MAN OF HONOR by Parker St John

 3.5* Not read this author in ages, and she, too, has succumbed to the M.O. of using hip language and tropes...

Sigh. I used to really enjoy this author's writing, as she kept it fresh and didn't subscribe to the trope'y stuff that Bigger Name MM authors jumped on, like the fads featuring heterochomia, GFY, no filter, neurodivergence, etc. but it feels like she's bandwagon'ing, too, with expressions that Brit-me had to try and suss out, and writing about a band of brothers adopted by a rich guy - a la Onley James - who each have their darkness and intrigue, who straddle good/bad. This is likely to be the tamest book of the lot by the hints dropped, but you have to suspend disbelief that all 5 brothers are bi/gay. There's likely to be a pairing between them, I think, but at least is won't be as gross as the 'dad'/adopted son that OJ featured in her Necessary Evils, nor as dark as those books, with psychopaths and sociopaths and blood play.

This was readable but overly long and whiny. Leads with chips on their shoulder like Gage are tiresome. Endearments too soon are eye-roll worthy. Proposing marriage at the end, when they've been together a matter of weeks, and yes, they had a kiss in one's teens, the other's young adulthood, but this was just too much suspension of disbelief. Glad it was a KU title, but finish off the Cabrini Law series, please. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE SECOND GRAVE by Jeffrey B Burton

 4* Good intro to this series, and it didn't matter that I'm late to the party. This is an engrossing and engaging tale, partly because of the dynamics of the brother-sister duo, partly because of the brother's telling of the tale, partly because of the storyline but mostly because there are dogs in it, dogs that save the day, literally, and that don't get hurt. It's easy to start and there's enough told that I didn't find myself wondering about the previous book. It's quite fast paced and Cory is unaffected and literal and his 'voice' is youthful and believable and carries the tale well. The storyline is sad at the start, but that's just a facilitator for the plot, which is a good one. A sad one for some of the people involved, and boy is it good that justice of a sort, the type I find satisfying when someone's gotten away with something for too long, got done. 'Al' definitely deserved what they got. But those involved in the dec...
Read more

ALWAYS YOU AND ME by Dani Atkins

5* Even though I don't believe in HEAs anymore, this book had me crying because of THAT ending. I'm going to try and review without spoilering, but ugh, I started the book almost in tears and ended it in actual tears, and with hope that sometimes love does last.  This book is so much more than a second chance at love. It's about loving and loved but flawed characters whose lives with each other had their time, and when that time was gone, the love continued. Like Finn and Matt by Charlie Winters, this is a book I loved but won't ever read again. A part of me can't believe the author went there with the ending, but another part of me, the romantic-but-hurt part, wants to believe in the power of everlasting love.  ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my reading pleasure. 
Read more

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY by Mike Gayle

3* A pleasant enough 15-minute deckchair read. This isn't a deep novel with a big plot, but pretty much what the blurb offers. I didn't feel much for either character but the tale ended well for both - not going to spoiler, but it wasn't what I expected and it didn't quite ring true. 
Read more