Officer Gabe Ford knows finding love could be a tad problematic—especially since he hasn’t come out to his partner of six years yet. But what’s a guy to do when his body wants what his brain is saying he can’t have?
A year and a half after a breakup, Jason Tomlinson isn’t actively looking for a relationship. Hell, he can do bad all by himself. But Gabe Ford is just too damn yummy to resist. Just as things are beginning to pick up, one bullet may end it all before it even begins.
Remmy Duchene is a Canadian-hockey-watching-baseball-playing kind of guy. He loves walking in the rain and bugging his friends about his latest story ideas. Remmy believes that true love comes in all shapes, sizes, and sexualities. He is always saying "I'd rather see two gay people in love get married than two straight people that hate each other."
I had high hopes for this and it really really started out quite fabulously.
First you’ve got Jason. Gorgeous gentle giant and owner of two popular bars, he was a dream of a man - sexy and charming and confident. Jason’s been burned in the past and is understandably wary of relationships, but when he catches the eye of Gabe, he’s willing to see where things go.
Gabe is a closeted cop, but that situation immediately becomes moot as Jason is just the lure for Gabe to finally come out to his partner. Thankfully, there was little drama to be had when said truth was revealed.
What ensues is a very quick progression which is overall fine if executed smoothly. However, there were a few personal niggles which boils down to this really just trying too hard to be sexy, romantic, suspenseful, erotic - all of which made for a disjointed read as it felt like too much was packed into this little novella.
Plenty others have loved this so it just might be the sweet and steamy shorty you’ve been looking for!
✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ 4-STAR ✩ REVIEW ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ > > Judging a Book by it's Cover < < Interesting cover composition. Intriguing story synopsis.
> > Looking Deeper < < POV ~> Third-person
TEMPT ME is a novella-length gay romance featuring a police officer and the man behind the counter of the bar they met in. For being under 100 pages, it manages to pack in enough content to make it feel like a full novel. They have a good introduction, supportive secondary cast, and a natural chemistry with mature dialogue and interaction. The plot flows smoothly and is dynamic. There are a few conflicts along the way that are handled well. Predictability is a non-issue. The conclusion is more implied than solid but still manages to satisfy for the most part. Overall, I am pleasantly surprised by the quality and content packed into this short book and would be happy to recommend this to others and would happily read more of this author's work. . Rating: [R] ~ Score: 4.325 ~ Stars: 4 ========================== ⭐ ⭐ **** Disclosure of Material: I received a copy of this book from the Author/Publisher with the hope that I would voluntarily leave unbiased and unsolicited feedback. I was not asked, encouraged, or required to leave a review - nor was I compensated in any way. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising". ***** ⭐ ⭐
Sometimes when you read a new author you’re not quite sure what to expect. I have to say though, that I was really happy with this book, how it was written and how the story played out. I appreciated that even though this book was shorter, the author still made sure the characters had plenty of communication and dialogue with each other added into the story, it wasn’t just the story and plot itself and it wasn’t just the sexual aspect between them. Everything for this story worked for me and fit really well through the course of the book start to finish. It was fantastic, and I loved reading it.
I really liked this characters in this book, Gabe is a sexy cop who is not completely out, because he hasn’t found the person he’s ready to be “out for”. Jason runs a bar and has been burned by exes that he trusted in the past. I really felt for these guys and the issues they both had coming into the relationship they formed together. It was pretty instant lust turning into affection, which just got deeper the more time they spent together. And OMG, I was really not expecting this book to be as HOT as it was. Holy smokes, when these guys got together, they were sexy and dirty and just let all their insecurities out so they could just be inexcusably themselves. I loved reading all the things they had fun doing together.
The blurb of this book vaguely mentions what may or may not happen in this book, and I was not expecting that aspect of the story to play out the way it did, I thought it would happen completely different than it did. I was definitely on my toes reading about that part and how it goes down. This book was great and I will be recommending it others looking for a quick, interesting and hot book to read.
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
This is my first read by this author and I know I can be kind of judgey, but this one was good! Jason owns his own bar/grill; two of them actually, but one of them is a frequent stop for emergency responders. EMT’s, firefighters and most especially, cops. That’s where he meets Gabe, who’s not out to his partner, so when Jason gives him his number, he isn’t sure about calling him.
