~ Rough Edges ~
SYNOPSIS
Kyle has an unwelcome crush on his nemesis Brent. Brent has a welcome crush on his friend Kyle. As it turns out, the line between a friend and an enemy doesn’t have to be a line at all.
Born on the wrong side of the tracks to the wrong family, Kyle Potter has spent his life clawing his way toward a better future. When he gets the perfect job at the perfect firm in perfect Los Angeles, Kyle is sure there are only blue skies ahead. And then he meets perfect Brent Haralson.
Born with a silver spoon to a well-established family, Brent Haralson has never been interested in leveraging his connections. Friends, success, and dates come easily to Brent and rejection isn’t something he has to deal with in life. And then he meets perfect Kyle Potter.
Kyle despises his unwelcome crush on his lazy, arrogant nemesis. Brent welcomes his feelings for his stubborn, brilliant friend. As it turns out, the line between a friend and an enemy doesn’t have to be a line at all.
This is a 2nd edition without substantive changes from the 1st edition, which was part of the It Was Always You anthology.
Read Chapter 1 Here - http://cardenoc.com/en/book/rough-edges/excerpt
BUY LINKS
Amazon - Amazon CA - Amazon UK - Barnes and Noble - iTunes - Kobo - PayHip - Sea to Sky Books - Smashwords
Carra's Review
Rough Edges is part friends-to-lovers and part enemies-to-lovers, only because Brent fits the friend part and Kyle kind of fits the enemies part (in his own mind that is). I have to admit, Kyle aggravated me quite a bit for much of the story with his attitude toward Brent. While I could see where he was coming from, I thought Kyle was just a bit brash and snippy when dealing with Brent when the story started out.
Brent on the other hand, he was always sweet, giving and carefree. He knows he’s had it easy in life, but still wants to help when he can. The two have an attraction between them which at first is more like mutual physical need, but then slowly grows to become more. Kyle doesn’t know everything there is to know about Brent, and once he learns more about him, Kyle realizes there’s more to this trust-fund guy than meets the eye.
The story is short, sweet with a nice steamy dash of heat, and I thought is was a good read—even if the ending felt more like a happy-for-now rather than a happy-ever-after. I hard a hard time settling on a star rating, I keep bouncing between 3.5 and 4, mostly due to Kyle’s attitude during a large chunk of the story. I’m leaning more toward 4 stars primarily because of just how wonderful Brent really turns out to be. This story is for readers/listeners 18+ for adult language and M/M sexual content.
~ Jumping In ~
SYNOPSIS
When love's on the line, the brave jump in with both feet...
Small town cop Clint Rivera can’t catch a break. His ex of two weeks is suddenly getting married, his dogs tore up his furniture, he’s getting evicted, and he’s out of beer. When he decides to solve his alcohol shortage by going to his ex’s engagement party, Clint winds up too drunk to drive himself home. Enter gorgeous deputy mayor Hawk Black, the man who constantly shows up unexpectedly and sends Clint’s body and mind into a tailspin with nothing but his whiskey voice and blue eyes.
After months of patience, Hawk can finally seduce the man he’s been craving. Clint’s day might not have started out well, but Hawk’s going to make sure it ends with a bang, preferably in bed. He’ll show Clint some rewards are worth the risk.
With love on the line, Clint will need to decide if he can open his heart, tear down his shields, and jump in with both feet.
This is a 2nd edition without substantive changes from the 1st edition.
Read Chapter 1 Here - http://cardenoc.com/en/book/jumpingin/excerpt
BUY LINKS
Carra's Review
I almost think a subheading should be included for Jumping In…something along the lines of “Fast and Furious”. It’s a quite apt tagline for what transpires in this story between Clint and Hawk—but even so, it’s a great short read.
The first part of the book concentrates on the backstory for Clint, and how he got to the point he is currently at when Jumping In starts. But once Hawk comes fully into the picture, things go from zero to naughty pretty darn fast—not just as a hookup like one might think when first reading their interactions, but to something far more serious. I will admit, the first time I read this through, Hawk kind of gave me that creepy-guy feeling with how he knew Clint so well (even Clint mentioned the term “stalker”) and how quickly he was declaring his feelings. But I read it again, and after that I was actually okay with how everything unfolded.
Jumping In is a really good, quick read that will sate your need for heat, even if it comes across as kind of insta-lovey. Clint and Hawk are the kind of characters that will make you want a much longer story for them, and I’m hoping they’ll turn up in another book at some point (even if they aren’t the main characters).
4 stars for Jumping In, and this one is definitely for readers 18+ for adult language and some seriously scorching M/M sexual content.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cardeno C. - CC to friends - is a hopeless romantic who wants to add a lot of happiness and a few "awwws" into a reader's day. Writing is a nice break from real life as a corporate type and volunteer work with gay rights organizations. Cardeno's stories range from sweet to intense, contemporary to paranormal, long to short, but they always include strong relationships and walks into the happily-ever- after sunset.
Cardeno's Home, Family, and Mates series have received awards from Love Romances and More Golden Roses, Rainbow Awards, the Goodreads M/M Romance Group, and various reviewers. But even more special to CC are heartfelt reactions from readers, like, "You bring joy and love and make it part of the every day."
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