Men of Smithfield: Adam and Holden by LB Gregg

Men of Smithfield: Adam and Holden by LB Gregg
Stars: 3.75/5

Length: 55,000 words
Blurb
Holden Worthington's globetrotting days are over. Once the host of a popular adventure show, he hasn't ventured past his own front door in more than a year. Then the arrival of a sexy new gardener sparks something Holden hasn't felt in a very long time?an interest in the world outside his window.

Holden tries to resist the attraction. But painfully shy yet definitely interested Adam Morgan has Holden longing to conquer his debilitating anxiety and live again. After a grisly discovery on the grounds of the estate, the town of Smithfield turns a suspicious eye on the reclusive Holden?and the two men must trust in each other to bring the truth out in the open.

Overall
I started reading this before bed one night when I was restless, and although it didn't grab me as thoroughly as some books, I kept reading until 2:30 am, when I finally finished and was flat-out exhausted. It's enjoyable, with a background murder-mystery plot and some kooky romance. In the beginning, half the cast was going to drive me mad, but by the end I'd come to terms with most of them. I felt the story was leaning heavy toward having too much sex, but never crossed that line, although having read it all in one sitting may have given that impression. Aside from the off-kilter pacing and early annoyances, I found the story interesting. I didn't feel like I could quite give this a full 4-star rating (although it will be tagged as such), but it was better than 3.5. My second favorite of the three Men of Smithfield novels I've read.

Review
What really made this story work for me was Adam and Holden as two 'broken' characters who blend together nicely despite coming from 'opposite sides of the track.' Holden is agoraphobic after a traumatic experience left him shy of being photographed by the press, and Adam can't read people's facial expressions, body language, and verbal nuances. I really love how these two come together through their initial mutual attraction and develop as characters from there, helping each other 'heal' (or in Adam's case, have a safe place where he doesn't have to keep his defenses up). The opening up of their weaknesses helped them quickly develop an intimacy that otherwise would not have worked.

My biggest issue with this story is the rest of the cast (aside from Mrs. H and Tony, I suppose). Everyone just waltzes in and out of Holden's house as if it's nothing, avoids police questioning (even if they've nothing to hide), and is generally rude to Holden (except maybe Mitzie, who may have invited herself over, but seems rather nice). Obviously they do this because they've been permitted to do this, but it rubbed me wrong, although I understand this is a personal thing.

The murder mystery, while playing a main role in bringing all the characters together and moving all the pieces around, definitely feels secondary, which probably stems from the fact that it is secondary in Holden's mind. Holden isn't really too concerned with the dead body in his backyard (which sounds a little odd, but didn't bother me); he's too focused on his hot new gardener. This worked in some ways and didn't in others. I felt that when they were talking about the murder, I was impatient to get back to the romance, and when they were having sex, I wanted to get back to the plot. Perhaps that's just me.

Finally, the murderer's motives were lacking, although the murderer does seem to fall into the 'just plain crazy' domain. A reason for the murder is given, but the character seems unstable, which in itself is a reason for the murder, but while this happens in real life, in stories it seems like poorly constructed plot.

Having said all of that, I still enjoyed this story. My love of Holden and Adam overpower any of my disdain for the side characters, and the resolutions made me like some of the characters more than I had in the beginning, which possibly left me with a better taste in my mouth. But really, Adam and Holden pull this story along and are worth sitting down to read.

Received this book for review.

Men of Smithfield: Seth and David by LB Gregg

Men of Smithfield: Seth and David by LB Gregg
Stars: 4/5

Length: 32,000 words
Blurb
He's everything I've never wanted -- too young, too weird, too wild.

I wasn't impressed that I had to get my weekly massage from a guy with a toe ring. But when I discovered David Cooke's skills as a masseur were literally orgasmic, I couldn't stop thinking about him and his amazing hands, day and night. Especially at night.

He's full of surprises. And despite my bad behavior, David's just as eager to explore this chemistry between us. Turns out, there's a lot more to him than hemp pants and tattoos. If he's so wrong for me, why does being with him feel so right?

