When Reed Kensington--ruthless attorney, self-made millionaire and handsome playboy--returns from abroad and accepts a position with a prestigious law firm in his hometown, he believes his life is perfect. Reed never expected a chance meeting with an auburn-haired temptation to make him cross-examine his life or his future.
Trevor West, a military special ops team member, has a secret not even his best friends and fellow team members, Brody and Rylie, are privy too. He's gay and has a crush on one of them since their first days in boot camp.
Never willing to let his secret out, Trevor meets Rylie's older brother, a handsome and debonair playboy who unleashes all his secret desires. Will Trevor risk it all or will his duty to his country cost him his only hope at love?
Edit: I just finished my re-read and loved it just as much as the first time. I just want to add one additional quote.
"Fairy tales were real. Trevor had his knight in shining armor."
Up In Arms by Kindle Alexander is a stand alone, MM romance. It was first released in 2012 and after being revised and getting this gorgeous new cover, is being re-released. This is the first time I read this and I am so filled with love right now for these two men. My heart is just so happy.
Reed Kensington is a very wealthy, very successful and very out and proud gay man. He lives a carefree life and has never been in a relationship, not necessarily by choice. He’s just never met anyone he cared to spend more than one night with. The men in his family have a history, though, of knowing the minute they met their spouses that they were the one. Reed had just begun to think that maybe it would never happen for him. His younger brother, Rylie, is getting married and Reed is the best man. It’s the first night of the festivities and as soon as Rylie walked in to the rehearsal dinner with his fellow marine buddies, Reed saw him. And from that moment on, he never saw anyone else.
Trevor West is one of Rylie’s best friends and they are also both part of the same Marine Special Forces team. Trevor finally accepted to himself that he was gay but he’s never been with a man and hasn’t told anyone. Trevor lost his own parents years before and the Kensingtons have more or less taken him in as part of their family. But it’s been years since he has seen Reed. Now, when they come face to face once again, and he looks into his eyes, he can’t seem to look away. And for some unknown reason, Reed claims to be interested in him. Trevor is confused as to why someone like Reed would even look twice at him but he can’t deny himself this opportunity to give this a chance.
“How could a chance meeting have changed his heart and life so drastically?”
Reed knows that Trevor is it, that he’s met his one. But Trevor seems to need some convincing. But before they even get a chance to spend more than a couple of days together, the military calls Trevor and the team away and their lives are once again changed forever.
This book was just wonderful. I love it when two people’s eyes meet over a crowded room and magic happens. It’s my very favorite thing. And Reed is pretty much my perfect hero. He was just all in from the first minute and nothing was going to get in his way to win his man. During one part of this book, I was reading while in a waiting room and it was a particularly touching moment and it was all I could do to keep my eyes from watering.
“Fairy tales were real. Trevor had his knight in shining armor.”
This is a beautiful story of true love, of finding your “one,” of bravery, of sacrifice, of honor. I absolutely loved the epilogue! I feel like I’m rambling now with my heart so full of warm and fuzzies so I’ll leave it there and hope that I’ve convinced you to grab this one. I hope you love Reed and Trevor as much as I did.
I tried so hard, I really did, but this was just plain terrible, soap opera anyone? There is not one redeeming factor I can point out, I did search for it but nope, none to be found. There were several WTF moments, the flowery, sickly, fawning was enough to drown me and the book in its sugary sickness. My favourite new word (not) is "handsome" which was used and abused so many times throughout, I was so sick and tired of it, I could have strangled Reed and the book if I had to hear it one more time.
Note: If you're going to even attempt to write an m/m romance can you please make sure the characters portrayed, act like men seriously. This brought back bad memories of the old Mills and Boon days and not in a good way. Unbelievable, unrealistic romance, with unlikable MC's who inspired no affection or real interest from me and I couldn't care less in finding out more about them. Sorry to say this is not recommended unless you want to be questioning every situation or comment throughout, as I was. Once again my opinion only!
