Ariel Merman is a new drag queen who’s already finding a family at Hamburger Mary’s. After a performance as Ariel, Zachary Cooper walks home in his makeup and is assaulted by homophobes. Zachary’s worry that the attack has thrown a wrench in his good fortune is eased when he looks into the eyes of his doctor.

Dr. Teegan Chau is a little lost after divorcing his wife and coming out of the closet, but he can’t deny the pull he feels toward the young man he patches up. Luckily, Zachary takes the initiative and asks Teegan out. But attraction is the easy part of their blossoming relationship—as they deal with an ex-wife and child, being a drag queen in a heteronormative culture, Zachary’s lingering trauma from his attack, and Teegan acclimating to life as part of an out-and-proud gay couple.

The challenges seem daunting at the start of a romance. Can Zachary and Teegan make it through the rough patches and take a chance on the love that’s been missing from both their lives?

 

Review

Zachary's and Teegan's romance is wonderful. They feel an attraction right away and it slowly burns as Zachary recovers from a bashing.

 

Zachary struggles with some self esteem issues as a femme male as a victim of a violent crime. Teegan is dating for the first time.

 

They really really like each other and it is great to see.

 

The setting at Mary's and the bookstore is awesome. Teegan's steadfast courtship is sexy.

The circle of friends remains great as does the dealing with the intersection of gender and culture and romance.

 

I wish the heat factor was a little more as these heroes deserve more sexy times but it was a lovely read.

This is the 3rd book in the Boundaries series.  This book can be read as a standalone novel.  For reader enjoyment and understanding of the characters in the series, I recommend reading this series in order.

 

Mitch meets a sexy drag queen at a club, and then chickens out on meet her later.  Then he sees her again next door..... as his daughters princess.  Can he convince his neighbor that he is the real deal?

 

Chi-Chi has had enough with the wrong men.  Too many times they want only one thing and Chi-Chi wants more.  With much to offer, he is ready to find the one.  

 

So sweet and fun.  There was so much in this story for everyone.  I definitely laughed, cried and rooted for these two to get together.  This series just has so much heat and heart.  I give this story a 4/5 Kitty's Paws UP!

 

 

***This ARC copy was given by Netgalley and its publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Sunfish & Starfish: Tropical Drag Queen ...


2,5 stars

Oh dear...
How I wanted to like this book!..



The blurb sounded INTERESTING, promising and fancy. I watched some movies about the world of drag but I have never read a full-length novel where the main characters were drag performers, these beautiful creatures who use their cha­risma, unique­ness, nerve and tal­ent to enter­tain and mes­mer­ise!

And, be honest, how often do you come across a book with TWO drag queens at the same time in a leading role?



And not just some novel - a mystery! And not just a mystery, but one of the best mysteries of the year, because this book was nominated for the 28th Lambda Award in the category Gay Mystery!

Maybe I had too high expectations, we all know that high expectations SOMETIMES could be very tricky.

The good things:
Extraordinary and likable protagonists. This duo has potential to fill a niche in MM genre.

Larry and Oscar are not a love couple, but best friends and partners on stage. They differ not only in appearance, they are different also in their ideas and ways of living and thinking. Larry - the six-foot-two, two-hundred-fifty-pound hairy bear of a man - has his feet planted firmly on the ground, he lives together with Stan, his life partner since 15 years. The ever single Oscar, a star-spangled Hispanic, 12 years younger than Larry, is hopelessly romantic young man with dreams too big for the real world.

A decent writing style.

The author is a full-time ghostwriter and novelist. He is not a beginner in this field, and one can feel it.


My issues:

What disappointed me mostly was a mystery part. When I pick up the book, that is supposed to belong to one of the best gay mysteries of the year, I expect a mystery, that will keep me on the edge of my seat all the time, I expect to be stuck to it and not to be able to put it down.

For the most part of the book I felt bored. And irritated. Because I didn’t see what Oscar saw, and I wasn't convinced with the explanations the author delivered me trying to justify Oscar's annoying behavior.

An expensive lonely left (or was it right?) shoe under a dumpster in a parking lot leads to surveillance video that recorded two fighting people without giving away their faces, and this video in turn leads to a very reach girl with a black eye, THAT in turn leads to a BAD BOYFRIEND. OH HOW AWFUL. (I'm trying not to be sarcastic)

You HAVE to have a VERY good fantasy and a well-developed six sense to suspect something wrong here, and it is exactly what everyone DID NOT.

