ARC #REVIEW Full Strength by V.L. Locey #mmromance #romhero #sports

Genre: M/M Romance, Book 3 of the Point Shot series
Release Date: March 23, 2016
Publisher: Ellora's Cave Publishing Inc
Length: 129 pages

Description: What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago, Victor Kalinski was one of the best and most controversial ice hockey players in the pros. This year he’s playing in the minors, has a paternity case pending, and has just been vindictively outed to the world by one of his own teammates.

But he seems to find life in the tiny town of Cayuga to his liking. A large part of that is Dan Arou, the Cougars’ alternate captain and the man who now holds Victor’s heart. Surely venomous, viper-tongued Victor hasn’t been mellowed by love!

Well, perhaps a little. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t intend to get sweet revenge on those who’ve hurt the man he loves and the friends he’s somehow made along the way.


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OUR REVIEW

To prepare for this review, I was graciously provided copies of Two Man Advantage and Game Misconduct, the first two books in the Point Shot series. Why? Because this series must definitely be read in order.

Victor Kalinski is a foul-mouthed, sarcastic redheaded Polish man who's angry at the world, and that anger gets him into serious trouble, over and over again. Victor is also one of the best things about this series. He is hilarious, and although he starts out as a royal asshole, his relationship with Dan Arou makes him a better man.

Daniel Arou is his teammate on the Cayuga Cougars. A short-statured Canadian Inuit, Dan is a gentle bear who shows his claws and dominance whenever Victor gets too uppity. But Dan has problems of his own--the most important being trying to forgive Victor for the mistake he made and learning to accept Victor's baby momma.

I stepped into my dress slacks and pulled them over my ass. "Italian-Scots talk as funny as you Canucks."

"I've got five Loonies that says you're wrong," Dan countered.

"Stop. Stop with the Loonie, Toonie, double-double with a box of Timbits shit. It makes my freaking eyes water trying to decipher what you're saying half the time."

As part of his agreement with the team owners, Victor is forced to attend counseling sessions with the team shrink to deal with his issues and learn to control his anger. Even his shrink, whom he calls Mrs. Weasley because she's matronly and has red hair, doesn't escape Victor's wit.

Damn shrink was sharp. I had to give her that. She was also persistent. She whittled away at your defenses, wiggling into any tiny hole she could make, then feasting on your pulpy goodness like a pine borer larva.

And despite the fact that he's a sharp-tongued hard ass, Victor is also pure jello when it comes to Dan.

Dan opened his eyes. Instantly I was lost in those brilliant blue pools. You know things are bad when Vic K. starts sounding like some goofy character in a gay romance, but there it is. I do get lost in his eyes, his voice, the way he skates, the touch of his hip against mine in bed and the smile that's meant for me and only me.

With its mix of humor, drama, and colorful cast of characters, Full Strength is the perfect culmination to this three-book series. Readers will be thrilled with where V.L. Locey takes the story, and like me, they'll want more Vic and Dan!

OUR RATING: 4.5 stars!
(05/04/2016)

ARC #REVIEW After the Scrum by Dahlia Donovan #mmromance #romhero

Genre: M/M Romance

Release Date: April 1, 2016

Publisher: Hot Tree Publishing

Length: 163 pages

Description: Caddock ‘The Brute’ Stanford lost his brother and rugby career within the same year. The once man-about-town is now a has-been and guardian to his young nephew. Not sure where life will go after the scrum, he decides to purchase a pub in the Cornwall village of Looe. He never expects to fall in lust—and then love. 

Francis Keen hides his crippling anxiety behind his eccentric habits, lush interior design, and beloved dog, Sherlock. Alone by choice after an attack in college left him emotionally scarred, he lives by the sea with his gran, resigned to working small jobs for local businesses. Revamping the pub for the new owner is right up his alley—especially when he realizes who the owner is.Two men, so different, on track for a romantic collision. Can they survive the impact?

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OUR REVIEW

What do a retired rugby player who suddenly finds himself the guardian of his four-year-old nephew and an anxiety-ridden interior designer from a small Cornwall village have in common? Nothing! But opposites attract and that's half the fun.

After the Scrum is a fun story filled with British humor. The chemistry between Caddock and Francis is apparent from their first meeting. Their banter is witty and thoughtful. Of course, Francis is a little odd. He talks to his therapy dog Sherlock and names his car (Watson).

"How do you know he's allergic to sheep?" A deep, almost raspy voice queried from further back in the bar. It might possibly be the most orgasm-inducing voice Francis had ever heart. A deep, gravelly timbre with only the barest hint of an accent. He'd wager the man attached to it would be large--hopefully in all the best ways.

"So? How'd you know he's allergic?" Mr. Orgasmic Voice prompted impatiently, disrupting Francis's wild fantasies.

"I asked him."

"You asked him? Are you mad?" His footsteps moved closer.

"Only on Sundays."

The reasons behind Francis's eccentricities aren't so funny though, and they are one of the things that both draws us to Francis and makes Caddock endearing. Because "The Brute" never seeks to change Francis, he only seeks to help him and love him. I loved how each character completely accepted the other, despite, or maybe because, of how different they were to each other.

Twenty minutes later, the two sat in the much larger Range Rover in awkward silence, still parked by the curb. They looked everywhere but at each other. Sherlock had already made himself at home on a pile of blankets in the back seat.

"All right, sod this, we're getting this out of the way now."

It was the only warning Francis received before Caddock had a hand in his hair, dragging him into a kiss. He held him there until they'd gotten their fill of each other--for now. Released back to his seat, he could only blink repeatedly, trying to settle his breathing while Caddock started the vehicle.

Francis shook his head when he caught Ruth on a nearby pavement giving him the thumbs up. "It'll be around the village in an hour, but they'll be telling everyone we were starkers."

"I could rip your shirt off," Caddock offered helpfully with a hint of a leer. "Could be a great way to pass the time, staring at you."

"Stare at the road," Francis snapped at him, annoyed at the flush of colour that moved up his neck and cheeks. A strong, warm hand gripped his thigh and stayed there. It was going to be a long bloody drive. "Focus on the road."

"I can multitask."

This story also has some amusing secondary characters. I particularly enjoyed Caddock's nephew Devlin. Maybe I'm just a sucker for men and small children. Francis's grandmother is also quite a riot.

I like how the author weaved the sex into the story, giving each scene its own flavor. While not detailed like in erotica (this is a contemporary romance), there is a very slight hint of BDSM in After the Scrum, including a fun wax-play type scene involving chocolate fondue!

If you enjoy small-town stories about mild-mannered slightly-eccentric British gentlemen who love dogs, children, and grandmothers, After the Scrum is for you!

OUR RATING: 4 stars

(04/19/2016)