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The Hot Cannolis #2
Hot Wings
The alpha meets his match.
Most macho of all the super-alpha Canali brothers and proud of it, Donny’s famous for his gorgeous face, his firefighter prowess, and for going through girls his family doesn’t approve of as fast as he changes jeans.
Donny’s biggest hero is his fire captain dad, until his life gets saved from the skies by fire pilot Dell Murphy.
Dell’s certain about most things. He’s been proud to be gay since he was ten, handled a helicopter in Afghanistan like it was part of his body, and can fly a fire bomber in the worst conflagration. And he’s absolutely certain that Donny Canali belongs to him.
Dell also knows how to show a lover he’s in charge.
Donny’s shocked to discover how much he’s turned on by dominant Dell, but Donny’s not gay. He’s not. He can’t be. It would break his father’s heart.
Leaving Dell will break Donny’s.
HOT WINGS is a battle of the alphas, hot firefighters, two crazy families, dominant lover, HEA romance with a helping of laughter and even more feels.
Most macho of all the super-alpha Canali brothers and proud of it, Donny’s famous for his gorgeous face, his firefighter prowess, and for going through girls his family doesn’t approve of as fast as he changes jeans.
Donny’s biggest hero is his fire captain dad, until his life gets saved from the skies by fire pilot Dell Murphy.
Dell’s certain about most things. He’s been proud to be gay since he was ten, handled a helicopter in Afghanistan like it was part of his body, and can fly a fire bomber in the worst conflagration. And he’s absolutely certain that Donny Canali belongs to him.
Dell also knows how to show a lover he’s in charge.
Donny’s shocked to discover how much he’s turned on by dominant Dell, but Donny’s not gay. He’s not. He can’t be. It would break his father’s heart.
Leaving Dell will break Donny’s.
HOT WINGS is a battle of the alphas, hot firefighters, two crazy families, dominant lover, HEA romance with a helping of laughter and even more feels.
324 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 29, 2022
195 people are currently reading
714 people want to read
About the author
Eli Easton
83 books2,806 followersHaving been, at various times and under different names, a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, the author of paranormal mysteries, a game designer, an organic farmer, an avid hiker, and a profound sleeper, Eli is happily embarking on yet another incarnation as a m/m romance author.
As an addicted reader of such, she is tinkled pink when an author manages to combine literary merit, vast stores of humor, melting hotness and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, three bulldogs, three cows and six chickens. All of them (except for the husband) are female, hence explaining the naked men that have taken up residence in her latest fiction writing.
Her website in www.elieaston.com
You can email her at eli@elieaston.com
COMING SOON:
See what's in the pipeline here: http://elieaston.com/work-in-progress/
As an addicted reader of such, she is tinkled pink when an author manages to combine literary merit, vast stores of humor, melting hotness and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, three bulldogs, three cows and six chickens. All of them (except for the husband) are female, hence explaining the naked men that have taken up residence in her latest fiction writing.
Her website in www.elieaston.com
You can email her at eli@elieaston.com
COMING SOON:
See what's in the pipeline here: http://elieaston.com/work-in-progress/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 273 reviews
April 11, 2022
no❤️
August 20, 2023
This was ok, I guess. It pretty much follows the same pattern as book 1, so I found it very predictable.
The family still plays a big role in the story, though in this one we have two families. Again, the first time you meet Mrs Canali, you get invited to a family dinner and she adopts you, together with the rest of your family. The female members of the Canali clan are still in the kitchen, together with Shane and Mike, while the male members are still sitting in front of a TV watching sports.
As for the romance between Donny and Dell, I have to say that I wasn't convinced. The way Donny fell for Dell was too soon and too unbelievable. The beginning of their relationship was purely physical. There was some development along the way, but everything seemed to happen off page. There was an obligatory break-up scene, followed by a crisis situation that brings them back together, followed by an obligatory s*x scene - which was oddly placed considering what they went through before and what was still going on.
I don't think I liked either of the MCs that much. I didn't appreciate what Donny did in regards to Beth. I didn't like how he was outed in front of everyone, which also made me dislike Dell's mum. I think the only time I really liked Donny was when he went bowling with his dad. It was one of the rare times when he felt like a real person to me.
The family still plays a big role in the story, though in this one we have two families. Again, the first time you meet Mrs Canali, you get invited to a family dinner and she adopts you, together with the rest of your family. The female members of the Canali clan are still in the kitchen, together with Shane and Mike, while the male members are still sitting in front of a TV watching sports.
As for the romance between Donny and Dell, I have to say that I wasn't convinced. The way Donny fell for Dell was too soon and too unbelievable. The beginning of their relationship was purely physical. There was some development along the way, but everything seemed to happen off page. There was an obligatory break-up scene, followed by a crisis situation that brings them back together, followed by an obligatory s*x scene - which was oddly placed considering what they went through before and what was still going on.
I don't think I liked either of the MCs that much. I didn't appreciate what Donny did in regards to Beth. I didn't like how he was outed in front of everyone, which also made me dislike Dell's mum. I think the only time I really liked Donny was when he went bowling with his dad. It was one of the rare times when he felt like a real person to me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2022
~3.5~
When hotshot pilot Dell Murphy and macho firefighter Donny Canali meet, sparks fly. The way Donny looks at Dell makes Dell want to push Donny to his knees and make him submit.
Unfortunately, things turn sour when the two share a passionate kiss that has Donny running for the hills.
Because. Donny. IS. NOT. GAY.
Obviously.
What I liked:
- Two alpha males getting it on (the way Donny let go for Dell was beautiful).
- Dell talking at least a little bit of sense into Chief Canali. Donny's dad will never understand, but he's at least trying, which is more than I can say for Gabe.
- Gala, Dell's awesome sister.
- The fire/rescue sequence toward the end, which was exciting and emotional.
- Donny being brave at the end.
What I didn't:
- Donny's actions at Gabe's wedding. It's one thing to come out on your own terms and a whole other to pretend date a woman, leading her on, when you have a boyfriend (albeit a secret one).
- Dell's mom. I couldn't stand that woman. She drags her daughter down, mooches off her son, and outs people without permission.
I hate to say it, but she's the kind of "eccentric" female character Tara Lain tends to write. I think we're supposed to find her funny, but I found her to be annoying and selfish.
When hotshot pilot Dell Murphy and macho firefighter Donny Canali meet, sparks fly. The way Donny looks at Dell makes Dell want to push Donny to his knees and make him submit.
Unfortunately, things turn sour when the two share a passionate kiss that has Donny running for the hills.
Because. Donny. IS. NOT. GAY.
Obviously.
What I liked:
- Two alpha males getting it on (the way Donny let go for Dell was beautiful).
- Dell talking at least a little bit of sense into Chief Canali. Donny's dad will never understand, but he's at least trying, which is more than I can say for Gabe.
- Gala, Dell's awesome sister.
- The fire/rescue sequence toward the end, which was exciting and emotional.
- Donny being brave at the end.
What I didn't:
- Donny's actions at Gabe's wedding. It's one thing to come out on your own terms and a whole other to pretend date a woman, leading her on, when you have a boyfriend (albeit a secret one).
- Dell's mom. I couldn't stand that woman. She drags her daughter down, mooches off her son, and outs people without permission.
I hate to say it, but she's the kind of "eccentric" female character Tara Lain tends to write. I think we're supposed to find her funny, but I found her to be annoying and selfish.
April 12, 2022
3.5 Stars
I have some serious love-hate vibes going on with this series. It’s very perplexing—especially when it comes time to land on a rating that adequately expresses my experience, which includes many positives, as well as many notable negatives.
