Robbie has feelings for Julien.  He is tying himself in knots over them.  He hates Julien's husband, Joel AKA "Priest".  Making sense of his feelings are causing him pain.

Julien and Joel have talked about Robbie.  They have never found anyone who fills the needs they require.  He is the only one to posses the qualities they have been looking for.  If only they can show him they are serious, and he is very much wanted.

Every page was a revelation.  There is something for everyone in this book.  I loved that is had humor, heat, and hunks.  Even has a cameo by a favorite character.  If you enjoyed the Temptation series, you are going to love the Confessions series.  I give this a 4/5 Kitty's Paws UP!

***This ARC copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

There has been such a shift in our culture and society about what constitutes a family unit.  I grew up in the era of mother, father, and children.  There could be no other way.  It was morally wrong.  For me, it had nothing to do with religion, just the way I was brought up.

Sure, gay and lesbians have been around since before man started walking.  Humans, after all, are very sexual animals.  But, still, they shouldn’t be allowed to raise our children. 

Reading Tally has helped open my eyes to some of the dilemmas same-sex relationships face, the restrictions regarding marriage and children.  It’s incredible the archaic laws that are still on the books.  Society changes but our laws don’t.  Doesn’t make much sense. 

Anyway, this story goes one step further by talking about tri-parenting and the legal ramifications.  I don’t mean for my review to be preachy, and the book isn’t either, merely stating an observation from a slightly more closed-minded perspective.

As for the story itself, Northup has risen to her same level of storytelling.  Her characters are richly detailed and believable.  The doubt and fears are very evident in Tally, Lex, and Kode.  My favorite scenes are between Lex and Jazz.  I’m not sure if I could abide a friend like Jazz, but she would be interesting to have around.  LOL.

If you’re not offended by same-sex or bisexual relationships and love an HEA, you will need to read Tally.  Highly recommend, and I give it 5 feathers. 

Robo-Tea: Misten Minicups is a free/pay-what-you-want visual novel, available here. I don't know that it really matters much, but I'd probably recommend playing Robo-Tea: 1 Cup first, just to get a bit more information about the setting and a brief glimpse of Cors (who, in that game, is a minor character who briefly appears at the end of one of the routes).



I decided I could use a bit of cute robot time, so I debated between my remaining Robo-Tea games and decided on Robo-Tea: Misten Minicups. According to the description, its events happen at the same time as Robo-Tea: 2ndServing (which is currently only available in demo form, although the full game is supposed to be out sometime soon).

In Robo-Tea: Misten Minicups, you are Mitra (the blue robot). You’re in a band called Misten, which is going to be performing at MusiFest 59 soon. You’re in a happy polyamorous relationship with your two other bandmates, Alren (the red robot, pronouns: he/him) and Twinst (the green robot, pronouns: she/her). One thing the three of you would really like to do while you’re visiting the planet Verdande is see your crush, Cors (pronouns: xe/xir), for the first time in a little over a century and give xir a gift.

I’ll start this off with a warning: Robo-Tea: Misten Minicups is even less like a game than Robo-Tea: 1 Cup. There’s only one point where you’re asked to make a choice, and your decision has no real effect on the game (although I prefer the “accessory store” choice to the “latest tech” choice). There is only one possible ending. Also, the story ends before Mitra, Alren, and Twinst get a chance to meet Cors and give xir their gift. That last bit probably bugged me more than the lack of choices - I really wanted to see the meeting and how Cors would react. I suppose that will have to wait for Robo-Tea: 2ndServing.

This felt like a sweet and simple picture book in software form. It had the same bright colors and appealing artwork and music as Robo-Tea: 1 Cup, although it somehow managed to feel even fluffier than that game. There were no mentions of anything even vaguely distressing - the worst the characters had to worry about was whether they’d all wake up in time to go shopping, and whether they’d be able to find something suitable.

Mitra, Alren, and Twinst seemed to have a fairly solid relationship. All three had a crush on Cors, and jealousy did not play a part in the story. Unfortunately, there wasn't much time for character development. Although Mitra was the POV character, I felt like I knew more about Alren by the end. He was a book lover and also seemed to be the most assertive one of the three.

The storytelling could have been a little clearer. It took me a bit longer than I liked to match the names up to the characters, and I noticed one small typo. I also felt that Robo-Tea: 1 Cup was more interesting overall. Still, this entry in the series was nice, and I'm looking forward to Robo-Tea: 2ndServing.

If you enjoyed Robo-Tea: 1 Cup’s gentleness and sweetness, you’ll probably like this entry in the series. Just be aware that it’s shorter and simpler, like getting one part of a larger story (which I think is probably what it is).

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)