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Astrophysicist #1-2
Loving an Absentminded Astrophysicist
2nd Edition
At twenty-three, Dr. Liam McGregor is a well-respected astrophysicist, astrobiologist, and geologist. With no family, few friends, and no romantic prospects, he’s used to being alone. Focusing on his various scientific projects and taking care of his decidedly unusual cat help keep the loneliness at bay.
Jareth Manning is starting life over—new town, new job—after the loss of his husband. The last thing he expects is for the most absentminded, and beautiful, man he’s ever seen to take up residence in his heart. Nor did he expect to find himself a willingly humble slave to Her Imperial Highness, Empress the Cat. But Jareth has learned that love doesn't come around often and to hold on to it when it does. Jareth is willing to be patient if Liam is willing to take a risk after being burned before. They just have to survive Liam’s past returning.
Eight years after Liam and Jareth marry, they want a child. Things don’t go well when they try to adopt, with terrible accusations thrown at Jareth. After recovering, they proceed with a private adoption, bringing home a beautiful little girl, Carinae. Then things get ugly, endangering not only Liam’s life, but Carinae’s.
At twenty-three, Dr. Liam McGregor is a well-respected astrophysicist, astrobiologist, and geologist. With no family, few friends, and no romantic prospects, he’s used to being alone. Focusing on his various scientific projects and taking care of his decidedly unusual cat help keep the loneliness at bay.
Jareth Manning is starting life over—new town, new job—after the loss of his husband. The last thing he expects is for the most absentminded, and beautiful, man he’s ever seen to take up residence in his heart. Nor did he expect to find himself a willingly humble slave to Her Imperial Highness, Empress the Cat. But Jareth has learned that love doesn't come around often and to hold on to it when it does. Jareth is willing to be patient if Liam is willing to take a risk after being burned before. They just have to survive Liam’s past returning.
Eight years after Liam and Jareth marry, they want a child. Things don’t go well when they try to adopt, with terrible accusations thrown at Jareth. After recovering, they proceed with a private adoption, bringing home a beautiful little girl, Carinae. Then things get ugly, endangering not only Liam’s life, but Carinae’s.
226 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 28, 2012
9 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
T.N. Tarrant
15 books52 followersTN is a hardworking single mom living in the wilds of Wyoming who enjoys embarrassing her child with bright red lipstick prints to the forehead. When she isn't embarrassing her child or hunting, killing and dragging groceries home through the snow, she loves to write romantic stories with hot lovers.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 20, 2015
As with the previous incarnations of this story, the book comes in two parts, with a delightful short story added between them as an extra nice surprise.
Part One introduces Liam, an “absent-minded professor” of the highest magnitude, is pitched not only against his own social ineptness, but also against some pretty serious physical scars and emotional wounds stemming from a horrific past. The man he is partnered with has his own emotional crosses to bear, and even though Jareth deals with them in a very different way, they enable him to understand Liam and his needs much better than anyone else ever could.
Liam is probably the most extreme case of absent-mindedness you can imagine. He not only forgets things (even though a set of routines helps him cope – sort of), he is physically so inept that he literally runs into things. Having to deal with people constantly thinking he is abused doesn’t make life easier for him. Luckily, he has very good friends who take care of him, have done so, in fact, since his despicable parents sent him away to university when he was still very young. Although this probably saved his life, it has not helped him become a normal, well-adapted adult.
Jareth is the new head of security at the Research Institute where Liam works, and he falls in love with the ‘professor’ almost as soon as he sets eyes on him. I admired him a lot for holding back and showing the kind of sensitivity that enables Liam to learn to trust him. Jareth is no stranger to emotional (and physical) pain; as an ex-Marine he had to deal with significant injuries before he was able to reclaim a mostly normal life.
Part Two is a great sequel to the first part! The adorably absent-minded and naïve Liam is back, and so is his studly husband, Jareth, an ex-Marine now in charge of security at the think tank where Liam works. Eight years have passed since the tumultuous events of the first volume, and you'd think things have gotten nice and settled around these two very loving men. To my shock nothing could be further from the truth. They have to face yet more attacks from Liam's demented mother, bigoted cops, FBI agents and doctors, and that's just for starters. Be warned: I counted no less than three major crises in this novel, so a relaxing read this is not.