In this sequel, I found myself loving fire pilot Dell Murphy and firefighter hot-shot Donny Canali— perhaps more than expected, after my rocky reactions to Donny’s character in book one (Hot Seat). I found myself liking Donny and Dell’s alpha-alpha dynamic and the instant connection they spawned, and how that connection shocked and reshaped Donny’s worldview. I especially liked how Donny came to recognise some of his internalised needs and wants, which he didn’t truly realise he had until he met alpha-hunk Dell.
For the most part, these two were a good match and I liked (the majority of) their scenes together.
What I still struggle with in this series is the rampant homophobia and toxic masculinity, displayed predominantly through Donny’s macho father, the fire Chief, and his oldest douche-bro cop brother, Gabe. These characters and the negative impact they had on my enjoyment as a reader was slightly less intense than in book one, I’ll admit—as was the slightly less annoying presence of the overwhelming Cannolis family as a whole—but, even so, I find these characters and their rage-inducing attitudes simply unbearable, and at this point in the series, I’d be glad if we never had to see/hear about either of these two intolerant males again, which seems like a lost hope, considering there are still two more planned books.
The in-the-closet drama is HIGH in this series, no doubt, and I guess that’s not particularly a bad thing for many who enjoy a good dose of angst in their romance reads. But, I think, for me personally, I’m past the point in my almost decade worth of M/M reading where I enjoy or appreciate this kind of storyline to the degree I may have done early in my experiences. The emotions are high and the circumstances are relatable (to a degree), but I’m also just in a place in my own life (as many of us are, I’m sure) where I’m so sick and run-down (mentally and emotionally) by the rampant hate and bigotry spewed by so many, that it simply exhausts me to deal with such backwards human behaviour in my reading life on top of reality.
So, in conclusion, I liked Dell and Donny’s love story for them and their relationship, but all the external stuff continued to dampen my enjoyment, much like it did in book one, only slightly less so.
I have some serious love-hate vibes going on with this series. It’s very perplexing—especially when it comes time to land on a rating that adequately expresses my experience, which includes many positives, as well as many notable negatives.
In this sequel, I found myself loving fire pilot Dell Murphy and firefighter hot-shot Donny Canali— perhaps more than expected, after my rocky reactions to Donny’s character in book one (Hot Seat). I found myself liking Donny and Dell’s alpha-alpha dynamic and the instant connection they spawned, and how that connection shocked and reshaped Donny’s worldview. I especially liked how Donny came to recognise some of his internalised needs and wants, which he didn’t truly realise he had until he met alpha-hunk Dell.
For the most part, these two were a good match and I liked (the majority of) their scenes together.
What I still struggle with in this series is the rampant homophobia and toxic masculinity, displayed predominantly through Donny’s macho father, the fire Chief, and his oldest douche-bro cop brother, Gabe. These characters and the negative impact they had on my enjoyment as a reader was slightly less intense than in book one, I’ll admit—as was the slightly less annoying presence of the overwhelming Cannolis family as a whole—but, even so, I find these characters and their rage-inducing attitudes simply unbearable, and at this point in the series, I’d be glad if we never had to see/hear about either of these two intolerant males again, which seems like a lost hope, considering there are still two more planned books.
The in-the-closet drama is HIGH in this series, no doubt, and I guess that’s not particularly a bad thing for many who enjoy a good dose of angst in their romance reads. But, I think, for me personally, I’m past the point in my almost decade worth of M/M reading where I enjoy or appreciate this kind of storyline to the degree I may have done early in my experiences. The emotions are high and the circumstances are relatable (to a degree), but I’m also just in a place in my own life (as many of us are, I’m sure) where I’m so sick and run-down (mentally and emotionally) by the rampant hate and bigotry spewed by so many, that it simply exhausts me to deal with such backwards human behaviour in my reading life on top of reality.
So, in conclusion, I liked Dell and Donny’s love story for them and their relationship, but all the external stuff continued to dampen my enjoyment, much like it did in book one, only slightly less so.
April 3, 2022
It wasn’t perfect but overall, an enjoyable, albeit predictable read!
April 3, 2022
this is closer to 4 stars than the first book was for me. I have uni, in 15 mins so let’s make this quick😇
-Was this good? Yes. At least for me but I could see why some wouldn’t have enjoyed it, I went in with very low expectations but the blurb was just too good to ignore.
-I would’ve liked It better if we got more scenes of Donny tapping into his submissive half, I genuinely liked seeing that small glimpse of him but it felt like a tease because nothing came out of it.
-I liked that this didn’t have nearly as much of the meddling families; just enough to make it sweet
-I did actually like both the characters, Donny and Dell had their moments in the book and I feel like we got a few good scenes were we read about how their feelings developed.
-I did think that they got attached pretty quickly? Maybe it’s infatuation but they seemed pretty taken with each other early on the book.
But beside that, this book was actually fun to read. I liked that the dad spoke to Dell about the issues he was facing with understanding the fact about them being gay. Though, it didn’t make a huge impact it was definitely a step in a good direction.
-Was this good? Yes. At least for me but I could see why some wouldn’t have enjoyed it, I went in with very low expectations but the blurb was just too good to ignore.
-I would’ve liked It better if we got more scenes of Donny tapping into his submissive half, I genuinely liked seeing that small glimpse of him but it felt like a tease because nothing came out of it.
-I liked that this didn’t have nearly as much of the meddling families; just enough to make it sweet
-I did actually like both the characters, Donny and Dell had their moments in the book and I feel like we got a few good scenes were we read about how their feelings developed.
-I did think that they got attached pretty quickly? Maybe it’s infatuation but they seemed pretty taken with each other early on the book.
But beside that, this book was actually fun to read. I liked that the dad spoke to Dell about the issues he was facing with understanding the fact about them being gay. Though, it didn’t make a huge impact it was definitely a step in a good direction.
January 7, 2023
Os momentos desse livro é igual aquele meme do... QUEIMA GENGARAL.. YHAAAA😂😂😂😂😂 Adorei as tretas dessa história, Donny era tão homofóbico no primeiro livro ( só precisava de um macho certo para despertar sua bissexualidade). Isso de ficar dando explicações para todos sobre sua sexualidade não acontece com os chatos dos heteros ( sim, sou heterofóbica) esses malas de mente pequena não precisam ficar se explicando. Agora vem os evoluídos e felizes sexualmente e devem se explicar para esses heteros chatos.. Aff nunca vou entender essa porra. Para mim, pouco importa o que heteros de mente pequena acham da minha bissexualidade. Ri bastante com esse livro e dei nota 5 pq simplesmente amei Dell e sua família e tbm adoro ver heteros aborrecidos 😂 Se heteros choram eu estou sorrindo 🙏👌😁
March 15, 2022
It takes a lot to turn around a homophobic character and make them into someone who you can find sympathy for but with Donny Canali, his journey was both heart-felt and hard fought.
From the moment he stood up for his younger brother Mike when he realised that keeping his sexuality a secret was taking such a toll on the trainee firefighter, Donny has been struggling with how his previous homophobic behaviour has hurt people.
When he's knocked for six by what he thinks is hero worship for former Army pilot and now fire bomber Dell Murphy, it takes some time for him to realise what he's also feeling is a powerful attraction to the self-described alpha male
And Donny fights it, he does his best to fight it because, like Mike, he's been brought up in family of men's men who serve either as cops or firefighters, who are strong-willed and opinionated - and also old-fashioned and ignorant - in their views about masculinity.
Dell, on the other hand, is out and proud and has never sought to hide his sexuality, instead going to the max to show that who he prefers in bed has nothing to do with how he either flew helicopter missions in Afghanistan or how he now uses those skills to rescue trapped firefighters.
He also has a complicated family life. After moving when he took up his new role, Dell's strong willed but flighty mother is struggling to let his younger half-sister regain her independence after a bout with cancer and Dell's having to take care of them too.
The more time the two men spend together as friends, the more complicated their feelings become and, eventually it becomes clear that Donny wants to submit to Dell's powerful personality but is frightened of how it might change peoples' perceptions of him.
