Warm Heart by Amy Lane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Soft and fluffy and heartwarming. It was pure Amy Lane.

Tevyn Moore is a world champion snowboarder and Mallory Armstrong is his finance backer, but really, there's more to their relationship than that. Even though Tevyn finds his way into a different bed each night, Mal is always there.

Tevyn's grandmother is dying and he's got to get to Colorado to see her one last time. When Tev and Mal get into a helicopter with Damien, things get rough in the snowy mountains and their copter crashes into the trees.

Now, for the three of them, it's all about survival. Damie's injured and both Tev and Mal lean on each other to figure out a way through this to survive. And quite possibly to start living a life they'd been pretending didn't exist.

After reading this inspiring story, I will say that if I was ever trapped on a mountain I'd want Tevyn and Amy Lane with me. I literally wouldn't have known half of what they came up with for survival. And the tenderness between the characters as they each tried to save the others... it was beautifully written.

With this story, nothing was vague. The words were clear and heart felt. The dialogue was proud and poignant. Hearts sat on the knitted sleeves of colorful sweaters, to be seen and felt throughout the story. I loved it. It's one I will definitely read again and I'm hoping the next book in the series is Damie and Preston!!

*Galley copy generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Cross posted to http://gaybook.reviews/*



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String Boys by Amy Lane
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 Stars

I loved this and I hated this. I loved it because it was pure Amy Lane. The words just flowed and the love was beautiful and raw and elegant and real. I hated it because it was heartbreak after heartbreak. But I hated it in the best way, I guess.

This is the story of two boys who meet as children, realize they love each other, then spend the next decade apart, trying to find their way back.

My heart was in a vice the entire time. When I finally made it to the end, it felt like I'd run a marathon. This is one of those books that will stay with you for a very long time. There was so much hate, but so much love that counterbalanced it woven through the entire story.

For a bonus, there were a couple of cameo's towards the end from Amy Lane's other works that put a freaking huge smile on my face.

Overall, this was a wonderfully painful read. I cherished it, wanted to throw it, choked up while reading, but mostly fell in love.

*Galley copy generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Cross posted to http://gaybook.reviews/ *

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Familiar Demon by Amy Lane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book two in the series and it was magical.

This time, Edward is risking it all, with the help of his brothers, to bring his beloved, Mullins, back from hell. He was sent there 4oo years ago after making a deal to save his sister.

I was surprised at how funny this was. All of the brothers running around in a minivan. Three of them turning into cats, one into a dog. Hoping Mullins will make it more even when he's turned.

I loved how Amy Lane can write a story and can go from funny to witty to super romantic to hell fire. I love how she can be so descriptive, yet not get overly wordy. I loved how much love and romance and sweetness was in this story. And magic.

It's always fun to experience sweet exchanges between the MC's in her stories, like this one:

"I'm not going to hell. Hell is without you."

If you love Amy Lane and you love romance with a twist, you need to read this series. Another win!

*Galley copy generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Cross posted to http://gaybook.reviews/ *

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Homebird by Amy Lane
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Yeah, this one totally did it for me. I wasn't quite sure I'd love it when I read the blurb, to be honest. I'm not one for insta-love trip romances and wandering hearts, but I really loved this book.

Crispin has been left all his life. His parents died when he was young, leaving him to be sent to a wonderful, loving adoptive parents who then died when he was in college. Now, as an accountant for a firm where his team of coworkers have taken him in, he finally has a small corner of the world to call home.

On a week long boys trip to Oktoberfest, he meets Luka, the waiter/superhero with many talents, including loving Crispin and helping him heal. But he's also been left... and his method of healing involves running around the world.

I loved Crispin so much. He took his time. Everything was according to his time, which was so real. And the depth of feeling he had, the compassion. I just loved everything about him.

Luka was your typical perfect on the outside, broken on the inside MC with a wandering heart and enough charisma to light up a Christmas tree farm. He was the perfect balance to Crispin.

I loved the group of friends that Crispin had. As accountants, they were so freely giving of their time and expertise and affection. I loved how they took in Jaime as their own, saw what lied beneath, and loved heart and soul.

This was another homerun for Amy Lane. I loved every page and hope there will be more because I need Cam's story.

*Galley copy generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Cross posted to http://gaybook.reviews/ *

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Christmas Kitsch by Amy Lane
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh Amy Lane. I just don't even know what to say. I want to give this book ALL OF THE STARS!

There were so many lessons and morals and FEELINGS in this book. It was so much about prejudice and hate and family and love and kindness and offering your heart to others.

Both Oliver and Rusty had me from the start. I love love loved how sweet they both were and how Rusty missed pretty much every hint, impression or poke that Oliver gave him. He was so oblivious and it was so cute. And then when he went dark for a couple of days, his roommate Rex turned into family. That was an awesome scene.

Oliver was patient, until he wasn't. He was so in love with Rusty that you couldn't help rooting for anything Oliver wanted. I just wanted to buy him a bed already!

I don't think that there are many books out there that have me wanting to invite the MC's for dinner and a cuddle. I wanted to do that with each and every character in this book. I loved how simply and fully Oliver's family loved and gave to Rusty. There is so much generosity in this book. There are so many truths. I honestly can't say enough wonderful things about this book. You just have to read it yourself.

*Galley copy generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Cross posted on http://gaybook.reviews/ *

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Hiding the Moon by Amy Lane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have loved Amy Lane for a long time. I was enchanted by her Fish Out of Water series. I think if anyone needs a happy ending it’s Jackson Rivers and Ellery Cramer.

Hiding the Moon is a treat. It’s kind of a stand alone, but also involves the Fish Out of Water series as well as the characters from Racing for the Sun, Ace and Sonny.

The MC’s in this are Burt(on) and Ernie, which… I still don’t know how to feel about. Anyway, we met Lee Burton in Racing for the Sun. He’s basically a black ops assassin who is given the job to take out Ernie Caulfield by his handler. When he sets his sights on Ernie, he doesn’t see a threat, but a young, innocent club bunny.

Ernie is a bit of a psychic and it takes a lot out of him. Living in the city, he has learned to take respite from the noises in his head by drinking and taking drugs and giving himself over to his baser needs. He’s not a bad guy, but he definitely has bad guy radar. He’s been illegally taken into the military to corrupt his psychic talents and use them to create model soldiers. The hit is put on him when he’s no longer needed and has become excess.

When Burton questions his chain of command and saves Ernie from a rogue military unit attempting to kill him, he finds that there’s something unusual about the psychic man. When Ernie tells him that he’s his future, it becomes a test of Burton’s wills to see if he’s up for the challenge.

”You asked how long. As long as you want me. I’m going to want you forever.”

As mentioned, this book has a lot in common with some of Amy Lane’s previous works. To the degree that this story was almost the reverse image of A Few Good Fish, which was published this year. This was the same story but from Burton and Ernie’s perspective, so it felt a little redundant in some parts. I almost felt like I’d already read this story and was trying to just parse out the pieces in relation to Burton and Ernie’s relationship. To me this felt more like a Book 3.5 to the Fish series, not a Book 4.

Honestly, this book showed more about the sweet side of Ace and Sonny and Jackson and Ellery as well as Burton and Ernie which was refreshing. I wish I could have seen a little more of Ernie and Burton together, or more of their individual pasts or some more character exploration. I felt like I needed a little more out of them to fully appreciate their relationship.

Overall, it was a journey into the fun side of the Fish Out of Water series with a little extra from the couples.

* Arc given in exchange for an honest review. Review cross posted on Gay Book Reviews*

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