This was good overall. I'm giving it 4 stars because it made me cry. Without the crying, it probably would've been 3.5 or 3.75.

Mostly, I liked the story. It was sweet. There was angst, but it wasn't extreme. It was a lovely story with some nice side characters (Mrs. Fisher or... Fischer? I can't remember the spelling). Poor Daniel--I hope things turned out OK for him. And, I have a little sympathy for Simon, but he also acted like a jerk a bit so... meh.

One of my problems is that I didn't love Mark (I didn't strongly dislike him, but I want to LOVE a MC). So I felt like my sweet baby Josh could've done better. But, I'm also glad that Mark found Josh and helped him. And, yeah, Josh wasn't all sunshine and roses, but ... he was just the more sympathetic character.

Here are some spoilery thoughts that I jotted down while reading:

Spoiler

- Mark knew Josh was worried for a while about their work ending, and Mark got a new job but he waited to tell Josh the news so that Josh would "Show his appreciation"?? Rude.
- I didn't feel the love between them really--only when they were being intimate. Mark was annoyed that Josh was upset about Mrs Fisher having a stroke? (even though that wasn't really the issue. But he really thought like "man it's been a couple hours, get over it already.") Caring so much about people and animals is like THE defining factor of Josh, and Mark was annoyed at it. HMM ok.
- Really? Mark thinks that Josh is somewhere dying, and Mark and Donny decide to have a heart-to-heart discussion? Sure, just take some time and chat in the snow. No biggie.
- This quote: "Sam, who was a bit of a tech-head, quickly sorted out a group text that went to everyone." lol, what? Must one be a tech-head to initiate a group text?

Triggers:
- Suicidal Ideations

Tropes and Themes:
- Age Gap (5-10 Years)
- Grief
- Hurt/Comfort

Some Details:
- Angst: 3/5
- Spice Frequency: 1.25/5
- Spice Level: 3/5 (one scene where penetrative sex is described)
- Strict Top/Bottom: Unclear. It's implied that they will switch it up. But only one scene is described so we only see one MC topping.

Milestones:
First Meeting:

Spoiler

13% : Chapter 4 / Page 30

First Kiss:

Spoiler

46% : Chapter 12 / Page 117

First Sex:

Spoiler

46% : Chapter 12 / Page 118

First Penetration:

Spoiler

60% : Chapter 15 / Page 153

First L Word:

Spoiler

89% : Chapter 23 / Page 230

3.85 stars rounded up to 4

I liked this book, and I liked all the cute Amy Bellows details in it, but I really didn't like one of the MCs for 64% of the book, so it's hard for me to rate it higher than I have.

Details:
POV: 1st Person Dual
Tense: Present
HEA?:

Spoiler

Yes

Breakups?:

Spoiler

No

Strict Top/Bottom?: Yes
Is Top or Bottom Bigger?: Top is stockier (unsure about height)
Angst: 2/5
Spice Frequency: 1.75/5
Spice Level: 3/5 (descriptive penetration)

Tropes:
Omegaverse
MPreg
Shifters (polar bear & penguin)
Single Parents
Fated Mates
Magic

Triggers:
Death of a partner (in the past, off-page)
Birth (on-page, egg)

Other Stuff:
Lingerie

Here are some notes that I took when I was reading--they're gonna make no sense and have spoilers:
-

Spoiler

I don't find it believable that Sam's character would have sex with Lu so early. After they kissed and pulled apart to talk a little, I would have imagined Sam running away.

-

Spoiler

After the first "I love you"s at 14% I was like Oh noooo, there's still so much book left.... bad things are gonna happen

- I dislike reading characters that cling tight to something that makes no sense to me. I was frustrated that Sam kept saying

Spoiler

he was cheating on his dead mate by being with Lu.

I know that's a valid feeling that even people in real life have, but it doesn't make sense to me so I don't enjoy reading it over and over AND OVER.
-

Spoiler

I felt so bad that Lu was willing to accept a hidden relationship from Sam. It also frustrated me (many things frustrated me lol). I wanted Lu to put Sam in his place. (But I understand that this was a major aspect of Lu's character. I'm not faulting the book for this.)

- Listen, at this point I just don't like Sam.

Spoiler

He suggested hiding a relationship for FIFTEEN YEARS?!

