Tessa Bailey - Sink or Swim

Andrew Prince wakes up before everyone else. He schedules the bar shifts, demands perfection from Long Beach’s lifeguards—most of all himself—and makes sure the family debts are paid. His unfaltering work ethic might leave him exhausted, but it comes with one advantage. It distracts him from the love he’s been harboring since childhood for the girl next door—who he cannot have.
Jiya Dalal has dreams. To fly a plane, see the world below…and prove irresistible to her best friend, Andrew. But she needs to be a good daughter first, which is becoming an increasingly difficult task, since her parents expect a good marriage and the man she loves with all her heart refuses to pursue the blistering connection between them. Just when she’s beginning to believe Andrew truly doesn’t want her, a moonlight tryst on the beach exposes his true feelings. But an echo from the past kept them apart before…and it’s only growing louder with every stolen kiss… 

Comment: I really liked the previous book in this trilogy, which I read last month, and although I don't feel I need to read book #1, the way the protagonists of this 3rd one interacted made me curious to see how their own story would develop and it was easy to add this story to my reading list, since it wasn't even a very big book.

In this book we finally see what happens to Jiya and Andrew, best friends since forever and who have shared a supposed unrequited attraction and passion for the other, unknowingly aware they both wanted the same thing.

In the other book we could see the shared looks and learn a little about their friendship history and know Andrew, brother of that other book's protagonist, really was in love with Jiya.

Now that his two brothers are settled in life with loving partners, Andrew feels he might need to go away because he can't stand the idea of seeing Jiya being with someone else. The problem is that there's someone who has been following him and who finally makes a move. 

Will Andrew be able to solve all his problems? Will he be able to let go of Jiya?

Isn't it interesting how in books - or movies - when a character isn't well in life somehow or for whatever reason, they feel they need to go away or move out or live somewhere else? How easy can this realistically be? Not at all, I'd say, but we still accept people might want to run from emotional entanglements by moving physically away. If it were that easy...

Another thing I sometimes think about while reading is how authors go a certain path with their stories and tit can be totally different from the reader's expectations. In some cases, that can be good, in others it feels like wasted efforts. 

Mixing these two things I mentioned together results in some musings I thought about and on why I felt about this book the way I did. 

The use of some clichés and plot devices works because they offer a specific path for things to develop but when books are part of series where we get to know the characters, often by their smaller secondary interventions/scenes, isn't it any wonder some books seem to go a very useless or wasted type of path? I felt this because Andrew and Jiiya were so cute together int he other book, seemed to have that all worship from afar going on but they did seem to be intelligent. In this book, their behavior bordered on pointless at times and melodramatic at others.

Some readers have criticized the fact both Andrew and Jiya, but him especially, acted too much like a martyr, suffering as a sort of punishment for whatever reasons instead of being mature enough to talk to each other and define their relationship. I can agree up to some point since reading about people who keep thinking about their own worth as non existent can be a little tiring and depressing but, at the same time, don't we all do that sometime,s don't we all have doubts about what to do? Sure, real life is very different from a book where we want characters to act in a believable but still brave manner... 

I would say that for me the issue wasn't exactly the way Andrew behaved or his inner justifications but the way he kept explaining to himself why he should do this or that.

In relation to Jiya I can understand but when it came to his other problem I thought why not just talk to his brothers (they all have a good relationship) and go from there? Indeed, he does this but only at a moment closer to the end of the novel.

The romantic relationship was very sugary, even with the "we shouldn't" and "I'm not good enough for you" moments here and there which could have brought it to a more balanced level.

It's obvious they are in love, but I can sympathize more with Jiya's reluctance (her personality also reflects a little of her culture, she's usually more reserved) than Andrew's, especially in these contemporary times where the actions of our parents don't need to mean we would be the same. Besides, why would only Andrew feel this negatively about himself if it was a genetics matter, why not his brothers too?

All things considered, this book seemed to be a little heavier in some aspects and even with Marcus making an appearance, I didn't have as much fun wanting to read what was happening as I did with the previous book. It wasn't very bad but it wasn't very good either.

It was good to have some closure on these characters but in the end, that was the only thing I might remember of this book. I can always re-read my favorite parts of book #2.