There`s no chance this clusterfuck is going to get any better - only worse,so... DNF 50%
A book like this will always have an audience swooning over it (with a sideways glance at the gushing reviews and high ratings it already has...) like every outdated Harlequin romance novel ever had or has.
That`s exactly what it is. 100% Harlequin ivory-tower mutant pulled out of the relic box, dusted-off, converted from m/f to m/m without making the necessary adjustments for being it two men, spiked with mildly explicit and nauseatingly "romantic" sex scenes.
Poorly written, extremely repetitive purple prose throwing positive adjectives around like candy on a German carnival procession. Perfect, beautiful, stunning, handsome, and so on - repeated again and again and again - ad nauseaum. My favorite was the "sexy grin spreading across his stunningly handsome face" - I don`t know in how many variations and how many times......I got it, I got it, please stop - but there was no escape...ugh! Not to forget the emerald-green glances and cerulean stares...I think you get the picture.
The blurb makes this story sound much more exciting than it really is. Who wants to know more can read the status updates up to 50%. I won`t get into them here I think they speak for themselves. I stopped reading at this point, after some jaw-dropping moments - unbelievingly staring at the screen during scenes where I truly felt embarrassed for the author - with no improvement in sight. . Definitely not recommended.
I can't believe I haven't given my opinion! I LOVE THIS BOOK! ITS WONDERFUL! PERFECT! COULDNT BE BETTER! And all those words the sock puppet below think Kindle's friends are saying because I AM ONE! I have been lucky because I have been with Kindle from the very beginning! I got to enjoy the fan fiction she wrote on facebook all those years ago, all the way to Up in Arms. I LOVE IT! I'm super proud of Kindle and I'm super proud THIS BOOK is sitting in the Amazon Best Selling spot! Have I said I love it? Good job Kindle, keep going! You keep making my day!
I added Kindle to list below - click to open and vote! BEST BOOK OF 2012! I'm so proud of you Kindlebelle! You are on the Best Sellers list 20 days now. GREAT WORK!!
Randall loved it too. He's telling me he's my Reed and I keep telling him I'm Reed. I'm Reed!
This book was emailed to me by a florist friend. One of the first books I have read in a long time that shows a gay man act even close to how a gay man acts. Gay romance turned so hetrosexual it turned me off years ago. It was actually nice to have a fantasy of having a Reed. I liked it, stayed up late to finish it. My husband's reading it now. It was a sweet romance, not rocket science, but still it was nice to have a gay man at least being a little gay. I'll be looking for more like this one.
Rounded down because of WTF ELEVATOR SCENE described below.
I loved Reed. He was confident in who he was, knew what he wanted and wasn't afraid to go after it. His sly moves, smooth talking and debonaire good looks wooed not only Trevor, but myself right along with him.
Shy and introverted Trevor was a great counterbalance to Reed's charismatic personality. His quiet demeanor was such an interesting contrast to his confident and rugged soldier life.
Reed and Trevor's meeting and coupling was insta love/lust, but I felt it was sweet and paced nicely.
And then, the elevator scene . . . BIG WTF INCOMING . . .
I have no idea why that was put in there or what the authors were thinking....but I know of no woman that would EVER behave that way!! The whole scene felt so gross, and has put a dark cloud over this book.
Ok, back to the rest of the book.
After a pivotal moment halfway thru the book, things started slipping. There was a lot of redundancy and awkward styled dialogue that sounded like nothing more than run on ramblings. What may not have been so noticeable in the first half of the book was glaringly there in the poorly executed second half. For instance, I LOVED Reed's endearment of "handsome" for Trevor, but it was a beaten dead horse by 75% and I never wanted to hear it again. Sometimes less is more.
This was a decent read that was marred by an elevator scene that will forever stick with me as an epic WTF?
For those wanting to know what happened in the elevator:
So Reed and Trevor are getting hot and heavy in the elevator on the way up to their room. Lots of making out and groping, hands in the pants and all. Well one of the guys is on his way down for a good ol' blowjob, when they reach their floor and the elevator doors slide open to a couple of women waiting to get on. And one of the women starts to go NUTS!!!
