Andrew Grey (1)Reviews
Author of Love Means... No Shame
For other authors named Andrew Grey, see the disambiguation page.
Reviews
Judge Andrew Phillips and Detective Clay Brown get to know each other when Clay is assigned as Andrew's bodyguard. A crim who Andrew has put behind bars is released and threatens him.
This becomes more complicated when Andrew's sister has a breakdown and Andrew takes over care of her two small children, a heart-string-pulling sidebar. I'm not against that per se! the novel does draw you in.
(Later) I've now read the 3 comments below, and it is heartening that we share the same feeling about this novel. I appreciate you taking the trouble to comment.
Fairytale feel to a fake-date trope in which a couple goes to a family wedding. The relationship is fake, the girlfriend is not a girl, the boyfriend is not into girls, and the family is Montana conservative. There are secrets to keep, problems to solve, a wedding to save, family drama, and a come-out for one character that was not as he had ever planned it to be.
NOTES:
* This was an easy-to-read, quick-paced, fun frolic with some big issues alluded to and some that were tackled.
* I loved Daniel-Daniella-Lala in all of his appearances. He was wise, aware, knew himself, took no guff, and was also caring, kind, generous, and a person anyone would want as a friend.
* James, the brother of the bride, grew quite a bit in the story and began to come into his own. I loved his interactions with his sisters and how he became more aware of himself and others.
* Holly and her fiancé were good people and so was little sister Margot.
* Grace, mother of the bride, was someone that may have had a good heart lurking somewhere underneath all of her commandments, expectations, and pushiness…maybe.
* Phillip, father of the groom was…a bit nebulous but spoke his mind from time to time.
* Weston was someone I would never want to meet…anywhere
* Interesting and sometimes “unbelievable” but eye opening and made me think
Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? I think so
Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Adores for the ARC – This is my honest review.
4-5 Stars
2.5 Stars
In this story, Henry Gilmore is gifted a gay cruise as a Christmas present from two friends who are senior citizens. The cruise isn’t exactly what Henry expected, but he does meet Tim, who he is attracted to despite Tim having a leg brace.
Henry seems like a decent person. Friendly and admits that he would’ve overlooked Tim if he wasn’t on the cruise. However, once he gets to know Tim, he finds they have much in common. We don’t really learn that much about Tim, except that he's insecure probably due to his brace, because this story is from Henry’s pov and we’re told what he thinks of Tim. The scenes move at such a fast clip with a minimum of amount of detail that I didn’t get the emotions on how the two men were attracted to each other. The book is like a diary of things they did and said, which is what disappointed me. I wanted more emotion and didn’t get it. All telling instead of showing.
Cruise for Christmas is a fast, fluffy story with a strong HFN. I’ve read better stories by this author so I can only give this book 2.5 Stars, but since Goodreads doesn't allow half stars I give it 3 Stars, but that's just barely. This story needs a lot of improvement.
The blurb gives a good rundown of the story, but I’ll repeat a little here. Jordan works for Judge Crawford. Someone is threatening Judge Crawford, so Deputy Pierre Ravelle is assigned to protect him and watch for any suspicious activity. Jordan thinks it may have something to do with some discrepancies he’s discovered in the files of the court cases the judge presided over. But can he trust Pierre to help him? The book continues with finding out the mystery of who’s threatening the judge, the romance of Pierre and Jordan and the adoption case of a boy Jordan wishes to adopt.
Jordan is a single gay man who wishes to adopt Jeremiah. My take on kids in stories is, they are okay if they act their ages and don’t take up too much of the story. In this case, the book is mostly about Jeremiah and the worries about the adoption. It’s about the men going out on dates with Jeremiah, and doing all sorts of kid stuff with him. There was hardly any romance and when there was, it was instant lust that escalated too quickly to love. So much time was spent with Jeremiah, that I never got a good feel how Jordan and Pierre fell in love with each other, other than Pierre wanted a family and he loved how Jordan cared for Jeremiah. The romance took back seat to Jeremiah.