Overall
Despite Seth being a jerk in the beginning, I really enjoyed this story. I normally hate main character jerks who get the guy, but here it worked, because even though Seth is a jerk, he also tries to do the right thing, and as we see, hasn't always been a jerk. And in many ways he isn't a jerk...just a little closed-minded.

It's a sweet little story that's a mix of serious emotional topics and humor. And some sexy times. Seth and David definitely have physical chemistry, and the clash between that and their emotional involvement is nice.

I'd call this story a palate cleanser, as it is enjoyable and good, but doesn't draw the reader into the drama so far that it's overwhelming.

Review
There is some drama in the non-romantic parts of the plot, which I found to be the weakest parts of the story, but the drama between the lead men was perfectly enjoyable. David is a good, nice guy (who may be a little spastic at times), Seth is a surface jerk (who has been using one line of thinking so long it's habit). Seth has some growing to do, and David is the catalyst. They are a nice mix and the end is completely satisfying.

Also, for people who like stories with kids, there are two here, but for the rest of us, those kids, while playing an important, focal role, are old enough not to be too needy, and they don't overwhelm the story. It was a nice balance, considering the situation.

I don't have much to say about this one. It was good, I enjoyed the story (even the nonromantic elements of the plot that I found to mediocre), and I really liked the characters, especially Seth, who gets to grow and transform over a short number of pages. A nice, pleasant read.

Received this book for review.

Men of Smithfield: Mark and Tony by LB Gregg

Men of Smithfield: Mark and Tony by LB Gregg
Stars: 3/5

Length: 36,000 words
Blurb
Coming home from work to find my boyfriend banging our hairy, married landlord--in our bed--was bad enough. Discovering Jamie had also cleaned out my bank accounts made it officially the worst day of my life. I think I can be forgiven for wanting revenge, even if a few little laws (and possibly Jamie's nose) got bent in the process.

Fortunately, the law is on my side in the form of my oldest friend, Tony Gervase. I've tried to deny my attraction to the sexy trooper for years. After all, he made it clear long ago that he wasn't interested in me that way. But if the hot encounter in his kitchen is any indication, he is now. At least the day is ending a whole lot better than it began...

But the morning after, the Jamie situation goes from bad to seriously messed up. The jerk's in more trouble than I could have imagined. And as it turns out, I don't know Tony as well as I thought I did either...

Previously published, newly revised by author.

Overall
Sadly, this is one of those stories that didn’t impress me, but I can definitely see why other people would enjoy it. I think my main problem is that I had trouble relating to the main character, which, when written in the first person as this was, makes a story difficult to get into. This piece mingles a touch of mystery with a heavy touch of erotica and a general sweep of romantic plot.

Review
Everything starts with a bang as Mark breaks up with his boyfriend in a dramatic, fists-flying way. I was immediately sucked in, and despite the dramatics, I stayed interested for most of the whirlwind plot. While not a murder mystery, it does have a puzzle that Mark needs to solve (even if he should leave it to the police), which plays an underlying motivation throughout. It was enough to keep my interest and keep the story moving.

I really liked Tony, the law-abiding, sensible one. Although we aren't given a huge amount of development, I liked most of what I saw. There are some questionable decisions/actions he takes, but overall they aren't major. That one thing I didn't like was pretty big and felt somewhat out of character, but I was willing to forgive it just about as easily as Mark did.

Speaking of Mark... He kind of annoyed me. While his initial reaction to the incident involving his (ex)boyfriend seemed reasonable, he continues to make poor decisions throughout the story and denies that they are bad ideas, even with Tony chanting as much in his ear. He suffers from hot and cold syndrome, and while he's not a terrible character, I had trouble relating to him and seeing his side of the story, which also made it difficult to see why Tony was interested in him at all. However, the glimpses we see of Mark acting like a reasonable adult made me wonder if he was acting this way because of the circumstances, or he was just made to react that way in order to further the plot. I'll never know.

