Carries Book Reviews

It Could Happen
Mia Kerick
Published by: Dreamspinner Press
Publication date: June 5th 2017
Genres: LGBTQ+, New Adult, Romance

Three misfits, mismatched in every way—Henry Perkins, Brody Decker, and Danny Denisco—have been friends throughout high school. Now in their senior year, the boys realize their relationship is changing, that they’re falling in love. But they face opposition at every turn—from outside and from within themselves. Moving to the next level will take all the courage, understanding, and commitment they can muster. But it could happen.

Henry is a star athlete and the son of religious parents who have little concern for the future he wants. Brody is a quirky dreamer and adrenaline junkie, and Danny is an emo artist and the target of bullies. Despite their differences they’ve always had each other’s backs, and with each of them facing a new and unique set of challenges, that support is more important than ever. Is it worth risking the friendship they all depend on for the physical and romantic relationship they all desire?

In this unconventional new adult romance, three gay teens brave societal backlash—as well as the chance that they might lose their treasured friendship—to embark on a committed polyamorous relationship.

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EXCERPT:

Brody

Lunch block B is symbolic of our ruin:

Henry has joined forces with the jocks. He is a jock, so it makes complete sense. And he seems happy enough, which is good. He hasn’t looked at me once since the last night he slept in my bed— tucked between Danny and me—the day before he refused

the offer of my Jeep keys. Henry had no interest in taking the Jeep for a final joyride. I respect him for that.

Danny has taken to eating upstairs with the artsy crowd. For all I know, he has his eye on Mr. Lansing. Mr. Lansing is middle-aged, kind of cute, and likely even gay. He’s nuts about Danny, if not way too old for him, but that’s par for the course in Danny’s life. He’s better than most of Danny’s boyfriends who came before.

As for me, I eat alone. It’s okay. I’m a loner, really. It’s cool. And I write this without any bitterness, which is hard to believe,

but it’s also true. I’m returning to my natural state, after an almost four-year break. High school was a pleasant interlude of connection in a life I’m meant to spend without anyone to answer to.

LOL. “Pleasant interlude” makes pain sound so inviting. But it’s all good. I like being alone. Time to stop being so dramatic. There are so many important things I’ve long neglected to do.

I’m ready to get started.

Author Bio:

Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children—all named after saints—and five nonpedigreed cats—all named after the next best thing to saints, Boston Red Sox players. Her husband of twenty years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about that, as it is a sensitive subject.

Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young men and their relationships, and she believes that sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with romantic tales of tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to Dreamspinner Press for providing her with an alternate place to stash her stories.

Mia is proud of her involvement with the Human Rights Campaign and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of marital equality. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology.

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Down and Dirty
Annette Fields
Publication date: June 1st 2017
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Women come and go from my bed but they’ll never have my heart.

There’s only one girl I’m committed to and that’s my six-year-old daughter.

Every dirty deal I make is to secure a good future for her.

When I find Natalie in the back of my truck ready to die fighting, everything gets flipped upside down.

I saved her life and took her home. Her stay was supposed to be temporary but I don’t want her to leave.

I want to feel her soft, sweet body writhing underneath me, begging for more and never stopping.

But what’s really got my head spinning?

My daughter wants a mother.

I escaped Hell only to run right into the arms of another demon.

But Solomon says he won’t hurt me, not in that way.

He’ll keep them from finding me, but can I trust him?

He’s just another criminal working with the one who captured me.

I feel ruined from what I’ve been through but somehow, he makes my body come alive again.

He reminds me what pleasure feels like and I can’t get enough.

I’m beyond torn in multiple directions but that’s not the most confusing part.

How can a tattooed, muscle-bound criminal also be such a caring, devoted father?

Down and Dirty is a full-length standalone bad boy romance in my Small Town Bad Boy series. Absolutely no cliffhangers and guaranteed HEA!

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Q&A with author Annette Fields:

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Somewhere around 8-10 years old. My dad was always writing, be it journaling or poetry, so I picked it up early in wanting to be just like him. I also read a lot as a kid and had teachers that encouraged creative writing at that age.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I can’t sit in one place in a writing session. At some point I always have to move from my desk to the kitchen table, or to the floor, or to the library or coffee shop. I’ve given up trying to fight this and found that I write more and better if I switch up my space a little.

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

Google is amazing tool, haha! I use the internet for nitty gritty details but a lot of my ideas are based on what I have actually experienced, either firsthand or through people I know. For example my character Liam is inspired by people close to me who have worked in law enforcement.

Also at one point I worked in a brewery like my character Aubrey in Big Bad Boss. She’s loosely based on a couple of awesome female coworkers I had at that time.

When did you write your first book and how old were you?