Completely freaking out that two men are about to get it on. S he's so damn excited, she's screaming all over the place how this is so awesome, and gay men are hot and she never thought she'd get to see something like that and begs them not to stop and keep going and that she wants to watch.
Then she whips out her phone and says she wants to take pictures of them while they're going at it. So as the guys are laughing (I don't know why, I don't find fetishizing gay men funny) and trying to get out of the elevator, she tries to hold them up by whipping out her wallet and begging them to keep going, saying that she'd pay to see it and then she asked if she could tape it. Her friend starts pulling her into the elevator and Reed makes an attempt at a charismatic comment about not sharing while the elevator doors close.
I mean COME ON! Who the hell would act like that?!?!?!?!?
WOW, what can I say this one brings out all emotions, I smiled, I laughed ,I got angry and I even cried, I love Reed he is enough to make anyones tummy to flip flops, what is not to love about him. Then you have Trevor I just wanted to give him a big hug he is so adorable and just so sweet and shy, Then you have Brody, Man I wanted to shake him a few times lmao all in all this is a great story, it pulled me in from the start, you can so lose time when reading this book as you just don't want to put it down I didn't expect anything but Brilliance from Kindle and she delivered it in this book.. Fan for life <3
OMG 5 stars is just not enough....I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down, "just one more page before i go to bed". I finished this book in 2 days and can not wait to dive into the other books she has written.
The story just seemed to flow from start to finish, the way the characters interacted on the page it was as if I was standing right there in the room watching it all unfold.
AMAZING...AWESOME...STUNNING...Kindle has given us a much longer prose this time and I loved every word, I laughed out loud, I cried, I stayed up way to late reading and woke up early to finish. I'm a Kindle fanatic FOREVER!!!
2022 A wonderful story of the Love between Reed and Trevor. Trevor full of uncertainty and Reed strong and true. I loved re reading this story.
A beautifully written story of courage and unbridled love. Though a M/M romance it is set apart from others by it's sweetness and the honesty in both the males actions and heartfelt emotions. It is refreshing to see the softer side of two physically dominant males. One whom is a solider, a nations hero and the other an extremely confident and wealthy lawyer, together they face life changing events whilst, learning to conquer every obstacle to keep them apart. Needless to say I loved this book and found it incredibly hard to put down.
Props to Kindle Alexander for going outside the norm and writing a story of heartwarming romance. All gay males are not hardcore, screw everything that moves. I believe your story accurately portrays a true love story of two men willing to face emotion in a modern day world. Kindle,just remember this...opinions are like assholes, everybody has one and some of them stink.
Wow!!!! How can you not fall in love with Reed and Trevor.I was hooked from the start.Times I lmao!! The elevator loved it!! It also pulled at your heart strings. You need to read this book. LOVED IT!!!!!
I must be a sucker for a good old fashion love story. It has everything. Action, romance, fear, sorrow. I didnt want it to end. It was good. Worth the money and read. I see why this is a best seller we need more like this. It's good to just read a good story. Recommend me more like this one.
The worst part about rating this book is that I'm not allowed to rate it negative stars. This book was awful. Truly, one of the first books I have given up on at 80% because I just could NOT take how bad it was anymore. You must understand, I have OCD. When I start something, I MUST FINISH IT, or else I won't be able to continue on my next task, but not even my OCD could push me to continue this atrocity. The writing is really bad. The plot had potential but it was so badly executed, it could not be saved. The dialogue between characters was so laughable, I felt second hand embarrassment.
I was so excited to read this because the blurb made it sound good, and it had such high ratings. But, those ratings are probably from the author's friends. But you know what, if they were REAL friends, they would give the author constructive criticism. That is the only way to improve because, holy mother of crackers, this was DREADFUL.
I really liked this book. I thought it was very good and I love the word handsome when Reed says it to Trevor! I read romance. Its hard to find good male/male romance. I laughed and cried and love the happily ever after. It moved quickly, I wish there was more to some of it, but the swept off your feet thing was cool. Worth the read!
You knocked it out of the park Kindle. Wonderful romantic read. Trevor and Reed share a beautiful love despite hardships and obstacles. I enjoyed every minute spent with these two.
