudson can get Kian a job that is supposed to launch his journalism career.
Overall: I ended up with very mixed feelings about this one.
Heat Factor: They have very playful sex.
Character Chemistry: Horny, not healthy.
Plot: Hudson inexplicably dumped Kian three months ago, but now he’s back asking Kian to fake being his boyfriend again because he never got around to telling his parents they broke up.
Overall: This should have been a 300 page grovel and IT WAS NOT.
Hard Play, Book #4
Reviews of Hard Play, Book #1, Book #2, Book #3
Heat Factor: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Is there anything like a conflagration of lust? There is not.
Character Chemistry: Perfection
Plot: Danny and Catie have enjoyed being each other’s nemeses since they were children, but when the media speculates they’ve hooked up, they decide to fake a relationship for a few months for the sake of their careers
Overall: Catnip. Pure, unadulterated catnip.
Heat Factor: It’s CLOSE to a slow burn but it didn’t feel too slow.
Character Chemistry: Their first meeting had a lot of sparks but not in a good way. Luckily they turned that around pretty fast.
Plot: Chloe’s life takes a massive turn when she takes custody of her newborn sister, who is in pretty rough shape. In order to gain custody, she has to team up with another young foster parent, Warren, who has fought to gain custody of his teen brother. Living together means they have to figure out how to make things work with the added pressure of parenting. Oof.
Overall: Totally smitten with this book in so many ways.
Heat Factor: They fool around, but the real heat occurs when they start snuggling and the emotions come out.
Character Chemistry: They wrestle like puppies.
Plot: James takes care of Timothy when they’re on the road. He knows that he should send Timothy home now that winter is coming, but he doesn’t want him to leave.
Overall: This was a very interesting book, though I’m not sure I would call it swoonworthy.
The Smut Report 