I absolutely adore the Belladonna Arms series by John Inman, always anxiously waiting for the next installment. I do believe though that with this latest addition to the series, we may have seen the last of Arthur, the drag queen with a heart of gold, and the unique set of characters that all live in this somewhat dilapidated apartment building on a hill in San Diego.

I'm getting ahead of myself though. If you've followed the series, which should not be read out of order, you'll probably know that Arthur is preparing to finally get married. Though this doesn't stop him from opening his property and his huge heart to two more desperate souls who just need a bit of love pollen to find their way back from the abyss. 

Gideon has just broken up with his boyfriend, now ex, whose last parting shot was donating all of Gideon's belongings to the Salvation Army, save his laptop, the clothes he was wearing at the time, and a couple of t-shirts he had in the trunk of his car. To say Gideon is hard up would be an understatement. But Arthur makes him a deal on the rent, and the generous spirit of the tenants at the Belladonna Arms is a indomitable force, and soon Gideon finds himself the recipient of all the things he needs. Slowly but surely, as he's embraced and welcomed by the tenants, the grief and anger over the ex lifts and Gideon begins to look forward. 

Even if he's a ginger. 

His apartment neighbor is Reed, who works on the Navy docks and has just come out of a four-year marriage where he hoped that he was bisexual instead of gay. Alas, he's really, really gay, and while his relationship with his now ex-wife ended mostly on good terms, he's lost his house in the divorce, hence his renting an apartment from Arthur. His guilt over leaving his wife due to that whole not-bisexual business still weighs heavily on him, and he's definitely not ready for anything new. 

Oh, and Reed too is a ginger.

I will comment here on the ginger hate that seemed to permeate this book. I don't know if this was tongue in cheek or if the author truly believes that two gingers couldn't possibly fall for each other, and what the whole point was of hating on gingers the whole time, but it became bothersome a few chapters in and I had to force myself to just ignore it.

Moving on...

Reed and Gideon meet, and Reed offers to help Gideon with some repairs to the apartment, and the love pollen is strong and so their romance begins.

But gingers (according to the author) cannot be attracted to another ginger (what does that even mean?) and so they just skirt around that whole relationship issue because the sex is awesome, and the cuddles after are a balm for Reed's wounded soul. Gideon falls faster than he would think, and soon they spend a whole lot of time together.

But guilt is a funny thing, and... well... I guess it makes you stupid too, sometimes, and makes you do things you wouldn't otherwise do. I so badly wanted to reach into this book and slap one of these gingers over the head to make him see how he was being manipulated, but I couldn't and so... well, you read this for yourself.

Of course, all the tenants from previous books make an appearance here, multiple times. And we mustn't forget Arthur, larger than life, dressed in what can only be described as over-the-top costumes, huffing and puffing his way up and down the stairs, trembling in fear during the multiple earthquakes that rattle the windows, preparing for his wedding to Tom - Arthur alone is worth reading this series of books. The hijinks and hilarity and feel good moments are a bonus, really.

And of course, there is a HEA. Gideon and Reed have to take a couple of detours, but in the end they get their happy, as they should. 

Like I said, not sure if there will be more, but either way, you should read this. All of the books in this series. 

Though, OMG, what is it with the ginger hate???


** I received a free copy of this book from its publisher. A positive review was not promised in return. **

Dating is hard enough. Throw in an incontinent Chihuahua, an unrequited love affair, a severe case of social anxiety disorder, a dying father, and a man-eating hog and it becomes darned near impossible. Still, it takes two to tango—and when Tom Morgan, a mild-mannered assistant bank manager with a debilitating case of shyness, meets Frank Wells, who is straight off the farm and even shyer than he is, sparks start flying. 

Just when Tom and Frank’s burgeoning love affair is rolling along nicely, Frank must return to Indiana to oversee the farm while his father battles cancer. Tom tags along to help Frank out and finds himself slopping hogs and milking cows and wondering what the hell happened to his orderly citified existence. And what’s with all the chickens? Tom hates chickens! 

With Frank’s help, Tom grits his teeth and muddles through. Funny what a couple of guys can accomplish when they’re crazy about each other. Not even nine hundred chickens can stand in the way of true love.

 

Review

 

This book is over the top and a great deal of fun. The humor wanders into gross out and that gets in the way of the sexy sometimes but it is all witty and tender.  The main characters are great and except for Frank's dad the rest of the characters are pretty cartoonish. But that is okay. This is a romp with with a slice of sweetness that will take you smile and enjoy the goofy.

What I thought would be a sweet and different story for me just turned out to be a train wreck.  I thought the concept for this one sounded different and interesting but when I got to it...for me this just didn't work. I really couldn't buy into the whole concept of why Mr. Stanhope was doing what he did...even suspending my disbelief my brain still said..."Nope, not a chance...this is so bogus." I just couldn't get my brain around it and then there was the ghost...I've read a few books with ghost in them and I knew there was one in this book but damned if I could buy into all the stuff that this ghost could do and quite honestly I really didn't care for him...nor did really care for most of the characters in this story...so in a nutshell, this one just wasn't working for me on a whole lot of levels.

