Ben by Cora Rose (Unexpected #8)

TITLE: ⟫ Ben

AUTHOR: ⟫ Cora Rose

RATING: ⟫ 3/5

SERIES: ⟫ Unexpected #8

BLURB: ⟫ It’s often said that everything is impossible until it’s done.

And while I’ve always known my infatuation with Cash and Ford was meant to remain an unfulfilled dream, I never really lost hope.

Hope that the two men, twice my age, would ever see me as more than just a kid. As more than just their best friend’s son.

But I’m not a kid any more, and at twenty-one, they’re about to see that little meek and quiet Ben is old enough for many things. Old enough to finally attract their attention. And frankly, old enough to know better. To know that these stolen touches and lustful trysts behind closed doors could never really amount to more.

Because everything will crumble as soon as Cash, Ford, and my father find out what I’ve been up to. That I’ve been keeping secrets from them all.

I can’t possibly keep them both.

I can’t keep them at all.

I know our love is impossible.

But, god help me, when has that ever stopped me?

REVIEW: ⟫ I find myself agreeing with another review that I saw that said this book could have just been a smutty novella without the unnecessary side-plots. Basically, this book was a sexfest from start to finish – not a bad thing by any means, but after a while I found myself wanting something more.

Ben was a confusing character for me. His insistence on secrecy made sense initially – having two best friends who happen to be your father’s age/friends and having sex with both of them secretly is a humdinger. I appreciated the fact that he told both Cash and Ford upfront that he wasn’t exclusive with either of them, thereby avoiding any hint of actual cheating. However, once the cat was out of the bag with those two, and it became increasingly obvious that Dean just wanted to connect with Ben and wouldn’t judge him, the concern about his father’s views seemed a little overblown and like padding that the story didn’t need.

I loved the dynamic between Ben, Ford and Cash – although I felt that their behaviour at the party was more than a little outrageous – and would probably have enjoyed this book more if it had been shorter. Full of Cora Rose’s standard banter, inner dialogue and interesting side-characters, this was well written but I do think it could have been much shorter and had a little more relationship development and a little less sex!

Diablo by Cora Rose (Unexpected #7)

Title: ⟫ Diablo (Unexpected #7)

Author: ⟫ Cora Rose

Rating: ⟫ 3/5

Blurb: ⟫ After my honorable discharge from the Marine Corps, it only made sense to put my skills to good use as a personal bodyguard. The contracts keep me moving and traveling, and the money is good. All I’ve ever wanted was to make sure my mother and sister were taken care of after my father passed away. So when Anthony Costello, the notorious mob boss and my dad’s ex-employer, asked me to take on a special job for his family, I couldn’t say no.

But not even my six-year stint as an elite Marine could have prepared me for the hellscape that is being trapped in a secluded safe house with his son. Diablo Costello is a rude little chaos gremlin that lives to push all my buttons. I can’t keep him safe if he’s determined to fight me every step of the way. But I can see through the bratty facade. I know what Diablo needs. What he longs for. And God help me, I’m going to give it to him.

This book is a little different than my other books due to the characters involved. Please check the content warning in the beginning of the book!

Review: ⟫ From the first page, you’re thrown into the chaos that is Diablo's life – when we begin reading, he is being threatened by an ex-boyfriend of his twin brother’s who he has ‘hacked’ and needs to be put somewhere safe.

Skylar is his bodyguard, a man pushed beyond his patience by the chaos that is Diablo and how he goes through life. The difference is that Skylar sees Diablo, as well as the needs he is hiding behind his chaotic, obnoxious exterior.

This would normally push so many of my buttons: size-difference, bodyguard, psycho falling in love, mafia – so much to choose from and devour. Unfortunately, this book simply did not work for me. I disliked Diablo intensely and thought he was immature and annoying. The refusing to admit he liked something was amusing to begin with – when it kept happening in situations where his denial was completely absurd, I began to get annoyed.

The feelings of annoyance got worse the more that I read and I finished the book because I felt obligated rather than because I wanted to know what happened in the end.

The physical relationship/sex scenes were intense and fun but I didn’t feel that there was enough between our two leads for there to be a HEA – Diablo felt too young and immature, and I didn’t know enough about Skylar to feel like I knew who he was and what he wanted. Some of their interactions were funny, but overall this book just didn’t work for me because I didn’t like the main protagonist. I admit I have been enjoying Cora Rose less and less with each book but that may well be my issue – YMMV. If you enjoyed Lex, then you will probably enjoy Diablo but this book wasn’t for me.