Luckily, his partner is really cool and I was glad he was so accepting. Not the most friendly bunch, cops. But, Malik, I suspected might even have his own little secret. Maybe not, but it was the vibe I got. So, with Malik’s encouragement, he calls Jason and sets up a date. I really liked how confident and sure Jason was. He didn’t play coy or beat around the bush. He thought Gabe was hot, so he just threw it out there and Gabe picked it up.
Now, there were a few things that came out of left field for me, like Jason’s ex… There was no indication that he was kind of crazy enough to shoot someone, especially just after one phone call two years after they’d broken up and he just started dating someone else. Was just weird to me.
Then, while they were taking each other to pound town, and let me tell you how I have a really good imagination, so I use it…. A lot, while getting the good times with two hot dudes… Ain’t no shame in my game….but, anyway the semantics a time or two, I was like…. How did he do that? Are his arms on backwards? Whoa, just bust out with a “daddy”, no warning whatsoever and only once. I could’ve gotten on board with that… but it was only the once …
Other than that, these guys knew what they wanted… in a bigger picture and from each other; so there was no back and forth, no drama or ups and down. Only the slight trouble with the ex, and even that was resolved quickly, so… it was a light read with one minor blip. Short and sweet, I reckon. I’d be curious to see what happens with Malik.
Tempt Me is a Contemporary romance novella with a healthy dose of erotica thrown in. Officer Gabe Ford and his partner are seeking out some grub when a sexy mountain of a man lets them into his bar before opening hours. Gabe isn’t sure how to react to the openly flirtatious bar owner, but he is certain that he doesn’t want his partner to know he’s gay. Jason Tomlinson hasn’t been in a relationship since his ex a year and a half ago. He hasn’t openly looked and wasn’t when the sexy as sin Officer Gabe Ford knocked on his window seeking out a big daddy burger.
Gabe was adorable, in a sexy as sin sort of way. He was a little shocking with his kinkiness in the bedroom. Definitely not the one I assumed would be. I love how shy he is to ask for what he wants but then gains confidence as the relationship grows.
Jason is a little older than Gabe, but he’s tall and sexy even with a man-bun that he hates. I really enjoyed this character. He seemed to have a lot of facets to his personality that were really intriguing especially in such a short book. I loved how he let Gabe be free and open during sexy times. I really would like to read more of these guys.
Tempt Me was an interesting mix of romance and erotica. I’d say it tipped more towards erotica than actual romance. There were a lot of different kinks being thrown out in this novella. These guys were not shy about trying new and different things, and I really enjoyed seeing that in a book. It wasn’t a BDSM book by any means, but it was a couple trying some good old-fashioned kink and I loved it. The plot was set up really well. Definitely a couple of intense moments. About halfway through the book, I felt like things were starting to feel rushed and thrown together. I did enjoy it. It’s definitely a good, hot, short read for those late nights.
***The ARC was provided by Dreamspinner Press. My review is an honest opinion of the book ***
A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Review An Alisa Review:
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
I loved this story. Gabe has hidden himself for years and hasn’t been ready to come out to his friends but a little intervention with his best friend and partner, Malik, help him out. Jason is drawn to Gabe from the beginning and they both allow themselves to explore what is going on between them.
The story was told from both of the characters’ eyes which helped to connect with them. It was amazing that one Gabe realized Malik didn’t care about him being gay he just went for it and didn’t worry about anyone else. Jason doesn’t hide either, except after he is shot, but their connection grows even stronger as Gabe helps him recover and they get to know each other more. The drama with Jason being shot wasn’t all that big but it gave them a reason to be together a little more and an area for them to have a disagreement, which all couples need.
The cover art by Kanaxa is wonderful and I love it.
This is a novella that reads like a full length novel. I truly enjoyed this story. As usual, this author’s characters are very well developed. The storyline also goes along smoothly. Unlike her other stories, this one wasn’t an interracial romance; regardless, it’s still a great little read.
As always, this author writes stories with solid characters and storylines and this novella didn’t disappoint in that regard. The conflicts are handled quite well and resolved fairly quickly.
This novella, although short, packed quite a bit of punch in ninety six pages. The story flowed well, the characters had depth and the peripheral characters were really quite lovely. They stood out but didn’t steal the spotlight; she was able to strike the perfect balance between those characters and the MCs.
In all, I really enjoyed this story and definitely recommend it.
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