 

What it comes down to for me is that sometimes a story can be hit or miss and this time around it was definitely a miss but on the upside I got to listen to a new narrator and....

 

Truthfully for me the best part of this book and probably the reason I finished it was that I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by new to me narrator Eziekiel Robison who did an awesome job with the narration on this one and I honestly enjoyed listening to him as he read this book. I liked his voices and the fact that he kept them unique, clear, expressive and consistent all combined to give me an enjoyable listening experience and even thought the story didn't work well for me...the narrator did just fine and I look forward to enjoying future books narrated by Mr. Robison.

 

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An audio book of 'Love Wanted' was graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewed for Sinfully.

Ash and Tuck are two lovable citiots from San Diego who decide to take a three week hike through the desert, with their two dogs, for no reason other than to spend some time together. At least that was Ash’s ulterior motive in suggesting this trip. The two best friends spent one drunken night in Tijuana having sex a few months back and have awkwardly avoided it since. Ash plans to use this time to reconnect with Tuck and share his deeper feelings. So maybe they aren’t complete citiots; they planned well and outfitted themselves for the trip and Tuck is a bookworm with a vast knowledge of the area’s flora and fauna among other things. This comes in very handy when their trip suddenly turns into something out of a Stephen King story.

The first part of the book revolves around Ash and Tucker’s relationship and they are really adorable together. Tuck is a bit self-conscious of his body, but Ash can’t stop staring at him and won’t have any of Tuck’s shame. Ash is in awe of Tuck’s knowledge and abilities on the trail. The two both obviously want each other, but keep side-eyeing the other and starting to say things and changing their mind until they finally give in and talk about it. They have good banter, and obviously love each other very much. Their trip is going well, even better once they get romantic and decide to become a couple. Good thing both of them thought to bring certain supplies just in case!

The two have stayed off the main trail to avoid the crowded paths, but they do have some human contact including the reclusive Melvyn, who they meet up with off the trail and another hiker, Casey, who also has been avoiding the main path. It’s not long after their detour with Melvyn that they realize things are very wrong with the animals they have come across. It’s here in the second part of the story that the tension ratchets up and the men, their dogs, and everyone else in the area are soon fighting for their lives. I’ll tell you right now, not everyone makes it out of the book alive.

I always enjoy John Inman’s writing. Although the story is told from Ash’s POV, Tuck’s thoughts and feelings were conveyed just as well. You can tell he’s pining for Ash just as much as Ash is for him and when things get rough their protectiveness of each other is also very clear. There were one or two spots where Ash and Tuck made references that made them sound older than their stated ages but other than that I enjoyed their conversations. The nature the men are hiking through is well described from the desert to the hills, to the shacks in the woods and helps add to the feel of the tale.

This was on the less intense side of some of the suspense/thriller stories I’ve read from the author, but it still has its fair share of gore and shocking moments and a climactic, tension-filled ending. The Epilogue of the story wraps things up and it’s a touch bittersweet, but also romantic. Another fine read from John Inman.

The Hike is half romance, and half mystery, with a bit of suspense, and a bit of horror and gore, when two friends go on a 300 mile hike through the Southern California desert to the mountains of Big Bear Lake, with their respective dogs, a tent, a two-person sleeping bag, cans of Spam, dry foods, and whatever else they might need on this hike. 

During the first half of this book, we meet and get to know Ash and Tuck, best friends since forever, who had a drunken night of sex on a previous vacation that was then never mentioned again, but who both want the other but are afraid of fessing up their feelings. For about 50% or so, as they gear up for their trip and set out into the great outdoors, we get to see how their relationship begins to grow, how they confess their feelings, how they get closer and become true lovers. The dialogue flows well, and as usual the author succeeded in creating realistic characters and emotions. The strength of their connection and the love they have for each other is part of what sees them through the horror they're about to face.

There are a few hints in those early days that not all is as it seems, and I couldn't help but start to become more and more concerned as the tension increased. These city boys were missing all the signs, and I just knew that something big was waiting to come down all around them.

Which it does in the 2nd half of this book. 

We are introduced to an older guy who lives in a cabin on his own, with just his dog, where our two friends stop for a night. 

Ash and Tuck meet a woman hiking the same trail. They camp for a night, and then the next day, all hell breaks loose.

I won't give away the rest of this book, but be warned. It gets scary, really scary, and gory, and I was on the edge of my seat until the climactic ending. 

Thankfully, the author gives us a sweet epilogue to bring the reader back down and able to breathe.

Out of all the books I've read by this author, this wasn't my favorite, but it was a solid novel, with a sweet beginning, building great tension in the middle, with a horrifying, tension-filled climax, and a gentle let-down that left me with a smile. 


** I received a free copy of this book from its publisher. A positive review was not promised in return. **