NOT QUITE BROKEN by Diana DeRicci

Publisher:               MLR Press              

Published:               July 17, 2014         

ISBN:                     MLR-1-02014-0270

Genre:                   Contemporary Romance, M/M

Book Format:          E-book

Obtained via:          Publisher

Reviewed by:          Helena Stone, helenastone63@gmail.com

Rating:                   4

         

Twenty-one year old Dex’s life is on a downward spiral. One night destroyed his world and his dreams. He can’t eat and can’t sleep haunted by nightmares and flashbacks. He has lost his jobs and will lose his apartment before too long. He can’t see a way forward anymore and is ready to give into despair and give up on the world.

Dex’s friends aren’t prepared to let him slide though. One man in particular will catch him when the darkness threatens to overwhelm him. Brian will take him in and hold Dex while he fights his demons. With endless patience and bottomless love Brian will show Dex the way back to himself and build him up until he can see a future and believe in love again.

This book is the eight title in the Arbor Heights series. Having read none of the previous books I can safely say this book can be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone. I have however no doubt that those who have read the previous titles would enjoy this opportunity to reconnect with characters they’ve met before.

‘Not Quite Broken’ is an emotional read. It is impossible to read this story and not have your heart break for young Dex. The twenty-one year old had only just found the courage to go dancing in a gay club when he’s brutally attacked and raped. While the physical wounds heal, the mental scars are much harder to deal with and Dex is constantly scared and insecure.

When his nightmares and fears get too much one night, Dex reaches out to Brian, the slightly older man who has stood with and beside him since the night of the attack. With Brian’s help Dex slowly ventures out into the world again. Helping Brian teach self-defence to women who have been the victim of violence not only shows Brian that he’s not alone but also teaches him techniques to keep himself safe. They’re small steps and it’s a slow process but the old Dex slowly begins to re-emerge in the safety of Brian’s company.

I adored Brian as a character. In fact, on one or two occasions he bordered on the edge of too good to be true. His endless patience, his willingness to ignore his own feelings and needs and the ease with which he transformed his own life so that Dex fitted into it seemed somewhat unrealistic at times. Especially taking into account the feelings Brian was developing for Dex and his uncertainty about the younger man’s feelings and even the appropriateness of any feelings he might be developing.

Dex was a far more realistic character for me. His road to discovery isn’t a straight line. He faces his ups and downs and only slowly finds his way back to himself. And I’m glad about that. A miracle cure as a result of love would have taken this storyline from a bit too good to be true into too unrealistic to be enjoyable for me.

The slowly developing bond and relationship between these two men was a joy to read about and at times incredibly hot even though sex played a relatively minor part in the story. It was the slow build-up of Dex’s confidence and trust that took my breath away and made the story for me.

I enjoyed this book. It was a beautiful and touching story told in a sensitive yet realistic manner. If I have one reservation it is that it all ended a bit too perfectly. While I wanted a happy ever after for these characters I did have a problem with how everything just fell into place for Dex by the time the story ended. Leaving that aside, this was a fascinating read that had me hooked from the first page and didn’t let go until the very end. 

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

SEX & CANDY by Diana DeRicci

Publisher:  MLR Press
Published:   13/03/2014
ISBN:  B00J0EKX1I
Genre:   Romance M/M
Book format:  E-book
Obtained via:    Publisher
Reviewed by Helena Stone helenastone63@gmail.com

Rating: 3+

 

Sex & Candy is the third book in the Arbor Heights series but the first title in this series for me. Having just checked the blurbs for the two previous titles, ‘Learning to live’ and ‘Learning to Breathe’ I think I can safely say this book can be read as a stand-alone title.

Brad has had a crush on his best friend Geoff ever since they shared a kiss when Brad was 14. Having waited for Geoff to come to terms with his homosexuality for years, Brad is devastated when he receives an invitation to Geoff’s wedding. Determined to forget about his old friend, Brad finds himself at a private party at ‘Blue Dogs’; a party where men leave their inhibitions at the door and enjoy themselves and each other.

Tristan has been throwing the Blue Dogs parties for years when he lays eyes on Brad. From the moment he sees the newcomer, Tristan knows he’s something special. One night of no strings sex leads to dates and deepening feelings. The path to love rarely runs smooth though and doesn’t for Brad and Tristan either. Geoff’s post-honeymoon regret is only one of the obstacles the two men will have to overcome.

I’m not entirely sure what to say about this book. I liked the basic story-line and I liked the two main characters but there were quite a few things I was less than happy with.

To summarize; there was too much happening in this story. In fact there was so much going on that not a single story threat felt sufficiently filled out. As it is we are reading about one character, Brad, getting over a crush he’s had for years, going to a sex party for the first time in his life where he meets and falls for the party’s organiser. Tristan has been organizing these M/M sex parties for years and feels real attraction to one of his guests for the first time when he meets Brad. If this book had only been about the developing relationship between those two men and how they deal with the disparity between their growing connection and the free-for-all atmosphere of the parties this book would probably have been perfect. However, that’s not all we’re dealing with. Thrown into the mix are Geoff’s denial of his feelings, his wedding and his subsequent turn-around; Geoff’s younger brother’s despair because he is also gay and Geoff’s homophobic parents throwing their youngest son out. And, to top it off, Brad and Tristan play cupid for two other side-characters.

This was just too many story-lines for a novella this length. As a result everything felt rushed and unfinished. I liked Brad and Tristan but never really got to know them. A parent rejecting their own children because they’re gay is a something I’ll never get my head around and definitely something worth exploring in a story. The problem is that it wasn’t explored in this book; it was only mentioned but didn’t get resolved.

My final quibble concerns the title. While there is plenty of very yummy ‘sex’ in this book, I’m not sure where the ‘candy’ comes into it.