Grade: 6/10

Tessa Bailey - Heat Stroke

They can't be together. They won't stay apart.
Marcus “Diesel” O’Shaughnessy is a brash, oversized CrossFit enthusiast with a naked lady tattooed on his rippling forearm. Jamie Prince is a private school teacher with an extremely low tolerance for bull. The two men have zero in common. Well, except for three things.
They’re both moonlighting as lifeguards for the summer.
No matter how hard they try, they cannot stay away from each other.
And both of them have secrets they’re determined to keep.
But what happens in the shadows of the Long Beach boardwalk can only remain hidden for so long, before the July sunshine reveals the hot, unrelenting connection they never expected, forcing Marcus and Jamie to decide if they’re simply caught up in a temporary heat stroke or if they’ve found something worth rescuing...

Comment: I saw this book being recommended last year by someone who liked this book and whose words made me curious to read it too. 

I had previously read another book by the author, I know she wrote only m/f stories so I was even more eager to try this one, which features a gay couple, and see how she would do it.

In this book we meet Jamie and Marcus, an unlikely couple since Jamie is quite a nerd, he likes reading, he teaches at a private school and he is only on Marcus radar because of their work as lifeguards on long Beach.

Jamie's brother has a bar, he manages the lifeguard's schedules and for three years Marcus has been saying cute and sometimes silly comments but Jamie can see Marcus is attracted to him without realizing exactly why.

Marcus is considered to be a little dumb by his peers but he has a heart of gold. He can't put Jamie aside of his thoughts and he can't wait for summer to arrive because he knows he would see his friend Jamie. Lately, though, his thoughts haven't been strictly friendly anymore... is this the year where everything will change for them both?

This is the second installment in a trilogy about the Prince brothers, this being the story of the middle brother Jamie.

I haven't read the first story but it doesn't feel like I have to. It is enough to know the younger brother, protagonist of book #1, is now happy. I'm, however, curious to see how the protagonists of book #3 will go on to be together so I consider this one a double success: good story and made me interested in knowing what is to come too.

Reading this story was a blast. Yes, this wasn't perfect but it was so cute, so sweet at times and the sexual tension so great that I couldn't help but rooting for them to understand each other and be together.

I think the author did a good job writing an m/m story because intimacy apart, what really made this special was how the relationship developed and, for me, how great Marcus is.

The story isn't too complicated and the author used some clichés to develop the plot but I can't really fault that since clichés exist because reality hasn't changed that much and there will still exist gays that are attacked by being gay and there will still be gays who don't feel prepared to assume their sexuality nor the step to live as such. This is, basically, what happens to Jamie and Marcus and why their relationship follows some patterned expectations.

Nevertheless, when they are together, when they are being friends - they never stop being that just because they are attracted too - we can feel how much they mean to one another. I liked to see the way the author developed their emotions and desires through well done sexual tension scenes but even better than that, what made their relationship work for me was how they felt comfortable in each others' presence, how they supported one another. Like how Jamie helps Marcus with his business.

It was also very good to see their interactions with their family members. It's not the same experience for both, no, but in the end seeing them being supported by their family was great too.

Where I think the author went perfectly was in the characterization of Marcus. He is seen as a little dumb and clumsy but he is adorable. He isn't stupid, only he has a very special way of thinking and his heart id pure gold. I could empathize with his struggles, with his doubts of who he was and although he did accept things rather quickly looking at the timeline, his personality shone and I could simply be amazed he was able to go through so much and still be a humble person.

Jamie is more self aware, probably because of his experiences but he does not resist much, I mean, how could he do that when Marcus was a well defined and hot teddy bear?

I liked how their relationship developed and no one has it always perfect, always steady, always easy so even the less positive aspects of their relationship felt credible.

This was quite great for me. Some issues were a little dragged, the whole secret thing a little dumb considering how they acted around one another... It felt silly how more characters wouldn't notice based on their behavior around one another.

Still, this was a very good novel and I do hope the author writes more m/m in the future; she has the talent for it.