No, sir.
- Normally I don't like books where a MC keeps lamenting that they failed, because I really don't like the "guilt complex" trope. But in this case, the guilt was well-earned, because Sam--ARGH!
- ....until

Spoiler

Chapter 29, when Sam is suddenly a good character.

Too little, too late?
- Sam is now pancake daddy (!!!)
- Scooch & Mary Forever
- Characters of Amy Bellows always have the best/cutest/funniest nests!!!

Milestones:
First Kiss:

Spoiler

11% : Chapter 5 / Page 21

First Penetration:

Spoiler

13% : Chapter 5 / Page 24

First L Words:

Spoiler

14% : Chapter 6 / Page 28

Spoiler

They Part Ways:
16% : Chapter 6 / Page 31

Spoiler

Start of Secret Relationship:
25% : Chapter 11 / Page 54

Spoiler

Sam tells Allen's Mothers:
58% : Chapter 26 / Page 128

Spoiler

Sam offers a Necklace:
64% : Chapter 29 / Page 141

Spoiler

Sam tells his Fathers and the kids:
68% : Chapter 32 / Page 151

Spoiler

Birth (egg):
95% : Chapter 45 / Page 214

Five stars!
I loved this so much. Both main characters were so sweet! This was a truly enjoyable story.

I went into this with an open mind but honestly not knowing what to expect. I have to say, it was such a sweet and easy read. Just two guys who get each other, falling in love and exploring a mutual interest. So cute

4.1 stars!

The Good:
Gosh, I really enjoyed this! I think my favorite quote is from the first few sentences (but that doesn't mean it was all downhill from there - it means the book grabbed me right from the beginning!):

The only thing I liked about hobnobbing was that it sounded like a euphemism for a blow job. It was pretty ironic, considering being forced to hobnob for work really sucked.

I found this book to be quite funny, and I liked the juxtaposition between the dialogue/narrative styles of Bianco and Alistair.
Of course, this is a retelling of Alice in Wonderland, but what was interesting to me was that it references the original book and characters. It's not one of the types of retellings that completely seeks to overwrite the original, but rather it uses the original story and builds upon it. I enjoyed it!
I also loved that the book started off with some spice. It's not the spiciest book overall, and so the fact that the first spice happened early really helped tide me over until the main spice (iykwim). ;)

The Less-Good:
- Some words/phrases/concepts got repeated a lot and it felt like filler to me at times.
- A pet peeve of mine: I find it annoying when one MC thinks they know better than the other. For instance, MC1 is like, yes please I want to mate. And MC2 is like, nah, it's best for you to wait and think about it. MC1: but I really want to and I'm sure about it. MC2: nah you need to sleep. ...wtf dude? trust that your partner knows their own mind.

Some Details:
POV: 1st Person Dual
Tense: Past
HEA?:

Spoiler

Yes

Strict Top/Bottom?: No
Angst: 0.5/5 it's pretty chill
Spice Frequency: 2.75/5
Spice Level: 3.5/5 (penetration is described but not in as much detail as it could have been. But on top of that, there was the addition of a little bit of magic used, which bumped up the score)

Tropes/Tags:
- Paranormal
- Fantasy
- Fated Mates
- Virgin
- Magic
- Shifter (Rabbit)

Milestones:
First Kiss:

Spoiler

4% : Chapter 2 / Page 8

First Oral Sex:

Spoiler

5% : Chapter 2 / Page 10

First Frot:

Spoiler

39% : Chapter 8 / Page 88

First Penetration:

Spoiler

87% : Chapter 16 / Page 200

First L Word:

Spoiler

87% : Chapter 16 / Page 200

Mating Bond:

Spoiler

89% : Chapter 17 / Page 203

4.5 Stars, rounded up to 5

I loved this so much. This is my second CW Gray book (the 1st was cowritten with Amy Bellows), and now I can say that I am a fan of CW Gray.

This story was low-angst and very, very sweet and fluffy. If you don't like Instalove, you won't like this - but I do, so I did. :) It's very much Instalove. The story is also infused with a good deal of humor, especially surrounding all the pets that Leti can't help collecting (which I'm thinking may be a theme in CW Gray books?). Leti is so endearing with how empathetic he is, and I love how Will is just a total goner after he meets Leti. All the side characters, like the crew members and the admiral, are likewise just so sweet and powerless to resist Leti's charm. The more I think about it, the more I just really loved this book *squee!* I am excited that the second book in the series has the same 2 MCs.