Liam is still as clumsy as ever, except now that he is married, his various accidents get labeled as abuse, and Jareth, as his husband, is accused (multiple times) of beating him up. Having Jareth in his corner has helped Liam deal with things better though, and professionally, everything goes well for him. When Jareth's brother and his wife have their first child though (which turns out to be twins), it sets in motion a chain of events that not only has Liam despairing of ever having a child of his own, but also leads to several hair-raising and life threatening situations. You have been warned!
Jareth is wonderfully supportive and very patient with Liam. He clearly loves him to pieces and all the false accusations really get to him. As does their trouble with being approved by an adoption agency, and when he gets arrested on his way to the hospital because Liam is vomiting blood, he has had it. He becomes increasingly defensive and decreasingly patient with idiots who try to interfere in his and Liam's lives, never mind the people who try to actively do them physical harm. But he is not a man to be messed with where his family's safety is concerned, and the bad guys better watch out!
This book held me in suspense from beginning to end, and I loved both the tense scenes and the small family-centered and erotic interludes equally. If you like reading about ‘wounded’ heroes who struggle emotionally and physically, if a slowly developing relationship is your thing, and if a ‘geeky professor’ with no social skills seems sort of interesting to you, you may like this book. You also need to be up for a thrilling action/adventure with family themes, and be ready to enjoy a novel that is as hot as it is intense. All around, I think this is a wonderful read!
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Part One introduces Liam, an “absent-minded professor” of the highest magnitude, is pitched not only against his own social ineptness, but also against some pretty serious physical scars and emotional wounds stemming from a horrific past. The man he is partnered with has his own emotional crosses to bear, and even though Jareth deals with them in a very different way, they enable him to understand Liam and his needs much better than anyone else ever could.
Liam is probably the most extreme case of absent-mindedness you can imagine. He not only forgets things (even though a set of routines helps him cope – sort of), he is physically so inept that he literally runs into things. Having to deal with people constantly thinking he is abused doesn’t make life easier for him. Luckily, he has very good friends who take care of him, have done so, in fact, since his despicable parents sent him away to university when he was still very young. Although this probably saved his life, it has not helped him become a normal, well-adapted adult.
Jareth is the new head of security at the Research Institute where Liam works, and he falls in love with the ‘professor’ almost as soon as he sets eyes on him. I admired him a lot for holding back and showing the kind of sensitivity that enables Liam to learn to trust him. Jareth is no stranger to emotional (and physical) pain; as an ex-Marine he had to deal with significant injuries before he was able to reclaim a mostly normal life.
Part Two is a great sequel to the first part! The adorably absent-minded and naïve Liam is back, and so is his studly husband, Jareth, an ex-Marine now in charge of security at the think tank where Liam works. Eight years have passed since the tumultuous events of the first volume, and you'd think things have gotten nice and settled around these two very loving men. To my shock nothing could be further from the truth. They have to face yet more attacks from Liam's demented mother, bigoted cops, FBI agents and doctors, and that's just for starters. Be warned: I counted no less than three major crises in this novel, so a relaxing read this is not.
Liam is still as clumsy as ever, except now that he is married, his various accidents get labeled as abuse, and Jareth, as his husband, is accused (multiple times) of beating him up. Having Jareth in his corner has helped Liam deal with things better though, and professionally, everything goes well for him. When Jareth's brother and his wife have their first child though (which turns out to be twins), it sets in motion a chain of events that not only has Liam despairing of ever having a child of his own, but also leads to several hair-raising and life threatening situations. You have been warned!
Jareth is wonderfully supportive and very patient with Liam. He clearly loves him to pieces and all the false accusations really get to him. As does their trouble with being approved by an adoption agency, and when he gets arrested on his way to the hospital because Liam is vomiting blood, he has had it. He becomes increasingly defensive and decreasingly patient with idiots who try to interfere in his and Liam's lives, never mind the people who try to actively do them physical harm. But he is not a man to be messed with where his family's safety is concerned, and the bad guys better watch out!
