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Ready For Love
(Semper Fi, The Forever Faithful #1)
by
Jake Hansen has been crushing on Gabe Byrne for half his life, but since Gabe is a straight, self-proclaimed commitment-phobe who moved away years ago to join the Marines, that crush is strictly a fantasy-best-enjoyed-in-private. And even when Gabe starts to flirt with him like crazy, Jake still knows better than to think it means anything.
Because falling in love with your ...more
Because falling in love with your ...more
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Start your review of Ready For Love (Semper Fi, The Forever Faithful, #1)
~4.25~
If you prefer gritty stories with angst and true life drama, this book is not for you. If, on the other hand, you read fiction to escape and crave the occasional book equivalent of a giant chocolate chip cookie—sweet, delicious & guilt free—you will devour Ready For Love.
I read and enjoyed Stella Starling's Beloved series but would have preferred the fluff without the mystery/stalker plotline. I got my wish with Ready For Love.
This book is all about the relationship: sexual tension galore ...more
If you prefer gritty stories with angst and true life drama, this book is not for you. If, on the other hand, you read fiction to escape and crave the occasional book equivalent of a giant chocolate chip cookie—sweet, delicious & guilt free—you will devour Ready For Love.
I read and enjoyed Stella Starling's Beloved series but would have preferred the fluff without the mystery/stalker plotline. I got my wish with Ready For Love.
This book is all about the relationship: sexual tension galore ...more
I loved this one.
This was just the uncomplicated sweetness I needed and it hit all the right spots. This is absolutely my favorite read by this author so far and I can't wait to read the rest of the books in this series.
A flight attendant and a Marine. Who knew such an odd pairing would make for such a hot read. Friends to lovers is one my favorite tropes and I got a big dose of it in this one. They are quite adorable in their back and forth chatter and the little flirting they do. Once they ca ...more
This was just the uncomplicated sweetness I needed and it hit all the right spots. This is absolutely my favorite read by this author so far and I can't wait to read the rest of the books in this series.
A flight attendant and a Marine. Who knew such an odd pairing would make for such a hot read. Friends to lovers is one my favorite tropes and I got a big dose of it in this one. They are quite adorable in their back and forth chatter and the little flirting they do. Once they ca ...more
3.5 stars
The book is a cute, low-angst, sweet-as-sin romance story, with loveable MCs, who are just so adorkable, and a nice enough storyline.
The book started and ended on a great note, no doubt. But it's the middle that has made me give it the rating that I have. The middle dragged for me a bit. And I say this because even though I had a very hectic schedule, I've been known to keep my sleep time at bay just to get further into a good story that I have sunk my teeth and claws into, but this one ...more
The book is a cute, low-angst, sweet-as-sin romance story, with loveable MCs, who are just so adorkable, and a nice enough storyline.
The book started and ended on a great note, no doubt. But it's the middle that has made me give it the rating that I have. The middle dragged for me a bit. And I say this because even though I had a very hectic schedule, I've been known to keep my sleep time at bay just to get further into a good story that I have sunk my teeth and claws into, but this one ...more
May 19, 2017
Wendy
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
family-kids,
friends-to-lovers,
gfy,
sweet,
laughed-my-ass-off,
now-thats-hot,
sexy,
it-s-so-fluffy,
gay-love,
medium-steam
I absolutely adored this book. I actually smiled from beginning to end. I haven't read the other series by this author, but after reading this one, I will definitely be checking it out. This book just made me all kinds of happy and for that alone it deserves 5 stars :)
Gabe and Jake have known each other since they were young. Nowthat they both grown up, they are still good friends. Jake is an out and proud flight-attendent. Gabe is a straight marine, with commitment issues, who has been deploye ...more
May 22, 2017
*J* Too Many Books Too Little Time
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
feel-good-read,
male-action,
steamy,
liked-a-lot,
funny-ha-ha,
low-angst,
sugary-sweet,
guilty-pleasure
How sweet was that?
Like everyone else, I pretty much had a smile on my face for the whole book.
I was going to round it up a bit, but honestly I didn't care for the names "Jakey" and "Petal".
Still a really sweet, feel-good, low angst read....with some good steam and likable characters all around.
That epilogue though! SWOON! ...more
I'm gonna be honest here. This book felt like a saccharine filled cliche of MM romance. What cishet women who are so totally "allies" think of when they shout their "love is love" motto. No second thought to what they're representing by these characters...or the bi-erasure.
To be completely blunt...this book felt like a total stereotype written by women for women and cashing in on the MM genre.
Jake felt like a total one-dimensional gay cliche.
And Gabe....well Gabe used every opportunity to say ...more
Aug 07, 2020
Martin
added it
I really recommend reading the afterword to this story. It's super sweet and EXACTLY my kind of thing. Also, it explains quite a lot I didn't know. Stella Starling is a pen name for a collaboration of authors, who have released books before, but this specific book was only written by one of them and therefore this one - quote - "has a bit more of a sappy flavor than the other books".
I found that hilarious, because OMG yes, this story is sweet. No doubt about it. And while I am rather a fan of d ...more
I found that hilarious, because OMG yes, this story is sweet. No doubt about it. And while I am rather a fan of d ...more
I loved, Loooooved this book. I was smiling from the beginning to end.
This was a sweet, cute story between a flight attendant Jake and a not so straight marine Gabe.
Jake (petal) and Gabe were so good together, the chemistry was off the charts. When Gabe found out he liked Jake more than a friend, he did not hesitate or deny it he just went for it.. and i loved that.
“You’re my favorite person in the world, you know? And I wasn’t sure how to fix it until I
saw you today, but then I realized—”
J ...more
This was a sweet, cute story between a flight attendant Jake and a not so straight marine Gabe.
Jake (petal) and Gabe were so good together, the chemistry was off the charts. When Gabe found out he liked Jake more than a friend, he did not hesitate or deny it he just went for it.. and i loved that.
“You’re my favorite person in the world, you know? And I wasn’t sure how to fix it until I
saw you today, but then I realized—”
J ...more
Exaggerated sigh... I don't know man. Maybe it's just me but I thought that it was corny.
Gabe and Jake were cute but Gabe was silly.
He called Jake petals. That got on my nerves so much. Jakey was fine but petals was too much for me.
The most important thing for me though, is that I didn't connect with either of them.
Gabe and Jake were cute but Gabe was silly.
He called Jake petals. That got on my nerves so much. Jakey was fine but petals was too much for me.
The most important thing for me though, is that I didn't connect with either of them.
Gabe is kind of dense. I wavered between finding him endearing to being cross with him.
Everything just took a while to process and he had a tendency to be contrary for no reason. But then he does this magical thing where he bulldozes through the resistance and without any qualms he accepts his mission and progresses straight into action. Yeah it takes him awhile to progress from I'm straight to I'm not gay but let's be friends-with-benefits to all the gooey and lovey stuff that makes it all wor ...more
Everything just took a while to process and he had a tendency to be contrary for no reason. But then he does this magical thing where he bulldozes through the resistance and without any qualms he accepts his mission and progresses straight into action. Yeah it takes him awhile to progress from I'm straight to I'm not gay but let's be friends-with-benefits to all the gooey and lovey stuff that makes it all wor ...more
Aug 05, 2017
Denise H.
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
drama,
favorites,
first-time,
healing-comfort,
contemporary,
erotic,
military,
gfy,
m-m-romance,
m-m-sex
*** I loved everything about this book. *** The guys are awesome, the story is fabulous and there's lots of hot sexiness.
Marine Gunnery Sergeant, Gabe, 29, is stationed near San Diego.
Jake, 25, is an Airline Steward, who has dealt with his Mom's cancer while Gabe was overseas.
Now, Jake is picking up Gabe from his flight. Gabe's come home and he and best friend Jake , can hang out and catch up. Gabe's feelings for Jake are changing and he becomes possessive and jealous. He's trying to figure o ...more
Marine Gunnery Sergeant, Gabe, 29, is stationed near San Diego.
Jake, 25, is an Airline Steward, who has dealt with his Mom's cancer while Gabe was overseas.
Now, Jake is picking up Gabe from his flight. Gabe's come home and he and best friend Jake , can hang out and catch up. Gabe's feelings for Jake are changing and he becomes possessive and jealous. He's trying to figure o ...more
He step's up. They are sizzling and have super hot sexiness, with Gabe's first times with M/M sex.
~4.5 Stars~
Loved!! Such a feel good book, it was exactly what needed after a stressful week...it was like being tucked in with a warm blanket.
Loved!! Such a feel good book, it was exactly what needed after a stressful week...it was like being tucked in with a warm blanket.
Pretty much exactly what I expected and exactly what I wanted from this book.
Just from the initial meet up of Gabe and Jake in Be Loved I knew I had to have their story.
And what a perfect story it was.
It's getting five stars just because.
Now I am off to look up books from all the aliases. I loved the note at the end. Thank you! ...more
Just from the initial meet up of Gabe and Jake in Be Loved I knew I had to have their story.
And what a perfect story it was.
It's getting five stars just because.
Now I am off to look up books from all the aliases. I loved the note at the end. Thank you! ...more
No, nope : didn’t work for me at all. The blurb sounded good and there were good reviews…but for me, it was just too sugary, eye-rolling and with MCs that felt more like teenagers than adults.
And the nail in the coffin : public declaration of love and wedding proposal: that’s a huge deal-breaker for me !
And the nail in the coffin : public declaration of love and wedding proposal: that’s a huge deal-breaker for me !
I can be short about this.
I luuvved this. I loved Jake, Jakey. I loved Gabe calling him Petal all the time. Well okay, it took Gabe some time to get his head out of his ass. But I was in love with this couple.
Did I mention I loved the Petal part? It sure makes me wanna read all of this author's stuff. So, All I want, here I come....
Recommended if you're looking for something fluffy for a Saturday - reading!!! ...more
I luuvved this. I loved Jake, Jakey. I loved Gabe calling him Petal all the time. Well okay, it took Gabe some time to get his head out of his ass. But I was in love with this couple.
Did I mention I loved the Petal part? It sure makes me wanna read all of this author's stuff. So, All I want, here I come....
Recommended if you're looking for something fluffy for a Saturday - reading!!! ...more
----Spoilers ahead---
The only reason I'm giving this 3 stars is because I really loved the last 25%. The rest frustrated me to no end.
This book had several of my major pet peeves. :(
- A commitment-phobe
- A GFY theme with an oblivious MC
- No communication/honesty between the MCs
It started out pretty good with Jake and Gabe being very close friends. I liked how Gabe treated Jake like a loved without him even knowing this. But.... I can only take so much obliviousness.
When Gabe had his big AHA mome ...more
The only reason I'm giving this 3 stars is because I really loved the last 25%. The rest frustrated me to no end.
This book had several of my major pet peeves. :(
- A commitment-phobe
- A GFY theme with an oblivious MC
- No communication/honesty between the MCs
It started out pretty good with Jake and Gabe being very close friends. I liked how Gabe treated Jake like a loved without him even knowing this. But.... I can only take so much obliviousness.
When Gabe had his big AHA mome ...more
If you want something sappy, cute, sweet and uncomplicated you should read this one ASAP!
Friends to lovers story with low angst, some steam and the corniest nicknames ever! I can’t complain much about it because couples tend to be weird with nicknames thing and though “Petal” made me cringe, I couldn’t stop loving Gabe because he’s such a sweetheart. The sappiness really suited the story. And Jake was so funny; I totally get his weakness of not being able to say “No” to his sweetheart.
