stephanie_inman's Reviews (228)

Very short, but cute story. No angst, HEA.

This is the story of Evie, a lingerie shop manager, who meets and falls for Ox.

Due to the page count, the story moves quickly. I felt we got to know Evie and Ox, even in that short amount of time. I liked Ox. Evie was a bit harder for me. I get that the author was trying to make Evie into a confident woman, with curves and attitude. But I got really tired of hearing Evie refer to HERSELF as "sassy". I get that we are supposed to see her that way, but I'd rather be shown her "sassy" personality than be beaten over the head with being told.

Still, the story isn't bad. For a short story, it is okay. I wouldn't recommend reading this if you're looking for something with much substance, but as far as a short story you can finish in under an hour, it's not bad.

Cora Brent’s Gentry Boys series continues to be one of my favorites. As mentioned in previous reviews, my read count is nowhere near correct on here because I have read most of these at least a few times. A couple of them remain on my list of go-to reads for times when I want something I know I already love.

Hold is not a stand alone book. The previous books, Draw, Risk and Game need to be read before this one. The fourth book, Fall is also before this one, chronologically, but I don’t think it’s quite as necessary to read before this one.

This book is told entirely from the POV of our Gentry triplets, Cord, Creed and Chase. I still love these men. They have all found the love of their lives, and are settled down. Each brother is facing changes, and it’s great to see how they are handling everything that is being thrown at them. Ms. Brent is one of the best authors I’ve read when it comes to knowing her characters. Each one of the men has their own distinct voice, which is great when it comes to a book that goes through changing POV’s several times. I didn’t have to look back at the first page of each chapter to see whose story we were getting, it was clear from the narrative.

While I enjoyed the multiple POV, I’m greedy. I would have liked to have heard from our heroines, Sayler, Truly (again, my Queen and the best character in the series, imo) and Stephanie. I missed them. Obviously, they are still a big part of the book, but, again, I’m greedy. I want their POV’s as well as our boys’.

This book also wraps up some of the past for Cord, Creed and Chase, while leading us into Genty’s of the future. It’s here where we are first introduced to Stonewall and Conway Gentry. Stone and Con are Gentry cousins, still living in Emblem. Teenagers who find themselves in need of some help from the cousins they’ve never met. The next books in the series, Walk and Edge are their stories.

My only real complaint is that I felt that we were told the story, rather than shown it. This is narration heavy. I wanted more dialogue between the characters. Most of the story is told through the thoughts of our main characters.

Still, it’s a solid story. I love the way it looked to the past, while bringing the boys into their futures. They deal with a lot, but, as always, they go deal with everything as the brothers they are.

If you’ve read any other of Ms. Brent’s Gentry Boys books, you’re going to want to read this one.

*TW for violence and death

This is a promising start to a new series. The Guardians of Mayhem starts us off with Finn and Chloe. Finn is our biker and Chloe works in the police department. I thought this made for a great set up, but due to the novella length, I didn't feel the conflict that I would have liked to have seen.

I'm a fan of novellas. While they aren't always what I'm looking for, I often enjoy a story I can finish in a short amount of time. And I'm usually okay with insta-love as it's the standard in a romance novella. However I thought this story was too short. I don't feel like we got to know Chloe at all. I think she could have been such a badass heroine, if given more time. I didn't feel any connection between Chloe and Finn. I honestly have no idea why they fell in lust/love.

I also wanted to see more of a struggle within Chloe. She meets this guy and suddenly she is just swooning. She isn't worried about her job and the fact that she is now involved with a man who is part of an ongoing investigation. And, again, because we have no idea why she is interested in him (other than he's hot), it just makes her look like a love sick teenager.

I understand that we are supposed to be focused on the storyline with the MC, as this is the first book in a serial. The book ends on a slight cliffhanger, the MC storyline will continue as we meet a new member of the club and the person he falls for in each subsequent book. My hope is that we to get to know BOTH characters a little more. I feel Finn was way more fleshed out than Chloe.

This is a "safe" MC read. There isn't any cheating or abuse of any kind. There is little to no violence. There is coarse language throughout, and slightly graphic sex (all of this is fairly basic, though)

I ended up giving this one three stars. I am optimistic about the series as a whole. I don't mind the cliffhanger. Props to Ms. Stone for letting readers know that there is one in advance.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Fun, sweet, a bit emotional, and a whole lotta swoon.

This is exactly the read I was needing.

Alexander has high expectations for himself, and for everyone around him. His quest for perfection has left him lonely. Logan has never been taken seriously by anyone and doesn’t feel like he’s good enough. While Alexander demands too much of others, Logan doesn’t demand enough.

I loved both of these characters so much. It’s rare to find a book where I enjoy reading both of the leads as much as I enjoyed reading these men.

Due to the nature of Alexander’s bet with his brother, Nico, Alexander has to agree to pretty much anything his new roommate asks of him. Logan, pretending to be the exact opposite of Alexander, asks a lot. This leads to some fun hijinks, and some even better banter. Alexander’s dry wit is one of my favorite things in this book.

I admit I was a little worried that this book would be a downer for me. Logan is playing the part of a MAGA super fan. Unfortunately, I have too much experience with the type of person Logan was pretending to be. I was afraid the political aspect would bring too much of my real world into my escapism. I shouldn’t have worried. The political stuff plays out fairly light. So, if you’re like me and wondering if you’re going to be able to stand all of the cringeworthy behavior, just know that it doesn’t get serious.

The relationship between Alexander and Logan flows well. There is a bit of a slow burn. If you’re familiar with Anyta Sunday, then you already know that she is the Queen of the Slow Burn. I don’t think this one is quite as slow burn as some of her other work. Either way, it moves at a good pace. I wasn’t bored for a second.

All in all, this is just a great read. You won’t be sorry.