Grade: 8/10

TBR Challenge: Tessa Bailey - Protecting What's His

She's running from the law, and the law wants her bad.
The opportunity was just too damn delicious for Ginger Peet to pass up. The purse full of money she finds—$50,000 to be exact—could give her and her teen sister the new start they need. So she grabs the cash, her gothy sibling, and their life-sized statue of Dolly Parton, and blows outta Nashville in a cloud of dust. Chicago, here we come...
Turns out, Chicago has some pretty hot cops. Hot, intense, naughty-lookin' cops like Derek Tyler, who looks like he could eat a girl up and leave her begging for more. And more. Tempting as he is, getting involved with the sexy homicide lieutenant next door poses a teensy problem for a gal who's on the lam. 
But one thing is certain—Derek's onto her, and he wants more than just a taste.
And as far as he's concerned, possession is nine-tenths of the law.

Comment: Today is the Wednesday dedicated to the TBR Challenge post. This month, the theme was Sugar or Spice (closed door romance or spicy romance). 

In the beginning of the year I make monthly lists of the books I want to read, always leaving some room for sudden adds, so I can more or less start to distribute the themes of the challenge through my months as soon as Wendy, the Super Librarian, posts them. 

I was still debating, though, which book to pick for this month. Sugar or spice can be vague but going through the books I had picked to read in march I saw this one by mrs Bailey was labeled as "adult fiction-erotica" by some Goodreads users. I decided this would be it, then, and spice was my choice this time.

This is my first book by this author.

In this story we meet Ginger Peet, a young 23 year old woman who lives in Nashville with her younger sister and her no good mother. Tired of a life always counting pennies, always making sure her sister is safe, always fearing her mother would do something even worse than her current life, Ginger sees her opportunity when she discovers a huge amount of money her mother brought home from God knows where.

Ginger decides to steal the money, she picks her sister and they move to Chicago. While moving to their new apartment, they meet lieutenant Derek Tyler and sparks fly between him and Ginger. The fact he is their neighbor should worry Ginger since he is a cop but she only wants to live her life in peace, she wants her sister safe at last and romance should be out of question. But they come together and soon Ginger can't stop thinking of him. But what about her secret theft? Would Ginger decide to do the right thing?

As a whole I liked this story. It's not too long, it focuses on the main characters and their lives and doesn't go too much over the board with settings and descriptions.

However, to me, it was a bit rushed at times, the characters did feel a little isolated even though they had interactions with others.

I ended up thinking this was a simplistic plot. Or, maybe to be more correct, I feel the steps taken to get things done was too simple. Ginger getting a house was too simple, it just boggles the mind how people can rent/buy so easily in books when it's obvious it's complicated in real life. Furthermore, Ginger was in a complicated position because her mother reported her and her sister missing. Too easy for Ginger to just move, it seemed to me.

Then, throughout the story, Ginger would see herself in certain situations that - and that was the vibe I got - were just ways to put her and Derek in a place where they would process their feelings/their sexual connection. It wasn't as smooth or fluid within the story, it felt like a good scene to happen.

Of course this wasn't happening all the time, and there were some interesting scenes, especially when Ginger was more vulnerable or talking with her sister. Some scenes were well done, I think. And many more readers too thinking about the ratings on Goodreads.

The main characters didn't seem too complex. Ginger has issues, I get it, she was a bit more developed emotionally. I got to think I was reading about an emotional person who had issues but was processing them, Despite this, she did have a TSTL decision at the end of the book and was (very easily) saved by the hero...oh well. Maybe one could she was revealing bravery?

As for Derek, I feel I didn't get to know him that well. Not enough emotional development on him, I think. Even his motivations didn't seem plausible at times and a very brief reference to his parents felt like too little to get to understand him. His character to me was under "done".

The romance was a good detail. The overall feel of the romance was ok, the sex scenes were ok, which made this "spice" label appropriate I'd say, and it was certainly sweet to think of them falling in love, even if too quickly, considering the type of interactions they previously had.

The narrative was not not explored enough. I think, if one were to think about the layers about this book, all the superficial ones were well done and the story is a positive one. But the deeper tones weren't approached as completely and that means the story could have been stronger. At least, to me.

But I was still happy enough by them, I liked we could end up the story with a positive note and although I don't foresee running to read all the author's other books, this was experience I don't regret.

Grade: 6/10