As usual with this author’s stories, there is a lot of telling instead of showing, so I felt distant and couldn't relate to the MCs. I did like the mystery about the judge and the court cases. However, the relationship between Jordan and Pierre didn’t work for me. I also didn’t like that the author chose two names that both started with ‘J’. I kept getting the names mixed up between the characters. One of the things I did like was that a couple of the characters from the ‘Of Love’ series appeared in this book, so I guess ‘Carlisle Deputies’ could be considered a spin off from the ‘Of Love’ series.
Usually this author’s books are hit or miss for me, and Fire and Flint was clearly more of a miss than most of his other books I’ve read. Therefore, I can only give it 2 Stars. I’ve already purchased a couple of other books in this series. Here’s hoping they’re better than this one.
The blurb does a good job explaining the plot, but here’s a quick run-down. Officer Kip Rogers finds Josten and Isaac on the streets sleeping in a doorway in the rain. He offers to help take them to a shelter but the shelters are booked. Josten is suspicious of anyone who might take Isaac away and put him in foster care, so he doesn’t accept any help. Kip feels guilty and keeps an eye on them while he’s on duty. He ends up rescuing Josten from a bad situation and offers them to stay at his home, which Jos accepts. From then on, it’s a story about Jos getting over his bad insecurity, Kip starting to believe he can have a relationship without pressuring Jos, because Jos is very vulnerable right now. In addition, there’s Isaac who’s okay for a kid. This author loves putting children in stories, and I don’t particularly care for that because the story starts to revolve around the child, and not the men. So be warned, there’s a lot of Isaac in this book.
I don’t remember Kip’s age being mentioned, but got the impression he was close to ten years or more older than Jos with Jos being somewhere around 20-21. At least no older than early twenties. Jos is very insecure, I mean very, very insecure to the point of him being very, very annoying. The one good thing about him is he cares for Isaac and tries to do good for him. Their mother was an alcoholic who brought home numerous loser boyfriends. Jos and Isaac’s life has been tumultuous and that’s how they ended up on the streets. Jos at the same time doesn’t like accepting help because he doesn’t trust anyone. Gradually he learns to trust Kip and the other people trying to help him. Kip is a very understanding man, not perfect but kind. Which brings me to the point about how cops are idealized in this story and in the other two books I’ve read in this series. The cops are portrayed how people would like to imagine cops behave, which means suspending reality when reading the book.
There’s a couple of loose ends that are not taken care of in the story. First one has to do with the ex-landlord. It’s made a big deal of in the story but never concluded, just dropped. The next one is near the end with the hit-and-run driver. I’ve noticed other stories where the author has dropped subplots or brings up critical turning points, but doesn't finish them. It doesn’t speak well of the thoroughness of the writing or of the proofers or editors who let it slide by.
One of the things I liked, was the author wove in characters from the Taste of Love series which I enjoyed more than I have this series. It was nice seeing characters from previous stories again even if only for a brief moment.
There’s the usual overuse of telling monologue that’s typical in this author’s writing, along with repetitive thoughts. I sometimes wonder why I read this author’s books if his writing is predictable with its errors and plots. I’m guessing it’s because the books end in HEAs, which I like, and they aren’t deep reads. If I want a book that I don’t have to invest my emotions in too deeply, then I read this author’s stories. They’re good for a breather after reading something more intense.
I wouldn’t say this is one of the author’s better books. Kip was my favorite character by a long shot. Jos was annoying, and Isaac was okay. I want to give this 2.5 stars, but I’ll give it 3 Stars, only because I don’t think it’s as bad as one of his other books I recently read. At the same time, it’s a stretch giving it three stars. I wish Goodreads allowed half stars.
3.5 Stars
The writing style in this book is similar to other ones the author has written. It has instant lust between Hy and Avery, plus some financial issues hovering in the background. It’s an easy and fast read, so it works well as a breather book, if someone needs a break from heavier reading. I’m surprised this book isn’t part of one of the author’s western series or part of a new series. There are side characters that seem like they could pair up with someone in future stories.