I really felt for Donny throughout this. He's 25 but sometimes comes across as younger, he's in a high-pressure role as a firefighter where his dad Angelo's not only in charge as a senior Fire Captain but as the role model who Donny's always looked up to. He sees his dad struggling with Mike's coming out and is afraid of what his feelings for Dell might do to their relationship.
There were many times when I wanted to just give Donny and shake and tell him that his happiness was the only thing worth worrying about but I also totally understood how his fears were overwhelming given the previous experience he'd seen with Mike.
When things reach a critical level, I totally understood why Donny got himself caught up in a web of lies and I was pleased Dell didn't stand for it. My heart hurt for Dell, who had found himself falling for Donny despite the complications.
Donny's journey is both confusing for him, as he realises not only is he bisexual but that he also doesn't want to be the dominant partner in bed, it also has wider implications for his job and his relationship with his father.
I definitely preferred this to book one as I felt the distinction of what type of story was being told was much clearer. It's not a romcom style of story, but there is humour which breaks up the more serious moments.
This narrative skirts a tight line between the light-hearted joking of the Canali family and their extended relatives and the harshness of a sexual awakening journey which is painful not only to the men going through it but also further complicated by the situation they're in.
I am intrigued as to what comes next. A few obvious hints were given in this book which I won't spoil but I know what I'd like to see next!
#ARC kindly received from the authors in return for an honest and unbiased review
From the moment he stood up for his younger brother Mike when he realised that keeping his sexuality a secret was taking such a toll on the trainee firefighter, Donny has been struggling with how his previous homophobic behaviour has hurt people.
When he's knocked for six by what he thinks is hero worship for former Army pilot and now fire bomber Dell Murphy, it takes some time for him to realise what he's also feeling is a powerful attraction to the self-described alpha male
And Donny fights it, he does his best to fight it because, like Mike, he's been brought up in family of men's men who serve either as cops or firefighters, who are strong-willed and opinionated - and also old-fashioned and ignorant - in their views about masculinity.
Dell, on the other hand, is out and proud and has never sought to hide his sexuality, instead going to the max to show that who he prefers in bed has nothing to do with how he either flew helicopter missions in Afghanistan or how he now uses those skills to rescue trapped firefighters.
He also has a complicated family life. After moving when he took up his new role, Dell's strong willed but flighty mother is struggling to let his younger half-sister regain her independence after a bout with cancer and Dell's having to take care of them too.
The more time the two men spend together as friends, the more complicated their feelings become and, eventually it becomes clear that Donny wants to submit to Dell's powerful personality but is frightened of how it might change peoples' perceptions of him.
I really felt for Donny throughout this. He's 25 but sometimes comes across as younger, he's in a high-pressure role as a firefighter where his dad Angelo's not only in charge as a senior Fire Captain but as the role model who Donny's always looked up to. He sees his dad struggling with Mike's coming out and is afraid of what his feelings for Dell might do to their relationship.
There were many times when I wanted to just give Donny and shake and tell him that his happiness was the only thing worth worrying about but I also totally understood how his fears were overwhelming given the previous experience he'd seen with Mike.
When things reach a critical level, I totally understood why Donny got himself caught up in a web of lies and I was pleased Dell didn't stand for it. My heart hurt for Dell, who had found himself falling for Donny despite the complications.
Donny's journey is both confusing for him, as he realises not only is he bisexual but that he also doesn't want to be the dominant partner in bed, it also has wider implications for his job and his relationship with his father.
I definitely preferred this to book one as I felt the distinction of what type of story was being told was much clearer. It's not a romcom style of story, but there is humour which breaks up the more serious moments.
This narrative skirts a tight line between the light-hearted joking of the Canali family and their extended relatives and the harshness of a sexual awakening journey which is painful not only to the men going through it but also further complicated by the situation they're in.
I am intrigued as to what comes next. A few obvious hints were given in this book which I won't spoil but I know what I'd like to see next!
#ARC kindly received from the authors in return for an honest and unbiased review
March 30, 2022
Oh man, I was primed to love this one based on the summary alone, but I went into it with trepidation based on my feelings about book 1, and sadly, it was warranted. :(
I really think Tara Lain is to blame for this--I adore Eli Easton's writing, and it felt pretty clear to me which scenes and POVs were the weak links here in terms of writing. I'm not sure what it is, but something about the way Lain writes sex or sort of chemistry/sex-related stuff is almost squicky for me. We're just not a good match I don't think. I'm fairly certain she was responsible for most/all of Dell's POV, and I felt like he came off quite a bit younger than he was supposed to be, and just generally I didn't enjoy his POV nearly as much as Donny's. There was also another food-related smut scene--this one involved slathering a savory tahini dip over a dick before a blow job, and had me skimming in vague disgust.
Beyond that, I didn't totally feel like the authors did enough here to redeem Donny's homophobia in the previous books and it felt like an odd choice to me to have had him go so hard on that because I felt like it was just sort of handwaved away as 'he's changed'. And, granted we see *zero* evidence that he was ever a homophobic prick in this book at all beyond a few vague mentions, and it was just odd coming from the last book TBH.
Even the whole sexual dynamic, which is *right* up my alley and basically the only reason I picked up this book after the disappointing book 1, felt a little lacking. A lot of the ~big~ moments were off screen and mentioned after the fact, and I just found myself wanting more.
Also, and I know I'm gonna be in the minority here, but I'm actually really done with closeted/coming out narratives with ZERO fucking nuance or compassion for the fact that it's actually not always an easy thing to do and can have very real consequences. Donny's fear over the loss/changing of his familial relationships is a fucking valid and real fear, and the utter lack of compassion given to him via the authorial voice and character in the book just pissed me off, which was an issue I also had in book one. He and Dell start a fuck buddy situation that is made SUPER clear from the beginning. It's also clear that they have both begun to catch feelings, and that things have changed. All of that is fair. It's also fair for Dell to decide, based on those changed feelings, that he wants more or wants out. What's NOT okay is for Dell, a grown ass man, to act like Donny has betrayed him in any way because he's not ready to come out when he made that clear from the start. Also not okay is Dell's mom fucking OUTING DONNY in front of his entire family, and basically nobody getting pissed at her or telling her that is absolutely, unequivocally not okay behavior, not matter how "blunt" of a person you are. The fact that Dell didn't read her the riot act, even if he was hurt by Donny not coming out himself, made me frankly lose all respect for him.
Then we get the boring life-or-death situation with the firefighters and requisite love confession, followed by reading Donny come out to basically every single person he knows, which was OTT. Lots of mush, and just. UGH. This ticked SO many of my boxes and is (partially) written by an author I generally love and this should have been a slam dunk but it was a massive disappointment.
The ONLY reason I am even considering reading another book in this series, is because it was announced that the next two books will be written individually by Eli and Tara, so I might pick up the one by Eli and pray to the fucking gods it redeems this series. I really enjoyed her solo novella, so I'm hopeful!
I really think Tara Lain is to blame for this--I adore Eli Easton's writing, and it felt pretty clear to me which scenes and POVs were the weak links here in terms of writing. I'm not sure what it is, but something about the way Lain writes sex or sort of chemistry/sex-related stuff is almost squicky for me. We're just not a good match I don't think. I'm fairly certain she was responsible for most/all of Dell's POV, and I felt like he came off quite a bit younger than he was supposed to be, and just generally I didn't enjoy his POV nearly as much as Donny's. There was also another food-related smut scene--this one involved slathering a savory tahini dip over a dick before a blow job, and had me skimming in vague disgust.
