This is a combo of books 6 & 7 in the Bend Or Break series.  These can be read as standalone novels.  For reader enjoyment and understanding of the series, I recommend reading them in order.

These books are a good choice as a set since they both have characters who must overcome being opposites and find common ground.

I think it is better to review each book separately so here are both of the reviews for these books.  (These have been previously posted, but not together.)  

Love Me Like a Rock by Amy Jo Cousins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is book #6, in the Bend Or Break series. This book can be read as a standalone novel. For reader understanding and enjoyment of the series, I recommend reading these in order.

Austin has lived in the shadow of wanting his best friend. Finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, Sean is there in all his naked glory. Can Austin move on and find real love?

Sean has been trying to chase after Austin for the better part of a year. Now that he has finally seen him, will the differences tear what he was hoping for in a relationship apart? Sean is trying to convince Austin they deserve a fighting chance.

This series just gets better. Every story is full of sincere, and fun characters. I love learning about the rowing also. These guys must be HOT! I cannot wait for the next installment in the series.


***This copy was given in exchange for an honest review.

View all my reviews

Hard Candy by Amy Jo Cousins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the 7th book in the Bend Or Break series. This book can be read as a standalone novel. For reader enjoyment and understanding of the series, I recommend reading these in order.

Vincent meets Bryan and his whole view of the world changes. Bryan is everything he is not. Opposites really do attract. Can they make the most of the future?

Bryan has never had to hide who he is or what he does. Why should he have to do that with Vincent? He finds himself drooling over the man, but exasperated a moment later.

This story has so much to it. I was laughing one minute, crying the next. I really felt it all. Cannot wait until the next installment of the series!


***This copy was given in exchange for an honest review only.

View all my reviews

This is the 7th book in the Bend Or Break series.  This book can be read as a standalone novel.  For reader enjoyment and understanding of the series, I recommend reading these in order.

Vincent meets Bryan and his whole view of the world changes.  Bryan is everything he is not.  Opposites really do attract.  Can they make the most of the future?

Bryan has never had to hide who he is or what he does.  Why should he have to do that with Vincent?  He finds himself drooling over the man, but exasperated a moment later.

This story has so much to it.  I was laughing one minute, crying the next.  I really felt it all.  Cannot wait until the next installment of the series!  I give this book a 3/5 Kitty's Paws UP!

***This copy was given in exchange for an honest review only.

This is book #6, in the Bend Or Break series.  This book can be read as a standalone novel.  For reader understanding and enjoyment of the series, I recommend reading these in order.

Austin has lived in the shadow of wanting his best friend.  Finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, Sean is there in all his naked glory.  Can Austin move on and find real love?

Sean has been trying to chase after Austin for the better part of a year.  Now that he has finally seen him, will the differences tear what he was hoping for in a relationship apart?  Sean is trying to convince Austin they deserve a fighting chance.

This series just gets better.  Every story is full of sincere, and fun characters.  I love learning about the rowing also.  These guys must be HOT!  I cannot wait for the next installment in the series.  I give this book a 4/5 Kitty's Paws UP!

***This copy was given in exchange for an honest review.

That was the poor man's version of "Death of Artemio Cruz". And I didn't even like "Death of Artemio Cruz" that much but this was just probably one of the worst books I have ever read.
One of the advance reviews says:

"Landsman is one of the few writers of our generation to have wrested from the English language a voice uniquely and searing her own".

True, the voice is so unique that Landsman is probably the only person that can actually understand this mess of a narrative.
I am not a big fan of second person narrative. I didn't like the bits of it in "Death of Artemio Cruz" and it almost ruined "Feast of the Goat" for me. Landsman took it further and wrote the whole book like that which was quite suicidal. To make matters worse she decided to abandon the boring custom of putting dialogues between apostrophes and threw it all together. Of course as experimental as she is trying to be there was no chronological order either. All this made the book confusing, tiring and impossible to read.
Don’t get me wrong here, though. I love some challenging narrative – Conversation in the Cathedral is my favourite book. However, there is a difference between sophisticated and pretentious. "The Rowing Lesson" is definitely the latter.
According to another review it is "A fierce elegy, a daughter's imaginary inhabitation of the memory of her dying father...". Felt more like a drunkard's mumbling but anyway, am I the only person that finds a daughter imagining her father pissing his pants, shitting himself and masturbating rather disturbing and NOT lyrical?
And after struggling through almost 300 pages of this the characters still refused to take any human shape whatsoever.