Robert, also known as Avery Rivers, is a country music star. He’s overworked and hasn’t written a song in ages. Needing a break, he tells his team, no more concerts, and leave him alone because he’s taking off and he’s not telling anyone where. Of course, that doesn’t go well with all the people who want a piece of him, and the search is then on to find out where he goes. Robert cuts his hair and beard and takes off.
Hy Whitely, also known as Zeke, is a championship bull rider. He’s in a bar after one of the events and meets Robert. Neither man knows who the other is or how famous he is. They have a great time together. Zeke tells Robert how wonderful Wyoming is and Robert decides to head that way. Unbeknownst to Zeke, his father hires Robert to help on the ranch. The men are both surprised, and pleased to see each other. They take up right where they left off. However, they both have their professional secrets, and what will happen when Robert’s team catches up with him and he has to return to his ‘real’ life?
This story is about Zeke and Robert keeping their secrets, Robert trying to unwind and write songs while keeping everyone from finding out where he was staying. Finally, he’s found. I enjoyed Robert’s character. Both men seemed to be in their early thirties, or at least Robert did. When they first appeared Zeke seemed more mature, but as the story wore on, he seemed to regress into a more immature man who wasn’t able to control his emotions. By the end of the story, he seemed to be in his early twenties. I didn’t care for his inconsistent behavior and the age regression. Robert’s personality seemed to remain consistent, and his life and career dilemmas, realistic. The side characters didn’t make much of an impression since they weren’t on scene very often.
What I liked most about this book was that the author chose two characters who were stars in their fields. How would two people be able to meld demanding careers without drifting apart? I think the idea was handled well, mostly because of the Robert character. Zeke was a bit, ‘What are we going to doooooo?” type of damsel, especially towards the end, which made me grow to dislike him a little bit.
I do have some questions about the scene in the epilogue. We find out in the story that neither Zeke nor Robert are out to their fans. There isn’t a scene before the epilogue of either character talking about coming out. There is a brief scene at a bull-riding event, but the author never has the characters make a definitive point of telling the fans or even for Robert and Zeke to say, ‘Yes, I think it’s time to tell them’. It feels like a hole left in the story that readers are too assume at some point they did tell the fans especially with what happens in the epilogue. In this way, I feel like an important part of the story, an event that is important to both characters, is skipped over. I've found that the author has a habit of doing this in his stories. I can always find dropped subplots and holes. I don’t know why no one catches them when they read over the work before publication, but it’s annoying and sloppy.
I didn’t find as many errors in Don’t Let Go as I have in this author’s previous books, which was a relief. I thought the plot was interesting and the book is a fast and easy read. I’d like to give it 3.5 Stars, but because I liked the plot more than the author’s usual stories, and because I especially liked how Robert and his problems were written, I’ll give this book, 4 Stars.
Thomas is looking for more in life than working in New York at his business. He’s almost forty and decides he needs a slower paced life, and to help his parents. So, he moves back to his hometown and requires an assistant to help him coordinate with his work in New York. He hires Brandon, who happens to have mowed his lawn when Brandon was a teenager. Brandon’s had the hots for Thomas the whole time. Brandon turns out to be the perfect assistant. Other than Thomas, moaning about his old age, his trust issues, and whether or not he should have the hots for Brandon, there’s no conflict.
To be honest, I wasn’t impressed with this book. When I started reading, it sounded like another author’s writing style I’ve read before. The plot of the book was also similar to another book I’ve read. New Tricks was a very low-key story, with no serious conflict or difficulties to make it exciting. In addition, anything that could have been a conflict was easily solved. It was just about two men getting to know each other.
About three-quarters of the way through the book, the writing seemed more rushed compared to the beginning. Like the last part had basic details and then it would move quickly on to the next item.
The one thing I like about the book is the cover. It’s an eye-catching cover. Other than that, I don’t plan on reading this book again. I suppose if you’re interested in a HEA ending, no conflict, easy, fast read, then this is for you. For me who doesn’t like a lot of conflict in stories, this was still too bland and too similar to other books I’ve read. I want to give this 2 Stars, but since the editing was okay and there weren’t too many errors, I’ll give it 3 Stars.