This book held me in suspense from beginning to end, and I loved both the tense scenes and the small family-centered and erotic interludes equally. If you like reading about ‘wounded’ heroes who struggle emotionally and physically, if a slowly developing relationship is your thing, and if a ‘geeky professor’ with no social skills seems sort of interesting to you, you may like this book. You also need to be up for a thrilling action/adventure with family themes, and be ready to enjoy a novel that is as hot as it is intense. All around, I think this is a wonderful read!
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
August 3, 2015
The first half of this book is an adorable story of how Jareth woos Liam into a very loving relationship. Liam is the absentminded astrophysicist who frequently hurt himself because his brain is a few places at once; he walks into walls and doors, trips over nothing, and in no circumstances should be be driving a vehicle – the ER staff know him my name he hurts himself so often. Jareth is completely taken with Liam from the first moment their eyes meet, but Liam does not trust that Jareth actually wants him. This is one of the few books that I have read where a main character does not have six pack abs and a huge dick, he is an ordinary person with an ordinary body. Up to the middle of this book it was just a sweet romance.
Then the second half of the book is a strange mash of many story lines. There are bad cops, worse FBI agents, a conspiracy between hospital staff and those bad cops, nefarious family members, a couple of shoot outs and a great deal of violence. It got to the point where I was wondering what other story line could possibly by added.
Then the second half of the book is a strange mash of many story lines. There are bad cops, worse FBI agents, a conspiracy between hospital staff and those bad cops, nefarious family members, a couple of shoot outs and a great deal of violence. It got to the point where I was wondering what other story line could possibly by added.
February 22, 2015
3.85 stars
A good read overall, but I found my eyes glazed over the discussions of planets. Indeed, I skipped when Liam started lengthy discussion about his subject matters. I'm just not into astrophysics.
Also, Liam and Jareth were targets of nonlogical crimes for so many times that I wondered, were they extremely lucky for getting away relatively easy or very unlucky for always getting the crazies?
A good read overall, but I found my eyes glazed over the discussions of planets. Indeed, I skipped when Liam started lengthy discussion about his subject matters. I'm just not into astrophysics.
Also, Liam and Jareth were targets of nonlogical crimes for so many times that I wondered, were they extremely lucky for getting away relatively easy or very unlucky for always getting the crazies?
July 16, 2019
Before you choose to read this book, you should be aware that originally it was written as two novellas. Plus one short story wedged in the middle. The author actually did a great job of joining these pieces together, the time jump between the two isn’t confusing. The reason I felt I should point out this book’s novella origins, is because this is now a novel with two stories worth of drama packed into one place. And if you’ve read this author before you will know that she is a heavy hand with the dramatics at the best of times. Now I personally don’t have an issue with that. I know going in to TN Tarrant’s books that I’m going to get a soap opera, and I look forward to it. But if you’re a reader who prefers their characters’ actions and situations to be slightly more moderate then this book might not be your cup of tea.
I adored this couple together. Liam is written as one of those clueless geniuses that struggles to function in the world beyond academia, and Jareth is the widow whose life has been on pause until he spotted his absentminded astrophysicist. The fact that the research institute the men worked at was populated by two kinds of people, the bumbling accident prone scientists and the security guards who steered them away from walls, was actually cute and endearing rather than ridiculous.
One aspect I truly appreciated was that Jareth’s deceased husband, Loren, wasn’t presented as less than Liam. It really bothers me when the first love of a character’s life has to be diminished in some way to make the new love seem more special. But the author didn’t do that here.
Liam’s work as an astrophysicist is very much a part of this book. If you check out other reviews of this story you’ll see that some people liked the detailed inclusion of…space…stuff…and others thought it was too much. I’m one of those readers who loves a book that includes topics I know nothing about, so I was okay with it. It really was interesting. I have no idea if this is an interest of the author, or if she just slogged through days of research to write this book, but from what I can tell (and admittedly I wouldn’t know if every single fact was wrong) TN Tarrant knows her stuff.
