Review: Men Under the Mistletoe

Men Under the Mistletoe by Josh Lanyon, Ava March Harper Fox K.A. Mitchell and ~
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It may be cold outside, but these four holiday novellas will warm you up.

• A man receives the gift of pleasure at the hands of two expert lovers. 

• Boyhood sweethearts get a second chance at romance.

• Two very proper gentlemen indulge their forbidden desires.

• And a Christmas-tree farmer has an epiphany. 

My True Love Gave To Me, by Ava March:
It might be too late for readers of this audiobook review, but you should avoid reading the blurb. It covers 50% of the novella and the following 50% of groveling got tedious fast.
I disliked the booming sound of this novella. Also, after every editorial cut, the volume changed. The narrator goes on my 'avoid' list, with his random pauses after every few words and lack of voices.

Winter Knights, by Harper Fox:
Beautiful story, marvelous narrator.

Lone Star, by Josh Lanyon:
Forgetable. Narration was all right but the edited sentences added at a later point, sounded different.

The Christmas Proposition by K.A. Mitchel was a nice gay romance although in the end I missed some emotion. I did not like the ending. Good narration.



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Review: Crashing Box Set

Crashing Box Set by Samantha Wayland and Michael Ferraiuolo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the boxed set of the first three books in Samantha Wayland’s Crashing Series. 

Crashing the Net

Dumping gallons of lube on the new kid is just another day at the office for Alexei. He knows exactly who he is: a goalie on the ice, a prankster in the locker room, and a man who knows better than to share his private life with anyone. 

Mike is broke, bruised, and covered from head to toe in cheap lube. All he wants is to keep to himself and play for the Ice Cats. What he needs, though, is another matter entirely.

Checking It Twice 

After four years with Alexei, there are things Mike knows with absolute certainty: he loves Alexei, Alexei loves him, and Alexei gives the very best Christmas gifts. 

Alexei knows his gift this year is going to blow Mike’s mind, but in the meantime, it’s pretty hilarious watching Mike try to figure out what it is. Granted, 

Changing the Rules

Alexei and Mike have been together for a long time. They’re getting married. They can go a few nights not sleeping next to each other, right? For the sake of the team, Alexei is going to try.

Mike can’t stand not sleeping next to Alexei, and it turns out sleep deprivation makes him overthink things.

First of all: the narration was great.
I liked the first novella. The second was a weird hybrid. It was partly a Christmas special of Home And Away, and partly a sex scene of Crashing the Net. By the time I reached novella #3, I got bored of all the sex and hoped to finish the audiobook soon.

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Review: Pine Cove: The Complete Series

Pine Cove: The Complete Series by H.J. Welch Nick J. Russo
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Welcome to Pine Cove, where true love lives happily ever after! This 2000 page box set contains all six novels as well as all five companion short stories. Each Pine Cove book can be read as a stand alone and has its own happy ever after.

Safe Harbor
Robin Coal needs a fake boyfriend for his high school reunion. He asks his housemate: a gorgeous, totally straight ex-Marine. 
 
Sweet Spot
It’s Halloween and Robin has prepared a sexy little surprise for his boyfriend Dair when he gets home from work. 

Troubled Waters
Bodyguard Scout Duffy doesn’t know what’s worse: the fact that his scorching one-night-stand, Emery Klein, is his bratty new client, or the fact that he doesn’t even remember Scout. But Emery’s life is in danger thanks to his out and proud charity work, and once he finally recognizes Scout, their chemistry in undeniable.

Homeward Bound
Swift Coal just found out he’s a father, and his daughter (and her cranky cat) are coming to stay. His best friend’s younger brother, Micha Perkins, has nowhere to go. He’s relieved when Swift asks him to be a live-in babysitter.

Bright Horizon
With sixteen years between them, baker Ben Turner and lawyer Elias Solomon have no idea their crush is mutual. But when Ben inherits his long-lost family’s estate and becomes an overnight millionaire, Elias swears to protect the innocent younger man from the vultures circling him. To unravel the mystery of the inheritance, they must go to England.  
Crossed Paths
Raj Bhat is done living in the shadows. It’s time for him to take charge of his own destiny and tell the man he’s fallen for how he really feels.

 
Midnight Sky
It’s the night before New Year’s Eve. Taylan Demir is all alone, and he’s just lost his dog. Except when his handsome customer, Hudson Perkins, comes to his rescue, Taylan doesn’t just get his dog back. 

 

Memory Lane
Angel Shields saved Jay Coal’s life in high school, and Jay has secretly loved his straight best friend ever since. Now Angel’s back in town with amnesia after a suspicious work accident and it’s Jay's turn to rescue him. He pretends to be Angel’s fiancé to see him in the hospital.

Thin Ice
Kamran’s ex broke his heart, tricked him into aiding a bank robbery, and now he wants him to do one last job. There’s only one way to say no: seek the protective custody of the biggest, grumpiest FBI agent ever, Lee Marshall. 
 
Calm Shores
Gorgeous, sophisticated Dante walks into Oliver’s bar and orders…a boyfriend?! Dante needs a man to keep his mother from setting him back up with his awful, cheating ex, and Oliver is up for the challenge.

Fresh Snow
Emery Klein is throwing the best Christmas party ever, but his fiancé, Scout Duffy, and all their friends have something more exciting in mind.

 
6 full length novels for 1 Audible credit. What is not to like? Even if you skip several endings out of boredom, you still have hours and hours of entertainment. And you gain a badge! 

I liked the first one and thought the second one had a memorable main character. Listening to six in a row should be avoided, I think. Problem is, the writing is mediocre at best. Only plain tropes and no surprises. Shallow characters without growth. Way too much inner monolog for every point of view, always about tiresome insecurety combined with much crying. Never a hurdle in the relationship but always a secondary character being an over the top villain or rude bigot with vague motivation.
The narration is great and I finished 2 novels.

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