3.5 Stars. I liked the premise/plot of the story. I adored Reed. He was really sweet and dedicated to Trevor in their insta-love relationship. The reason why I took off 1.5 stars was Brody's character. I didn't feel he was written well at all. He could have been a great antagonist and I think he was supposed to be. At the end Brody decides not to relocate to same town as Trevor because he's realized what he's lost (Trevor.) So he had feelings for him all this time!? Wouldn't have known it due to how his character was written. Instead he came across as Trevor's assholish man-whore best friend who tried to seduce Reed from Trevor a couple of times from what I thought was jealously of Reed picking Trevor over him, not because he wanted Trevor himself. And my main criticism is Trevor's character. He's supposed to be Marine Special Ops (Recon?) and I can tell you from my meeting of a few special ops guys, that they are not insecure individuals who are filled with self-doubt and unworthiness like Trevor was (before and after his injury.) That flies in the face of everything they are trained to be. I had a very hard time believing he was this bad-ass S.O. guy when he thought and acted completely the opposite.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I liked this book. I understand some of the complaints by the 1 star reviews but I still liked it. So I'll address some of those points.
1. Flowery language -yes it is a little syrupy and not entirely natural but not to the point it ruined the book for me.
2. Unrealistic plotlines & soap opera feel- yes they fell in love very quickly but Trevor being hurt in the line of duty happens all the time. And the reporter breaking the story I can see that happening. in fact I think something similar was on TMZ last week.
3.Complaints about the nickname Handsome- it is a special pet name for the man he loves, of course he will use it often (I am biased my pet name for my husband is Gorgeous & I still use it regularly after 24 years)
Bottom line is while I didn't like it as much as Texas Pride or The Current Between Us I still found it enjoyable. ...If I want something very realistic I'll read a biography (And I wonder about those sometimes lol)
Thank you Kindle Alexander a wonderful story. Reed and Trevor are wonderful characters. The story was entertaining, passionate and very moving. Up In Arms is beautifully written, pulling the reader in and connecting them to the characters. I couldn't help but love these guys. I wouldn't dream of missing a book by this author. Kindle Alexander continues to deliver exactly what I am looking for in this genera and I can't wait to read the next.
I delighted in revisiting this story. So long ago I read the original release and enjoyed Redd and Trevor’s story. To read it again and fall in love with these two was a delight.
It is well known I am a sucker for Insta-love stories. Where one is struck with the love bug so hard. That is Reed. Smart. Savvy. And a man of means to get what he wants. And his eyes are set on the handsome soldier.
But it is a tragic event that both humbles their bubble and grows the strength of their relationship.
Once again Kindle Alexander give readers a story with love, warmth and a a few bumps. I enjoyed watching this twist on the trope of billionaire. Recommend you read this fabulous standalone.
I LOVE THIS BOOK!!! Really there are no words that can express the love these two men have for each other. The pain, pleasure, hurt, loss, all of it is felt in Kindle Alexanders writing. Truly had me hooked from the first page, and i didnt put it down till i finished it. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a little m/m/ action. Hot! Steamy! Passionate! GO READ THIS BOOK!!!!
I love these characters. Oh, Reed... I couldn't help but fall in love. Thank you Kindle Alexander for a book filled with fun, and laughter, and deep emotion. I was hooked and I'm so glad I found this one.
Tropes: MM military romance, brother’s best friend, opposites attract
Reed Kensington believes he has the perfect life as a self-made billionaire, tough attorney and gorgeous playboy. While attending his little brother’s wedding, he sees his brother’s best friend Trevor again and begins re-evaluating his life. Trevor West is a dedicated special ops soldier in the marines. He would love to have someone special in his life but refuses to jeopardize his career. These two couldn't be more different. Reed is a sociable, out and proud man while Trevor is inexperienced when it comes to men and is a reserved, and quiet, introvert. When Reed sees Trevor, he knows he's found the one. Then a military mission goes wrong which puts their relationship to the ultimate test. Can Reed show him they can have everything?