I would recommend this book to readers who are entertained by an over the top plot where mustache-twirling villains are lurking around every corner.
Reviewed for Love Bytes Reviews
http://lovebytesreviews.com/2019/07/0...
I adored this couple together. Liam is written as one of those clueless geniuses that struggles to function in the world beyond academia, and Jareth is the widow whose life has been on pause until he spotted his absentminded astrophysicist. The fact that the research institute the men worked at was populated by two kinds of people, the bumbling accident prone scientists and the security guards who steered them away from walls, was actually cute and endearing rather than ridiculous.
One aspect I truly appreciated was that Jareth’s deceased husband, Loren, wasn’t presented as less than Liam. It really bothers me when the first love of a character’s life has to be diminished in some way to make the new love seem more special. But the author didn’t do that here.
Liam’s work as an astrophysicist is very much a part of this book. If you check out other reviews of this story you’ll see that some people liked the detailed inclusion of…space…stuff…and others thought it was too much. I’m one of those readers who loves a book that includes topics I know nothing about, so I was okay with it. It really was interesting. I have no idea if this is an interest of the author, or if she just slogged through days of research to write this book, but from what I can tell (and admittedly I wouldn’t know if every single fact was wrong) TN Tarrant knows her stuff.
I would recommend this book to readers who are entertained by an over the top plot where mustache-twirling villains are lurking around every corner.
Reviewed for Love Bytes Reviews
http://lovebytesreviews.com/2019/07/0...
August 3, 2015
2.5 stars. A nice romance buried underneath the lengthy discussions on astrophysics and some eye-roll inducing episodes. How many times can Liam and Co. be targets? The last one really rang the I-can-not-believe-this bell.
Liam and Jareth were sweet with each other in between the battles with psychos. Instead of a lot of summarizing though, I would have liked to have witnessed more of their struggles with having a child, especially when they finally find a mother. A key moment missing.
Liam and Jareth were sweet with each other in between the battles with psychos. Instead of a lot of summarizing though, I would have liked to have witnessed more of their struggles with having a child, especially when they finally find a mother. A key moment missing.
April 27, 2015
One absentminded scientist is fine, but an entire institute of researchers who need minders so that they won't injure themselves or others? As a scientist myself, I found the whole thing a bit offensive. Too much detail in some places and not enough in others -- overall not a hugely compelling story.
March 9, 2015
The characters and romance were great here but the plot, oy vey! It was soap operatic with evil people doing every horrible thing they could to the wonderful leads. It was so over the top that it greatly lessened my enjoyment of the read.
July 28, 2015
It started out great.. But then it was too much, too fast.. Overall an okay read but like how much shit can a couple go through ? jeezz ...
January 13, 2019
I don’t usually leave bad reviews on books as I always assume that just because I don’t like it, doesn’t mean someone else will dislike it. In this case, my review is prompted because I had to stop reading when the author began to explain why the laws controlling pain medication, specifically opiates are wrong. As an addiction counselor who worked in a hospital when this crisis started, the author is wrong. She is wrong to a point of being dangerous with what she wrote. Please check these facts and perhaps consider revising your book.
March 26, 2015
3 star review by Lily
I really enjoyed the start of this story because it was different and involved a socially awkward wounded hero. Liam was the ultimate wounded hero character. Jareth felt like a modern day knight in shining armor; patient, courteous, passionate, handsome and a total alpha. But after a while I started to feel a bit bored of reading dialogue that involved so much about planets and the universe. Someone needs to be into those kinds of topics to enjoy this part of the story, and a lot of it went over my head. Saying that, I do respect the writer’s diligent and patient explanation of those subjects, because T.N Tarrant did consider the possibility of having readers like me––the ones who know very little about what is going on in the universe. I discovered that I like watching the documentaries about it, but do not enjoy reading about it.
