It's Complicated (Tucker Springs, #7) in Riptide Publishing

Mar 12, 2014 Nic rated it really liked it

Shelves: mm, zz-amazon-yes, series, publisher-or-author-provided, ng

It wasn't lying when this book was titled It's Complicated! This is the story of trying to repair a relationship while dealing with a whole mess of issues.

I haven't read many m/m romances which are focused on an established couple sorting through relationship issues - their ups and downs, arguments, hot make-up sex, stress and worry - so it was nice to read something a bit different for a change.

I've always enjoyed this series so was looking forward to getting a glimpse of some characters from t ...more

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Mar 09, 2014 Whitney rated it liked it

Shelves: family, sequels-series, same-sex-parents, requested-review, bisexual-pansexual-polysexual

This was alright. I wanted to read this book because the baby-drama angle. I felt like I came in at the middle-end of Brad and Jeff’s relationship. I’ve only read book one in the Tucker Springs series, but reading the blurbs of the other books, there didn’t seem to be another book starring this couple. Perhaps I should’ve read the previous book(s) in the series, but I don’t think I would’ve gotten as much information as I needed to understand the relationship between Brad and Jeff prior to the s This was alright. I wanted to read this book because the baby-drama angle. I felt like I came in at the middle-end of Brad and Jeff’s relationship. I’ve only read book one in the Tucker Springs series, but reading the blurbs of the other books, there didn’t seem to be another book starring this couple. Perhaps I should’ve read the previous book(s) in the series, but I don’t think I would’ve gotten as much information as I needed to understand the relationship between Brad and Jeff prior to the start of this book.

I didn’t need a complete rehash of their relationship, but just something more than background information. I guess it wasn’t particularly necessary, but it would’ve helped in getting to know the characters a better beyond the fights and the bickering.

Usually I need multiple POVs, but I couldn’t differentiate between Brad and Jeff’s voices. I kept getting confused as to who was saying what and who was having the baby with Christine. I also thought their problems could’ve been solved by asking simple questions. Like, will you go to Denver with me? Would you help me take over the shop? Things that could’ve been discussed but were only glossed over in the end. I didn’t blame Brad for simply just letting go. As a reader, I couldn’t really see why they were hanging on to their relationship because we didn’t really get a glimpse into what they were like before. It really started to feel like they just wanted to stay together for the sex.

I don’t resent Christine wanting to leave. It could’ve come at a better time, but I don’t blame her at all. I wouldn’t want my child growing up being the only black kid around. And I truly hope that, if the series continues, that both authors will have more diversity in the books.

I could go on and on about this. Bottomline, by the end I didn’t really have much hope that they’d be together long term and it seemed like the bad outweighed the good in their relationship. Hopefully their ending is truly happily ever after instead of happy for now.

2.5 stars

An ARC copy was provided by the publisher for an honest review. ...more

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May 06, 2014 Kezia rated it liked it

Shelves: erotica, m-m-erotica, netgalley-reviews

Okay, hats off to the author for having the guts to take on such a difficult topic in the first place. As is reflected in several of the reviews posted here, this is a setup guaranteed to generate strong negative feelings in many readers. Although I have to say I was floored by the number of postings from people who refused to even read the book. They don't like to read about characters who are having problems with their relationships. They don't like to read about the ex coming up pregnant and Okay, hats off to the author for having the guts to take on such a difficult topic in the first place. As is reflected in several of the reviews posted here, this is a setup guaranteed to generate strong negative feelings in many readers. Although I have to say I was floored by the number of postings from people who refused to even read the book. They don't like to read about characters who are having problems with their relationships. They don't like to read about the ex coming up pregnant and putting further stress on the relationship. Or - my personal favorite - they don't want their porn diluted with so much angst. You know what? That's probably why this author writes M/M erotica, not M/M porn. I've read several of Witt's books, though not the Tucker Springs series, until this one. Frankly, Tucker Springs is priced out of my budget for books of this length (150 - 220 pages). It's Complicated was provided to me for reviewing purposes, and I'll admit, I had to grit my teeth and put on my professional hat before starting this one.

Sure, it's easier and more fun to read about the first flush of new love - the heat, the passion, the intoxicating and near-constant state of arousal. It's fun while it's happening to you, too. But we don't live our lives in this frenzy of "new love." Having been married for fifteen years, I have a front row seat to the way day-to-day life grinds down the sharp highs of romantic love. If we're lucky, though, it mellows into a sustained heat that is rarer than new love. Rarer, even, than unicorns in this world where people tend to bail at the first hint that they might actually need to work at sustaining a relationship. As a mother, I can tell you that raising kids is the hardest job I can imagine. It's also the most rewarding. Nothing of value comes to us without working for it. I fell in love with my husband the night I met him, and he felt the same way from the very beginning. But I can guarantee that if we'd just trusted that things would always come easily, we wouldn't have lasted three years. And while L.A. Witt does write some pretty hot sex, this is by no means porn. Her sex scenes advance the story, whereas porn is simply sex for it own sake, with little to no character development or contribution to plot or pacing.

That said, there were some slow spots in the middle of the book that made me somewhat impatient for the story to move on. On the whole, I liked the ability to hear each character's perspective on events (via alternating POV from chapter to chapter), and the writer managed to avoid merely retelling each event from both points of view ad nauseum. At times it was difficult to feel sympathy for Christine, the ex-wife, though I think she was intended to be a sympathetic character. That's not too far from real life, though, where even the people we love can be the source of enormous stress and negativity.

This is a well written book, and I don't think it's revealing a spoiler to say that the happy ending is made all the more believable because of the problems these people have endured. If you're looking for fun and fluffy, this isn't the book for you. If you enjoy heartier fare, this might be a good fit for you. ...more

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