Apparently this girl needed a bit more to take this from ok to really freakin' good.

 

Noah Taylor is a tour guide in the Everglades and when he's not guiding tours he's off camping alone and finding dead bodies. Hey, everyone needs a hobby, right?  Scott Chandler is a Miami-Dade Police Detective and along with his partner he's tracking some series bad guys who lead them straight to Noah because conveniently, or not if you're the bad guys, Noah finds some of them dead out in the Everglades.

 

For me this was shaping up to be a seriously good mystery/thriller with a strong romance between our two MCs. So what went wrong...first it was the insta-love between Noah and Scott. I tried, I really tried but I just wasn't feeling the love especially when it seemed like every other page Scott was finding out something that Noah was keeping from him. 

 

I was to say the least amused by the conversation that presumably justified the whole insta-love issue...

 

"I think I'm falling for you. I know we've just met, but..."

"That's how it works. You meet someone. You fall in love. Then you get to know them."

Noah shrugged. "That's what Mama says anyway."
"Really? Well, she seems like a smart lady."

"It has to be that way, " Noah explained earnestly.

"Nobody's perfect. If falling in love didn't come first, no one would ever get together. The love is what gives you the patience to overlook each other's flaws."

 

"Is that right? I don't think I've heard it described quite that way before." Scott sounded like he was trying not to laugh. Noah didn't care. Love worked the way it worked, and it didn't matter what Scott thought of Mama's theories.

 

I have to admit that while this is in some ways pretty flawed logic at the heart of it there is a sentiment that even I can't argue with and that's the fact that 'love works how it works'.

 

The relationship between these two men seemed to me to be more a case of instant attraction. Definitely a very strong attraction and one that quickly evolved into something stronger as events tested both of these men and what they believed they felt for each other. Most of all the ending really saved this for me because it didn't turn into an 'all is forgive magic moment'.  I liked the process that Scott went through in order to decide what it was he really wanted and what he was willing to do to get it. It worked for me and left me feeling like there really as potential for a true relationship between these two men, once that would be based on more than just good sex.

 

Overall 'Big Cypress Crossroads' was a good read, not great but definitely good with some entertaining moments and I'm not in the least sorry or disappointed for having read it.

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I started this story, but what I got was a very pleasant surprise. Second Chance Sam dealt with some very challenging issues abuse, PTSD, guilt and the dynamics of how those things can affect a long term relationship. Sounds depressing, right? While it had it's heartbreaking, gut wrenching moments at the end of it all it was a beautiful story about love, faith, commitment and trust and the power of the the human heart to overcome whatever life throws at it while fighting to keep those we love. Cory & Tristan were so sweet together and so right for each other you couldn't help but invest yourself in them and as much as I thought I wasn't going to like Sam because I thought I knew his role in their story I was thrilled to be wrong and in the end I adored him and all he did for his friends. This was my first Bren Christopher read, definitely not my last.

'Friday Night Jamie' was my second read by this author and even though it wasn't as good as I had hoped. Interestingly enough upon further investigation I discovered this was in fact the author's first book and that the book I read previously was in fact one of her later efforts. Which for me speaks well for the author as I found 'Second Chance Sam' to be a much better read, rating 4 stars from me versus the 2.5 that 'Friday Night Jamie' earned.

 

Try as I might I just couldn't fully connect with this story. Jamie at times seemed to grate on my nerves and in spite of a plethora of bad guys and believe me there were enough of them.  

There was a minimum of 7 willingly bad guys and 2 who were good guys blackmailed into doing bad things.

(spoiler show)

You would think it would have been harder to figure out who was who and what was what but no sadly when I got to the end of the book I discovered that all my guesses had been correct much to my disappointment because I really, really wanted to be wrong and find out that the author had woven a better mystery than I had thought.

 

Now back to the MCs. James or as he's known on Friday nights, Jamie. Try as I might I just couldn't like him. I didn't hate him, I just didn't like him the way I usually do a main character. At the end of it all I was glad that things worked out for him and Matt, but that was mostly because I liked Matt. Again I like the character of Matt, didn't love him or adore him and I wasn't left at the end of the story feeling like I wanted more, which for me is a sure sign of how much I like a book. 

 

So while this wasn't a fantabulously amazing read for me and I have no real desire to revisit the world of Jamie and Matt. I will continue to read Ms Christoper's books because what this has shown me is that as an author she is growing and improving her craft. She cares about the quality of what she puts out for people like me to read and as a reader that means a lot.

Nice and solid steampunk setting with a pretty lame MM romance

Friday Night Jamie - Bren Christopher I bought this on a whim, because I wanted something different. I am glad I did. I really liked this, but I wish it was a dual POV. I wanted inside of Matt's head--I wanted more of his past. What made him go after Jamie in the beginning?

Jamie, oh Jamie, his past has made him have a fear of abandonment and now he needs a schedule. He's driven and a hard worker, which he's a CPA at an accounting firm at Brooks and Stillman. The only day he's "allowed" to cut loose is Friday nights where he goes out to the club with his friend, Art. The only thing he wasn't looking for was Matt. He knows that Matt is going to throw a wrench in his perfectly scheduled life. Is he ready for that? No! I love smart-ass Jamie. I wouldn't have thought an uptight guy like him would have a mouth on him and go to dance clubs and have random hook-ups.

Matt is such a patient guy. I can not believe how patient he is. I love how he befriended Art!!! Not only is he patient, but he's rather ummm..possessive and he doesn't give up easily. There's more to Matt than Jamie realizes and I love how Matt "grounds" Jamie.

Does Matt buy the dojo? How's life at work for Jamie now? I could see a sequel involving Jamie's parents/grandma. What did Ed mean about Keith? Did he party with him too?

When problems at work arise Jamie gets unexpected help from Matt. Will Jamie put his fears behind him and just go with the flow or will he continue to push Matt away??

I will say though that there is such thing as too much sex. This one had it. I found myself skimming the scenes.