Tag: Riptide Publishing

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Book 240: After the Fall (Tucker Springs #6) – L. A. Witt

Geoff W

Witt, L.A. - After the Fall (Tucker Springs #6)Now this is how you write a romance novel! There was one line that captured this for me, “A first kiss was usually a one-way ticket to a one-night stand or an awkward exit, but this one…I didn’t know where anything was going now.”

I was worried about where the Tucker Springs series was going, but L. A. Witt single-handedly brought the series back to a great, if predictable (it is romance after all), place and pace. I was so impressed with this addition to the series that I’m convinced I should probably look into whether Witt has written any other MM romances and it left me hoping she will contribute more to the series! I received a copy of After the Fall (link to the publisher’s site) from the publisher in return for my honest opinion of the novel. I received no compensation.

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Book 232: Good Boy (Theta Alpha Gamma #4) – Anne Tenino

Geoff W

Tenino, Anne - Good BoyTo be completely honest this book was a waste of time for me. It had so much potential going into it, but I didn’t realize how short it was. I will say that if I had paid for a copy of this book, or waited for a long time on a hold list I would have been that much more disappointed than I was. However, I received a copy of Good Boy from the publisher and received no compensation for my honest opinion of the work.

What bothered me about this book was that it seemed to be a hold over until the next book in the series could be released. And this wouldn’t have bothered me anywhere near as much, but the story brings up quite a few things that I assume are answered in a later story in the series, but why bring them up now in 77 pages, why not write a longer book? I would rather have waited much longer and had this book fully fleshed out, rather than be subjected to the short-story/novella form of this book in its current format.

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Book 213: Sweet Young Thang (Theta Alpha Gamma #3) – Anne Tenino

Geoff W

Tenino, Anne - Sweet Young ThangFor the third installment of Anne Tenino’s Theta Alpha Gamma series she definitely made an impression. Although I despise the title, Sweet Young Thang (link to publisher’s website – semi-NSFW, but if you’re reading this blog at work you’re probably okay) was an enjoyable read and had me laughing out loud and saying ‘awwwww’ on more than one occasion. I received a copy of this book from the publisher in response for my honest opinion and received nothing in return.

Overall, I felt this was a great addition to the series and I enjoyed reading it. I loved learning more about Collin and felt Eric was a great addition to the TAG universe. In addition I loved the hilarity the other frat brothers provided under the guise of sensitivity training! (Plus who doesn’t love a Project Runway/Tim Gunn reference.) I’m assuming the next book will focus on Jock, openly gay, or Noah, potentially gay, two characters introduced in this novel.

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Book 196: The Laird’s Forbidden Lover – Amelia C. Gormley

Geoff W

Gormley, Amelia - The Laird's Forbidden Lover Where to start with this book… It’s not that it was a bad book, but it wasn’t a great book either. Overall the story was good and the writing was better than many of the romance novels I’ve read, but at the same time I felt the author could have done better.

I have to partially wonder if I stack the decks against this type of novel when I generally read them after having finished a tome of a classic (this time it was Middlemarch). But at the same time I have to think that it should still hold up regardless of what precedes or follows it. I will say that this book was definitely further along in the editing process than many of the galley’s I’ve read previously which was a nice change. I received a copy of this book from the publisher and received no compensation for my honest response.

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Book 193: Love, Hypothetically (Theta Alpha Gamma #2) – Anne Tenino

Geoff W

Tenino, Anne - Love, HypotheticallyFor some reason, this novel just felt more real and better developed than Tenino’s first novel in this series. Frat Boy and Toppy wasn’t bad, it just annoyed me and could’ve used a better copy editor. This novel seemed more polished and a bit more developed. I’m not sure if this had to do with the (seemingly) fewer sex scenes, the (seemingly) more emotionally intense battles or if it’s because the author progressed as a writer. I like to think it was a mixture of the three.

I received a copy of this from the publisher and I received no compensation for my honest response.

The fact that this was a continuation of a love story between two of the characters that broke off fora reason you find out pretty early in the book really helped this be a better novel than the first in the series. The history between Paul and Trevor provided the crucial emotional turmoil for this book to succeed and made it more believable. Let’s face it, I’m a sucker for first-love and second chance stories and this one was definitely a good one. In addition the past history of the two main characters lessened the need for lovey-dovey nicknames that really rubbed me the wrong way in the first novel. There was one used but (and it was my LEAST favorite – babe), but since it appeared only once I just let it go.

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