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Been reading some more!
Oct. 8th, 2026 12:51 pmRe-reads. HUH
NONE!
I DNF'd
*Worth The Wait by Isabella Murray (M/M contemporary romance short story) - Bill works out (however reluctantly) at a local gym. Steve is one of the part-time trainers and someone Bill has a "mild" crush on.
This was flat and unengaging romance. I didn't get Steve's motivations regarding his goals (is he a part-time trainer who is also a paramedic? Which career is he more interested in?) and Bill's inner commentary abt being so old (he's only 36 mind you; Steve's 28) annoyed me a ton. Despite only being 53 pages long, I bounced a little before page 20.
* Tyler's Guarded Heart by E.J. Stoll (Book 2 of the Cardinal Falls series, M/M contemporary romance) - Tyler's the fuckboy of his friend group. He meets and has a one night stand with Graham, but then feelings begin to develop. Whatever will Tyler do?
Shitty writing was the main reason why I gave up on this novel around Chapter 2. Also, even though I liked Tyler in the first book, his presence wasn't enough to keep me flipping the pages. Graham was a BORE.
Had an awesome time at first (but it all went downhill from there).
* Nathan's Second Chance by E.J. Stoll (Book 1 of the Cardinal Falls series, M/M contemporary romance) - Nathan's first love was his friend Colt. Whom he had accidentally kissed when they were both 15 y.o. and then Colt's family moved away. The last person he expects to see back in Cardinal Falls is Colt. On top of that, the v. first time he sees him is while Colt's in a date with Oliver. Will Nathan and Colt find their way to Tru Wuv???
FTR, the one thing I cannot take points away for is the fact that this is (yet another) one of those low-angst stories. The blurb makes it v.,, v. clear that the bulk of the plot will be smooth sailing. So I did keep that in mind when I read this book.
Reading this book was the equivalent of sitting in front of a wall that's gotten a fresh coat of beige paint. It was just as ✨riveting✨. /s
Starting with how similar Nathan and Colt sounded. More than once, I actually had to go and check WHOSE POV I was reading--which isn't a good thing since both MCs are meant to be different ppl and not, IDK, sharing one body.
The main problem had to do with the writing style. This book was published in 2025 and yet, it read like something that had dropped in 2005 or thereabouts. Even down to the sex scenes that included things such as tongues dancing against each other/wrestling for dominance AND (when any character orgasmed) spilling ropes of cum.
*SIGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH*
The only good thing (for me) was the book's length; I finished it in an hour. Oh, wait, and I did liked Nathan's friends too. Especially Tyler (shame that I ended up DNF'ing his book. Alas.) I gave this book a 1.6 out of 5.
* Aaron's Unlikely Love by E.J. Stoll (Book 4 of the Cardinal Falls series, M/M contemporary romance) - Aaron has a Meet Awkward with Oliver while the latter is on a date with Colt (Aaron's BFF's forever love.) There's a neat simpatico between them that grows first into a friendship and then into something more...
This book was the one with the best writing in the entire series. I liked Oliver a ton as well as how his ADHD was shown too. Just like in the previous novel, it was (once again) neat to see the circle of friends (and their SOs) expand in an organic way. Oh, and I did enjoyed some aspects of the Oliver/Aaron romance. Finally, this book has 1-2 key scenes from each of the earlier books. Instead of boring, I liked how the author mixed those into Aaron and Oliver's love story.
HOWEVAH
There was one HUGE issue that lowered the rating for me. Because, once I noticed it, not only the main conflict but also the bulk of the romance itself came undone.
From the time Aaron and Oliver first meet and continuing pretty much for 80% or so of the book, Aaron makes it v. clear that he doesn't want to be a relationship because he's a bad boyfriend.
The problem lies in that Aaron never gives any examples of his 'bad boyfriend' behavior. So it's then up to the reader to guess or assume anything and everything from things that are mildly annoying all the way to potentially criminal stuff. Is it that Aaron is prone to excessive jealousy? Has anger issues? Has had gambling and/or substance abuse issues? Has cheated on past partners/is prone to cheat? Has been cheated on by so many ppl he doesn't trust people? Is bad at handling/managing money? IHNI, your guess is as good as mine.
