Review for Frat Boy and Toppy by Anne Tenino

Brad is great at meeting other people’s expectations. But his own? Not so much. Take the gay thing. Okay, so yeah. It took a morning meeting with a frat brother’s hairy, naked ass for him to admit it, but he knows the truth about himself now. Let the gay life commence.

Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. He hasn’t quite determined how to come out to anyone, even Sebastian, the geeky-hot TA in his history class. Sebastian is everything Brad is not. Intellectual, suave, hairy. Out. And he doesn’t seem interested in Brad, even when Brad makes a fool of himself trying to catch his notice.

Score one for foolery: Sebastian does more than notice Brad; he takes him to bed. Brad’s been with plenty of girls, but with Sebastian, the sex is something else entirely—hot, mind-blowing, affirming, and a little domineering in a way that drives him wild. But when great sex turns into something more—dare he admit the “L” word?—Brad must face the crushing realization that Sebastian doesn’t feel the same. Unless, of course, he does. After all, even grad students can be idiots about matters of the heart.

********************

It takes a very talented writer to perfectly balance humor, sexiness, and sweetness all in one story but Anne Tenino does so nicely in her latest release Frat Boy and Toppy.  As a reader who doesn't normally enjoy rom-com stories, Ms. Tenino totally won me over and I found myself complete drawn into the lives of these collegians and their teachers.

Brad has always tried to live up to the image of a playboy athlete since he doesn't want to disappointment those around him, but as he gets older he can't keep fighting his true desires any longer.  Enter sexy and self-confident TA Sebastian who Brad can't keep his eyes off of and who becomes the catalyst for a major revelation and a new chapter in his life.  Brad's extremely sweet with a nice bit of snarky thrown in to bring some wonderful humor to the story.  He's struggled and been miserable for so long keeping up his facade and you could see how it weighed on him.  He hated himself for using women and alcohol to ignore his real inclinations.  As he started accepting the truth of himself and slowly let others know you could sense that weight lifting off him.  He became even more light-hearted and more self-confident.  Brad seemed so much younger at the start of his relationship with Sebastian but things felt more equal between them later on after he came out.  He became a man at that point, not so obsessed over other's opinions.

Sebastian was a complicated character that had been hurt by love before and shied away from it now.  He was sexy and caring and was the perfect person to be Brad's first since he understood the seriousness of what their being together would mean for Brad's life.  But whereas I could see the evolution of Brad emotionally, I can't quite say the same for Sebastian.  I never felt like we learned as much about Sebastian's life to fully become as connected to him.  This story was definitely about Brad which left Sebastian on the back burner a bit. 

To help Brad get through this most important time in his life, he was lucky to have a wonderful group of people around him.  From his extremely supportive family (who frustrated him by their complete and easy acceptance of him) to his best friend Kyle (who had many humorous reactions to Brad's coming out) to his new roommate Collin (who's struggling with his own coming out), Brad couldn't have been luckier and it's a shame that in real life this large of a support group isn't always the case.  These secondary characters were wonderful and lit up the page and I would especially love to see more of Collin as he deserves a happy ending of his own.

This was an engaging read with a deep depth of emotion liberally sprinkled with humor.  From the witty dialogue to the smoldering sex scenes I was completely drawn in and hated to see it come to an end.  This was my first time reading a book of Ms. Tenino's but it definitely won't be the last.

My rating for this is a B.

*I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

A Great Wednesday Tidbit Courtesy of Doctor Who

It's been one of those weeks...constantly running from here to there, certain family members I'd love to disown, and an all-around annoyance with everything.  So thank heavens that I stumbled across a sneak peek of the upcoming new season of my beloved Doctor Who.  It's totally made my week.  So here's what put a smile on my face.....

Book Tour for Brightarrow Burning by Isabo Kelly (Promo Post & GIVEAWAY)

I've just discovered a sexy action packed story full of paranormal creatures that I think other readers will enjoy.  Courtesy of Goddess Fish Promotions I'm going to give you a taste of Brightarrow Burning.  There's also the chance to win an Amazon gc so you can buy this book for your very own.  So read on and be tantalized by what this book has to offer.

BRIGHTARROW BURNING by Isabo Kelly

War tore them apart. Betrayal could bring them together…

Layla Brightarrow’s world fell apart the day the Sorcerers invaded her city, intent on using her fellow humans’ pain to augment their spells. Worse, the neighboring elven kingdom declared neutrality, effectively abandoning her people to struggle for survival.

Then some of the elves break neutrality to trade with the Sorcerers, and Layla is ordered to assassinate Althir, brother of the elf lord she has secretly loved all her life.

