Unnatural Fate by J.R. Gray

TITLE: ⟫ Unnatural Fate

AUTHOR: ⟫ J.R. Gray

RATING: ⟫ /5

BLURB: ⟫ My soul mate is my natural enemy.

Or close enough.

He’s a vampire and I’m a wolf.

Our kinds are at war. A centuries old blood war.

I can’t stay away from him. I hate him, but I want him.

Our love is a standoff. For every inch I take, he pushes a mile.

The world is against us. But I’m so tired of fighting the ties between us.

For every wolf that dies at the hands of a vampire, I feel more guilty.

Yet I go to him over and over and we use each other just enough until next time.

I can’t stop.

We both swear it’ll be the last time, but here we are again.

The cycle never ends.

But this time it has to.

I must either choose him and betray my people or walk away for good.

REVIEW: ⟫ Currently reading – review to follow.

I received an ARC from GRR.

Volatile by J.R. Gray (A Black Diamond Novel - Unlucky 13 Book #6)

Title: ⟫ Volatile (Black Diamond – Unlucky 13 Novel #6)

Author: ⟫ JR Gray

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ Welcome to Black Diamond Resort and Spa… and my exile…

A guy in a skirt wouldn’t turn a straight guy on, right?

I spent the last decade performing next to him. I’ve never looked at him as more—until I walked in on him in a skirt.

He’s as broken as I am.

We survived our childhood together. And when he’s finally trying to embrace the parts his father tried to beat out of him, I can’t handle it. He’s taunting me with smeared eye-liner and a filthy smile, singing to a sold-out crowd, and it’s getting too hot under these stage lights.

I can’t look him in the eyes. I can’t be with him—not like that—but I can’t stop thinking about him.

He's pushing me over the edge.

Now we’re banished to this forsaken celebrity timeout—to play emotional chicken—and he’s determined to make sure I lose.

He’ll push every button I possess until I give in.

Review: ⟫ I still haven’t figured out if I think Royal and Aspen are actually good for each other – Aspen seemed to be such a mess in terms of how he dealt with things, and I struggled with his attitude. He might have been defending Royal to his brother, but at the same time he was constantly pushing him in a way that I wasn’t always comfortable with.

Apart from that, the relationship between the two of them was hot af, full of steamy scenes whether they were on stage or not. I appreciated how, when Royal decided he was all-in, he really was all-in. He turned away from his father’s teachings, was honest with his mother and made sure that Aspen knew that their relationship was his number one focus and I truly thought that was wonderful.

There were links to other works by JR Gray (the Pretty Broken series) and I did enjoy catching those. I have also read most of the book in the Black Diamond series and this is the first one (for me) where the outside world was featured more and I enjoyed that too.

Messy rock stars falling in love and getting steamy on stage – can’t really ask for more than that. I enjoyed reading this and look forward to more in the Black Diamond series.

I received an ARC from GRR.

Scapegoat by J.R. Gray (Working Dogs Book #1)

Title: ⟫ Scapegoat (Working Dogs Book One)

Author: ⟫ J.R. Gray

Blurb: ⟫ Special Agent Nolan Hudson

At seventeen, I ran. I joined the military and planned to never step foot in my home town again. Nothing could make me return to that hellhole and the pain I buried there, or so I thought— until I found myself on a plane to that very place.

Almost two decades later, I’m forced home to help find a missing nine year old. As a member of the most elite K9 special unit in the country, it was my job and you can’t exactly say no to the FBI. It should be easy, and I won’t have to face what I ran from.

However, the case is anything but simple and to make matters worse, I’m faced with the last person I ever wanted to see again: Officer Callum Stone— the sheriff’s son and the town’s golden boy. Only he’s not anymore—he’s a ruin of what he once was.

It’s Callum’s kid who’s missing, and all the feelings I’d spent almost twenty years running from rise to the surface. As secrets come to light, we realize our small town is hiding a lot more than we thought, and we’ll have to follow the trail of deception to get justice and maybe a second chance at love.

Scapegoat is a second chance MM romantic suspense, featuring a small town, some FBI K9 fun, and hurt/comfort vibes. It is the first book in J.R. Gray's Working Dogs series, which will be packed with action, suspense, and humor.

