CBR16 Bingo: Liberate
Characters in the books are seeking liberation from their past mistakes, their families, their fears, or their obligations.
Trust (London Love Book #5)
By Sophia Soames
Reuben has a steady job and is well-liked by his colleagues. He works as a doorman, along with his father and his cousins, at the Westminster Clouds hotel. After a rough adolescence, he is grateful to have a stable home and job, and he owes it to his father. Still, he wishes he could break out on his own.
After helping a drunken popstar back to his room (and narrowly avoiding a scandal), he is the go-to person for Graham “The Dieter”. Reuben likes Graham even though he is bossy, childish, and a complete mess.
Graham is closely monitored by his management company. After a stalker broke into his home, his management insists he has bodyguards with him at all times. Sometimes he just needs space to think, so he “escapes” to the hotel and relies on Reuben to help keep him sane.
I adore the other books in this series, however Graham was such a needy, childish, bossy, spoiled celebrity that I could never really see his charm. Reuben is sweet and needs someone a bit more patient and less chaotic. I still enjoyed this book, but I don’t think anything will match the enemies-to-lovers magic of Taste.
You Can Count on Me (Christmas Daddies Book 2)
by Fae Quin
After his father passed away, Trent inherited his family’s Christmas tree farm. Being the youngest son, he feels like he is a disappointment to his family, especially his mother, who thinks he should settle down. So, to appease his family, he agrees to go on a date with his neighbor, one of the only attractive gay men living in his hometown. He torpedoes it before it can get started, thinking that it is a waste of time. He regrets it immediately though, once he realizes that Rooster (Miles) is a sweet, anxious mess just trying to raise his son in a new town.
Miles is a massive, scary-looking dude who just wants to give his son a happy, normal childhood. Miles is an elementary school art teacher with severe anxiety. With taking care of Bubba, adjusting to a new town, and managing his crippling anxiety, he doesn’t think he has time to find a boyfriend who will deal with all of his baggage.
This was a sweet romance with two cinnamon roll protagonists. Bubba, Miles’s son, is cute and did not annoy me the way some children dropped into romance books tend to do. There is no kidnapping or runaway situation where the child needs to be rescued.
This is a low-stakes romance with two sweet guys trying to get over their nerves and get together.
Not All Himbos Wear Capes (Villainous Things Book 1)
by C. Rochelle
Butch, aka “Captain Masculine” is the hero of Big City. Xander, aka “Dr. AntiHero” is his selected nemesis. Both are legacy supes (superheroes). Butch was raised by supe parents and went into the family business. Xander is one of the villainous Suarez clan, but he has no powers other than his brilliant scientific mind. He doesn’t really care about being a villain, but he doesn’t have the option of “breaking up” with his parents or siblings.
When his best friend swipes right on a dating app, Xander ends up hooking up with Butch. Neither of them know about the other’s identity. All Xander knows is that Butch is a sweet, curious submissive and that he hates his job.
I really enjoy the setup of these books and the characters, but I cannot get into the storytelling and language style. There are many things that made me laugh out loud, but the slang and over-the-top dialogue took me out of the scene.
Omega on the Run (Bangers & Mash Book 5)
by MM Farmer
Benny is an alpha who recently inherited his grandfathers’ defunct ski resort. He moonlights as an “alpha for hire” who provides services to omegas who are unpaired and need an alpha to help them through their heat. As a favor to his friend Teddy, Benny fills in for him when a local business mogul needs an alpha to take his son Madison through his heat. Benny can use the money and thinks this will be some easy cash.
Madison is living under his father’s thumb. After narrowly avoiding a scandal at college, Madison is now living back at home with his overprotective father and working for his father’s company. When Benny shows up, Madison kidnaps him and explains that running away is the only way he can live his own life away from his father. He is an adult and is tired of being treated like a wayward child.
This is a fun, low-stakes omega-verse romance. Madison is kind of a jerk, but desperate people sometimes make bad decisions. Benny doesn’t agree with being kidnapped, obviously, but once he figures out what is going on, he comes up with an alternative solution that helps Madison through his heat without returning him to his father immediately.
For this year’s CBR16 Book Bingo Reading Challenge I’m choosing albums from the 1970s that helped raise me. When I think of Liberate, I think of Tina Turner’s album Acid Queen (1975).