I was around 14 when I made my first attempt a novel. I was really into vampires and witches at the time (pre-Twilight days!) and wrote a story that would probably be considered YA urban fantasy. That one’s never been published though! I’m not sure if it still exists…

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I do yoga, read books whenever I have the chance, and play boardgames with friends. I love gardening and may have an obsession with plants (there’s definitely a little of me in my character Dahlia from this series!)

What do you think makes a good story?

Complex and flawed characters. The ones that make you want to cry, cheer, and scream “Noooo, what are you doing!”

Author Bio:

Get Her Soldier, a military bad boy novella for FREE when you sign up for emails at: http://www.subscribepage.com/hersoldier

Annette Fields is a soft-spoken California girl with a big and filthy imagination. She’s always daydreaming about her next hot bad boy story to share with you, her readers!

Aside from writing fiery hot romance and lounging in the equally hot California sun, Annette loves coffee, gin, and her bad boy husband.

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Indigo by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

By day Nora Hesper is a jounalist following the story of missing children that have turned up murdered in the community. By night however Nora becomes Indigo, a brutal vigilante that is taking on the murderous criminal cult called the Children of Phonos responsible for the children’s deaths.

Indigo has a darkness about her slipping from one shadow to another and forging the darkness into weapons to help her in her missions. Nora has memories of her parents deaths and traveling afterwords where she studied meditation and strange magic in a monastery in Nepal after which Indigo became a part of her life. Now however Nora is questioning her memories and just where the darkness in Indigo was formed.

Indigo is a collaboration between ten very well known authors, Charlaine Harris, Christopher Golden, Kelley Armstrong, Jonathan Maberry, Kat Richardson, Seanan McGuire, Tim Lebbon, Cherie Priest, James Moore, and Mark Morris. How, where, when and why these ten chose to write this story together I really didn’t know but having read and enjoyed some of their books I had to pick this one up and check it out for myself.

Not being a huge fan of a superhero type of story I was hoping that I would actually like this one despite the authors involved in creating it and I’m glad the story was one that while due to personal preferences I wouldn’t quite give five stars too I still liked reading this one. I was expecting a vigilante/superhero story but Indigo’s is a bit darker than that with a supernatural element added to it which I appreciated. In the end I’d give this one 3.5 stars and recommend it to those fans of the urban fantasy genre.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Touched By You
Summer Evans
Publication date: July 1st 2017
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Rose Thorne had a perfect life. Beautiful. Fun. Vivacious. She had the perfect husband. And the perfect sprawling mansion in the poshest part of town. Until a perfectly viperous size three in heels walked past her Adonis of a husband and left her as sad and pathetically broken as an old country tune. After months of sobbing over her broken life Rose is learning that maybe “perfect” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be anyway. More than ready to get her groove back Rose joins her best friend’s gym. She’s bound and determined to learn to live again. And to be the awesome person she knows she still is. That’s where she meets her panty melting, personal trainer, Jackson Moore.

Jackson is used to women throwing themselves at him. He’s fit. Tall. Smart. And has a smile that could charm the panties off a saint. Rose Thorne is like no one he’s ever met. She’s brash. Hilarious as hell. She’s also a very voluptuous size sixteen. But there’s something about the saucy woman that sparks his imagination. Jackson is a good time guy, he loves women, he loves sex. Relationships are for pansy-ass losers. He’s got aspirations, goals, and a secret. A big one. One that prevents him from letting any woman too close. But Rose makes him want to throw his rules out the window. She makes him want to open up. She makes him want…everything.

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Legends of Deceit
Rebekkah Ford
Publication date: June 2017
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult

They know her.

They want her.

They’re poised to attack, but then a mysterious warrior with piercing green eyes saves her and nothing will ever be the same.

When Haven Evergreen was twelve, a witch cast a memory spell on her. Ten years later, Haven comes home and finds her mother murdered and two hooded beings lurking nearby.

Larkin Vestergaard is part of an elite team of soldiers. He’s on a special assignment to save the daughter of his king. When he sees Haven, he’s shaken to his core. Could she be the girl he lost long ago?

Larkin escorts Haven to a magical world where mythical creatures both beautiful and frightening exist. The truth of who she really is unravels, tearing the very fabric of her life. Despite her fierce attraction to Larkin, Haven longs to be back home where things are normal. But she’s forced to embark on a new journey of love, duty, and honor. Yet the pathway is paved with deceit, and it becomes a journey of life and death.

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Author Bio:

Rebekkah Ford is an award-winning author who writes paranormal fiction. She believes her fascination with the unknown derives from her childhood. When her parents were married, they were the directors of the UFO Investigator’s League. They also investigated ghost hauntings and Bigfoot sightings in addition to extraterrestrial

cases. Rebekkah’s upbringing, knowledge and experiences with the paranormal world, along with her colorful imagination, aids her in creating her stories.

Rebekkah has an irreverent sense of humor, is known to annoy her beloved cat, Church, by singing opera to him (Rebekkah is tone deaf, btw), and she believes having a dirty mind makes boring conversations more interesting.

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