Exception by Cora Rose (Black Diamond Novel - Unlucky 13 #5)

Title: ⟫ Exception (An Unlucky 13 Novel)

Author: ⟫ Cora Rose

Rating: ⟫ 3.75/5

Blurb: ⟫ Welcome to the Black Diamond Resort and Spa . . .

When I fled my small town home to fly across the globe for a potential job on a remote island, I did it on a whim. And let’s just say, my parents were not happy. According to them, the journey of self-discovery is not nearly as important as tending the family farm.

I may not know a lot, but I do know that I needed space to breathe. To figure out who I am and what I want out of life. I desperately needed change.

So I traded in my work boots and flannels for flip-flops, golf carts, and fit men in teeny-tiny swim trunks.

I came here for adventure, but I never would have guessed that on a tropical island filled with creepy lizards, poisonous jellyfish, and one obscenely deranged monkey, it would be the surfer with the tight body and smart mouth that I really had to watch out for.

Review: ⟫ We’ve been teased with Holden throughout this series so I was very pleased when I realised that this was his book and that it was in Cora Rose’s hands. The glimpses we’ve seen of Holden to date showed him to be caring, fun, impulsive and kind so I was interested to see who his match would be.

I wasn’t expecting Chase – I don’t think anyone could expect Chase – but I thought he was sweet, a little bumbling and quite possibly one of the most innocent people to turn up on the island. Their relationship was swift, passionate and life-changing for both of them. Holden has been keeping part of himself aloof from other people, but somehow Chase gets beneath all of his barriers and armour and shows Holden what it is like to be/feel safe.

And Holden allows Chase to fly – to explore all of the unspoken things inside himself, which is the whole reason he came to the island.

Why no five score? I was seriously not a fan of Holden and Chase’s first solo interaction. I understand what was being conveyed but for me, it missed the mark. It felt far too rushed and confusing for one party – I think I needed an enthusiastic yes rather than what happened. It was in no way non-consensual but I just felt that things were rushed a little too much in the name of showing overwhelming passion.

This was a good addition to the Black Diamond series and I look forward to reading more.

I received an ARC from Indie Author Creative.

Becoming Bennet by Cora Rose & Nicole Dykes (Behind the Camera #2)

Title: ⟫ Becoming Bennet (Behind the Camera Book #2)

Author: ⟫ Cora Rose and Nicole Dykes

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ I cannot stand Bennet Montgomery.

His rugged hotness knows no bounds and his unwavering cheery disposition is maddening. How can someone be that happy all the time? His smile infuriates me.

I need to keep my distance from this man and all his Midwest charm. I have my camboy career to focus on and I can't afford to get attached or bogged down with his nonsense.

But when Bennet receives devastating news about his mother, his grief consumes him.

I don't know what to make of this new sad side of Bennet. All I know is that his teary eyes infuriate me even more than his smile. I need to get his stupid smile back.

So that's how I wind up accompanying him home to his tiny town in rural Kansas.

And let me tell you, this California boy is not cut out for a land where fruit salad has marshmallows and where you're just as likely to be eaten by a feral cow as you are to be chased down by an angry rooster. *Shudder*

The worst part is, Bennet and I are forced to share one bed in a cramped trailer. And as I try my hardest to comfort this man who I can barely call a friend, I wonder if maybe that flutter in my chest isn't just heartburn. Maybe I can allow myself to get swept up in him...just for a bit.

That is if a rogue tornado doesn't sweep me away first.

Becoming Bennet is a funny and sweet MM romance with forced proximity and only one bed.

Review: ⟫ Jasper finds himself thrown into a completely unexpected situation when he is with his co-worker Bennet when he finds out that his mother has had a stroke. Somehow, this complete city boy finds himself travelling to a farm in Kansas, helping to take care of Bennet’s family who never met a vegetable they liked, all whilst sleeping in a decrepit old trailer with Bennet and trying to figure out just when feelings had crept into things.

Bennet is an absolute sweetheart who falls apart during times of stress. He can’t quite believe that Jasper has not only accompanied him to Kansas but is sticking around, taking care of Bennet and his family, and showing signs of interest that Bennet has been searching for ever since their scorching hot scene in front of the cameras.