Some Details:
Pairing: MM, Leti & Will (Hack)
POV: 3rd Person Dual
Tense: Past
HEA?:

Spoiler

Yes

Breakups?:

Spoiler

No

Strict Top/Bottom?: Yes
Is Top or Bottom Bigger: Top is Bigger
Angst: 1/5
Spice Frequency: 2/5 - I saw other reviews saying this book had so much sex, but... I disagree?
Spice Level: 2.75/5

Tropes/Tags:
- Space
- Fated Mates
- InstaLove
- MPreg
- Interspecies Love
- Raising a Family Member
- Found Family

CWs:
- Slavery

Milestones:
First Meeting:

Spoiler

14% : Chapter 3 / Page 19

First Kiss:

Spoiler

36% : Chapter 6 / Page 46

First Shared O:

Spoiler

37% : Chapter 6 / Page 47

First Oral:

Spoiler

45% : Chapter 7 / Page 58

First Penetration:

Spoiler

49% : Chapter 8 / Page 63

4.65 Stars!

I haven't read the other books in the series (yet). I saw this one was MMM and I was like, Well well well--dont mind if I do. This was my first AJ Truman book, and it certainly won't be my last!

This book did the thing that I don't normally like in MMM+ books, where one MC is already into another MC before the 3rd MC gets involved. But the way this book navigated it, it didn't bother me at all; it wasn't overly angsty for the sake of being angsty. I really enjoyed the way all the characters ended up getting together, in fact.

Each of the three MCs had a reason why they doubted they belonged with the other two. Chase didn't want to come between Anton and Seb, because they had a long-standing friendship and were also business partners. Seb had been in love with Anton for a while but he felt like Anton really wanted Chase, so Seb was letting some competition and jealousy get in the way. It was lovely the way Seb was able to bond with Chase through a shared background related to their families. Anton felt like he didn't fit with Chase and Seb because of their overt booksmarts. And at first he wants nothing serious with anyone, but (adorably) he was the first one who started acting all throuple'd up by giving nicknames and cuddling. I loved how he called Chase and Seb "my guys" and how he called Chase "Chasey." Gosh, they're all adorable.

Some Other Good Stuff:
- I loved the way Chase talked. All the MCs had distinct speaking styles, which made 3 POVs easy to read and also provided some nice variety.
- I felt like I learned more about having a vending machine company than I expected, but that's cool!
- I loved Savannah. A good female side character, yayyyy
- I also loved Chase's other teacher-friends. I know they have their own books in this series, so I'll probably need to read those books now. :)
- Einstein the cat. Need I say more?
- Yes, there was naked wrestling. Trust me--you're gonna need to read this.

Some Less-Good Stuff:
- Seb's and Anton's company is called Beverage Solutions most of the time, but it's called Vending Solutions the first time. Maybe I missed something? Anyway, my brain couldn't let that go, lol.
- We never heard Anton tell his guys that he loves them. We "heard" him think it but he never said it aloud to them. I'm sure he said it to them off-page, but I wanna read these things, darnit!

Some Details:
POV: 1st Person Multiple
Tense: Past
HEA?:

Spoiler

Yes

Breakups?:

Spoiler

No

Strict Top/Bottom?: Yes for 2 MCs, No for 1 MC.

Spoiler

Anton is always a top and Chase is always a bottom, but Seb bottoms for the first time near the end.

Angst: 1/5
Spice Frequency: 3/5
Spice Level: 3.75/5 (penetration is described but not in as much detail as it could have been. But on top of that, there was the addition of a little bit of magic used, which bumped up the score)

Tropes/Tags/Themes:
- MMM
- Teacher/Student (1 HS Teacher + 2 former students)
- Nerd/Jock
- Age Gap (I'm calculating the gap as 5-15 years. We know in the story that Seb and Anton are 21, but we never find out Chase's age. I'm assuming Chase was around 23-30 when he was teaching Seb and Anton at 17/18.)
- Friends to lovers

TWs/CWs:
- Mention of absent parents

Milestones:
First Kiss:

Spoiler

17% : Chapter 5 / Page 50

First Manual Sex:

Spoiler

17% : Chapter 5 / Page 50

First Oral Sex:

Spoiler

18% : Chapter 5 / Page 51

First Penetration:

Spoiler

48% : Chapter 16 / Page 136

First Frot:

Spoiler

49% : Chapter 16 / Page 137

All the first L Words:

Spoiler

First L Word - S to A:
59% : Chapter 19 / Page 163

First L Word - C to S and A (hinted/implied):
75% : Chapter 24 / Page 211

First L Word - S to C:
78% : Chapter 25 / Page 221

First L Word - C to S:
79% : Chapter 25 / Page 223

First L Word - C to A:
80% : Chapter 26 / Page 226

4.2 stars!

If there's one thing I can count on, it's loving a Roe Horvat book; this one was no exception. Roe really has a talent for descriptive spice, but he excels at writing plot and developing characters as well. In this book, as in Roe's other books, I found it easy to believe the characters' emotions and become immersed in the story.

And the spice? Oh yes, the spice. We had dirty talking (but super caring) Richard and then seemingly innocent Carter (who turned into a secret nympho). I could really feel the chemistry between them!

As a side note, I'll just add that there is an adorable dog in this book. I, myself, am not a dog-lover (I know, I know, burn the witch!), but I was quite fond of the dog in this book, and I swooned over the interactions of Carter and Richard with the adorable Noodle.

A Few Things I Wrote Down:
- Why does Richard think Leo is a good person? lol. Just because someone knows they're evil, doesn't mean they're not evil.
-

Spoiler

I don't like Carter's Uncle. It wasn't his right to send Richard away. He should have asked Carter immediately. I mean, it got resolved quickly enough, but I just don't like overprotective relatives lol. Maybe that's a me thing.

Some Details:
Pairing: MM, Richard & Carter
POV: 1st Person Dual
Tense: Past
HEA?:

Spoiler

Yes

Breakups?:

Spoiler

No

Strict Top/Bottom?: Yes
Is Top or Bottom Bigger: Top is Bigger
Angst: 1.75/5
Spice Frequency: 3.75/5
Spice Level: 3.5/5

Tropes/Tags/Themes:
- Omegaverse
- MPreg
- Age Gap (20 Years)
- Boss/Employee
- Lactation/Adult Chestfeeding

Milestones:
First Kiss:

Spoiler

27% : Chapter 7 / Page 73

First Penetration:

Spoiler

38% : Chapter 9 / Page 100

Leonard is a Snake:

Spoiler

71% : Chapter 18 / Page 187

First L Word - R to C (implied):

Spoiler

78% : Chapter 21 / Page 206

First L Word - R to C (for real):

Spoiler

80% : Chapter 22 / Page 211

First L Word - C to R:

Spoiler

86% : Chapter 23 / Page 225

This was a very cute and funny book. It was my first book by this author, and I found it to be quite enjoyable.

Beau and his family of (mostly) Flamingo shifters have just moved to Valleywood, which is a rich neighborhood with mansions. They previously didn't have money, but Beau had won the Powerball. His 16 year old sister (whose name changes daily) is some sort of financial wizard, and she grew their earnings so they have even more money now.

Beau moves next door to Dmitri, who is a cantankerous swan shifter. Dmitri comes with an interesting background of a famous Russian swan ballerina mother

Spoiler

(who used to starve him and his sisters to make them skinny dancers, and the sisters passed away)

and a French Canadian goose mob boss father (who lives on the OTHER side of Beau).

Anyway, the kids of Beau's family keep trespassing on Dmitri's property, so Beau and Dmitri get off on the wrong foot and Dmitri threatens to have the kids arrested (lol) and Beau punches him. Then Beau and Dmitri make a deal that Beau's family will clean Dmitri's house every day for a week to make up for the punching. And eventually that turns into Beau "serving" Dmitri in other ways (surprise, it's s*x). Dmitri is an omega who has never bottomed especially for an alpha (he really doesn't trust alphas) and he's super toppy and dommy. Beau has been with alphas and omegas but he's never bottomed before, yet he's happy to be the bottom/sub for Dmitri.