To top THAT off, Aaron starts a friendship that then turns into a FWB situation and eventually is officially dating Oliver. BUT he, somehow, manages to convince Oliver to HIDE THEIR RELATIONSHIP FROM EVERYONE FOR NO APPARENT REASON? (IIRC, he does a word salad as the reason why he wants to keep things with Oliver hush-hush. I read the "explanation" a few times and was still WTF at my tablet, NGL.)
EVEN WORSE, when (toward the end of the book) he does fess up to his friends abt his relationship with Oliver (WHICH HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR MONTHS AT THIS POINT, MIND YOU), everyone is justifiably shocked. They ask him why he hid that from them (since everyone has met, interacted, and become friends with Oliver all this time). Aaron mumbles an excuse to Nathan (specifically) due to Oliver and Colt (Nathan's now bf) having having had a disastrous date A WHOLE YEAR AGO. Nathan's confusion mirrors mine. BUT THEN, Nathan, Tyler, and Matthias COMFORT Aaron for ~reasons, I guess. 🤷🏾♀️🤷🏾♀️🤷🏾♀️
MAKE IT MAKE SENSE, GORRAM IT! This book, just like the other three, has dual POV. So there's absolutely NO REASON why Aaron wouldn't think back to his 'bad boyfriend' times/behavior at least once. The amount of effort this story puts into trying to convince its readers of Aaron's explanations is rather Herculean, NGL.
The most frustrating part in all of this is that Oliver/Aaron ARE well-matched and sweet to each other. BUT, because of Aaron's FULL-ON CLOWNERY ABT BEING "A BAD BOYFRIEND" (in the past), I couldn't fully enjoy their romance. The "conflict" was THAT stupid when there were several other things that could've thrown a wrench or two.
One strange thing I just realized is that, for all of the talk of his past relationships, Aaron never goes into details? Never mentions anyone by name (only says he's dated mostly women and some men), but all of it is super vague. I got the sense that the author didn't want to break the illusion of Aaron/Oliver = TRU WUV or something. Coincidentally, Oliver never says anything abt past hookups or boyfriends either. Huh.
I doubt I'll read anything by this author again. The series overall had 1 good book (no.3), a questionable novel (this one), and two mediocre stories (books 1 and 2). Thankfully, all of them were fast reads, so I don't feel like I wasted THAT much time, IDK. YMMV, you do you, etc. I gave this book a 2 out of 5 and that's only cuz of the writing and how likable Oliver was. *Hands*
It was . . . fine?
* Not That Scandalous by Isabel Murray (Book 3 of the Not That series, M/M contemporary romantic mystery) - Charlie's a grumpy cafe owner that's developed v. strong, romantic feelings for the (allegedly) straight handyman Kevin. But then, it turns out that Kevin's REALLY into Charlie . . .
Writing remained good, I liked seeing all of the guys being friends and supporting each other, the older women in secondary character roles, and the mystery FINALLY getting resolved. I thought the MCs were okay.
Going by my earlier theory abt each book being a subgenre of rom-com movies, this one is that odd, straight to DVD (or, nowadays, direct to streaming) movie you might start watching and be v. O__o abt the story. BUT something will compel you to keep watching despite of how bizarre the characters might be behaving. So think of any cult rom-com and you'll get it.
That said, I did have more issues with this novel vs. the other two . . .
The MCs' romantic gestures were subtler than expected (learning and practicing making lattes for Charlie, renovating Charlie's home (to the point of having a binder with designs!) for Kevin.)
My neutral vibes toward the romance itself have to do with Kevin. I never got the sense of truly knowing who he was. Like, sure, he's v. single-minded abt Charlie and is also semi-perpetually horny, and . . . that's abt it. The gaps in his backstory (what happened to his folks? why is he still working for Craig?, etc) meant that a lot of his behavior (his reaction to discovering a body, his bulldozer-like approach to making sure that Charlie is aware of how much he (Kevin) wants to be with him, etc) was presented without any context to give it sense. So there was a dissonance between the Kevin on the page (his behavior toward Charlie, how he'd shut down or get ridic protective, etc) and the way Charlie described Kevin's actions (since the book is told from Charlie's POV.)
In the end, I wasn't convinced of their relationship from an emotional standpoint. Though I got it cuz it's what the book focused on.
