Book Review: Counterpoint by J.E. Birk

This was a fun read but I think I’ll forget it pretty quickly. I was more invested in the side relationships than the romance. I like the romance and think Aaron and Jeremy are a good couple. They are in fact good counterpoints for each other. But it also felt kind of one-note. They had the same disagreements and conversations. The side relationships with their friends, family, and work just felt deeper. I especially liked Jeremy’s family drama. It was hard to read as someone who has dealt with Alzheimer’s in my family but it felt real. Birk handled those situations well. Generally, I liked that Birk made a lot of the characters that could be villains like Benson and Jeremy’s mom real people. They had issues but you can see why they are the way they are. People are complex. This is a good addition to the World of True North and I’ll keep reading these books as the plots intrigue me.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Showstopper by Regina Kyle

This was good and a fast, easy read. It’s more of a 3.5 star, but I round up.

This felt like maybe it fit more in the Moo U series than Vino and Veritas series. But I do get that V&V is the LGBT+ series. It’s just that the plot and tone felt more like Moo U. I was very happy to see Lex again-he was one of my favorites from Moo U.

Kolby and Adam were both good characters. They were easy to like, but I never 100% cared about either of them. I just never got emotionally invested. Maybe if they were more deeply developed.

The romance was pretty standard, but I have no real complaints. It has very minor enemies-to-lovers elements. Very minor. Kolby and Adam have some cute banter. Their relationship is pretty physical but they also talk a lot which I like reading about in my romances. I could do without multiple grand gestures, but I get why it happens and a lot of people do like it.

I never know how to end reviews. I would recommend picking this up especially if you liked the Moo U books.

Thanks for reading!
Holly