Except Oscar. He sacrificed his free time, his power and sanity hunting a BAD BOYFRIEND of an occasional reach girl whose problems he takes VERY personally, following her every step and begging her to report it to the police. I don’t know what I as a reader was supposed to feel. Probably compassion with the victim and admiration for Oscar’s exemplary moral courage, but all I felt was non-stop-eye-roll and annoyance.

The easiness with that Oscar got an access to this reach circle (maids, house, friends, clubs), the eagerness with that everyone chattered with him about family and other secrets, delivering all kind of information he needed was very unbelievable. All he had to do was just to say, "I'm a friend of...."

Of course he was much luckier with his ingenious method than the police. WHAT A LUCK (Again I'm trying not to be sarcastic) .

The fact that he WAS right with his suspicions, became irrelevant at the end, because
1) I didn't care
2) of course you can find a crime behind many domestic violence cases that CAN look innocent at the first sight, but IF an author decided to make a thrilling story out of it, then he HAS to put more credibility, more healthy sense in the actions of his amateur sleuth.

Sure, an author can do it without any logic, but at least he can make it FUNNY and WITTY. It is always helpful when any good sense is secondary.

And it is WHERE I come to my second complaint: I wish the story would be more humorous and have more funny situation, because OBVIOUSLY two drag artists offer all these good stuff by themselves. There were some humor but not enough for my liking.

There are two subplots to the main story line:
I have to confess that I like them more than the main one

Edward Hannandale, a politician and a priest who names himself reverend and who is well known for his hate speeches towards gay society has been accidentally photographed in a gay bar during the show of Oscar and Larry. Suddenly Larry, together with Hannandale, are the number one news on all TV channels. And Jerry's gay bar, a home stage for our boys, is occupied by all news team of the country. The whole situation got out of control.

My favorite subplot! Oscar and his love affair(s). Did he really mean it - AT LAST to leave Niko behind and make place for a new real relationship?


I understand that as a starter for a new series, the tasks of the first book was to provide readers with the first insight into surroundings, characters’ lives, it has to introduce not only those who play the main role in the series, but also those who play the second part. I can imagine, that I’ll like the next book more. The first case was solved and maybe the next case will be more interesting for me, and if there will be also more of a private life of our protagonists and less of a private life of people that are less interesting (to me), then I'll probably enjoy it much more.

I have though to warn you, that I'm in the minority with my opinion, and it looks like other readers enjoyed this book, so don't take my review too seriously or like a not recommendation to read it. Because you can like it.

Daddy's Boy - Snare

	Closer to 3.5 stars. It's MANTIES wearing DADDY KINKING Sterek. I could say I've read better. I could say it read more like a beginning than a complete story. But I liked the fingering and Stiles' tears. Oh and his cries for "Daddy". Totally would read more if this is expanded on.

 

I normally frown on companion novels. BUT I am so there for Vivica Blue.



4.5 Stars--This is a companion novel that didn't lose its luster.

L.H. Cosway has proved she can write. She's written an interesting hero in Nicholas Turner aka drag queen Vivica Blue and fleshed him out some more. He is hands down one of my favorites ever written: owns a dirty mouth, tows the gender bender line and damaged. Also, doesn't hurt that he fucks like a champ, eh?



"Killer Queen" is told from Nicholas's POV. Though this book could be read as a standalone, I think Painted Faces is stronger and the better choice to start with first. Killer Queen is like a condensed Painted Faces with new parts of Nicholas's past and HEA explored but I'll be honest, while I love him and enjoy being inside his head...it's Fred that I think sold it for me.

Fred aka Freda, the cupcake baking, smartassed heroine that I can genuinely say I like. I would like to hang out with her, I would definitely love be in her shoes and can say she's worthy of my respect. Is she a bleeding feminist? No, but to compared to a lot of tripe that gets passed for romantic heroines...she's cool. She had a few iffy moments but overall, she's a solid heroine.



Now "Killer Queen" read quick, maybe because I ate every single word of new parts of Nicholas I got learn: how his life before his mother died was, how he met Phil, how deep his drug use was, how he ended up in Dublin. Then we get his perspective of the pivotal Freda moments. (Hint: He's a horny and kinky little shit. Love it) Sometimes he read feminine, sometimes masculine but it's a mess of Nicholas and it works for his character. And it's not verbatim of "Painted Faces", if you're worried.

And then the future past "Painted Faces" HEA?! I should have guessed. I read the book and I still can't believe that happened. These are characters that I had in the back of my mind and Painted Faces is usually a book I rec to friends. So it was like revisiting a favorite trip in "Killer Queen" where a broken man and semi-broken girl become friends and find love along the way.



One of my favorite reads of the year. Love the cover too. :)