Mini - Comments

I was counting down the months until the end of my deployment. My days were spent working on military vehicles, and I spent my nights playing video games that would distract me until I could leave Staff Sergeant Garrett Reid behind.
That was when I met him: Kai Bannon, a fellow gamer with a famous stream channel.
I never expected to become fixated on someone who'd initially been a rival. And I'd never expected someone who oozed charm to notice me—a guy known for his brutal honesty and scowl. I hadn't planned for our online friendship to turn into something that kept me up at night—hours of chatting evolving into filthy webcam sessions.
But it did. And now I can't stop thinking about him. In my mind, our real life meeting is perfect. We kiss, we fall into bed, and it's love at first sight.
Except, like most things in my life, it doesn't go as planned.


Tony Vlachic, a ruggedly handsome Navy SEAL, has kept his sexuality a secret for years under the threat of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” That is, until he meets Adam Wyndham, a charismatic yet troubled film star. Tony knows that by approaching Adam in front of his teammates he’s jeopardizing his military career. And Adam, nursing a broken heart, has no interest in a relationship. Still, neither man can deny their instant attraction.
Tony didn’t become a SEAL by accepting rejection, and his pursuit of Adam leads to one unforgettable night. But the next morning, Tony is ordered to ship out to Afghanistan, and he’s forced to leave Adam with too much left unsaid. As Tony enters a dangerous war zone, Adam, back in Los Angeles, struggles with the demons of his past, while dealing with the very real possibility that Tony could be killed in action. Half a world apart, both men must face their feelings for each other—and decide if what they’ve found is worth risking everything in the name of love. 

- > Two more mini comments. What these two stories have in common is that they both feature an m/m couple. One has as protagonists characters from a long ago series I loved and another has a couple who met online.

When Tony Met Adam is a short story featuring two characters from the Troubleshooters series by Suzanne Brockmann, a series I've devoured years ago and that still has a special place in my heart. Only recently I came across it and, sadly, I must say it's because after having read the series, the closer I'd still get to it is by re-reading some scenes in my favorite books. I saw this somewhere and it brought it all back but the story itself isn't long enough for the style of the author to be very noticeable. I feel happy Adam, a character not much loved by readers of the series has found happiness, even more so with someone as cute as Tony. It did help bring up memories but it's too far in time for me to feel that weird dedication I felt when I "discovered" the series...

Grade: 7/10

Strong Signal is the first book in a trilogy - apparently - about people who meet or connect online. Told from both main characters' perspectives, it's a story about two people with very different backgrounds but who start talking because of a video game. Their chats change with time into more serious and personal issues and they end up falling for the person on the other side.

I liked this story, it has interesting themes developed like Kai's sort of agoraphobia and Garrett's brave but not usually discussed sense of obligation but not dedication to the army. I think the plot until the guys meet in person was amazing. All the themes explored have meaning. When sex got into the mix, however, I feel the story started to lack in focus and it dragged from then on. I'm still happy to have read it but yes, Id edit some scenes/parts.

Grade: 7/10

Megan Erickson - Focus on Me

Colin Hartman can now add college to his list of failures. On the coast-to-coast trek home from California, Colin stops at a gas station in the Nevada desert, and can’t help noticing the guy in tight jeans looking like he just stepped off a catwalk. When he realizes Catwalk is stranded, Colin offers a ride.
Riley only intended to take a short ride in Colin’s Jeep to the Grand Canyon. But one detour leads to another until they finally find themselves tumbling into bed together. However there are shadows in Riley’s eyes that hide a troubled past. And when those shadows threaten to bury the man whom Colin has fallen in love with, he vows to get Riley the help he needs. For once in his life, quitting isn’t an option…  

Comment: After having been impressed by the first book in this series by the author, I was pleased there would be another story coming out this year. I only managed to get it recently, but I still remembered good things about the first story so I felt curious about this one too.

 

In this sequel, we meet Riley, the guy whose photo Landry from the 1st story used to make Justin jealous. Riley is in a vulnerable place in his life and he wants to try to do special things in an attempt to find himself. On the way he meets Colin, a young man dropping out of college where he never felt successful to return home in North Carolina to work in his parents' restaurant. The two of them become friends and later on, lovers. But Riley starts to change in front of Colin's eyes and the things he thought made Riley special suddenly are something very strange. In this journey the two are making, can they conquer all and find happiness?

 

Well, I think this story is slightly less vibrant than the first one. I think this story has a darker vibe, not in the sense that horror things happen, but only because the subjects dealt here are more difficult and sincerely the tone of the story wasn't very uplifting even after I red the HEA.

 

The story is told from Colin's POV. I've been fonder of 1st person POV but it's not like I can't stand it, only that it's so limitative in romances! To guess or infer things only one of the characters can see is something very annoying if we truly want to see what the other is thinking. The thing is, some authors pull it off wonderfully or the world they created is so rich one doesn't miss the cues from other characters but this is not a given and I feel we, the readers, lose so much in romances because we keep getting frustrated about the other protagonist is feeling and reading about it at the end when they confess/declare/whatever their thoughts and feelings is not enough. At least, it's not for me in most cases. I sort of felt that here, because Riley is the character that changes the most and we keep having his scenes from Colin's perspective and sometimes it's not enough. I understand the need to maximize the doubt and the guessing, but... it becomes frustrating.