The conflict in the story comes from Dmitri's father, who is adamant that Dmitri needs to pick a goose for his heat and start producing eggs. But, unbeknownst to Dmitri's dad,

Spoiler

Dmitri and Beau form a mating bond. Dmitri's heat comes early and unexpectedly and Beau accidentally knocks him up.

The only time Dmitri and Beau switch Top/Bottom roles is

Spoiler

during Dmitri's heat.

Some Details:
Pairing: MM,Beau & Dmitri
POV: 1st Person Dual
Tense: Past
HEA?:

Spoiler

Yes

Breakups?:

Spoiler

No

Strict Top/Bottom?: No

Spoiler

The omega only bottoms during his heat.

Angst: 1.5/5
Spice Frequency: 2.75/5
Spice Level: 3/5

Tropes/Tags/Themes:
- D/s (light)
- Enemies-to-Lovers
- Raising family members
- Omegaverse
- MPreg
- Shifter (Flamingo) x Shifter (Swan)
- Children

TWs/CWs:
- Birth (on-page, egg)
- Death of a family member (off-page)
- Discussion of abuse by parental figure

A full 5 stars!
Honestly, if I could give more than 5 stars, I would. Let's call this a 5+. Any book that can have me crying for pretty much the whole time, but still leave me with happy feelings of it, deserves all the stars.

This book is just beautiful. It's an emotional story, and the writing is amazing. I mean, it's a Tal Bauer book. His words are so descriptive, his imagery so vivid, his characters so full of depth. I even find myself getting swept up in the way Tal punctuates. It's not very often in M/M romance that I see such meaningful comma placement or such provoking colons (I mean, like, the punctuation type of colon, obviously).

Anyway, back to the story.

Noël Bettancourt (high-strung PR guy from NYC) has been left at the altar by his cheating fiancée when the book begins. He's sloshed in the airport bar, and Wyatt McKinley (the sweetest gay cowboy ever from small-town Texas) saves Noël by keeping him company and buying him a burger. It turns out that they're on the way to the same resort in Cancun (Noël is going on his would-be honeymoon, and Wyatt is headed to his brother's wedding but is showing up a few days before the rest of the family), so they end up spending time together.

Magic happens. Then it doesn't.

Well, I won't spoil the story. But I will mention my favorite little pieces that happen after the happy first part of the book.
- Noël's emails to Wyatt that weren't supposed to be sent
- Wyatt sharing Son's Tears wine with Noël
- Wyatt and Noël both talking to Abel in their minds

This is such an emotional story (to me), and the emotion is really reinforced by how Tal's writing is structured.

His first, his only. Him, me. This bed, this night, us.

Maybe, maybe, maybe we could, one day... Lord, the thought of it--imagining it, coloring in the outlines, even thinking it was a possibility--walked like a ghost through my veins, so powerful it felt like a memory, something I had time-traveled forward and seen with my own eyes.

Abel, I'd murmur to the wind. I love your son, and I'm going to love him for all time. I promise, I swear. He'll never be alone. I felt wind slip down the back of my neck.

Some Details:
Pairing: MM, Wyatt & Noël
POV: 1st Person Dual
Tense: Past
HEA?:

Spoiler

Yes

Breakups?:

Spoiler

Yes, not a 3rd act breakup

Strict Top/Bottom?: Yes
Is Top or Bottom Bigger: Top is Bigger
Angst: 4/5
Spice Frequency: 2.5/5
Spice Level: 3/5

Tropes/Tags/Themes:
- GFY/Bi-Awakening
- Virgin
- Left at the Altar
- Second Chance
- Grief
- Raising a Family Member

TWs/CWs:
- Cheating (outside MCs)
- Death of a Family Member (off-page)

Milestones:
First Kiss On the Cheek:

Spoiler

22% : Chapter 5 / Page 90

First Kiss:

Spoiler

29% : Chapter 7 / Page 118

First Oral:

Spoiler

30% : Chapter 7 / Page 121

First Penetration:

Spoiler

35% : Chapter 8 / Page 141

Noël Leaves:

Spoiler

36% : Chapter 9 / Page 150

They Meet Again:

Spoiler

48% : Chapter 14 / Page 197

First L Word:

Spoiler

70% : Chapter 20 / Page 288

Second First Kiss:

Spoiler

70% : Chapter 20 / Page 288

Proposal:

Spoiler

98% : Chapter 28 / Page 400