This book had a lot of CREEPY AF discoveries (vis a vis the overarching mystery) bordering into nightmarish. OTOH, at least the majority of the important things WERE resolved. I gave this book a 2.75 out of 5.
* Such a perfect family by Nalini Singh (Mystery) - Nearly two months after a quick wedding to Diya, Tavish flies to New Zealand in order to meet her family. While there, a horrible tragedy happens. Now Tavish is trying to figure out what happened while also doing the most to avoid getting arrested for a crime he didn't commit . . .
Having DNF'd the first two books in the Psy-Changeling series, I hadn't expected to read anything else by this author. However, I'm a sucker for mysteries and so I started this book.
The writing was excellent and most of the chapters were short, so I felt like I went thru the novel faster than usual. I also liked the character of Tavish--how morally gray he truly was from beginning to end. It was deeply enjoyable watching him trying to weasel out of getting out of a tough situation.
OTOH (and despite the bulk of the mystery being interesting), the last 40 or so pages took a steady plot and added a lot of ridiculousness to it. As the murderer identity was revealed (alongside their motivations for doing what they did), I kept thinking that this book turned into a v. trashy movie-of-the-week from the early 80s. 🙄 my eyes a lot cuz, out of nowhere, the book was asking me to ignore some random plot holes and 'coincidences' that were (magically?) adding up to nonsense. Therefore, I gave this book a 2.5 out of 5.
Good vibes all around
* Matthias' Protective Embrace by E.J. Stoll (Book 3 of the Cardinal Falls series, M/M contemporary romance) - Matthias is a hard-working guy with great friends, but not much romance. He becomes attracted to Frank, one of the workers remodeling his patio. Something abt that young guy REALLY calls out to Matthia's Daddyness . . .
NGL, I started this one feeling a bit anxious that I was gonna have a bad or mediocre time, so no one was more surprised than me when I got super invested in this novel's DRAMARAMA, hehehe.
THANKFULLY, there was enough angst to balance the fluff out. AND, even better, the conflicts were mostly external and based on real life issues. Sure, Matthias had the resources to help Frank, but his help didn't resolve everything. Frank still had to put in enough effort to get his life on track.
Out of the two MCs (this book had dual POVs), I did connected more with Frank. He had the kind of storyarc that drew ppl in: trying to do many things, but still failing and yet not quite giving up. He was so stretched thin that I was surprised he hadn't gotten into a car accident or worse. Matthias was OK--though I felt the author was heavy-handed in how much of Matthias' personality was shaped by him being a Daddy. BUT I did liked how he took care of, supported, and respect Frank.
I also enjoyed seeing Frank interact with Matthias' friends and their SOs. Color me INTRIGUED abt whatever's happening between Aaron and Oliver cuz that looks like it might be INTERESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSTING.
As for negatives, again, I was kinda 🙄 abt Daddy!Matthias. Such as, around Chapter 7 (by which time it's v. clear that he's in Daddy mode even if he doesn't want to admit to himself), when (in his POV part of the chapter) he wonder IF HE'S TOO INVESTED IN FRANK'S WELL-BEING (from a perspective that's more Daddy/boy than simple friends). Me: Matthias, darling, why are you asking what you already know the answer to?
Also, the sex scenes bordered a bit on the generic side of things. I have this book a 3 out of 5
Current fic tally
Picked up 178, have DNF'd 71. Not bad. Gonna try to focus and finish up a few of the longer stories this month.
Some thoughts
This batch might've been SRSLY mixed, but I don't feel particularly bad abt any of it. My best "find" was the Singh mystery.
Last time
Have already begun the third book in the Not That series. Still have the Singh book, a M/genderqueer historical romance, also an Ilona Andrews, and a comic book. So Juuust abt enough to keep me reading. I'm planning to read some queer horror next month, so there's that.
Finished Not That #3 and the Singh book. Had to renew everything else save for the comic book (which I decided to read some other time). /o\
Up next
Aside from the Andrews and the m/genderqeer hist-rom, I did check out a M/f vampire romance that's getting some buzz, and a Bi4Bi M/F contemporary romance. Hopefully, I'll be able to throw in some more creepy and/or scary-sh book as I've realized I'm NOT in the mood read horror right now. Maybe in December, IDK.