This story played my emotions like a beautiful piece of music. It was released back in 2012 and redone now. This time being my only time reading it. It was beautiful. My only complaint is it lost my attention a few times but for the most part I enjoyed it. This is my honest opinion, freely given.
Reed Kensington is a mega-rich, uber-successful gay playboy/attorney who is home for his brother's wedding. Trevor West is a bad-ass sniper marine and part of Reed's brother's special ops team. Trevor is gay; he's never told anyone nor has he acted on it. He has an unrequited crush on fellow marine and one of his BFFs, Brody. Trevor and Reed meet at the wedding and sparks fly. They fall in love but have to fight evil journalists and bastardy bigots to gain their HEA.
Um, I didn't like this book. I was drowning in its sugary sweetness. Reed's term of endearment for Trevor ("Handsome") grated on my last nerve. As did the fact that Trevor - a bad-ass military hero, mind you - becomes a complete pansy/china doll/shrinking violet with Reed. What. The. F*ck!??!? Trevor is needy and Reed coddles him until the cows come home. Their dialogue was nauseating. I never read two m/m characters so disgustingly sappy.
Bottom line: Blech! Texas Pride is much better. I'm glad I read it first otherwise I might not have given it a go.
5 Star Review of Up In Arms (Always & Forever #2) by Kindle Alexander Whenever I pick up a book by Kindle Alexander, I know I am about to read a well written, entertaining story with characters who often burrow into your heart. Reed Kensington and Trevor West could not be more different, but they are so well suited to one another and I loved the characters both separately and especially as a couple. I didn’t read this book when it released in 2012 so for me it was a fresh story. Reed is a successful attorney who is a bit of a player whilst Trevor is a member of a special ops team. However when they meet, at Reed’s brother’s (and Trevor's team mate) weeding, Reed knows that he wants Trevor in his life, if he can only convince him to take a chance. There is action, drama, some angst and two heroes that made me swoon. When a mission goes wrong, Reed is determined to be there for the badly injured Trevor and prove to him that he is more than a playboy.
I loved the development of their relationship and how Reed stepped up when he was needed the most. It was at times an emotional read that has me smiling and crying.
This book is for all those sappy fans like myself. I'm a very proud fan of the sap in books and I always loved Marines in books. As most people know I normally love books like this and I tend to rave about them in my reviews. So why the 3 star rating? It would say it's more 3.5 because it was an easy enough read. I did have issues with it though.
The book starts and Trevor has a crush on his best friend Brody. Then at his other friend, Rylies wedding he meets Reed. Rylies older brother. From there we get insta-love (something else I love). We get a lot of endearments and a nice little love story. I just got annoyed after a while.
To call this book angsty would be wrong. It wasn't angst, it was drama more than anything. I really didn't like Brody and Trevor had a crush/was in love with him? I would have told Trevor to get a life years before if I had been Rylie. My God it got on my nerves.
We also had some hospital/recovery scenes. I normally love them, it just added to Trevor's issues for me. He had enough of those. The ending was very good though, I liked him then. It was nice to see him grow some balls and get a backbone. I can't say much about Reed. I did prefer him over Trevor.
Read it if you want. I liked it, but it was just Meh for me in the end.
MC just had his foot cut off but he's in the mood for sex? wtf....yeah right. And really was it necessary for the MC to be injured that badly and Not even have any mention of it in the blurb? I would have liked a hint of this because if I had know about this I don't think I would have purchased this book, in fact the whole book reads more like a Blaze Harlequin novel. Trevor character just didn't click for me...his whole persona just felt off for some reason. Then the whole outing plot felt like too freaking much going on in this story. I felt like the author was trying to hard and just threw all her ideas into this one book. This book was okay in my opinion nothing to give 3 stars about that's for sure. I give It a two for the idea behind the story especially since I always love reading about military personnel. This story had a lot of potential too bad it was just to fanciful maybe it should have been a fantasy or sci-fi thing I don't know, all I know is that this book read like 5 books or more in one and that's not a good thing. Ugh.....I hate wasting my money. Refund?