Review: ⟫ I read Sitting Ducks as part of the Your Book Boyfriend’s Boyfriend and really enjoyed it, so when the chance came to read Nolan’s story I leapt at it!

I didn’t enjoy this anywhere near as much as I liked Sitting Ducks. Initially, I wasn’t sure why – the parts I really enjoyed included Nolan’s relationship with Maddie, Snoop, the friendship between Hayes and Hudson, Knox and the procedural stuff. These were all top notch in my opinion.

The bits I didn’t like: the relationship between Callum and Nolan. Which, as they were the MCs was obviously a bit of a problem. I didn’t like how easily Nolan forgave Callum for what he had done in the past, and I didn’t feel enough time was given to resolving all of that between them. I didn’t like that Nolan seemed to be doing all of the work between the two of them – initially,yes, I could see why that was but after a while, it just got tiresome! Flying back and forth across the country once a month whilst Callum didn’t reciprocate just bugged the heck out of me! There were times when I mixed up Nolan and Callum because they didn’t come across to me as two separate people – their voices were too similar. There were too many loose ends for me – there felt like there was a huge amount of build up with regard to the Sheriff with no pay-off (for me at least); the relationship between Nolan and his parents – what was up with that? How come after such an intense friendship where they shared everything, Nolan treated Hayes so shabbily?

I really enjoyed getting to know Knox better, and like I said the stuff with the dogs was brilliant – the Snoop thing completely cracked me up! I am working my way through J.R. Gray’s M/M catalogue and really enjoyed Pretty Obsessed, and I will be on the lookout for the next Working Dogs book, but this one just didn’t work for me.

3.5/5 for me, although obviously YMMV.

I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews.

Pretty Toxic by J.R. Gray (Pretty Broken #2)

Title: ⟫ Pretty Toxic (Pretty Broken #2) 

Author: ⟫ J.R. Gray 

Blurb: ⟫ Saint Vincent 

 I might be the best-selling solo artist in the world, but my personal life is a disaster. For every number one album, there's a sea of my worsts, all documented in photos. 

Bad break-ups. Destroyed hotel rooms. Fights. Drugs. 

And just as many rumors. 

Every headline reaffirms the walls I’ve built around myself. Fame destroys everything it touches and I can’t let anyone close. The only exception is my best friend— Lowe Wilder. But I’ve fucked that one up too. 

It’s all about him. Every song, every lyric. Every piece of music I’ve ever written. I planned to carry that secret to my grave. He’s straight. Another break-up, another call to Lowe. I can’t bear to have another scandal splashed across the tabloids. 

At my absolute worst he’s here to pick up the pieces, and I ruined it all with a kiss. 

Lowe Wilder 

I’m the least famous member of the most famous band in the world. 

I’ve sat in the background while we toured the world and tore each other apart. I wouldn’t have made it through any of this without Saint. He came into my life like a nuclear bomb. Unapologetic and with about as much destruction, but he’s kept me sane from across the world. 

Nothing could come between us. 

Until he kissed me and shattered my world. 

Pretty Toxic can be read on its own or enjoyed part of the Pretty Broken Series. 

Review: ⟫ Ooh, this one was a doozy! 

Lowe and Saint are practically joined at the hip. Platonically. Or at least from Lowe’s side. 

And then Saint finally gives in to his feelings and opens a whole can of worms. 

This book is a mess of emotions and trauma, from the main couple, to the band Pretty Broken, and it was a roller-coaster of a ride from start to finish. Lowe and Saint are a couple in every way apart from sexually, if only Lowe would open his eyes and admit it. 

And Pretty Broken is living up to it’s name. 

I was immersed from the beginning, along for the ride, and suffering alongside both Lowe and Saint. It was a pretty intense look into what life is like for the rich and famous – whether it be living without consequences or in a fish-bowl. 

Lowe and Saint are two peas in a pod – possessive, nearly obsessive, and almost on a crash course to destroying each other unless they can get their act together and figure out how to be together despite how much time they have to spend apart. 