I liked the plotline of this book. It’s not fast moving, but covered Sebastian and Robert’s growing relationship and what happens when the public find out that Robert is gay. When Robert was up for election for the position of judge, he didn’t tell the voters he was gay because he wasn’t asked, also because he was just coming out at the time.
We didn’t learn much about Sebastian in the first book, but he seemed to be consistent with the character in this story. Robert at first seemed a strong, yet compassionate character, but as the story progresses he struck me as insecure. Maybe that was because he was shy about coming out and because he was a virgin. I’m not sure how old he was, but I think Robert was probably at least in his forties. I wasn’t convinced Robert could be an effective judge because of his insecurities and the way he behaved. He came across as weak and indecisive. I would say Sebastian was the stronger character.
As is usual with this author’s books, this one again had a lot of telling instead of showing. I wish the author’s writing would improve, but it hasn’t. At least the stories are entertaining and the subplots flowed well together in this book. I didn’t notice any plot holes or dropped storylines except where the twins call Sebastian 'Uncle Bunny' and we're never told where they heard it, only not in the restaurant. That kind of missing information bothers me and comes across as sloppy writing. I give A Serving of Love, 3 Stars.
I first started reading this series with books three and four. I enjoyed those two so I went back to the beginning. I’ve read many of this author’s books and can count on a HEA and a pretty angst free read. At least the books I’ve read from him before have been low angst. However, that didn’t happen in this one. There’s a subplot dealing with the twin brothers of Billy that I found sad and stressful. I’m not going to mention what it is because it gives away too much of the story. But, it wasn’t what I was looking for. I like reading his books because they are low angst and there’s a HEA ending. But, you may find that YMMV in this story.
I did read some of the reviews and I think I remember one reader suggesting the author take some more time to hone his craft. I have to agree. Like I’ve mentioned, I’ve read many of his books and normally I would expect an author to get better at their writing over time, but I haven’t seen that. I blame some of that on the editors and proofers. There were many instances of a word used multiple times in one paragraph and repetition of ideas and thoughts reworded differently. There were also quite a few missing words. It seemed like the book was wordy when cutting and tightening would have made this a lot better read. Also, there were many instances where the author told the readers the answer to an issue or to the character’s thoughts instead of showing us and allowing the readers to figure out the answers themselves. The best part was the plot. It’s probably the best one I’ve read from this author so far.
The characters were great, including the twins. The boys were kids but not annoying. The one thing I thought odd though was when
I enjoyed A Taste of Love although I think the editing could have been a lot better, the telling eliminated, and the writing tighter in order to enhance the plot. As it was, the repetitive words and the other items I mentioned overshadowed the plot. I give this book, 3.5 Stars. I hesitate to give it three stars because the plot made this a good read, but then, the writing left much to be desired. In the end, the plot wins out and I’ll give this 4 Stars but just barely. If the author ever decides to put out another edition of this book, I suggest going through it again and working hard at removing the repetition and tightening it up.
Lyle’s job requires him to transfer to the Shoebox distribution center in Kansas for a year. While in Wamego, Kansas, he meets Roger Kypers, a chef who owns his own restaurant. He’s divorced, has partial custody of his daughter and is keeping a tight grip on his emotions and life. He doesn’t allow himself any relationships because his ex-wife has threatened to take custody of their daughter if he continues with his so-called ‘deviant’ behavior, aka gay. After his stressful divorce he started to drink and is now a recovering alcoholic but at times comes close to falling off the wagon. Meeting Lyle and knowing he can never have the happy life he wants unless he risk losing his daughter, Roger suppresses his desires even tighter, leading to a very unhappy and wary man. But he’s also a man starving for love and affection.
Lyle was in a rut when he left Harrisburg and hopes moving to Kansas will help jumpstart his life. I didn’t like Lyle as much as I liked Roger. I could understand Roger’s behavior and emphasize with him. Lyle on the other appeared to be two different people. Before being transferred, he seemed like a nice man who was looking for a meaningful relationship with someone, but could never find the right person. But when he arrives in Kansas, it becomes apparent that he’s the problem. When things get uncomfortable or tough in a relationship, Lyle wants to run or give up. Rather easily in fact. One of his friends calls him on it when Lyle tells him what’s happening with Roger. Considering Roger has difficulty trusting and was easily hurt, I thought that Lyle was not necessarily the best guy for him. Lyle put effort into the relationship eventually, but somehow his commitment to Roger didn’t ring as true to me as Roger was to Lyle.