The romance between Liam and Jareth was sweet; a little old fashioned oozing with a lot of patience and a genuine sense of love. However, the plot of the story was complicated and very unbelievable for me. There were so many murderous people, including family members, which made my eyes glaze over. The dialogue between the “baddies” and poor Liam and Jareth was almost clichéd, as they were often hostile towards Liam and Jareth because of their sexuality. It seemed everyone wanted poor Liam dead or beaten black and blue. There were too many crazy people and sociopaths in the story to be plausible. I have to admit, I so often felt like the story was ending at different chapters, but then when I turned the page, I found there was another chapter. This both confused and frustrated me. The story, after a while, turned into a condensed version of Liam and Jareth’s fictional biography rather than their love story. The basis of this story was nice, sweet even, but it didn’t stay that way. If you like a lot of angst and murdering side characters, have an interest in the universe and don’t mind talking about that a lot, then this is definitely a story for you. For me it was okay, but not great.
A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review. Please visit www.lovebytesreviews.com to see this and many more reviews, author interviews, guestposts and giveaways!
I really enjoyed the start of this story because it was different and involved a socially awkward wounded hero. Liam was the ultimate wounded hero character. Jareth felt like a modern day knight in shining armor; patient, courteous, passionate, handsome and a total alpha. But after a while I started to feel a bit bored of reading dialogue that involved so much about planets and the universe. Someone needs to be into those kinds of topics to enjoy this part of the story, and a lot of it went over my head. Saying that, I do respect the writer’s diligent and patient explanation of those subjects, because T.N Tarrant did consider the possibility of having readers like me––the ones who know very little about what is going on in the universe. I discovered that I like watching the documentaries about it, but do not enjoy reading about it.
The romance between Liam and Jareth was sweet; a little old fashioned oozing with a lot of patience and a genuine sense of love. However, the plot of the story was complicated and very unbelievable for me. There were so many murderous people, including family members, which made my eyes glaze over. The dialogue between the “baddies” and poor Liam and Jareth was almost clichéd, as they were often hostile towards Liam and Jareth because of their sexuality. It seemed everyone wanted poor Liam dead or beaten black and blue. There were too many crazy people and sociopaths in the story to be plausible. I have to admit, I so often felt like the story was ending at different chapters, but then when I turned the page, I found there was another chapter. This both confused and frustrated me. The story, after a while, turned into a condensed version of Liam and Jareth’s fictional biography rather than their love story. The basis of this story was nice, sweet even, but it didn’t stay that way. If you like a lot of angst and murdering side characters, have an interest in the universe and don’t mind talking about that a lot, then this is definitely a story for you. For me it was okay, but not great.
A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review. Please visit www.lovebytesreviews.com to see this and many more reviews, author interviews, guestposts and giveaways!
August 2, 2015
More a 1.5 but only for the beginning
I knew going in to this one that it was not going to be very realistic. But I figured it would be another sweet cute read with a baby and I could over look the rest.
For the first part things were OK but then everything just kept getting more and more absurd. Spoilered rant ahead
There is also a lot of technical talk, far to much in my opinion, I ended up skimming. A little detail goes a long way but in this case I felt like I was reading a school text book.
OK Sorry rant over. But in case I left you in any doubt this book is little more than a joke. Very disappointing.
I knew going in to this one that it was not going to be very realistic. But I figured it would be another sweet cute read with a baby and I could over look the rest.
For the first part things were OK but then everything just kept getting more and more absurd. Spoilered rant ahead
There is also a lot of technical talk, far to much in my opinion, I ended up skimming. A little detail goes a long way but in this case I felt like I was reading a school text book.
OK Sorry rant over. But in case I left you in any doubt this book is little more than a joke. Very disappointing.
March 21, 2015
To be honest, this is the first book by Ms. Tarrant that I have read, and I can say that I was pleasantly surprised at how sweet and romantic it was.
This book is actually 2 separate books put into one volume, and they cover the beginning and the middle part of the relationship between Jareth and Liam. Usually, I don’t personally enjoy those types of stories, but with this book I was so glad it was like that because once I finished book 1, I couldn’t wait to start reading the next one!