When Ulric of Glengowyn uncovers his brother’s plot—and that Layla is one of the assassins sent to stop him—his first instinct is to protect her from all possible harm. He’ll even use seduction, if necessary, to get her into a position to talk some sense into her.

Years of pent-up desire is too much for Layla to resist…and one touch unleashes an unquenchable fire that changes everything. Leaving Layla caught between duty and a love that could be her destruction. Or her salvation.

Warning: This book contains evil sorcerers, a scarred heroine, a sexy elf hero, naughty language, and an intoxicating and addicting pheromone that leads to wildly hot sex. Plus traitors, deadly magic, bespelled baddies, and a really, really rotten brother. 

EXCERPT #1 (from Chapter 1):

“I knew I’d find you here.”

Layla Brightarrow flicked a glance over her shoulder, then returned her stare to the labyrinth of cobbled streets below. “What do you want, Ulric?”

“I’d like to know when you’re going to stop trying to kill my brother.”

“When he stops luring, capturing and selling my people.” She felt Ulric move up close behind her but refused to flinch. Her every sense, however, focused on his presence, his movements, his breathing. Her muscles instinctively tensed, preparing for action, but she forced her body to relax.

“You know I don’t condone what he’s doing…” Ulric murmured.

“So you’ve said.”

“But this is dangerous. For you.”

She snorted, still refusing to face him. Ulric of Glengowyn was beautiful, sexy, and the man she’d been in love with since she was old enough to understand what those strange feelings in her gut meant whenever she looked at him. He was also an elf, and while he wasn’t exactly an enemy now, he wasn’t an ally either. “Go away, Ulric.”

“No.”

“If you’re so concerned about your brother—”

“I could care less about that traitor, and you know it.”

She turned her head just enough to glance at him from the corner of her eye. “Do I?”

“Don’t play games, Layla. You know I don’t support the traitors.”

She made a vague noise in the back of her throat to keep from giving him a direct reply and looked out over the cityscape again.

EXCERPT #2 (from Chapter 1):

“Why are you here?” she asked [Ulric] on a sigh. “If you don’t care if I kill [your brother], leave me be.”

Hard hands clamped onto her shoulders, and Layla found herself facing a very angry-looking Ulric. Her breath caught at the sight of him, as it always did. His dark hair was long and silky against his angular, pale face. She could just see the points of his ears poking out from his hair. His body was broad and well-muscled, bigger than the average elf, and so perfectly formed he’d been the fuel for her fantasies for years, even when she’d taken other men to her bed in an attempt to forget him. But in that moment, with the heat of his breath against her face, his eyes captured her completely. Dark blue and as sharp as lightning.

“How many times do I have to tell you this, Layla? I care if you get killed.”

His hands tightened almost painfully for a moment, then loosened. For the sake of self-preservation, she took a step away from him. “I’ll be fine.”

“He almost killed you once already.” Pushing the strands of her bangs aside, he fingered the jagged scar on her forehead.

She knew it was still an ugly red welt against her pale skin, adding to the many imperfections of her face, and she hated having him look at it. She jerked her chin to one side, dislodging his touch, then brushed her short hair forward again to cover the mark.

His jaw tightened and his voice deepened. “I don’t want him to succeed next time.”

EXCERPT #3 (from Chapter 4)

[Layla] watched the Sorcerer scan the rooftops. She remained in shadow as she pulled out her first arrow. Those years of practice ensured she could fire each quickly and accurately. She steadied the first against her bow and drew the string back.

The Sorcerer would have put a protective spell on the carriage, but it was no good against elf arrows.

She sighted, aiming for the point at which she was certain one of the traitor elves sat, and fired. She pulled the next arrow, nocked it and fired again, then a third time, so quickly the first arrow had only just sliced through the shade when the final arrow left her bow.

An instant later, the parapet not four feet from her exploded in a molten blast of magic flame.

She dove for cover, away from the first shot, but obviously the Sorcerer had anticipated that because the wall two feet in front of her also exploded.

Crawling as quickly as she could, she made her way to the opposite side of the rooftop. The building shook beneath her, forcing her to her stomach. She glanced back and realized the area where she’d stood had turned into a blazing, melting tumult.

And the building was going to collapse out from under her before she could reach safety.

With a renewed sense of desperation, she scrambled toward the still solid end of the roof. If she could just make the next building, she could escape.

AUTHOR BIO:

Isabo Kelly is the award-winning, best-selling author of multiple fantasy, science-fiction and paranormal romances and erotic romances. She regularly publishes articles on the craft of writing and the writer’s life and has taught various workshops on world-building (which she claims is a lot more fun than teaching classes on dissecting insect mouth parts).