I do ...more
Friends to lovers story with low angst, some steam and the corniest nicknames ever! I can’t complain much about it because couples tend to be weird with nicknames thing and though “Petal” made me cringe, I couldn’t stop loving Gabe because he’s such a sweetheart. The sappiness really suited the story. And Jake was so funny; I totally get his weakness of not being able to say “No” to his sweetheart.
I do ...more
This was great! It was a late in life bisexual realization, although from what we saw, I don't know what took so long. I loved that the inner conflict wasn't wanting a man, or even wanting a friend, but falling in love, and even that wasn't a big hurdle for Gabe. This was really just a very low angst, friends to lovers story, a perfect feel good pick me up.
4.0 Stars
I picked this book originally because, well, that cover. Hot. Also, with the dog tags and series title I knew I was getting a Marine. Yum. And, well, once again I've managed to stumble onto something I ended up really liking!
Sure, some of it is hella cheesy and OTT...not to mention that ridiculously romantic epilogue. You know what? I don't care. I had fun reading this. I also loved that there really was little angst once Gabe realized he wanted to be more than just friends with Jake. I ...more
I picked this book originally because, well, that cover. Hot. Also, with the dog tags and series title I knew I was getting a Marine. Yum. And, well, once again I've managed to stumble onto something I ended up really liking!
Sure, some of it is hella cheesy and OTT...not to mention that ridiculously romantic epilogue. You know what? I don't care. I had fun reading this. I also loved that there really was little angst once Gabe realized he wanted to be more than just friends with Jake. I ...more
Sweet as spun sugar and a real pick me up tonic
This book is just candy kisses, spun sugar sweet and you know what, sometimes that's all I want to read.
This spin off from the BeLoved a series is a delight as Brandon's older brother Gabe gets his flirt on with Jake, the cute flight attendant from the first two books.
Gabe was clueless, his total lack of awareness that what he felt for Jake was more than just long term friendship had me smiling throughout this book.
Gabe was also hot as Hell and let' ...more
This book is just candy kisses, spun sugar sweet and you know what, sometimes that's all I want to read.
This spin off from the BeLoved a series is a delight as Brandon's older brother Gabe gets his flirt on with Jake, the cute flight attendant from the first two books.
Gabe was clueless, his total lack of awareness that what he felt for Jake was more than just long term friendship had me smiling throughout this book.
Gabe was also hot as Hell and let' ...more
Be still my beating heart! That epilogue was everything ooey, gooey and sweet.
Accidental re-read verdict: Just as delightful as the first time.
Accidental re-read verdict: Just as delightful as the first time.
OK... first off I love the Beloved series as wellas the Standalone "All I Want". Stella Starling, whether writing as the two author combo or with just Aubrey writing as in this book arebeyond awesome. This latest book is a complete joy to read, though be warned the last 25% of the book may well have you in tears throughout it you are anything like myself. Gabe and Jake are beyond perfect as a couple even if it does take Gabe a bit longer to figure that out than for Jake. The characters in this b
...more
I don't really know what to say, here.
This was not a bad book. And I hate to do this, but this review is heavily colored by what came before. This book is connected to All I Want and the series surrounding bLoved.
I binge-read all of the Stella Starling books this weekend, and here's my problem. Ever read yaoi? No? That's probably fine. There are some good ones, but man most of it is so so so so bad. My biggest problem with it... well no. My biggest problem with yaoi is that so many of them are d ...more
This was not a bad book. And I hate to do this, but this review is heavily colored by what came before. This book is connected to All I Want and the series surrounding bLoved.
I binge-read all of the Stella Starling books this weekend, and here's my problem. Ever read yaoi? No? That's probably fine. There are some good ones, but man most of it is so so so so bad. My biggest problem with it... well no. My biggest problem with yaoi is that so many of them are d ...more
A really sweet friends with bennies story turns into true love at last, ahhh!! Gabe finally gets his lightbulb moment and discovers that his best friend Jake is all he needs to make him happy. Not many of these falling for your straight best friend stories seem to come true in RL, but glad to see [for Jake] that Gabe is following the Byrne tradition, and in it for the long haul. 4.25 stars from me.