 

Colin is an interesting character, he accepted a reality so many of us would never and he's trying to live the life he wants. I don't think it's that easy to tell yourself you aren't happy studying and you just give it up. Maybe most parent's expectations about that would be a heavy weight to influence one's decision but here Colin had his parents' support and in a way he is a very balanced person, he knows what he wants and he owns his feelings.

Obviously Riley is the opposite, he has self doubts, a tendency to lose focus and control over his own head and that affects his behavior. I think the subject of dealing with someone who has a depressive behavior and how that affects everything is quite heavy and I don't know if it's something I don't buy as a potential fodder for romance or if it simply wasn't romantic enough for me, but the thing is, I didn't really enjoy knowing about their relationship even when everything started so easily. People aren't perfect all the time and I get the part where Riley's life was out of control because of his own thoughts and emotions but then this shouldn't be a romance, maybe more of a fiction story, I don't know.

I just feel the lack of romantic layers in this story I think should help to make this a more positive story, despite the credible HEA, emotionally speaking.

 

Riley and Colin didn't make as big an impression in me as Justin and Landry did. The issues here were more complex but the story didn't feel like it was focusing on that, more on how could Colin help and be the person Riley needed to want to succeed. I don't know, but it wasn't very pleasant to read or uplifting and that's not the book's fault but it's the way it is.

 

The next book supposedly will have the two protagonist's POV. That's good, but if the vibe keeps on being this I might not keep on reading. Let's wait and see.

This book has an interesting development, I'm not fond of the road trip romance but I've enjoyed some in the past. It's just that this one lacked enough elements for me to consider it better.

Grade: 6/10

Megan Erickson - Trust the Focus

With his college graduation gown expertly pitched into the trash, Justin Akron is ready for the road trip he planned with his best friend Landry— and ready for one last summer of escape from his mother’s controlling grip. Climbing into the Winnebago his father left him, they set out across America in search of the sites his father had captured through the lens of his Nikon.
As an aspiring photographer, Justin can think of no better way to honor his father’s memory than to scatter his ashes at the sites he held sacred. And there’s no one Justin would rather share the experience with more than Landry.
But Justin knows he can’t escape forever. Eventually he’ll have to return home and join his mother’s Senate campaign. Nor can he escape the truth of who he is, and the fact that he’s in love with his out-and-proud travel companion.
Admitting what he wants could hurt his mother’s conservative political career. But with every click of his shutter and every sprinkle of ash, Justin can’t resist Landry’s pull. And when the truth comes into focus, neither is prepared for the secrets the other is hiding. 

Comment: This book was recommended to me. I looked at it and got it some time later. The concept seemed intriguing and although I don't have any particular taste for the friends-to-lovers trope I was willing to try and judge its content.

This is the story of Justin, he just graduated and is traveling with his best friend Landry to honor his father's memory and to spread his ashes. Justin's father was a photographer and he wants to follow his steps but he made a commitment to his mother about a job and his personal life and he wants a road rip of freedom before letting himself become what she wants him to be.

Landry is gay and out but that never changed how Justin saw him. However, Justin has a secret, he actually is gay and th lie doesn't seem easy to handle anymore. He loves his best friend and he wants time with him before he has to assume a role where his feelings will keep hidden permanently.

This story is told from Justin's POV. The only time we have Landry's words is in blog posts scenes in the end of some chapters. Of course every reader knows first person POV helps us to empathize with the narrator which can be good but it also stops us from seeing some important things from others' perspectives. I think this situation would have been positive, despite the focus being clearly about Justin's personal journey.

The plot isn't hard to accomplish, the two guys are doing a route of places where Justin's father worked in and they are spreading ashes in those places that made his dad so happy. The action is fast paced and they don't stay too long in each place. The interesting part is how Justin deals with memories and his mourning while facing the fact he couldn't be truthful to his dad before he died, that his best friend who is always by his side even in the trip is someone he feels he can't openly love and that he's doomed for a life of hiding and sadness.

This being primarily a romance, of course there are situations that happen and provide the setting for a change of plans. Stuff happens and it comes a point where Justin has to be honest. As it turns out, his feelings are reciprocated and there are some hot/sweet scenes with the guys talking and making out.

However, this aren't as simple as that. I liked the author didn't turn this into a insta-lust driven story from that point on. Justin feels happy but he still needs to come to terms about himself and his life now that he's gotten something he didn't think he would. There are some scenes where we see Justin's fear and uncertainty and sincerely I found this more honest than blind acceptance. If you go through a hard time (he's in mourning, don't forget) and still have to deal with a sexuality acceptance, and love at the same time, I don't think it would be weird something not working 100% right away. 

So there are some parts where we see some angst and misunderstandings that are suppose to be a moral lesson in the sense that we must follow out heart, do the right thing, think before acting or speaking, and so on. Thankfully, the author didn't stretch this to unbelievable territory and things worked out well in the end.

Justin and Landry are a good couple because they are used to each other. Many scenes are meant to put their friendship in evidence as well as the easiness of their being together even before love declarations. Still, some of those scenes were so...artfully put together I couldn't go past the fact why they were there. The story flows but we can't help but notice them for their role.

The romance works and in epilogue is sweet and full of hope.

In the end I liked reading this story, I liked how some subjects were dealt with but this isn't super amazing. Still I'd read more by the author.

There's a sequel but from the blurb I can't tell which is the connection.

Anyway, this one I recommend but it's not perfection.

Grade: 7/10