On the Dotted Line – Alexa Snow

Author: Alexa Snow
Publisher: Torquere Press
Word Count: 50,330
Published: 2012

While the convention of this story has been told many times before (wealthy doctor falls in love with a poor retail guy), but the story overall was a decent read. Typical instant attraction in a moment of urgent panic, and then stumbling/fumbling to match up correctly, and end with the secret (being poor) being spilled to a happily ever after.

There was nothing earth shattering about this story – in fact, there were a few boring moments, but I liked both of the characters on their own – and together. The one lingering question is I have no clue what the obsession with pens was or why it was in the story – it was never explained (that I can recall at least).

The sex was ok – very vanilla, very middle of the road. There was attraction there which came through nicely, but nothing over the top. Two “normal” guys who liked each other with a small bit of turmoil thrown in, came together when they had sex.

Out of four…
Overall Read: ♥♥
Sex Heat:
Plot: ♥♥

I would recommend for any newbie’s to m/m as this is a very easy love/romance story with very light sex and heat. It’s also a quick read for anyone who’s looking for something a bit more low-key with better character development.

Play It Again, Charlie – R. Cooper

Author: R. Cooper
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Word Count: 170,972
Published: 2012

I have attempted one other R. Cooper book before picking this one up, and I forgot that I had put the other one down before finishing it. But that was not the case this time around. Fair warning, this is a nice long book… and it felt like one. The first 130 pages were so confusing that I literally kept reading so I could figure out if I was losing my mind or not. Cooper was obviously trying to show the reader how different/opposite the two main characters are, but by having them confused all of the time, it leaves the reader completely in the dark.

After page 130, the book starts making sense… for the most part. The main character, Charlie, seems like an interesting character – but you don’t feel like you know who he really is until near the end of the book – we learned about him along with his love interest. I don’t feel as though I completely wasted my time, but know that this book isn’t going to knock any socks off for you. The writing is confusing, the sex doesn’t take place until p. 130 or so, and the characters alone are interesting, but together have an unknown/strange chemistry.

After reading this book, I’m still curious about the characters… like, why did he choose Charlie? And how will they work together? And what’s the significance of the family responsibilities and interactions. And for the love of Nancy, what’s up with the “daddy” references. It was super strange – particularly their reactions to it.

Out of four…
Overall Read:
Sex Heat:
Plot: ♥♥

I’m hard-pressed to find an appropriate audience to recommend this to – simply due to the confusing nature of the book and the many unanswered connections/questions. It feels somewhat like a mystery – so if you enjoy working hard to read a book, then this one is definitely for you.