NONE!
I DNF'd
*Worth The Wait by Isabella Murray (M/M contemporary romance short story) - Bill works out (however reluctantly) at a local gym. Steve is one of the part-time trainers and someone Bill has a "mild" crush on.
This was flat and unengaging romance. I didn't get Steve's motivations regarding his goals (is he a part-time trainer who is also a paramedic? Which career is he more interested in?) and Bill's inner commentary abt being so old (he's only 36 mind you; Steve's 28) annoyed me a ton. Despite only being 53 pages long, I bounced a little before page 20.
* Tyler's Guarded Heart by E.J. Stoll (Book 2 of the Cardinal Falls series, M/M contemporary romance) - Tyler's the fuckboy of his friend group. He meets and has a one night stand with Graham, but then feelings begin to develop. Whatever will Tyler do?
Shitty writing was the main reason why I gave up on this novel around Chapter 2. Also, even though I liked Tyler in the first book, his presence wasn't enough to keep me flipping the pages. Graham was a BORE.
Had an awesome time at first (but it all went downhill from there).
* Nathan's Second Chance by E.J. Stoll (Book 1 of the Cardinal Falls series, M/M contemporary romance) - Nathan's first love was his friend Colt. Whom he had accidentally kissed when they were both 15 y.o. and then Colt's family moved away. The last person he expects to see back in Cardinal Falls is Colt. On top of that, the v. first time he sees him is while Colt's in a date with Oliver. Will Nathan and Colt find their way to Tru Wuv???
FTR, the one thing I cannot take points away for is the fact that this is (yet another) one of those low-angst stories. The blurb makes it v.,, v. clear that the bulk of the plot will be smooth sailing. So I did keep that in mind when I read this book.
Reading this book was the equivalent of sitting in front of a wall that's gotten a fresh coat of beige paint. It was just as ✨riveting✨. /s
Starting with how similar Nathan and Colt sounded. More than once, I actually had to go and check WHOSE POV I was reading--which isn't a good thing since both MCs are meant to be different ppl and not, IDK, sharing one body.
The main problem had to do with the writing style. This book was published in 2025 and yet, it read like something that had dropped in 2005 or thereabouts. Even down to the sex scenes that included things such as tongues dancing against each other/wrestling for dominance AND (when any character orgasmed) spilling ropes of cum.
*SIGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH*
The only good thing (for me) was the book's length; I finished it in an hour. Oh, wait, and I did liked Nathan's friends too. Especially Tyler (shame that I ended up DNF'ing his book. Alas.) I gave this book a 1.6 out of 5.
* Aaron's Unlikely Love by E.J. Stoll (Book 4 of the Cardinal Falls series, M/M contemporary romance) - Aaron has a Meet Awkward with Oliver while the latter is on a date with Colt (Aaron's BFF's forever love.) There's a neat simpatico between them that grows first into a friendship and then into something more...
This book was the one with the best writing in the entire series. I liked Oliver a ton as well as how his ADHD was shown too. Just like in the previous novel, it was (once again) neat to see the circle of friends (and their SOs) expand in an organic way. Oh, and I did enjoyed some aspects of the Oliver/Aaron romance. Finally, this book has 1-2 key scenes from each of the earlier books. Instead of boring, I liked how the author mixed those into Aaron and Oliver's love story.
HOWEVAH
There was one HUGE issue that lowered the rating for me. Because, once I noticed it, not only the main conflict but also the bulk of the romance itself came undone.
From the time Aaron and Oliver first meet and continuing pretty much for 80% or so of the book, Aaron makes it v. clear that he doesn't want to be a relationship because he's a bad boyfriend.
The problem lies in that Aaron never gives any examples of his 'bad boyfriend' behavior. So it's then up to the reader to guess or assume anything and everything from things that are mildly annoying all the way to potentially criminal stuff. Is it that Aaron is prone to excessive jealousy? Has anger issues? Has had gambling and/or substance abuse issues? Has cheated on past partners/is prone to cheat? Has been cheated on by so many ppl he doesn't trust people? Is bad at handling/managing money? IHNI, your guess is as good as mine.
To top THAT off, Aaron starts a friendship that then turns into a FWB situation and eventually is officially dating Oliver. BUT he, somehow, manages to convince Oliver to HIDE THEIR RELATIONSHIP FROM EVERYONE FOR NO APPARENT REASON? (IIRC, he does a word salad as the reason why he wants to keep things with Oliver hush-hush. I read the "explanation" a few times and was still WTF at my tablet, NGL.)
EVEN WORSE, when (toward the end of the book) he does fess up to his friends abt his relationship with Oliver (WHICH HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR MONTHS AT THIS POINT, MIND YOU), everyone is justifiably shocked. They ask him why he hid that from them (since everyone has met, interacted, and become friends with Oliver all this time). Aaron mumbles an excuse to Nathan (specifically) due to Oliver and Colt (Nathan's now bf) having having had a disastrous date A WHOLE YEAR AGO. Nathan's confusion mirrors mine. BUT THEN, Nathan, Tyler, and Matthias COMFORT Aaron for ~reasons, I guess. 🤷🏾♀️🤷🏾♀️🤷🏾♀️
MAKE IT MAKE SENSE, GORRAM IT! This book, just like the other three, has dual POV. So there's absolutely NO REASON why Aaron wouldn't think back to his 'bad boyfriend' times/behavior at least once. The amount of effort this story puts into trying to convince its readers of Aaron's explanations is rather Herculean, NGL.
The most frustrating part in all of this is that Oliver/Aaron ARE well-matched and sweet to each other. BUT, because of Aaron's FULL-ON CLOWNERY ABT BEING "A BAD BOYFRIEND" (in the past), I couldn't fully enjoy their romance. The "conflict" was THAT stupid when there were several other things that could've thrown a wrench or two.
One strange thing I just realized is that, for all of the talk of his past relationships, Aaron never goes into details? Never mentions anyone by name (only says he's dated mostly women and some men), but all of it is super vague. I got the sense that the author didn't want to break the illusion of Aaron/Oliver = TRU WUV or something. Coincidentally, Oliver never says anything abt past hookups or boyfriends either. Huh.
I doubt I'll read anything by this author again. The series overall had 1 good book (no.3), a questionable novel (this one), and two mediocre stories (books 1 and 2). Thankfully, all of them were fast reads, so I don't feel like I wasted THAT much time, IDK. YMMV, you do you, etc. I gave this book a 2 out of 5 and that's only cuz of the writing and how likable Oliver was. *Hands*
It was . . . fine?
* Not That Scandalous by Isabel Murray (Book 3 of the Not That series, M/M contemporary romantic mystery) - Charlie's a grumpy cafe owner that's developed v. strong, romantic feelings for the (allegedly) straight handyman Kevin. But then, it turns out that Kevin's REALLY into Charlie . . .
Writing remained good, I liked seeing all of the guys being friends and supporting each other, the older women in secondary character roles, and the mystery FINALLY getting resolved. I thought the MCs were okay.
Going by my earlier theory abt each book being a subgenre of rom-com movies, this one is that odd, straight to DVD (or, nowadays, direct to streaming) movie you might start watching and be v. O__o abt the story. BUT something will compel you to keep watching despite of how bizarre the characters might be behaving. So think of any cult rom-com and you'll get it.
That said, I did have more issues with this novel vs. the other two . . .
The MCs' romantic gestures were subtler than expected (learning and practicing making lattes for Charlie, renovating Charlie's home (to the point of having a binder with designs!) for Kevin.)
My neutral vibes toward the romance itself have to do with Kevin. I never got the sense of truly knowing who he was. Like, sure, he's v. single-minded abt Charlie and is also semi-perpetually horny, and . . . that's abt it. The gaps in his backstory (what happened to his folks? why is he still working for Craig?, etc) meant that a lot of his behavior (his reaction to discovering a body, his bulldozer-like approach to making sure that Charlie is aware of how much he (Kevin) wants to be with him, etc) was presented without any context to give it sense. So there was a dissonance between the Kevin on the page (his behavior toward Charlie, how he'd shut down or get ridic protective, etc) and the way Charlie described Kevin's actions (since the book is told from Charlie's POV.)
In the end, I wasn't convinced of their relationship from an emotional standpoint. Though I got it cuz it's what the book focused on.
This book had a lot of CREEPY AF discoveries (vis a vis the overarching mystery) bordering into nightmarish. OTOH, at least the majority of the important things WERE resolved. I gave this book a 2.75 out of 5.
* Such a perfect family by Nalini Singh (Mystery) - Nearly two months after a quick wedding to Diya, Tavish flies to New Zealand in order to meet her family. While there, a horrible tragedy happens. Now Tavish is trying to figure out what happened while also doing the most to avoid getting arrested for a crime he didn't commit . . .
Having DNF'd the first two books in the Psy-Changeling series, I hadn't expected to read anything else by this author. However, I'm a sucker for mysteries and so I started this book.
The writing was excellent and most of the chapters were short, so I felt like I went thru the novel faster than usual. I also liked the character of Tavish--how morally gray he truly was from beginning to end. It was deeply enjoyable watching him trying to weasel out of getting out of a tough situation.
OTOH (and despite the bulk of the mystery being interesting), the last 40 or so pages took a steady plot and added a lot of ridiculousness to it. As the murderer identity was revealed (alongside their motivations for doing what they did), I kept thinking that this book turned into a v. trashy movie-of-the-week from the early 80s. 🙄 my eyes a lot cuz, out of nowhere, the book was asking me to ignore some random plot holes and 'coincidences' that were (magically?) adding up to nonsense. Therefore, I gave this book a 2.5 out of 5.
Good vibes all around
* Matthias' Protective Embrace by E.J. Stoll (Book 3 of the Cardinal Falls series, M/M contemporary romance) - Matthias is a hard-working guy with great friends, but not much romance. He becomes attracted to Frank, one of the workers remodeling his patio. Something abt that young guy REALLY calls out to Matthia's Daddyness . . .
NGL, I started this one feeling a bit anxious that I was gonna have a bad or mediocre time, so no one was more surprised than me when I got super invested in this novel's DRAMARAMA, hehehe.
THANKFULLY, there was enough angst to balance the fluff out. AND, even better, the conflicts were mostly external and based on real life issues. Sure, Matthias had the resources to help Frank, but his help didn't resolve everything. Frank still had to put in enough effort to get his life on track.
Out of the two MCs (this book had dual POVs), I did connected more with Frank. He had the kind of storyarc that drew ppl in: trying to do many things, but still failing and yet not quite giving up. He was so stretched thin that I was surprised he hadn't gotten into a car accident or worse. Matthias was OK--though I felt the author was heavy-handed in how much of Matthias' personality was shaped by him being a Daddy. BUT I did liked how he took care of, supported, and respect Frank.
I also enjoyed seeing Frank interact with Matthias' friends and their SOs. Color me INTRIGUED abt whatever's happening between Aaron and Oliver cuz that looks like it might be INTERESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSTING.
As for negatives, again, I was kinda 🙄 abt Daddy!Matthias. Such as, around Chapter 7 (by which time it's v. clear that he's in Daddy mode even if he doesn't want to admit to himself), when (in his POV part of the chapter) he wonder IF HE'S TOO INVESTED IN FRANK'S WELL-BEING (from a perspective that's more Daddy/boy than simple friends). Me: Matthias, darling, why are you asking what you already know the answer to?
Also, the sex scenes bordered a bit on the generic side of things. I have this book a 3 out of 5
Current fic tally
Picked up 178, have DNF'd 71. Not bad. Gonna try to focus and finish up a few of the longer stories this month.
Some thoughts
This batch might've been SRSLY mixed, but I don't feel particularly bad abt any of it. My best "find" was the Singh mystery.
Last time
Have already begun the third book in the Not That series. Still have the Singh book, a M/genderqueer historical romance, also an Ilona Andrews, and a comic book. So Juuust abt enough to keep me reading. I'm planning to read some queer horror next month, so there's that.
Finished Not That #3 and the Singh book. Had to renew everything else save for the comic book (which I decided to read some other time). /o\
Up next
Aside from the Andrews and the m/genderqeer hist-rom, I did check out a M/f vampire romance that's getting some buzz, and a Bi4Bi M/F contemporary romance. Hopefully, I'll be able to throw in some more creepy and/or scary-sh book as I've realized I'm NOT in the mood read horror right now. Maybe in December, IDK.