Beyond that, I didn't totally feel like the authors did enough here to redeem Donny's homophobia in the previous books and it felt like an odd choice to me to have had him go so hard on that because I felt like it was just sort of handwaved away as 'he's changed'. And, granted we see *zero* evidence that he was ever a homophobic prick in this book at all beyond a few vague mentions, and it was just odd coming from the last book TBH.
Even the whole sexual dynamic, which is *right* up my alley and basically the only reason I picked up this book after the disappointing book 1, felt a little lacking. A lot of the ~big~ moments were off screen and mentioned after the fact, and I just found myself wanting more.
Also, and I know I'm gonna be in the minority here, but I'm actually really done with closeted/coming out narratives with ZERO fucking nuance or compassion for the fact that it's actually not always an easy thing to do and can have very real consequences. Donny's fear over the loss/changing of his familial relationships is a fucking valid and real fear, and the utter lack of compassion given to him via the authorial voice and character in the book just pissed me off, which was an issue I also had in book one. He and Dell start a fuck buddy situation that is made SUPER clear from the beginning. It's also clear that they have both begun to catch feelings, and that things have changed. All of that is fair. It's also fair for Dell to decide, based on those changed feelings, that he wants more or wants out. What's NOT okay is for Dell, a grown ass man, to act like Donny has betrayed him in any way because he's not ready to come out when he made that clear from the start. Also not okay is Dell's mom fucking OUTING DONNY in front of his entire family, and basically nobody getting pissed at her or telling her that is absolutely, unequivocally not okay behavior, not matter how "blunt" of a person you are. The fact that Dell didn't read her the riot act, even if he was hurt by Donny not coming out himself, made me frankly lose all respect for him.
Then we get the boring life-or-death situation with the firefighters and requisite love confession, followed by reading Donny come out to basically every single person he knows, which was OTT. Lots of mush, and just. UGH. This ticked SO many of my boxes and is (partially) written by an author I generally love and this should have been a slam dunk but it was a massive disappointment.
The ONLY reason I am even considering reading another book in this series, is because it was announced that the next two books will be written individually by Eli and Tara, so I might pick up the one by Eli and pray to the fucking gods it redeems this series. I really enjoyed her solo novella, so I'm hopeful!
March 16, 2022
I loved the first book in the series - Hot Seat - even though it seems like a lot of folks felt differently. There was a lot that got me in the feels. In contrast, Hot Wings (Book #2) was more of a 2.5-3 star read for me. It took me a while to really get into the story as the beginning was a tad slow.
In the first book we see Donny largely as an anti-gay character who put a lot of stock in being an “alpha male” but who turns a new leaf after seeing how much pain his younger brother was going through being stuck in the closet. So I was excited to see how much more he would grow into his true self in his own book. I was also excited to see how the entire Canali family would change with this new development. But I think perhaps my expectations were too high and so the book fell a bit short for me.
Things I loved -
- Dell. I adored Dell. I loved how accomplished he was, how tough he was in a professional capacity, but how soft he was as a son and a brother, and as a friend. No alpha-fricking-male can hold a candle to him. He is so much more man than all the Canalis put together. I wish we had gotten to know more of his military life & his younger self. How he grew to be so confident and unafraid, true to himself.
- Gala and Mam - I loved these two sassy women. I was glad to see Gala bouncing back from her sickness and finding purpose, I fist-pumped when Mam went all Mama Bear for Dell. Love ‘em. Eli & Tara write great supporting female characters.
- Ty - I wish we could have seen more of him. He was a great character. A good friend. A good listener. A chill, laidback dude.
- Donny and Dell - it was clear that Dell was good for Donny (though for a large part of the book I didn’t feel that Donny was good for him), and once Donny found his balls, he did good. Real good. Until then I didn’t really like him. I got that he was the middle kid and wanted desperately to be loved and respected by his father. But he was immature and a coward and that wedding fiasco really made me want to smack him. Thanks to Uncle Ricky, he found his courage. But it took me a bit to root for him. Their romance however was sweet and their smexy times were hot.
- Uncle Ricky - I am intrigued by him. And thank God he finally decided to come out and speak up! Why didn’t he say anything in the first book? No matter how private he liked to keep his life, that’s not a good excuse!
Things that I did not enjoy as much -
- Hot Wings in particular was a bit heavy on the toxic masculinity and homophobia, it bummed me out a bit. We hear the term alpha male so many times in relation to the Canali men, and I was like: Alright! I get it already. It’s not anything to be so proud of! I felt like that idea was emphasized too much.
- I adored Shane in Book 1 and I had hoped we would see Mike and Shane as dependable allies in this book, but in all their original glory. But their appearances felt watered down and one dimensional. Shane was such a vibrant character in his book. In here he and Mike always seemed to be stuck in the kitchen (why?!) helping the women or on the fringes of the Canali family dynamics because of their “gayness” or something. There seemed to have been no real growth in the family with their coming out and becoming a couple. That was disappointing.
- I really can’t stand Gabe. He’s such a horrible, toxic character. I didn’t like Chief Canali either. I don’t think either of them can redeem themselves in my eyes. Chief Canali was such a disappointment. His rigid narrow-mindedness, the way he now considered Mike, the pressure he puts on his sons to be “alpha blah male,” how thankful he was that they only had one “gay” in the family… all of it made me cringe. I thought with Mike’s suicide attempt, he (and Gabe) would really try their best to change. But the Chief’s attempts weren’t good enough imo. Gabe is delusional, lemme tell ya.
- I missed the strong presence of the Canali women in this book that we had in the first book. They were there by really watered down from their book 1 selves.
All in all, Hot Wings was a decent read. I am still excited about the series and looking forward to the next book.
I am still holding out hope that the Canali family will be more accepting and humble and open in the next book. :)
(Thank you to Eli Easton & Tara Lain, and GRR for the arc of Hot Wings in return for an honest review!)
In the first book we see Donny largely as an anti-gay character who put a lot of stock in being an “alpha male” but who turns a new leaf after seeing how much pain his younger brother was going through being stuck in the closet. So I was excited to see how much more he would grow into his true self in his own book. I was also excited to see how the entire Canali family would change with this new development. But I think perhaps my expectations were too high and so the book fell a bit short for me.
Things I loved -
- Dell. I adored Dell. I loved how accomplished he was, how tough he was in a professional capacity, but how soft he was as a son and a brother, and as a friend. No alpha-fricking-male can hold a candle to him. He is so much more man than all the Canalis put together. I wish we had gotten to know more of his military life & his younger self. How he grew to be so confident and unafraid, true to himself.
- Gala and Mam - I loved these two sassy women. I was glad to see Gala bouncing back from her sickness and finding purpose, I fist-pumped when Mam went all Mama Bear for Dell. Love ‘em. Eli & Tara write great supporting female characters.
- Ty - I wish we could have seen more of him. He was a great character. A good friend. A good listener. A chill, laidback dude.
- Donny and Dell - it was clear that Dell was good for Donny (though for a large part of the book I didn’t feel that Donny was good for him), and once Donny found his balls, he did good. Real good. Until then I didn’t really like him. I got that he was the middle kid and wanted desperately to be loved and respected by his father. But he was immature and a coward and that wedding fiasco really made me want to smack him. Thanks to Uncle Ricky, he found his courage. But it took me a bit to root for him. Their romance however was sweet and their smexy times were hot.
- Uncle Ricky - I am intrigued by him. And thank God he finally decided to come out and speak up! Why didn’t he say anything in the first book? No matter how private he liked to keep his life, that’s not a good excuse!
Things that I did not enjoy as much -
- Hot Wings in particular was a bit heavy on the toxic masculinity and homophobia, it bummed me out a bit. We hear the term alpha male so many times in relation to the Canali men, and I was like: Alright! I get it already. It’s not anything to be so proud of! I felt like that idea was emphasized too much.