I really enjoyed how fun the story was. I was constantly on the edge of my seat wondering just what was going to happen next, and just what exactly Liam was going to run into next! I thought that Jareth did a great job with Liam, and watching the two of them together was really enjoyable for me.
With book 2, I loved being able to catch up with them and find out just what had been happening since they first got together. This book was my favorite of the two because it completely pulled on my heartstrings. I was near tears many times just wondering what was going to happen next, and afraid to turn the page at the same time.
The only complaint that I did have about the books was how much drama there was during the course of both parts of the book. It did seem a bit over-the-top what all was happening, and while I do understand that yes this is a book, there were some times where I was scratching my head and wondering what else was going to get thrown into the mix.
But, even with that, I did still enjoy the book and I really can’t wait to read more from Ms. Tarrant in the future!
Reviewed by Crystal Marie for Crystal’s Many Reviewers
**Copy provided for review**
This book is actually 2 separate books put into one volume, and they cover the beginning and the middle part of the relationship between Jareth and Liam. Usually, I don’t personally enjoy those types of stories, but with this book I was so glad it was like that because once I finished book 1, I couldn’t wait to start reading the next one!
I really enjoyed how fun the story was. I was constantly on the edge of my seat wondering just what was going to happen next, and just what exactly Liam was going to run into next! I thought that Jareth did a great job with Liam, and watching the two of them together was really enjoyable for me.
With book 2, I loved being able to catch up with them and find out just what had been happening since they first got together. This book was my favorite of the two because it completely pulled on my heartstrings. I was near tears many times just wondering what was going to happen next, and afraid to turn the page at the same time.
The only complaint that I did have about the books was how much drama there was during the course of both parts of the book. It did seem a bit over-the-top what all was happening, and while I do understand that yes this is a book, there were some times where I was scratching my head and wondering what else was going to get thrown into the mix.
But, even with that, I did still enjoy the book and I really can’t wait to read more from Ms. Tarrant in the future!
Reviewed by Crystal Marie for Crystal’s Many Reviewers
**Copy provided for review**
September 6, 2015
I really enjoyed the first book. The build up is good. I quite enjoyed how Jareth courts Liam. Liam seems a very sweet man. In book two it was good to see Liam come out of his shell and participate with everyone more. He and Jareth's relationship had come a long way.
I will say book two isn't as good as book one. There were gaps and it felt choppy. I think I would have loved more on them going through the pregnancy with Ola and the troubles they may have run through in raising Carie.
Overall it was a nice, sweet read. I just wish that book two had a little more to it.
I will say book two isn't as good as book one. There were gaps and it felt choppy. I think I would have loved more on them going through the pregnancy with Ola and the troubles they may have run through in raising Carie.
Overall it was a nice, sweet read. I just wish that book two had a little more to it.
March 5, 2015
First half good
The first half of this book was good . The second half felt more like a summary of their life and not a story. I wasn't able to connect with the characters in the second half.
The first half of this book was good . The second half felt more like a summary of their life and not a story. I wasn't able to connect with the characters in the second half.
May 22, 2015
I started this book and it was okay. The crime spree committed against this couple was unbelievable.Liam's mother was like so many other women in MM books bat shit crazy. It was interesting but not really my type of book.
September 24, 2015
3.5*
I liked the beginning of this book. The sweet way that Jareth courted Liam was so cute. They did fit together though. The rest? How much shit can one couple go through? The story was peppered with way to much technical stuff but an okay book.
I liked the beginning of this book. The sweet way that Jareth courted Liam was so cute. They did fit together though. The rest? How much shit can one couple go through? The story was peppered with way to much technical stuff but an okay book.
March 8, 2015
REVIEW COMING SOON @Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
March 10, 2015
A bit too unbelievable
April 25, 2015
3,5 Stars
Read
May 26, 2015DNF
February 20, 2015
Full review here http://kimichanexperience.com/loving-...
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews