books 'n shit

"I was asleep for almost ten years. 
And then this big goober with all these 
fucking weird animals moved into my house, 
and I was suddenly awake.”

I can't even begin to tell you how beautiful this book was. God, I thought AL did amazing with Chase in Shadow but this... I couldn't pick one I like more than the other.
This review is spoiler free (unless it's in a spoiler tag) because I want you to read it.

The first chapter confused me a little because of the whole Dex/David name thing, but that got cleared up pretty quickly. This book made me want to cry, and laugh, and get off, and snack some bitches, hug everyone I know, and learn how to start making chocolate chip cookies.

The relationship between Dex and Kane was remarkable. I didn't think that Kane would make half of the decisions that he did, but he was so strong and so protective, I couldn't help but melt a little (okay a lot). Dex has been a favorite of mine since the first time I read Chase in Shadows. He seems so smart and put together (and he is) but this book really tears both Dex and Kane down in so many ways, and really sheds light on them holding each other together.


Dex is so broken for so long (9-9 1/2 years) and so beautiful and he constantly does the best he can for everyone around him, trying to live up to his name.

A few scenes that broke my heart/I loved:


- When Kane found out about Scott getting John to agree to a last scene with Scott and Dex. Omg the DRAMA! I was having such anxiety. I talked to myself being like, "OMG NO HE CANT" "Omg yes he can" "Omg am I a pervert if this is going to turn me on?"

- The scene where Dex and Kane go to a hotel in Dex's hometown and Kane tries to make Dex scream. It's so sexual and so emotional and god.. so sad.

- The scene after Kane had to sleep with two other guys and had to give his ring to Dex and broke down in the shower afterward. God I thought it would be hard to Dex, but it seemed even harder on Kane.


Those were, IMO, the best scenes.. at least the ones that really made me cry. All the sex was hot. All of it. Even the stuff I didn't want to be hot. I actually had to read some of it through my fingers because I'm embarrassed and awkward.


Have you read this series? If not, please go read it. There's a lot that will make you mad and a lot that will make you happy. This is honestly.. maybe my new favorite series (even though there are only two books for some sick, sad reason).

ETHAN IN GOLD WILL BE OUT IN OCTOBER! *runs through streets naked flailing arms* OH MAAAANNNN!!
I'm worried though. Unpleasant back story for this one? Can't wait.

Well guys, Amy Lane has done is again. A completely original, unique, AMAZING book.


Mild spoilers ahead.

This book wasn't anything close to what I was expecting. The beginning of the book was a little sad but it was interesting to learn about what Anderson was accomplishing on his ship. I couldn't even imagine being isolated for that long. I did NOT expect the book to turn the way it did after the last 6 years on the ship... the relationship between Alpha and Anderson. Man, how disturbing is that? When it was explained that all the holograms on the ship were like reflections of Anderson himself, it made a lot of sense...

Anderson's relationship with Alpha was completely necessary in this book, as much as it made me cringe to read it sometimes. It's like a manifestation of self-loathing which really helped me to relate to Anderson. I secretly, and disturbingly enough, loved reading about the parts where C.J. was very sexually attracted to Alpha and the thought he had about Alpha. I can't help it. I hate Alpha, but.. Amy Lane sure knows how to make you hate a character and want to hang their fictional brains out too, doesn't she? Because Alpha was a part of Anderson, I allowed myself SOME lead way in enjoying Alpha and his sexual craziness. I can't help myself. I like Alpha. *hides*

When I think of the characters in this book that were Anderson's holographic pals like Bobby and Kate, I imagine them as actual characters in the book... "real", per say, which I know they aren't... so this book has a whole new layer of fucking with the readers head, just a little. Because I found myself emotionally attached to them, as I do to characters in books, but even then, even in the book, they aren't real. Anderson didn't spend 10 years in space with them, he spent 10 years in space alone, and that concept still had me a little crazy.

The romance in this book was perfect. Anderson wasn't some precious, virginal flower (like I'd expect). He had a lot of Alpha in him and was extremely seductive. The relationship that grew very slowly between C.J. and Anderson was so good... it took time, caring, learning, and a lot of compassion. I'm a totally sucker for books where the MCs separate but end up together in the end after "finding themselves". Love that shit.

If you like sci-fi, a good romance, a pretty fucked-up MC who is actually a very strong character, I highly recommend this book.

So, this book is a little wacko. Actually, scratch that.. a lot wacko. Wacko is in best way possible (you know how I lost my crazy characters!).
This book was so interesting and fun to read about and I have a serious lady-boner for Phoenix BECAUSE he's batshit crazy, and for some reason, that's just irresistible to me.
I'm getting ahead of myself... let's rewind...

This book is fantastic. It makes you think, it makes you wonder, and I started to literally suspect everyone. Did I suspect the person I thought the slayer was? Nooooooppeeee! I thought the slayer was definitely ol obsessive daniel hart but boy was I wrong. I even thought that the person I thought the slayer was had the perfect setup! Half way through and I was like "OH MAN IT'S TOTALLY _________ BECAUSE _________ IS ALSO OBVIOUSLY FUCKERED UP IN THE HEAD" but nope. I was wrong.

This book was so interesting to read, that I actually wouldn't have cared if there was no romance at all. I really really love psychological thrillers in general, so I thought this book would be perfect for me.. and it was, but I feel like the story took over the romance (in a good way).

I had a problem with Hart.. it just seemed so... desperate. So sad and pathetic. I know it's because Phoenix Love, my precious crazy darling, was extremely manipulative, but I totally didn't see/feel a romance between the two characters.. it seemed like an obsession. It felt like Hart was obsessed with Love, and Love was kind of using Hart.. which I actually LIKED because it felt so manipulative. I didn't really need the whole "I love you" thing... personally.

How did I miss who the slayer was? I think I might re-read this book and see if there are more clues pointing to who it actually is, because I didn't really see any clues and maybe I wanted one or two.. even minor ones? Just so I have that "Ah-HA!" moment instead of that "Huh?!" moment when I find out who the killer is.

I actually thought Somerset was awesome. I really liked him.. not as much as Phoenix, but I still thought he was a great character and I felt his anger. Echo too. What a sweetie.

Overall, fantastic book. Crazy shit goes down.

3.5 BIG STARS!
Some spoilers ahead:

I enjoyed this book. I definitely did. For me, it went up and down a lot between me really liking the book, and me rolling my eyes the book, but in the end, enjoyable read.
It was cute, steamy, heartwarming, sexy, and definitely fun. I really liked the instant attractive between Gage and Trent. I also really liked Trent as a character.. he was a very strong and loving father.
I won't lie, I kinda skipped a lot during the last 20% of this book. I got kind of annoyed at things.

First off, the love thing happened WAY too fast without them really getting to know each other too much. Their relationship progressed really quickly and I'm not sure I really felt it.
Also I felt like their entire relationship was built on looks (Trent's) and money (Gage's). The entire book it was Gage basically throwing money around with a mad-person and Gage wanting to gobble Trent's balls because he's just soooooo hoooooot. I get it. He's hot. But I literally heard about each of their hotness like a million, bazillion times and eventually got really annoyed.
Their conversations were kind of dumb and always about Trent's smokin' bod. Okay.

After poor Trent has a mini cry-fest breakdown and this was literally said by Gage like... within the next page or two: "You’re spectacular to look at, Trent. I don’t know how you maintain this body, but you’re hot as hell. Even under the weight of all this stress, I’m physically turned on by you."
Like, that's awkward, right? To say that. Also the wording is kind of awkward. Physically turned on by. Kind of awkward.

There were a few typos/spelling/grammar errors I noticed. It didn't really distract me from the point at all, but mildly silly.

Overall enjoyable read but maybe a little silly some places for me.

I DNF this book maybe about 40% through, so I won't give it a star rating.
It was well written and actually enjoyed it. The author had a good sense of the characters and I felt like that was projected well in the book.
I just had too much anxiety over wanting to punch Jared in the dick.

This book kind of flip-flopped for me from like 2 stars, to 4.5 stars, then back to like... 2.5-3 stars.. so I'm settling on... 3ish. Maybe 2.5. I don't know.

This book was kind of cute. It used some terminology that I'm not familiar with that made me feel really fucking old at the ripe old age of (almost) 25. The beginning was uber boring for me, and I felt like Brandon was a brat. Actually, I kind of thought Brandon was a brat through the entire book. A really paranoid brat. Abel was obviously awesome. I actually have no idea why he put up with Brandon.. I wouldn't have, if I were Abel. They seemed like they should've stayed friends instead of boyfriends.
The parts where they were fighting were the funniest.
I liked how the characters they meet at the conventions (the actors) weren't usually or completely what they expected or wanted. It was a good, unique "plot twist" that let the main character(s) learn lessons.
This book was cute, I'm not hating on it or anything like that... I just didn't really feel anything about it. I didn't like the main character at all and his whining, selfish behavior wasn't endearing or sad, it was annoying to me. I know he's just a kid brought up with some mixed up values, and this is basically his road-trip journey learning how to deal with those mixed-up values, but it just got on my nerves a bit after a while.

All in all, pretty cute. I really laughed at some parts too, but it didn't really do anything special for me. When I finished reading it, I was like, "Huh. Book's done." and that's that.

3.5 STARS!
This was good. Yep, it was good.


I enjoyed this book. It was cute and fun.
There were parts that made me really sad... like Marty's death, which I felt got maybe a little under-looked? Like, the guy died and no one focused on that a lot in the book, and he was a pretty enjoyable character. Even Tony seemed kind of a little "Meh" about it. I don't know. Some parts maybe dragged a little, tiny bit? Like the ending?
Some parts of the book didn't make sense to me either. And the killer was really, super-duper obvious, at least to me.
But yeah, it was cute, but nothing too unique or new for me.

This was hot. Yup. Damn hot.

Within about thirty minutes, I was sucked into another world.

Let's start by saying I'm a judgmental jerk with a short attention span who loses interest fairly easily. If anything I'm reading doesn't hold my attention within the first 20%, I'll stop reading it.
I was instantly sucked into the Syntax universe and lived in it for about thirty wonderful minutes. It's hard to build an entirely different world within that amount of time, but it was accomplished beautifully. I never once quirked an eyebrow while reading this (an achievement for me) and never felt confused by the workings of Tower Oh-Seven-Two. Everything that was in this short story was supposed to be there to help the reader understand the characters and their surroundings.
It's very fun and interesting to read a story that's written like a letter to someone else. It really helped me see things through Antho's eyes and threw me right into his head.

This story has everything in it I liked. Mystery, a bleeding heart (maybe two?), a kick-ass assassin who totally kills people, some steamy bits, and a sweet romance.
Who doesn't like assassins? Trick question. Everyone likes assassins.

I must mention this. I feel like I must. I'm a sucker for open endings or small glimpses. Things that will leave me wondering. I like to appreciate things for what they are, and for me, this is a short story and I love the fact that it's just that.
Hell-fucking-yeah I'll read more of this series and likely love every last bit, but I just want to say that if this was just a short story and there was nothing else added to the series, I'd still adore it as a stand-alone and feel lucky to have had a small glimpse at the story of Antho and the broken assassin he fell in love with.

I.... DNF about 35% through. I'm a failure, but I just couldn't get into this book. What I did read was... silly. Cute, but silly. I don't know how to describe it.
I think Tomas must have winked at Jesse so many times within the first 3 chapters, if I were Jesse I would've thought that Tomas had some kind of a tick.
Their relationship moved really fast but without... backing to it. Like Tomas never went home with guys but something is different about Jesse. Okay. What? What's different? Why's he special? I can't think of any discernible characteristics about Jesse (or Tomas for that matter) so I just couldn't fall for their love story.

Sorry.

This book is nutso!

Full review to come later.

How do I feel about this book?
Confused. Definitely confused.


This book is actually hard for me to review. There were parts I loved, parts I hated, and parts that left me just being like "what the shit?"
The beginning of the book was exciting and fun. I did, however, quickly get annoyed and confused with the timeline. There was a lot of flip-flopping and I guess it made sense, done that way, but it was hard to follow, for me at least. Also the past stories... I found myself not... really caring.. to read them?
At first, I was definitely team Nate. Poor guy. He did seem awfully needy though and Adam was hanging out with naked dudes in his apartment... with a roomie who kissed him. I'd be right pissy too if I were Nate. But then he didn't talk to him. No communication. And I get it.. it was high school and I was probably as stupid and dramatic as these kids in high school, but that doesn't mean I wanted to read about it.

I was so happy when Adam was back... but can I ask what the fuck is the deal with that shit that happened between Luke and Nate? That was outta left field and weird and heartbreaking and annoying. The ending was... gratifying? I don't know. I just don't know.

Awesome stuff:
- Daniel. Best character in the whole book, by far.