- I adored Shane in Book 1 and I had hoped we would see Mike and Shane as dependable allies in this book, but in all their original glory. But their appearances felt watered down and one dimensional. Shane was such a vibrant character in his book. In here he and Mike always seemed to be stuck in the kitchen (why?!) helping the women or on the fringes of the Canali family dynamics because of their “gayness” or something. There seemed to have been no real growth in the family with their coming out and becoming a couple. That was disappointing.
- I really can’t stand Gabe. He’s such a horrible, toxic character. I didn’t like Chief Canali either. I don’t think either of them can redeem themselves in my eyes. Chief Canali was such a disappointment. His rigid narrow-mindedness, the way he now considered Mike, the pressure he puts on his sons to be “alpha blah male,” how thankful he was that they only had one “gay” in the family… all of it made me cringe. I thought with Mike’s suicide attempt, he (and Gabe) would really try their best to change. But the Chief’s attempts weren’t good enough imo. Gabe is delusional, lemme tell ya.
- I missed the strong presence of the Canali women in this book that we had in the first book. They were there by really watered down from their book 1 selves.
All in all, Hot Wings was a decent read. I am still excited about the series and looking forward to the next book.
I am still holding out hope that the Canali family will be more accepting and humble and open in the next book. :)
(Thank you to Eli Easton & Tara Lain, and GRR for the arc of Hot Wings in return for an honest review!)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2022
3.5 Stars
Overall Opinion: This was cute! I appreciated the fact that we get to experience Donny’s struggle. A lot of the time these GFY theme books tend to skip that and I feel like it is so unrealistic! That’s a pretty big change in self-identity and so I think at least some conflict is expected. I liked that they both were big macho men and that Donny also had to acknowledge that he had submissive tendencies as well. This book doesn’t get into major depth with that but it addressed it some. I like the idea of an alpha male submissive for some reason, so if anyone has any recommendations— please shoot them my way! My major gripes are the ending not giving me what I call a HEA and that we don’t get to really experience them as an outed couple (except for one family dinner). I also didn’t get emotional at all with these two when I felt like I was on an edge where I kept expecting to — but it just didn’t happen (if that makes sense 🙈).
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Donny and Dell’s story. Donny is chosen to go to a seminar that is put on by the pilot that saved him and his crew in a tough wildfire. He has a little bit of hero worship and Dell, and outed gay man, reads it as flirting and makes a move. Donny is horrified because he is straight, but he can’t seem to forget how Dell made him feel. There are some personal revelations, two crazy families, some drama, and some sexy times…and they get a HFN ending.
Point Of View (POV): This alternated between Donny and Dell’s POV.
Overall Pace of Story: Good. I never skimmed and I thought it flowed well.
Instalove: No. Instalust? Yes.
H1 (Hero #1) rating: 4 stars. Donny. I liked him but I definitely wanted to shake him at times! I understood his conflicts though.
H2 (Hero #2) rating: 4 stars. Dell. I liked him. I appreciated how comfortable with himself he was and how he cared for the H1 and his family.
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Good. They have some good tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: Yes
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: Yes, technically
Separation: Yes
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This ends in a good place with some pretty good closure and what I would call a HFN ending
Safety: This one should be either Safe with exception or Not Safe for most safety gang readers depending on personal preferences
Overall Opinion: This was cute! I appreciated the fact that we get to experience Donny’s struggle. A lot of the time these GFY theme books tend to skip that and I feel like it is so unrealistic! That’s a pretty big change in self-identity and so I think at least some conflict is expected. I liked that they both were big macho men and that Donny also had to acknowledge that he had submissive tendencies as well. This book doesn’t get into major depth with that but it addressed it some. I like the idea of an alpha male submissive for some reason, so if anyone has any recommendations— please shoot them my way! My major gripes are the ending not giving me what I call a HEA and that we don’t get to really experience them as an outed couple (except for one family dinner). I also didn’t get emotional at all with these two when I felt like I was on an edge where I kept expecting to — but it just didn’t happen (if that makes sense 🙈).
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Donny and Dell’s story. Donny is chosen to go to a seminar that is put on by the pilot that saved him and his crew in a tough wildfire. He has a little bit of hero worship and Dell, and outed gay man, reads it as flirting and makes a move. Donny is horrified because he is straight, but he can’t seem to forget how Dell made him feel. There are some personal revelations, two crazy families, some drama, and some sexy times…and they get a HFN ending.
Point Of View (POV): This alternated between Donny and Dell’s POV.
Overall Pace of Story: Good. I never skimmed and I thought it flowed well.
Instalove: No. Instalust? Yes.
H1 (Hero #1) rating: 4 stars. Donny. I liked him but I definitely wanted to shake him at times! I understood his conflicts though.
H2 (Hero #2) rating: 4 stars. Dell. I liked him. I appreciated how comfortable with himself he was and how he cared for the H1 and his family.
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Good. They have some good tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: Yes
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: Yes, technically
Separation: Yes
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This ends in a good place with some pretty good closure and what I would call a HFN ending
Safety: This one should be either Safe with exception or Not Safe for most safety gang readers depending on personal preferences
dnf
September 2, 2022DNF 25%
More closets, more homophobia, plus immaturity, absurdity, and childish behavior. I’m a huge fan of Eli Easton’s work and this did not feel like her story. This felt much more like a Tara Lain story. I enjoyed the prequel and first book in the series, but had to bow out of this one.
More closets, more homophobia, plus immaturity, absurdity, and childish behavior. I’m a huge fan of Eli Easton’s work and this did not feel like her story. This felt much more like a Tara Lain story. I enjoyed the prequel and first book in the series, but had to bow out of this one.
August 1, 2022
Wow.
In my humble opinion, Donny shouldn't have gotten his own book, but actually i'm surprised at how much I didn't hate it!
In my humble opinion, Donny shouldn't have gotten his own book, but actually i'm surprised at how much I didn't hate it!
Read
April 24, 2022No. No, no, no. Nope!
DNF. I made it to the wedding scene and just nope. Hell no.
DNF. I made it to the wedding scene and just nope. Hell no.
April 21, 2022
Overall a good and enjoyable second installment in this series.
Full RTC....
~*~
In this second installment, we get Donny's love story. Donny is Mike's older brother, who was probably the most homophobic behind his father and oldest brother. But at the end of the first book, we saw the revelation Donny had with what happened with Mike, and in this he has chilled out a lot.
For Donny, I think he was able to do kind of a 180 because of what he saw Mike go through, at the end of his book, and his talk with Shane, but also I think he's always had a part of him that is attracted to men too, he just didn't want to accept it and would have rather had his father's approval.
But now Mike is out and with Shane and he's living the life he wants, and I bet a part of Donny wants that too, he just doesn't realize it yet.
But that all changes when he meets Dell Murphy, the gay, out fire pilot who is 6'3" of delicious Irish hotty, who Donny can't help but hero worship...and more, although he's in denial about that part.
When he and Dell hang out some during a fire aviation weekend class that Dell is teaching, Dell gets strong "I'm interested" vibes from Donny and at one point kisses him. And Donny totally kisses back, but when he comes to his senses he freaks out a little and does the whole "i'm not gay" spiel and even tells Dell to stay away from him.
Which Dell does, it's just Donny himself that eventually can't stay away.
I did love their chemistry a lot. I thought they had great chemistry, which is why I was disappointed that we didn't get as much as sex as this could have had.
For Donny, who was just discovering his bisexuality and that he had a somewhat submissive kink...I thought we'd seem more of that.
Instead we only got two penetrative sex scenes and a few other non-penetrative ones and while they were properly steamy, they weren't steamy enough for me. I wanted more payoff for the wonderful chemistry these two had.
I loved their first mutual kiss, where Donny just kind of goes at Dell and practically climbs him like a tree. That was very hot to me, and I wish that had continued on with the sex scenes.
