2 Book Recs

Take My Picture by Giselle Ellis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Aaron has no idea what he's walking into when he shows up to pose for a famous—and famously bad-tempered—photographer. He certainly doesn't expect to end up working as Jake's assistant for five frustrating, thrilling, and crazy years instead of in front of the camera.

It all works until Jake realizes Aaron has become the focus of his life, a life that's threatened when Aaron actually leaves him to start a relationship with someone else. Though it breaks his heart, Jake realizes he has to set his beloved muse free to have any chance of winning Aaron back.

Reprint: This short story was originally published in the Dreamspinner Press anthology Size Still Matters.

Loved it! The writing style, the screwed up characters, the conflict...everything about this unusual love story appealed to me. I got all teary eyed when Aaron and Jake finally admitted their love. It was a beautiful scene and very emotionally charged. Highly recommended.




Something Like Summer by Jay Bell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Love, like everything in the universe, cannot be destroyed. But over time it can change.

The hot Texas nights were lonely for Ben before his heart began beating to the rhythm of two words; Tim Wyman. By all appearances, Tim had the perfect body and ideal life, but when a not-so-accidental collision brings them together, Ben discovers that the truth is rarely so simple. If winning Tim's heart was an impossible quest, keeping it would prove even harder as family, society, and emotion threaten to tear them apart.

Something Like Summer is a love story spanning a decade and beyond as two boys discover what it means to be friends, lovers, and sometimes even enemies.

Much has been said about this book and I have to admit that a lot of it is true. Jay Bell is a new author to me and I purchased Something Like Summer because of the great reviews, and the price was right at the Kindle store. There's not much more I can add to what's already been said. It's an engaging coming out story with a wonderfully brave and complex protagonist. I was easily swept up in Ben's quest for a happy ending. Highly recommended.

On the home front, I'm almost done with the edits for Momentos: Mick's Journey which will be releasing at the end of July. I also signed a new contract this week for the sequel to Cutting Cords which will release sometime in November.