The relationship builds as the two men work together to keep things together for Bennet’s mother, film what are meant to be teasers for Carter’s fledging cam-boy business and fall in love – all at the same time. This story is full of jokes, snark and banter, as well as a healthy dose of sexual innuendo and steamy sex.

The writers work well together – I didn’t find it obvious which of them wrote which section and there didn’t seem to be hiccups or plot holes which I would imagine can be difficult in a collaboration. I’ve read more Cora Rose than I have Nicole Dykes, so I would describe this as appearing to be very much in Cora’s style – slightly off the wall, very sexy, and quite swiftly paced. An enjoyable romp with a sweet centre and plenty of laughs.

I received an ARC from Indie Author Creative.

Waiting for You by Cora Rose

Title: ⟫ Waiting For You

Author: ⟫ Cora Rose

Rating: ⟫ 4.5/5

Blurb: ⟫ As a divorced man in my thirties with a throwaway job and very few friends, I admit that I’ve made a lot of bad decisions over the years. Rounding out the top of that epic list was allowing my son’s best friend, Quinn, to talk me into taking him on a two-week summer road trip…alone.

What was supposed to be quality father-son bonding time before Joshua goes off to college has somehow transpired into a battle of wills between me and his nineteen-year-old best friend.

Quinn may be young but he genuinely seems to enjoy spending time with me, something I’ve never experienced before, and it feels nice to finally have someone care. I mean, being friends with the kid wouldn’t be so bad, right?

But Quinn suddenly seems hellbent on flirting with me, and the way he looks at me is anything but friendly. My will to stay away from this sweet, attractive, and persistent young man is waning. With the two of us alone in a camper, in the wilds of Michigan…Christ, this is bad…very, very bad.

Waiting For You is a low-angst and spicy MM age-gap, son’s best friend romance.

Review: ⟫ In a way, this is a very different book from Cora Rose. All of the other books by this author I have read have been college age men, just beginning life and not as beaten down. Grey has been beaten down – by life, his ex-wife, by the lack of relationship with his son.

This trip is his last chance to spend some quality time with his son before Joshua goes off to college and he has put so much hope into the trip, it actually hurts when Josh lets him down.

Then we meet Quinn – Josh’s best friend – who volunteers to go on the trip with Grey and everything changes. Suddenly, Grey isn’t travelling as someone’s Dad, playing catch up with a bitter ex-wife, or just trying to be someone he’s not. Quinn sees Grey – more clearly than even Grey realises.

As a character, I had the utmost respect for Quinn. He was willing to put his feelings out there, let Grey know what he wants and just go for it, even knowing he’s risking rejection. And as their relationship builds – and from the very beginning, it IS a relationship, not a hook-up – my respect for Quinn grew. He’s had to be so self-reliant, with his parents erring too far on the side of ‘letting him be his own person’ from too young an age, and as such, even though he’s 13 years younger than Grey, he’s more than capable of holding his own and taking control.

The physical connection between the two of them is undeniable – hot, steamy, dirty in all the best ways – but it’s when they’re hiking, eating or just talking to each other that everything becomes so much sweeter. I loved the possessiveness that Quinn displayed, his willingness to be a sulky teenager if it suited the circumstances, but the way he took control of Grey was absolutely epic.

My feelings towards Grey were more mixed. I could see just how/why he was beaten down – he married young, stuck by his wife and child until he couldn’t any more, and instead of the amicable relationship they agreed on, he was quickly made out to be the enemy. It was easy to see how he fell into the role of silent provider, never taking anything for himself.

Until Quinn. I wanted Grey to stand up to his ex-wife, to tell his son the truth, to reach out for Quinn instead of letting Quinn make so many of the moves. It was fascinating to see his character grow and begin to realise that he wasn’t a bad person – that, yes, some people might have an issue with the age gap but as long as he and Quinn knew nothing inappropriate had ever happened, that was what counted.

There was some drama – to be expected with a best-friend’s-dad scenario – and it was heartbreaking to see it from both angles. However, I really appreciated the way that it wasn’t drawn out artificially, and I really loved the way that Grey finally stood up for himself. I was practically cheering when that happened.

All of the hallmarks of a Cora Rose romance are here – possessiveness, hot sex, deep, abiding love – but there feels like there was a maturity in this story that I found missing in a couple of the recent titles. I literally read this story in a matter of hours – I was completely engrossed and needed to see how things played out, and I think there’s no greater compliment that I can pay than that.

I received an ARC from Indie Author Creative on Booksprout.