I want to mention that I read this book after I read the third book, Trapped in Oz. I think it would be best to read this series in order because Roger and Lyle show up in the third book. Because I didn’t read these in order, I think I missed out on the impact the two MC’s had on the characters in book three.
As to the secondary characters, Lizzy the daughter is decent. She doesn’t take over the story and isn’t an obnoxious child. The obnoxious characters are the ex-wife and her brother. The ex-wife is the obligatory ‘witch’ in the story and I didn’t like how the author portrayed her as over the top. It made the book another gay story with a wacko female. The subplot with the wife and brother were a bit difficult to believe, but the romance of the story and the daughter seemed to be more realistic.
Dumped in Oz is a low key romance that’s fast to read. It’s the author’s usual style that I can count on for a HEA. Read this book first if you plan on reading the series. I think the other books will make more sense if you do. I give this story, 3 Stars.
I’ve read many of Andrew Grey’s books and almost all of them keep me entertained. I can count on them to give me the HEA that I enjoy too, and this book did just that. In fact, of all the stories I’ve read by this author, I think this is the best one so far.
Brad has been warned by his boss at the newspaper, the Crier, that Brad’s job is on the line if he doesn’t write a riveting article by the end of the week. His boss tells him to find one in the classifieds which is also known as the ‘kiss of death’ before an employee is sent packing. Surprisingly, Brad finds an ad for someone selling baby items and decides to interview what he thinks is a couple who’ve lost their child. Instead, it’s not a couple, but Corey who lost his pregnant best friend who was having the baby he was going to adopt. He’s stuck in limbo, unable to move forward. But through the interview, Corey starts to let go and after the article is written, Brad and Corey start to date.
I liked Brad, I felt like we learn more about him than Corey. Corey seemed to be emotionally detached to me, which could be the way the author wrote him since he’s lost so much. But I think it’s more than that. Corey seemed to prefer being alone. Brad on the other hand was friendly but also seemed less jaded than Corey. I liked Brad more than I liked Corey. The one thing I had a problem with, was I kept getting the names twisted around. I kept wanting to call Brad- Corey, because Brad’s personality was younger and to me the name Corey portrayed that. Whereas Corey, seemed older and set in his ways, that’s why I wanted to call him Brad. But that is on me and the way I associate names with personalities.
I thought the plot was good. It had the emotional recovery from a heartbreaking situation on Corey’s part, the growth of Brad and Corey’s relationship, and a further mystery that Brad unearths for another article he’s writing that turns out to be dangerous. They all blended well together. The one issue I had was with
Overall I enjoyed this story. It was a fast, entertaining read, and of the books I’ve read so far by this author, probably the best one. The plot was well done and I would recommend this book. I also really like the cover. I give In Search of a Story, 4 Stars.
First, I need to mention that this is the first book in the series I’ve read, and if I remember correctly, the first book I’ve read by this author. I was interested in reading the book because I’m a sucker for books centered on food. Also the author seems to be popular with many readers and I wanted to see for myself why people liked his writing. Even though I read this book out of order, I didn’t feel like I missed all that much with the characters that appeared from the other stories. Yes, I was curious about their back stories, but it was nice that this story didn’t need the other books to complete it.
Marcus is a baker/pastry chef trying to make a go with his shop but it’s difficult. He only has himself and two assistants and he doesn’t have time to promote, or the money to promote his business. He can keep his shop going for three more months and then that’s it if he doesn’t find a way to increase his business. Lucky for him there are people who can help. One is Greg who agrees to help Marcus in return for the help he received from his ex-boyfriend, Sebastian, and his partner Robert when Greg almost died from health complications due to his compromised immune system from HIV. Greg thinks that he blew his chance with Sebastian and no one will want him now that he has HIV, but it turns out Marcus does. Coincidentally Marcus’s friend and ex-lover also had HIV so he isn’t afraid of it.
The attraction between Marcus and Greg was almost instant love, almost meaning it was about two days before they were in love. I couldn’t connect or feel for the characters because they told me how they felt rather than showing me how they felt. Many of their comments were repetitive and I found their conversations not necessarily ‘stilted,’ but too planned out. It didn’t seem to flow naturally. I didn’t find their conversations realistic.
The main storylines were Marcus trying to save the bakery and how that evolves with Greg’s help. Next there’s the romantic storyline. What I didn’t like was that the author threw in a lot more subplots, having to do with an HIV boy, the problems with Marcus’s father, an ex-boyfriend of Greg’s pops up, and then Greg’s estranged mother shows up, followed by a hate crime. There were way too many subplots going on in the story that only received a little attention each and then were neatly tied up without going into much detail. They felt unnecessary and just served to clutter up the story.
I loved the description of the carrot cake and cinnamon rolls, although I think there was too much description about all the preparations. That was another thing I found distracting in the book, there was sometimes too much description about every little action that wasn’t necessary.
The book was an easy fast read without much stress and would be a good book to read if a person needed a story after a high anxiety book. The author could do with cutting back on the subplots and overdoing the excessive description. I’d also like to feel more with the characters rather than being told how they feel. This story was an OK read. I give A Slice of Love 3 Stars
Wes Gordon is a doctor, volunteering in Haiti. He's working under hellish conditions and trying to escape a painful past. Anthony is a diplomat, an enigma of sorts and Wes isn't completely sure where he stands. But even in these circumstances a relationship grows. Even the addition of a rescued teenager doesn't change things, but adds to the whole.
It's a lovely, feel good kind of story, with more than enough strength in it to make it a solid 4 star read for me. Just more proof that this is an author I will turn to when I want something uplifting, not too heavy but nothing fluffy either.
The settings in this one were gorgeous. I felt as if I was on the islands with the guys. It was also great to "see" familiar faces popping in from other Andrews Grey books... Gary seemed to undergo a quite remarkable character change from the beginning to the end of the book. And while I'm always expecting a bit of insta-love in these books, there seemed to be a slight case instant BFF's as well.
But even with all that, it was still a entertaining read with characters that touched me. Just what I expect from this author.
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I’m very content with this last installment of the Art Series as it showcases original MC’s Dieter and Gerald, and also perpetuates the similar theme of gaining ownership of a family legacy - something I quite enjoyed the first go around.
Timothy has just inherited his late grandfather’s house, and as he contemplates what to do with it, he rekindles the friendship he had as a child with Dieter. Unfortunately, Timothy hasn’t had it easy, having had a very tumultuous relationship with his drug addicted mother, something that has brought and wrought a lot of personal pain. His grandfather was the steady force in his life, and when Timothy discovers some old coins, he feels he must honor “grampy” by officially claiming the controversial money.
Enter Joiner. He’s relatively a newbie at the law firm where Gerald and Brian (MC from book 2) work at, and he’s been tasked to help out on the case. Of course, he’s instantly smitten with the shy and timid Timothy, as his vulnerability pulls at Joiner to do whatever it takes to help him. However, Joiner discovers an unfortunate glitch in U.S. treasury history. One particular coin was never meant for distribution and is inherently the property of the government. Any previous coins claimed have always been instantly confiscated, and Joiner and Gerald must find that special loophole to prevent that from happening again.
Now I have no idea if this is really a true plausible situation or not. Regardless, this is still an interesting premise despite this being a romance. I have to say, it’s also a decent hurt comfort story, as Timothy struggles to trust Joiner and their growing feelings, trying to not to let his awful past come between them.
Overall, this was another audio win for John Solo, as I enjoyed listening to him just as much as the previous three stories. Grey doesn’t deviate from his formula, consistently bringing the sweet and sexy with a touch of good ole melodrama. Again, I appreciate this unique theme (minus the minimally connected tangent that was book 3) and I had a good time seeing these lawyers win their cases and find grand love in the process!
Thank you to the author/publisher for the audio in exchange for a honest review