Which is a big portion of why I'm giving this a star off. Another portion is because this did take me a little more time to get into at first, it was just a little slow going for me. It picked up once Donny and Dell were really having scenes together, but at first it just took me awhile to get into.
So those aspects made me give a star off, but overall this was still a good, entertaining read, and I did enjoy Donny and Dell together, perhaps even more than Mike and Shane.
Although I give a lot of credit to Mike, because he did the hard work of coming out first in his family and being the trail blazer for it, and going through the most because of that.
But even Donny, who had a lot of internalized homophobia to unlearn, and to get past his father's disapproval, his coming out journey didn't feel as hard or angst-y as Mike's. It helped that he knew that he'd have the women in the family, and Mike on his side when he came out.
I think that allowed for a little more of Donny and Dell just being together. There was still, of course, Donny denying that it was serious between them and denying Dell at his oldest brother's wedding. So this wasn't free of that coming-out angst, it just felt like...less hard and angst-y overall.
I also liked the father's journey in this one. He still is pretty homophobic in this one, even with Mike being out, and he has grudging acceptance of Mike and Shane. But by the end of this one he felt like he'd made some strides towards letting go of his prejudices. It isn't perfect, but he felt at a better accepting place by the end of this than at the beginning.
The oldest brother is still a hold out, he made no progress, really. And I'm sure the father will still have moments, slip ups, but in the third book I hope he makes even more progress - which, I think might be about his brother, who came out to him as well in this one. I look forward Uncle Ricky's book.
So overall, a solid four star read from me, and definitely wroth a read if you enjoyed the first one. And this is also a good standalone if you don't wish to read the first one. You might miss out on some aspects of what happened in the first with Mike, but not too much.
Two thumbs up from me! And I'm excited that the next one will be written just be Eli Easton, I look forward to what she'll be able to do just on her own 😍
Full RTC....
~*~
In this second installment, we get Donny's love story. Donny is Mike's older brother, who was probably the most homophobic behind his father and oldest brother. But at the end of the first book, we saw the revelation Donny had with what happened with Mike, and in this he has chilled out a lot.
For Donny, I think he was able to do kind of a 180 because of what he saw Mike go through, at the end of his book, and his talk with Shane, but also I think he's always had a part of him that is attracted to men too, he just didn't want to accept it and would have rather had his father's approval.
But now Mike is out and with Shane and he's living the life he wants, and I bet a part of Donny wants that too, he just doesn't realize it yet.
But that all changes when he meets Dell Murphy, the gay, out fire pilot who is 6'3" of delicious Irish hotty, who Donny can't help but hero worship...and more, although he's in denial about that part.
When he and Dell hang out some during a fire aviation weekend class that Dell is teaching, Dell gets strong "I'm interested" vibes from Donny and at one point kisses him. And Donny totally kisses back, but when he comes to his senses he freaks out a little and does the whole "i'm not gay" spiel and even tells Dell to stay away from him.
Which Dell does, it's just Donny himself that eventually can't stay away.
I did love their chemistry a lot. I thought they had great chemistry, which is why I was disappointed that we didn't get as much as sex as this could have had.
For Donny, who was just discovering his bisexuality and that he had a somewhat submissive kink...I thought we'd seem more of that.
Instead we only got two penetrative sex scenes and a few other non-penetrative ones and while they were properly steamy, they weren't steamy enough for me. I wanted more payoff for the wonderful chemistry these two had.
I loved their first mutual kiss, where Donny just kind of goes at Dell and practically climbs him like a tree. That was very hot to me, and I wish that had continued on with the sex scenes.
Which is a big portion of why I'm giving this a star off. Another portion is because this did take me a little more time to get into at first, it was just a little slow going for me. It picked up once Donny and Dell were really having scenes together, but at first it just took me awhile to get into.
So those aspects made me give a star off, but overall this was still a good, entertaining read, and I did enjoy Donny and Dell together, perhaps even more than Mike and Shane.
Although I give a lot of credit to Mike, because he did the hard work of coming out first in his family and being the trail blazer for it, and going through the most because of that.
But even Donny, who had a lot of internalized homophobia to unlearn, and to get past his father's disapproval, his coming out journey didn't feel as hard or angst-y as Mike's. It helped that he knew that he'd have the women in the family, and Mike on his side when he came out.
I think that allowed for a little more of Donny and Dell just being together. There was still, of course, Donny denying that it was serious between them and denying Dell at his oldest brother's wedding. So this wasn't free of that coming-out angst, it just felt like...less hard and angst-y overall.
I also liked the father's journey in this one. He still is pretty homophobic in this one, even with Mike being out, and he has grudging acceptance of Mike and Shane. But by the end of this one he felt like he'd made some strides towards letting go of his prejudices. It isn't perfect, but he felt at a better accepting place by the end of this than at the beginning.
The oldest brother is still a hold out, he made no progress, really. And I'm sure the father will still have moments, slip ups, but in the third book I hope he makes even more progress - which, I think might be about his brother, who came out to him as well in this one. I look forward Uncle Ricky's book.
So overall, a solid four star read from me, and definitely wroth a read if you enjoyed the first one. And this is also a good standalone if you don't wish to read the first one. You might miss out on some aspects of what happened in the first with Mike, but not too much.
Two thumbs up from me! And I'm excited that the next one will be written just be Eli Easton, I look forward to what she'll be able to do just on her own 😍
April 18, 2022
3.5 stars
Sooooo this was way way way better than the first book. Donny and Dell are a great couple with good chemistry. The whole coming-out family issue was handled way better than in the first book.
Sooooo this was way way way better than the first book. Donny and Dell are a great couple with good chemistry. The whole coming-out family issue was handled way better than in the first book.
September 28, 2023
All the references to LOTR kept throwing me out of the story - I was picturing hobbits fighting fires but stopping for second breakfast 😂
July 20, 2022
I was looking for my next read when I stumbled upon the Hot Cannolis series by Eli Easton and Tara Lain. The first book in the series, Hot Seat was enjoyable but had me wanting more. I was thrilled when I saw the second book Hot Wings was ready and waiting for me to one click.
I loved the premise of the book and the authors delivered. This writing duo knocked this out of the park. They brought strong men, humor and love in this hard to put down read.
We met Donny in book one and he didn’t charm me initially. He was a player when it came to dating but he stood by his brother Mike when he found love with Shane. When Donny is rescued by Dell Murphy he forms an immediate, intense emotional connection. Dell Murphy has been in the service and a pilot for years. He’s also known he was gay since he was 10. He has an immediate connection with Donny only to find out Donny isn’t gay.
This unlikely duo has chemistry off the charts! I truly loved watching Donny grow from a player to falling for one man. There were parts that were a bit difficult to read as they struggled to share their relationship but in the end these two men worked on building a future.
Review copy provided for a voluntary review.
I loved the premise of the book and the authors delivered. This writing duo knocked this out of the park. They brought strong men, humor and love in this hard to put down read.
We met Donny in book one and he didn’t charm me initially. He was a player when it came to dating but he stood by his brother Mike when he found love with Shane. When Donny is rescued by Dell Murphy he forms an immediate, intense emotional connection. Dell Murphy has been in the service and a pilot for years. He’s also known he was gay since he was 10. He has an immediate connection with Donny only to find out Donny isn’t gay.
This unlikely duo has chemistry off the charts! I truly loved watching Donny grow from a player to falling for one man. There were parts that were a bit difficult to read as they struggled to share their relationship but in the end these two men worked on building a future.
Review copy provided for a voluntary review.
June 7, 2022
Toxic masculinity runs strong in the Canali men.
This 2nd book in the series tells the story of Donny Canali, older brother to Mike, and Dell Murphy, recent addition to Cal Fire as a pilot. Attraction is instant and lust burns hot, but Donny is deeply in the closet, because he's so not gay, of course. Except Dell pushes all his buttons, and maybe he's bisexual after all. Except, he cannot come out because Pa Canali already has one gay son, whom he basically tolerates only, and Donny doesn't want to disappoint his father.
