Title: Cold Feet
Author: Jay Northcote
Genre: MM Romance
Goodreads

My Rating:

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Blurb

Best friends snowed in together. When the heat rises, will they get cold feet?

Getting snowed in at a remote cottage in Wales with someone he’d fancied for ages isn’t exactly how Sam expected to spend Christmas. His feelings for Ryan are pointless. Ryan’s straight—or so he thought.

Until now, Ryan’s kept his feelings for Sam buried. Why ruin a friendship over what might only be gay experimentation? Playing it cool seems safer, until a cold snap makes sharing body heat vital. In their Welsh safe haven, anything seems possible.

As Ryan’s reserve melts away, Sam wants more than stolen kisses under the mistletoe. But a sudden thaw means making decisions. They could face the New Year together—unless one of them gets cold feet.
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My Review

Sam, the openly gay ubergeek redhead is secretly in love with his best friend, Ryan, the hunky rugby player, who has been questioning his sexuality ever since Sam came out. A geek and a jock, secret crush, another GFY/OFY story – how cliché, you’d think. Well, Northcote dares to say it aloud.

He was the ultimate gay cliché, secretly and hopelessly in love with his straight best friend.

Yes, we’ve read it all before: best friends, suppressed feelings, forced together in an isolated place, in unusual circumstances.

But the execution of the story is supercute and heartwarming, so delectable! The portrayal of Sam and Ryan’s feelings and trepidation is excellent, the plot, the characters’ background and the secondary characters are great and not overdone.

Overall, Cold Feet is a sweet holiday story. Recommended!

Title: Cut & Run
Series: Cut & Run #1
Author: Abigail Roux & Madeleine Urban
Genre: Contemporary / MM Romantic Suspense
Goodreads

My Rating:

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Blurb

A series of murders in New York City has stymied the police and FBI alike, and they suspect the culprit is a single killer sending an indecipherable message. But when the two federal agents assigned to the investigation are taken out, the FBI takes a more personal interest in the case.

Special Agent Ty Grady is pulled out of undercover work after his case blows up in his face. He’s cocky, abrasive, and indisputably the best at what he does. But when he’s paired with Special Agent Zane Garrett, it’s hate at first sight. Garrett is the perfect image of an agent: serious, sober, and focused, which makes their partnership a classic cliche: total opposites, good cop-bad cop, the odd couple. They both know immediately that their partnership will pose more of an obstacle than the lack of evidence left by the murderer.

Practically before their special assignment starts, the murderer strikes again this time at them. Now on the run, trying to track down a man who has focused on killing his pursuers, Grady and Garrett will have to figure out how to work together before they become two more notches in the murderer’s knife.
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My Review

I hate adding books to my everyone-liked-but-me shelf, believe me. It was my second try to read it actually: it couldn’t engage me for the first time, and I thought I just was not in the mood, so I put it aside. For the second time, it was still boring. But I didn’t give up and tried to find those amazing qualities the positive reviews mention. Sadly, with no avail.

Both Ty and Zane irritated me, and the jumping viewpoint made them indistinguishable.

The continuous banter tired me, the suspense bored me to death, I felt the chemistry forced.

Romance – what romance?

Poor writing, full of repetitions: heads were cocked 31 times, eyebrows were raised 40 times, eyebrows climbed in surprise twice!, heads were tilted 25 times, and eyes were narrowed 47 times. And there was a glorious moment when two of these were in the same sentence:

“Wait wait, let me guess,” Ty said as he held out his hand toward Zane. “Psychology major with a…,” he narrowed his eyes and cocked his head, “political science minor,” he guessed.

Yes, I love statistics.

Anyway, it was a disappointment. I have no interest in the following books.

Title: Please Don’t Go
Author: Felice Stevens
Genre: MM Romance
Goodreads

My Rating:

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Blurb

Danny Friedman knows all about loss. His father left to start a new family and now that his mother passed away, he’s even more certain love is only temporary. People always disappoint him in the end, a lesson he learned years ago when his summer camp best friend and secret crush disappeared without a trace, never to be heard from again. Until now. 

Fifteen years ago, Paul Merola left everything behind when he ran away with his mother to escape his abusive father. He lived life on the run for years, but never forgot his best friend, Danny. When his job transfers him to the New York City office, the past collides with the present, as Paul finds himself face to face with Danny, who works there as well. To Paul’s dismay, a reluctant Danny makes it clear he has little desire to rekindle their friendship. 

Despite Danny’s desire to learn what happened all those years ago, he refuses to fall victim to Paul’s charm, fearing he’s being used to get ahead. Paul, finally secure enough to stay and put down roots, must convince Danny that there is more to them than a broken promise. Not only does he want to be friends again, he wants love. He wants forever. And he wants it all with Danny. 
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My Review

This story somehow doesn’t fit the line of friends-to-lovers stories in the It Was Always You anthology. Danny and Paul met in a summer camp when they were kids.

We don’t how many summer camps they spent together, but one summer Paul didn’t come back. He disappeared without trace, and Danny – though never stopped hoping he’d see Paul again – never forgave him either.

Then fifteen years later, Paul shows up at Danny’s workplace, as a new employee and immediately wants to reconnect.

I didn’t like either of the main characters. Paul was pushy and stalker-ish, Danny behaved like a petulant child, refused to talk and made only (wrong) assumptions.

I liked the summer camp theme – some flashbacks would have been great – but not the execution. Trashy dirty talk, too fast development of the relationship, everything was wrapped up too easily.