I loved the scenes involving Mark with Tony or with his family, as it (tended) to show a better, more reasonable Mark. The love between his family members is very sweet and honest and feels real, making a crappy situation into an almost-tender moment. Also, the steel door bit was practically laugh out loud funny.

Requested this book for review.

His for the Holidays, anthology

His for the Holidays, an anthology
Stars: 5/5

Overall
Most anthologies are, at best, hit or miss. As a compilation of multiple authors there is the complexity of different styles that not all readers may enjoy, a theme (normally) that may require authors to write outside their comfort zone, and shorter works which limits what can be done. Many of the authors are novelists and have difficulties cutting down from their normally large word counts.

However, Carina Press has done a superb job of bringing together these four authors. I read each story waiting to be let down and never was. It was exemplary. As they are all holiday tales, it is fitting that they have happy endings, no matter how dark the previous pages may have been. If you're having trouble getting into the holiday spirit, be sure to pick this book up!

Mistletoe at Midnight by LB Gregg
The anthology starts off with a trip down memory lane as Owen happens upon his high school sweet heart, Caleb, who vanished one day with his family. As Owen and Caleb awkwardly interact, each moment is complicated by the presence of Owen's ex-boyfriend. As Owen and Caleb struggle to understand each other and what happened in the past, Owen's father is looking ill and it could be his cancer returning. Can the family make this a holiday to remember?

The reader is led through the holidays with Owen's open nerves, making each interaction a rush of emotion and disappointment, struggle and need. Gregg does an excellent job of making Owen hurt and sore (emotionally) without being whiny and angsty. My eyes burned with the threat of tears at one point, even knowing that this holiday tale probably wouldn't leave me feeling down. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Nine Lights Over Edinburgh by Harper Fox
This is the darkest of the set, although it doesn't fail to deliver its happy ending. Nine Lights Over Edinburgh has us following a character that lacks good qualities, although not completely. He's an alcoholic cop who makes his own rules and throughout the story makes bad choice after bad choice, while adamantly thinking he doesn't need anyone's help, risking his life and that of his family's.

Even after he meets his match (so to speak) he continues to do what he wants, which results in the rising action. Eventually he leans on Toby, and then the rest of the officers, to fix everything that is wrong. A gritty story of life walking the beat while struggling with personal issues and the need to prove he can stand on his own, this story takes us from the dark days of solitude to brighter days of hope.

Special recognition for the title, which isn't extremely obvious but is a small delight when you make the connection, or at least for me it was.

I Heard Him Exclaim by Z.A. Maxfield
This is probably the most consistently happy of the four stories as our leads immediately recognize their interest in one another and work toward that end, even with the struggles that take place between them. While I would label this story as the weakest of the bunch, it still stands strong and is a good read. Some of the sexual antics were a little surprising and dropped me out of the moment a little, but they weren't revolting or disrupting enough for me to not continue. A touching tale of being strong and being willing to lean on others, this story will have you wondering if you're really ever too old to believe in Santa.

Icecapade by Josh Lanyon
For Noel Snow, cat burglar extraordinaire, falling for FBI agent Robert Cuffe is probably a bad idea. But ten years--and nine drunken phone calls--later, Robert Cuffe is standing on his front stoop accusing him of a recent set of crimes. But Noel is living the clean life and has nothing to hide as Cuffe follows him around while he helps his neighbors, sets up his Christmas tree, and tries to understand why Cuffe is there. But if they can let down their guards, Noel may just find that Cuffe is there to catch him when he falls and Cuffe may learn Noel only has one thing left he wants to steal. (His heart, obviously!)

A charming dynamic of tough FBI agent who refuses to let Noel see any of his emotions and a reformed thief who just wants his happy life to be perfect with the man he obsessed over for the last decade. The pair is furthered along by incidental neighbor visits as Noel slowly reveals more about himself--more than he'd like, but certainly exactly what Cuffe needs. Be prepared for 95% of this story to be a struggle of the heart, and the last 5% to be a joyous celebration. Merry Christmas indeed.