Like the other Stella Starling book I read (The Boyfriend Game), this was sweet, sexy and all around delicious.
I was a bit annoyed by how oblivious Gabe was in the beginning “oh things are awkward after I danced with Jake, so let me date a girl to fix it.” What? and then when he realizes they both want each other, “let’s be friends with benefits”. Oh.My.God. I wanted to yell at him for the first half of the book.
But he was sweet and awesome, and Jake was the cutest. I loved these two together, ...more
I was a bit annoyed by how oblivious Gabe was in the beginning “oh things are awkward after I danced with Jake, so let me date a girl to fix it.” What? and then when he realizes they both want each other, “let’s be friends with benefits”. Oh.My.God. I wanted to yell at him for the first half of the book.
But he was sweet and awesome, and Jake was the cutest. I loved these two together, ...more
Way too much internal dialogue for my liking but these two were meant to be. Yes, Gabe was thick as two bricks for most of this but his naivety/denial about his feelings for Jake was always firmly in the sweet zone. Fluffy, romantic and appropriately frustrating. Just not something I’ll reread.
*** 3.5 stars ***
From reading the sample, I expected this to be lightweight and silly -- the good, fun kind of silly. And it was, but the fun outweighs the silly in this friends-to-lovers bi-for-you story.
There were a number of too-familiar tropes/plot devices/what-have-you that I normally find tedious, primarily to do with miscommunication and health scares. Somehow the author managed to tweak those tropes just enough to subvert my expectations and keep me off-kilter, and that kept the story ...more
From reading the sample, I expected this to be lightweight and silly -- the good, fun kind of silly. And it was, but the fun outweighs the silly in this friends-to-lovers bi-for-you story.
There were a number of too-familiar tropes/plot devices/what-have-you that I normally find tedious, primarily to do with miscommunication and health scares. Somehow the author managed to tweak those tropes just enough to subvert my expectations and keep me off-kilter, and that kept the story ...more
3.75 stars.
This book started off amazing. I really liked the MCs, still do, but Gabe's denial and his sudden acceptance out of nowhere seemed unreal? Idk, the plot was good and the HEA was nice. Overall, I liked it.
PS. The appearance from Ty Byrne of the Dragon shifter series ("Blaze" by Wolf Spectre and Angel Knots) threw me off the loop. Like seriously, I didn't even realise it was the same Ty and Ivan coz of the different pen names and everything until I read the Author's note in the end. L ...more
This book started off amazing. I really liked the MCs, still do, but Gabe's denial and his sudden acceptance out of nowhere seemed unreal? Idk, the plot was good and the HEA was nice. Overall, I liked it.
PS. The appearance from Ty Byrne of the Dragon shifter series ("Blaze" by Wolf Spectre and Angel Knots) threw me off the loop. Like seriously, I didn't even realise it was the same Ty and Ivan coz of the different pen names and everything until I read the Author's note in the end. L ...more
4.5 stars -- If you love a romance that is both sweet and smoldering between simple but lovable characters in an uncomplicated plot that really allows for the romantic arc of the characters to be the star, give this one a try. It was just the sort of sexy, friends-with-benefits turned lovers, sometimes over-the-top, only-happy-tears mush-fest that I needed right now.
Note: I was a lot concerned that this was going to turn out to be a gay-for-you (GFY) story, a category of M/M that I am a little a ...more
Note: I was a lot concerned that this was going to turn out to be a gay-for-you (GFY) story, a category of M/M that I am a little a ...more
Second book by Stella Starling that I've read. While I really liked The Boyfriend Game, I didn't like this one as much. This could be a "It's me, not you!" situation, but I hate stories that feature guys that have sexual relationships with men but don't consider themselves gay. It feels demeaning, and hurtful and objectifying to me as a reader, so whenever I encounter that in stories, it becomes a huge turn-off for me, especially is that sort of delusional thinking occurs over an extended period
...more
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