Things in this book that bothered me:
- The blog. I felt like this book was centered around a blog that was posted in.. what, 5 times total that you read about? What was the point of a blog? A teenage boy trying to make a stance or a whiny outlet? I don't know.
- Nate seemingly gave up on his activism role. He started the shirt thing, awesome. He went to the dance with a boy.. to make a point. To preserve the integrity of his own rights. But then what? Nothing? Right. Nothing. He did jack shit afterwards.. which was sad. I was disappointed. It's like there was a point to be made.... then it... just never.. got made.
- Dont. Fucking. Cheat. God damn idiots kids.
- Parental abuse. Abuse in general. Everyone was all "BUT LUKES DAD HAS RIGHTS!" uh, newsflash. Even in the early 2000s, you know what people hate more than queers? CHILD ABUSE. Thats right, even in Texas. And these people didnt do anything about it! My entire family and everyone I know would have called the cops within a hair of a second if some kid was beaten by his dad. I recall Wolf being all "he's not a bad person, he just did something bad". Sorry, my definition of bad person is DEFINITELY someone who beats a defenseless kid. Definitely bad person material right now. By the way, nice parenting, Nate's mom. "No, stop. Dont yell at my kid or I'll press charges." UH, REGARDLESS... you call the god damn cops! This makes me mad. I'm done talking about it.
- Sometimes Juliet is in love with Nate, sometimes she seems completely indifferent. At the beginning I thought it was gonna be a whole THING because she was in love with Nate but somehow the story kinda dropped that and then she went into normal friend mode, then sometimes she magically was in love with him again. Okay....
- I never fell in love with the characters, which is weird. Didnt care for Nate or Adam or Luke. Just didn't really care for them.
- I felt like I read the wrong part of this story. Let's imagine these are real people. I'm kind of more interested in the time it took for Adam to forgive Nate when he was in college. That sounded like a better part of this story.

- Nate. Learned. Nothing.
Nothing. Literally, jackshit. You want stories to have a point.. a meaning, learning a lesson. I didn't understand the moral story of this book. Nate was all for gay-rights and taking action... for a bit. Then nothing. At the end of the story (before the 10 year mark), Nate is a whiny little brat who cheated and then just complains about it. The author doesn't tell us how Nate learned that he did what he did because ____________ or was crazy and needy because ______________ or that Nate learned he didnt need his blog anymore because ________________. It just... was. They made up. Yay. And why... how? What lessons were learned? The only lesson I learned is that if a parent abuses a kid but hes a "good person" *cough*totalfuckingpsycho* if you give it 10 years, maybe one day he'll go to your gay wedding. I don't get why it ended with him shutty down his blog? If his blog helped kids out there dealing with gay issues, why would you ever shut it down? It seemed like "Ah life has changed. It's better for me now. I don't need this blog anymore"... but maybe tons of other kids out there who read your blog, do. I just don't understand why he shut it down like it was monumental.

Yes, after this long, rant-like review.. that's how this book left me feeling. Overall impressions:
CONFUSED

How do you review a book like this?
Have you ever watched, seen, or heard something so touching that you just wept? That's what this book was for me.
I'll have to come back and write a full review for it later because I'm not sure I can right now.
But it's honestly one of the most beautiful books I've ever read.

Really fun read actually! Had me laughing throughout this book. Cute characters, sexy scenes, and fun plot twists. Really enjoyed it.

Uhh... DNF about 20% in. It's just not working for me.

4.5 STARS! And everyone single one of them was earned.

With those few words, he’d repaired
the deep cracks in my heart,
filling them until it was whole
and healed. My fears of another
were alleviated, and three years
of missing him became just
bad memories.

What a beautiful book. The entire time I was on the end between 4.5 and 5 stars. It still might be... I might go revise my review.



This book had everything in it that makes me love a book. Sweet and sour main characters, tons of sexual tension, torment, heart ache, learning, growing, and redemption. What's not to love about sweet Elijah and hardass Chase? I loved their relationship and their dynamic. Chase was so hard on Elijah and so mean sometimes, but Waitt gave the definite impression that he wasn't always so cold. The pain that was described in the book really had a way of breaking your heart and making you fall even harder for Chase. I really also love time apart in stories where the characters realize they need to be together. I don't know why but it always gets me.

Overall a gorgeous book that I'd recommend to anyone and everyone.