I can’t help feeling that this would have been a brilliant romance if only the author had been able to resist the temptation to throw everything bar the kitchen-sink into it. The writing was smooth, the dialogue well done and at times funny while the characters – what we saw of them – were interesting. This was a very pleasant read that left with a yearning for a lot more.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

FIRST CHRISTMAS by Diana DiRicci

Publisher: Purple Sword Publications
Date published: November 17th,2010
ISBN: 978-1-936-165-64-3
ASIN: B004CYESOE
Contemporary Paranormal M/M
E-book
Reviewed by Dawn
Obtained by Author


When Lyndon, a cougar shifter, finds a hurt wolf near his cabin, he thinks nothing of bringing it back to his cabin to nurse back to health. But Lyndon doesn’t expect the wolf to turn into a beautiful man, one with deep hurts whenever he looks at Lyndon. But Lyndon is patient and kind and soon Jason begins to trust this gentle giant, showing him how healing love can be. Can these two find a way to make their Christmas love last longer than the snow on the ground?

Diana DiRicci pens a tale that will leave you hankering for more. The writing was descriptive, the story flowed nicely and the magic of Christmas comes through as this author tells a tale of a wounded wolf shifter who finds peace and the strength to love again with a cougar shifter. The background was stunning; you could feel the snow on your face as did Jason when he got enough courage to leave the confines of the cabin. The way this author captured the soul deep wounds of Jason will leave tears in your eyes. Jason is a character that had me wanting to cuddle him close, murmuring it’s going to be ok. It is a delight to see the spitfire he is when he banishes the ghosts of his past and lets Lyndon show him how healing love can be.

The characters Lyndon and Jason are well written andcapture your heart and leave you with a smile in the end. Ms. DiRicci knows when to let her characters shine and in FIRST CHRISTMAS, we see how patience, love and Christmas miracles play a part in healing a young man’s heart and soul. Lyndon and Jason are very relatable, even if you are not a shifter, and I found them to be quite charming. Lyndon is a gentle giant of a cougar shifter who knows how to show patience, understanding and love towards Jason, a wounded wolf shifter-both in heart, body and mind. The connection these two forge is strong and very heartening. You could see how Jason opens up, blooms and learns to trust himself and Lyndon while being snowed in together. That alone had me sighing in pleasure and then the sparks that fly between the two once Jason feels comfortable with his rescuer was hot and sweet at the same time. It fit the story perfectly.

FIRST CHRISTMAS is one special holiday story that I hope Ms. DiRicci comes back to in the future. I would love to know more on these characters and their life together. Celebrate the season with FIRST CHRISTMAS and settle in for a few hours of reading pleasure.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

THE CHARLIE FACTOR by Diana DiRicci

Publisher: Purple Sword Publications
Date published: March 17th, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-936165-84-1
ASIN: B004SPEF1I
Contemporary M/M
E-book
Reviewed by Dawn
Obtained by Self-Purchase


Charlie Baker is trying to live his life after a deadly fire almost killed him, set by none other than his boyfriend and his lover. In a blink of an eye, the life he thought he had was changed forever. Alone on the coast of Texas, he doesn’t need pity nor does he want anyone around him. That is until one day on the beach, a chance meeting with a dog and his owner, will pull Charlie back into the land of the living. Will Charlie let Greg and his dog Samson bring him back to life and see that maybe life is what you make of it?

Gregory Anders wasn’t anticipating meeting Charlie, making friends or anything. He worked, walked Samson and missed his friends and family in California. Making a friend in Charlie was a bonus he never anticipated. Greg finds that his feelings for Charlie deepen past friendship into a world where he has no idea what to do. Can Greg find a way to make Charlie see that love with friendship is one you need to grasp with both hands and take on a risk?

Diana DiRicci is a talented writer and one I absolutely adore. THE CHARLIE FACTOR is one of those feel good stories that leaves you with a smile at the end. The writing is tight, the story flowed smoothly and the characters are multi-dimensional. What I loved about this book was the characters. They were life like, enjoyable and relatable. The main character Charlie is a man who is afraid to live life again so he hides away from everyone, seemingly alone in the world and that is just the way he likes it. Meeting Greg and his dog Samson was not on his to do list that day at the beach either. The characters fairly brim with life, so much so they fairly leap off the pages and into your living room. I could really see being friends with them in real life. The sex scenes sizzle at times and at other times were so sweetly romantic; I almost melted in a puddle of goo. This is an author who knows her characters and gets inside their vulnerabilities, their heart and shows the reader their soul.

Charlie & Greg struck a nerve with me. Charlie is hiding-from himself, his future, from life in general. Mourning the life he used to have and thinking no one could ever like him, he is stunned to find this handsome man offering friendship. Greg is seemingly straight and that makes Charlie safe...until he falls for the man and then watch out.....misunderstandings, miscommunications and emotions come into play that leave the reader rooting for Charlie and Greg to work their issues out. Both characters have issues and this author does a great job in communicating them to the reader within the pages of THE CHARLIE FACTOR. There were some wonderful secondary characters that had me giggling over and I am anxious to see if they will get their own story in the future.

Diana DiRicci does a great job in conveying both main characters issues amid the pages of THE CHARLIE FACTOR who takes the topic of a gay man falling for a straight man and breathing new life into it. I loved how Greg woos Charlie and from there two people find a love worth fighting for…if they can get through their issues of course. The story flows nicely, the writing captures the emotions the main characters experience and the reader finds themselves rooting for them to get their happily ever after. If you are looking for the perfect beach read, then THE CHARLIE FACTOR is one you might enjoy. I am eager to see what else this author has in store for her readers in the future.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.