While this is a romance, it certainly touches on how bad toxic masculinity is, and how it can fuck up a person's happiness.
But it is a romance, so we get our happy ending.
This 2nd book in the series tells the story of Donny Canali, older brother to Mike, and Dell Murphy, recent addition to Cal Fire as a pilot. Attraction is instant and lust burns hot, but Donny is deeply in the closet, because he's so not gay, of course. Except Dell pushes all his buttons, and maybe he's bisexual after all. Except, he cannot come out because Pa Canali already has one gay son, whom he basically tolerates only, and Donny doesn't want to disappoint his father.
While this is a romance, it certainly touches on how bad toxic masculinity is, and how it can fuck up a person's happiness.
But it is a romance, so we get our happy ending.
May 14, 2023
It was… just OK. 2.5 rounded up.
I was hoping for 2 manly men, and Dell definitely was. But Donny really isn’t. I didn’t like his selfish, cowardly ways for most of the book. He really hurt Dell. I get why he was selfish and cowardly but that didn’t mean I forgave him like Dell did…
I was hoping for 2 manly men, and Dell definitely was. But Donny really isn’t. I didn’t like his selfish, cowardly ways for most of the book. He really hurt Dell. I get why he was selfish and cowardly but that didn’t mean I forgave him like Dell did…
April 2, 2022
Super straight serial dater Donny Canali and his team of firefighters are saved by the new fire pilot when they find themselves caught in the middle of a fire. When Donny meets fire pilot Dell Murphy during an aviation liaison class, Dell mistakes Donny’s star-struck fan-boy behavior as sexual interest. Donny, straight and proud, does not appreciate Dell’s advance.
Back home Donny is mad, but he is not sure at who – Dell that he dared to kiss him, or himself, because he can not forget the kiss. Since the dad he admires and his older brother are border-lined homophobes, he decides to go the save route: do not even consider you could be turned on by another guy.
The story had a lot of feels and I enjoyed it despite being annoyed by Donny’s hypocritical behavior half the time. Meanwhile Dell was a bit of a shallow character. Super likeable, but somehow not very deep.
I still would rate it a 3.5 and almost rounded it up, but the second kiss in this story was so stupid – I’ll round it down. Well – better than the first book in the series that I did not even finish!
While authors Eli Easton and Tara Lain did not disclose who was writing which part of this collaborated story, I agree with fellow readers: most of Dell’s POV is most likely written by Tara Lain. If not, then I highly recommend Eli Easton to be exorcised of Tara Lain cooties!
Tara Lain is the queen of tasteless innuendos and sex scenes, and IMHO Eli Easton is not doing herself a favor with these co-authored books.
Some tit-bits from Dell’s rambling:
All Donny’s little whimpers and moans when he’d been up against the wall danced through my brain like an erotic playlist and my cock bobbed his head around and said howdy. Down, boy.
---------------
“Umf.” Donny snuffled against my chest a little east of my nipple and the thing sprang to attention. Other members of the team joined in.
---------------
I snaked a hand under the covers and found a satisfying display of Canali morning wood all ready for a little hammering. And I had the nail to do it.
---------------
I found out why real fast, because our thighs pressed together from hip to knee. How to have a boner bigger than the cucumber used in the magic salad!
Good news: rumor has it that the next one in the series will be an Eli Easton-only.
Humor: 2 stars
General writing style: 3 stars
Story line idea: 4 stars
Story line execution: 3 stars
Plot: 3 stars
Annoy factors: Tara Lain
R-rated content: several long descriptive scenes
Narration: 1st person POV alternating Donny & Dell, past tense
Main Location: California
Main protagonists: Donny Canali, 25, firefighter, straight (?); Dell Murphy, 31, fire pilot, openly gay
Back home Donny is mad, but he is not sure at who – Dell that he dared to kiss him, or himself, because he can not forget the kiss. Since the dad he admires and his older brother are border-lined homophobes, he decides to go the save route: do not even consider you could be turned on by another guy.
The story had a lot of feels and I enjoyed it despite being annoyed by Donny’s hypocritical behavior half the time. Meanwhile Dell was a bit of a shallow character. Super likeable, but somehow not very deep.
I still would rate it a 3.5 and almost rounded it up, but the second kiss in this story was so stupid – I’ll round it down. Well – better than the first book in the series that I did not even finish!
While authors Eli Easton and Tara Lain did not disclose who was writing which part of this collaborated story, I agree with fellow readers: most of Dell’s POV is most likely written by Tara Lain. If not, then I highly recommend Eli Easton to be exorcised of Tara Lain cooties!
Tara Lain is the queen of tasteless innuendos and sex scenes, and IMHO Eli Easton is not doing herself a favor with these co-authored books.
Some tit-bits from Dell’s rambling:
All Donny’s little whimpers and moans when he’d been up against the wall danced through my brain like an erotic playlist and my cock bobbed his head around and said howdy. Down, boy.
---------------
“Umf.” Donny snuffled against my chest a little east of my nipple and the thing sprang to attention. Other members of the team joined in.
---------------
I snaked a hand under the covers and found a satisfying display of Canali morning wood all ready for a little hammering. And I had the nail to do it.
---------------
I found out why real fast, because our thighs pressed together from hip to knee. How to have a boner bigger than the cucumber used in the magic salad!
Good news: rumor has it that the next one in the series will be an Eli Easton-only.
Humor: 2 stars
General writing style: 3 stars
Story line idea: 4 stars
Story line execution: 3 stars
Plot: 3 stars
Annoy factors: Tara Lain
R-rated content: several long descriptive scenes
Narration: 1st person POV alternating Donny & Dell, past tense
Main Location: California
Main protagonists: Donny Canali, 25, firefighter, straight (?); Dell Murphy, 31, fire pilot, openly gay
April 24, 2022
2+
Niestety, ta część była przeciętna do bólu. I rozczarowująca 😕
Donny był zdecydowanie bardziej niedojrzały niż jego młodszy brat z jedynki. Czasami miałam wrażenie, jakbym czytała o nastolatku, a nie o 25-letnim facecie. Zresztą sam związek głównych bohaterów był raczej fizyczny. Zostałam przekonana tylko w części, że było tam jeszcze jakieś uczucie. Nie kupiłam ich za bardzo jako pary, tak jak i oświecenia Donny'ego. Mike i Shane byli o wiele bardziej pod każdym względem przekonujący.
I jak w pierwszej części nagromadzenie stereotypów raczej mnie bawiło i nie miałam nic przeciwko nim, tak tutaj mnie cholernie zmęczyło. Jechało mi po nerwach jak dźwięk paznokci przesuwanych po tablicy. A już zwłaszcza matka i ojciec Canali. I jak do tego doda się jeszcze matkę Della, która była - delikatnie mówiąc ekscentryczna - żeby nie dodać, że momentami człowiek się zastanawiał, czy wszystkie klepki ma w porządku, to wszystkiego zrobiło się po prostu zbyt dużo. Książka nie była ani ważna, ani zabawna, ani zapadająca w jakikolwiek sposób w pamięć.
Zdecydowanie poniżej oczekiwań 😕
Niestety, ta część była przeciętna do bólu. I rozczarowująca 😕
Donny był zdecydowanie bardziej niedojrzały niż jego młodszy brat z jedynki. Czasami miałam wrażenie, jakbym czytała o nastolatku, a nie o 25-letnim facecie. Zresztą sam związek głównych bohaterów był raczej fizyczny. Zostałam przekonana tylko w części, że było tam jeszcze jakieś uczucie. Nie kupiłam ich za bardzo jako pary, tak jak i oświecenia Donny'ego. Mike i Shane byli o wiele bardziej pod każdym względem przekonujący.