Reviewers have called Isabo’s books “Hot, hot, hot…”, “sexy, fun…”, “fast-paced, page turning…” and “Beautifully romantic…Isabo Kelly is one author you should add to your auto buy list.”

Her gypsy soul has taken her around the world, including Hawaii where she got her B.A. and worked with dolphins and Ireland where she got her Ph.D. in animal behavior watching deer. Now she’s a stay-at-home mom and a full time writer living in New York City with her brilliant Irish husband, her son and their mad dog.

You can email her at isabo@isabokelly.com.  She loves to hear from readers.

Links for Isabo Kelly:

Website:  http://www.isabokelly.com
Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/IsaboKelly
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/IsaboKelly
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/isabokelly

**********GIVEAWAY*********

Prize is a $25 Amazon GC

-Giveaway is OPEN TO EVERYONE!
-To be entered just leave a comment along with your email addy.
-One commenter will be chosen randomly from all comments made at each tour stop, so the more tour stops you make a comment on the greater your chances of winning.  A list of all participating blogs can be found here.
-Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM CST on 3/30.

Review for Brightarrow Burning by Isabo Kelly

War tore them apart. Betrayal could bring them together…

Layla Brightarrow’s world fell apart the day the Sorcerers invaded her city, intent on using her fellow humans’ pain to augment their spells. Worse, the neighboring elven kingdom declared neutrality, effectively abandoning her people to struggle for survival.

Then some of the elves break neutrality to trade with the Sorcerers, and Layla is ordered to assassinate Althir, brother of the elf lord she has secretly loved all her life.

When Ulric of Glengowyn uncovers his brother’s plot—and that Layla is one of the assassins sent to stop him—his first instinct is to protect her from all possible harm. He’ll even use seduction, if necessary, to get her into a position to talk some sense into her.

Years of pent-up desire is too much for Layla to resist…and one touch unleashes an unquenchable fire that changes everything. Leaving Layla caught between duty and a love that could be her destruction. Or her salvation.

********************

Isabo Kelly has created an intriguing read in Brightarrow Burning with its unique characters in a colorful and exciting world where human, fae, and others struggle for survival.  This read sucked me in from the start and I was surprised by how quickly the end arrived.  There was action and romance galore but I wish we'd seen more to the story considering how nicely the story flowed.

Layla has loved Ulric since she was young but kept it to herself since human/elf relationships are frowned upon for many reasons.  Little did she know that he too was attracted to her.  But with the tensions of war and with her life constantly in jeopardy he's now going to show her his true emotions.  Their sexual interludes are truly sexy and nicely spaced throughout the story and these moments perfectly expressed their feelings amidst the constant fear of death.  Layla is a strong heroine not afraid to do what must be done.  She wants to be on the frontlines and bristles when Ulric asks her to stop, which he luckily doesn't do often.  Ulric is physically strong and normally even tempered, but Layla brings out a barbarian side to him where he's willing to kill his own brother to protect her even though it goes against elf law.  He wants to keep her safe but knows he can't force her to his way of thinking.  He lets her make her own decisions but is always there to help her.  Their relationship is very equal even though he's vastly more powerful and I enjoyed their interactions both in and out of bed.

The problem I had with this story, and it's a minor issue, is that it felt like there should be more.  I felt like I was dropped into the middle of the story with a lot happening off page.  There was one great action sequence but other than that you wouldn't know there was a war going on.  The villain in this story didn't appear very villainous and the time spent with him was extremely minimal.  Big issues were resolved far too quickly and easily but I definitely felt like I was left hanging at the end of the story.  Layla and Ulric's relationship was solidified but little else felt settled.  I thought that maybe this book was used to set up a series which would explain some of my issues, but I'm not sure if that's the case.

Either way, and whatever minor issues I had with the story, it was still an enjoyable read.  The world was vividly depicted with a memorable and likable main couple and I was completely sucked in by Ms. Kelly's writing.  I do recommend this book and hope that Ms. Kelly will expand upon what was so nicely started here.

My rating for this is a B-


*I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Teaser Tuesdays #61

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

BRIGHTARROW BURNING by Isabo Kelly

....from location 143 of 951.

-But before she could suck in a breath or even accept the reality of Ulric's lips on hers, his kiss went from asking to demanding.  His hold tightened around her waist, his head tilted to one side, and he kissed her with so much intense urgency, she was reminded of a dying man grasping for the one thing that might keep him alive.