I really enjoyed this one – not as much as I liked Pretty Obsessed, but in a different way. And I am desperate to find out what is going on between Cas and Iris. This was an intense book and very real, and I think this entire series could well become one of my favourites for when I want to ‘suffer’ alongside the main characters. 

4.5 rounded up to 5 – I received an ARC from GRR.

The Animosity Equation by J.R. Gray (Love Equations #2)

Title: ⟫ The Animosity Equation (Love Equations #2)
Author: ⟫ J.R Gray
Blurb: ⟫ Have you ever loathed a person so intensely the sight of them made you contemplate homicide?

First day of college, everyone is settling into their rooms, and in walks Jeff Woods—the blond bastard. He's arrogant and smart and an elite swimmer and worst of all everyone loves him. Only he's insufferable and flirty, and a sex god. He pushes every button I never knew I had, all with an air of indifference, like he doesn't know the affect it has on me.

Did I mention he's the hottest guy I've ever laid eyes on?

I'm just some closeted red-neck from the south who's more comfortable on a horse and in a pair of boots than trying to figure out this Ivy League stuff.

There's no way a guy like him would ever look at me twice.

Hate is the only equation.

The Animosity Equation is a stand-alone enemies to lovers, room-mates, forced proximity, wild ride of teasing, lust, and so much more.

Review: ⟫ I’m starting to realise that with this author, I either really love what they write, or it leaves me cold.

This one left me cold. I didn’t feel a connection between Jeff and Mason at all – not even a hate connection. I didn’t like their dynamic and apart from their first meeting, the chemistry (for me) just wasn’t there. I was looking forward to reading this, but I feel like the blurb is very misleading and I was disappointed.

The writing is solid (as it always is) so I think this was just a case of it not gelling for me. I would recommend the first Love Equations story, and I am still looking forward to further instalments.

I received an ARC from GRR. 

The Forbidden Equation by J.R. Gray (Love Equations #3)

 

Title: ⟫ The Forbidden Equation: Love Equations #3

Author: ⟫ J.R. Gray
Blurb: ⟫ My father's the president and my brother's the golden boy which leaves me the black sheep. The son who never wanted to be here at all. The white house my gilded cage, and the secret service my prison guards.

I'm nearly twenty-one and nothing about my life is normal.

The only thing giving me life and any motivation to get out of bed is the way he looks at me. The stolen glances across the West Wing. Heated gaze in the private dining room.

He's my father's best friend, which isn't even the worst part, he's also the vice president. Utterly off limits and I can't bring myself to care. Can't bring myself to stop encouraging his flirting, dreaming, and hoping he won't be able to resist me forever.

Review: ⟫ I am so ambivalent about this one. The writing style seemed different – each chapter was a little bit of a time-jump, which I actually quite enjoyed. It made the writing more spare, removed extraneous details. The political stuff was interesting to read as well as the history of the White House and all that surrounds it.

The relationship between Matt and Liam was – hard to describe. Just from the basics, with the age difference and Matt being in Liam’s life from the time he was born, it would be really easy to think that Matt was grooming him. But Liam was such a definite character – he knew what he wanted, what he needed, and to some extent he was most definitely the more dominant partner. I understood and sympathised with Matt’s dilemma and could well understand his reluctance, but I kinda hated the fact that he didn’t pull away. He had given up so much for Liam’s Dad that him finally being selfish and grabbing something for himself made sense, but there was a feeling (for me) that he perhaps should have left Liam alone.

And then there was Lucas. I sometimes felt like there was more chemistry between him and Liam, and there is a part of me that wished that they had got involved. Liam made some points that I hadn’t ever considered – about how he had never had a normal life because he had always been part of his father’s political life. It made me feel so sad for him, never to experience some things from a normal perspective with no choice in it because of what his father had chosen as his career path.

It might not seem like it, but I really enjoyed this book. I was fascinated, involved and hurt by the events and I read it in one sitting because I really wanted to know how this doomed relationship could possibly work out. This one gave me a lot to think about and for that reason alone, I would recommend it. It turned a few of my ideas about age-gap relationships on their head and opening myself up to a different viewpoint can only be a good thing.

I received an ARC from GRR.