I jak w pierwszej części nagromadzenie stereotypów raczej mnie bawiło i nie miałam nic przeciwko nim, tak tutaj mnie cholernie zmęczyło. Jechało mi po nerwach jak dźwięk paznokci przesuwanych po tablicy. A już zwłaszcza matka i ojciec Canali. I jak do tego doda się jeszcze matkę Della, która była - delikatnie mówiąc ekscentryczna - żeby nie dodać, że momentami człowiek się zastanawiał, czy wszystkie klepki ma w porządku, to wszystkiego zrobiło się po prostu zbyt dużo. Książka nie była ani ważna, ani zabawna, ani zapadająca w jakikolwiek sposób w pamięć.
Zdecydowanie poniżej oczekiwań 😕
April 6, 2022
Not to advertise my uniform fetish but like is there a job sexier than a fire bomber pilot? I would argue that there absolutely is not. I really enjoyed this book about a very macho firefighter having a gay awakening with a super hot pilot. I am coming to really love this family - except for the homophobic ones, they can fuck off - but I found myself laughing out loud at so many of the family scenes. I really like Dell (whose given name is Rivendell Elrond - literal LOL at that), he was a complex and cool character. Donny I could take or leave. The one thing that I found quite disappointing was that it wasn't sexier, like don't get me wrong, there are on-page sexy times, but there was quite a lot made about the MCs' kinky dynamic and I just felt that we got so little of that. I'm fully invested in this brood now though, and there are a couple of characters whose stories I am dying to know. Hopefully, it's not a long wait until the next installment.
August 26, 2024
Shitty families are my trigger, honestly, fuck Donny's dad and fuck Gabe!
They never redeemed themselves they just continue to act like dicks the whole time and in the end we get a lame apology and that's it? all good? Bitch no, just because they are your family you shouldn't take shit from them.
Regardless, this book was ok, Dell was fun to read but Donny was all over the place with his denial firmly in place until almost 80% and that gets tiring.
I even think I liked Book 1 best.
They never redeemed themselves they just continue to act like dicks the whole time and in the end we get a lame apology and that's it? all good? Bitch no, just because they are your family you shouldn't take shit from them.
Regardless, this book was ok, Dell was fun to read but Donny was all over the place with his denial firmly in place until almost 80% and that gets tiring.
I even think I liked Book 1 best.
March 31, 2022
*4.5 stars*
Not as angsty as the Mike & Shane’s, thank goodness! I didn’t fully warm up to Donny. He was such an ass to his brother Mike in the first book. He kinda redeemed himself a bit but boy did he make the situation with all these lies so bad for himself. Of course his dad and didn’t make it easy for him. I just can’t believe putting all that pressure on your kid!! Doesn’t every parent just want their children happy?? Who cares who you love? As long as you do it right!!hmmm I just quoted from another book. 😉
Dell was awesome though. A hot pilot man. Yeah I loved that visual and he totally won me over for this book. I had hoped to see a bit more of Mike & Shane. I missed Shane’s sassiness.
So the next book another Canoli brother? I can’t imagine who!!
Not as angsty as the Mike & Shane’s, thank goodness! I didn’t fully warm up to Donny. He was such an ass to his brother Mike in the first book. He kinda redeemed himself a bit but boy did he make the situation with all these lies so bad for himself. Of course his dad and didn’t make it easy for him. I just can’t believe putting all that pressure on your kid!! Doesn’t every parent just want their children happy?? Who cares who you love? As long as you do it right!!hmmm I just quoted from another book. 😉
Dell was awesome though. A hot pilot man. Yeah I loved that visual and he totally won me over for this book. I had hoped to see a bit more of Mike & Shane. I missed Shane’s sassiness.
So the next book another Canoli brother? I can’t imagine who!!
March 30, 2022
Ok - now we're talking...
Donny the asshole was a vast improvement on Hot Seat. In that book, we met Donny Canali, Mike's really homophobic brother. Not as bad as Gabe, but pretty awful. However, we do see him somewhat redeemed at the end of the book where he is more accepting of Mike, primarily because he loves his brother. Whilst I loved the prequel, Mike's book had something lacking for me. However, in this book we get Donny, gorgeous, macho, super-alpha, manwhore Donny fall hard for an even more macho, alpha Dell, a fire pilot. To his complete and utter surprise!
Because Donny is NOT gay. Or even Bi.but he cannot stay away from Dell, who is deliciously dominant and watching Donny melt for him was glorious!
Donny was far from perfect in coming to grips with his sexuality but he also wasn't as much of an asshole as he could have been. There was a delicious twist with another family member and Dell? For a big alpha former military guy he was surprisingly sweet.
The writing on this one was a vast improvement - it just flowed better so either the authors got more in sync or, Eli Easton mostly wrote this one. Due to health reasons Eli and will do the next. Tara the one after.
I'm going to go with 4 stars. it would have been 5 but I just expected a little more from the dominance aspect from Dell. But on the whole, this one was worth me salivating over!
Donny the asshole was a vast improvement on Hot Seat. In that book, we met Donny Canali, Mike's really homophobic brother. Not as bad as Gabe, but pretty awful. However, we do see him somewhat redeemed at the end of the book where he is more accepting of Mike, primarily because he loves his brother. Whilst I loved the prequel, Mike's book had something lacking for me. However, in this book we get Donny, gorgeous, macho, super-alpha, manwhore Donny fall hard for an even more macho, alpha Dell, a fire pilot. To his complete and utter surprise!
Because Donny is NOT gay. Or even Bi.but he cannot stay away from Dell, who is deliciously dominant and watching Donny melt for him was glorious!
Donny was far from perfect in coming to grips with his sexuality but he also wasn't as much of an asshole as he could have been. There was a delicious twist with another family member and Dell? For a big alpha former military guy he was surprisingly sweet.
The writing on this one was a vast improvement - it just flowed better so either the authors got more in sync or, Eli Easton mostly wrote this one. Due to health reasons Eli and will do the next. Tara the one after.
I'm going to go with 4 stars. it would have been 5 but I just expected a little more from the dominance aspect from Dell. But on the whole, this one was worth me salivating over!
September 7, 2022
I liked this quite a bit more than I expected from other reviews.
March 18, 2022
I have to say, I really like Donny. In the first book he gave a very macho and chill appearance, so it was really nice to see how much deeper he went than the attitude. And Dell is a treat too. Coming from a complicated home life, into Donny's complicated home life. I like how surprisingly angsty it was, it's my weakness. So looking forward for the next book!
March 31, 2022
Not me staying up way too late to finish a firefighter book 🤦♀️
March 31, 2022
A Joyfully Jay review.
4.5 stars
This is the second book in the Hot Cannolis series, books that involve loud, large, and loving families and what it means to be a father and son. What it means to be yourself. The Canali family have long been in public service as firefighters, police, and EMTs, always putting other people first. And Donny has learned to put the family first, which made it hard when his brother came out as gay (in the previous book, Hot Seat). It was something Donny didn’t know how to handle, especially when his father made it clear he didn’t approve. But Mike’s happy, now, and for Donny, that’s what matters. He likes Shane, but he loves his brother.
All of this makes his time with Dell … more delicate.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
4.5 stars
This is the second book in the Hot Cannolis series, books that involve loud, large, and loving families and what it means to be a father and son. What it means to be yourself. The Canali family have long been in public service as firefighters, police, and EMTs, always putting other people first. And Donny has learned to put the family first, which made it hard when his brother came out as gay (in the previous book, Hot Seat). It was something Donny didn’t know how to handle, especially when his father made it clear he didn’t approve. But Mike’s happy, now, and for Donny, that’s what matters. He likes Shane, but he loves his brother.
All of this makes his time with Dell … more delicate.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
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