Liam Davis & The Raven
Anyta Sunday
Standalone
January, 2017 (Original Pub: March 2014)
About the Book: Liam Davis is a serious journalist, and he’s good at it.
Or at least, he was. Until the chief of Scribe, the campus magazine, makes him give up his politics column to write for the party page —the party page that is problematic for two reasons: One, it threatens Liam’s chance of getting the traineeship with his apathetic father at his prestigious newspaper company, and two, he has no idea what it means to party, let alone how to capture this new audience’s attention!
But Liam Davis is no quitter. He’s determined to prove to his father, the chief, and above all himself that he can do it—and do it well.
Life doesn’t make it easy. Not when Freddy Krueger comes stalking out of the shadows to attack him. Luckily the Raven, the campus vigilante—the vigilante getting hate mail sent to Scribe’s opinions page—comes to his rescue.
Now, between finding the perfect angle for his party page columns and making friends (and perhaps something more?), Liam needs to find this mysterious Raven — not only to thank him, but to warn him to watch his back.
~ReReleased with new cover January 2017~
I’ve really been on a Anyta Sunday kick these last few weeks, and I know I still have a few more to go before I break. There’s just something about how she fuses her slow burn romances with humor that really wins me over.
I’m not sure I would have chosen to read Liam Davis and the Raven, at least not yet. I adore the new cover. I mean, isn’t it super gorgeous. The colors just pop. The cover alone meant I would have eventually read it, I just would have chosen others first. Except Anyta is a sneaky one, because she gave away a free copy of Liam Davis and the Raven when you signed up for her newsletter. I had to sign up for the newsletter anyway, because I want updates on the next Signs of Love book. The free download was just an exciting perk, but since I already had it I figured it might as well be my next read.
Okay, the bad news first; Liam Davis and the Raven is my least favorite of all Ms Sunday’s books so far. It wasn’t a terrible book. Reading it was just fine. It just wasn’t a ‘keep you seated, can’t put the book down’ kind of read. The chemistry between the main couple didn’t knock me over, and that probably had a lot to do with how I wasn’t invested in either man as an individual.
I also figured out the mystery immediately. If the author was trying to keep it a surprise, it didn’t really work. I thought it was insanely obvious.
The good news, it was cute. I liked how Liam was (I’m guessing here, since it’s never said) high functioning autistic. I also liked how that affected the development between Liam and his love interest. I also thought it made Hunter stand out. -Hunter was my favorite character, by the way.
If Ms Sunday does write a sequel, I’d for sure read one about Travis Hunter.
Rating: 
In the Middle of Somewhere
Roan Parrish
Middle of Somewhere #1
Dreamspinner Press | July 10, 2015
About the Book: Daniel Mulligan is tough, snarky, and tattooed, hiding his self-consciousness behind sarcasm. Daniel has never fit in—not at home in Philadelphia with his auto mechanic father and brothers, and not at school where his Ivy League classmates looked down on him. Now, Daniel’s relieved to have a job at a small college in Holiday, Northern Michigan, but he’s a city boy through and through, and it’s clear that this small town is one more place he won’t fit in.
Rex Vale clings to routine to keep loneliness at bay: honing his muscular body, perfecting his recipes, and making custom furniture. Rex has lived in Holiday for years, but his shyness and imposing size have kept him from connecting with people.
When the two men meet, their chemistry is explosive, but Rex fears Daniel will be another in a long line of people to leave him, and Daniel has learned that letting anyone in can be a fatal weakness. Just as they begin to break down the walls keeping them apart, Daniel is called home to Philadelphia, where he discovers a secret that changes the way he understands everything.
I have to admit, In the Middle of Somewhere shocked me. By chapter 3 I felt positive I wasn’t going to like the story, and I was already leaning toward quitting. In fact, the only reason I didn’t delete it from my Kindle was because I’d already DNFed another book, and I couldn’t bring myself to throw in the towel twice. I just pushed through what was bothering me, and I’m really glad I did because now I can’t stop thinking about Rex and Daniel.
Don’t get me wrong, everything that was wrong in the beginning still bothers me now. I feel like Rex and Daniels early interactions were a bit ‘extra’. The first half of the story really seemed to drag. And, and don’t judge me for this, I’m a little tired of reading about abusive, homophobic, families. I feel like sometimes it’s too easy to rely on bad families to create baggage for characters. I’d like to read more LGBT fiction that showcases accepting and loving parents and siblings, personally, because I feel like it happens less often. So, I was prepared to write this book off.
In the end though, somehow Roan Parrish made it work for me. What felt cheesy and extra between Rex and Daniel in the beginning actually started as an instalust which slowly (pretty darn slowly too) developed into a deep love. Neither man was the most trusting, and yet they didn’t use their history as a shield and weapon to hold each other back. That’s what makes a love story for me. I like reading about two people who fight and work to be together, even if they have to have the battle with themselves. Rex and Daniel fought, but they didn’t hold a grudge and keep the other at arms length.
They felt right with each other, and even if they weren’t sure how it would work out they still made those feelings a priority. I ended up really loving this book, and these characters… and someday, when I’m ready to go down that road again -the road of a deeper read- I’ll definitely be moving onto book two, Out of Nowhere.
Rating: 
Taboo for You
Anyta Sunday
Friends to Lovers #1
June 27, 2013
About the Book: Sam’s freaking out. He’s 30 in three weeks. And what has he done in his twenties? It’s pretty simple math: nothing exciting at all. But hey, he has three weeks right? Maybe that’s just enough time to tick his way through a 20s Must Do List . . .
Luke’s freaking screwed. He’s come out to his family, and his friends. Except there’s a certain someone who doesn’t know yet: his neighbor of 7 years. Who also happens to be his best friend. Who Luke needs to tell the truth, but he just . . . can’t . . . seem to . . .
Jeremy’s freaking over-the-moon. It’s the countdown to his 15th birthday, and his goal is simple. No matter what, he’s going to spend heaps of time with saucy Suzy. But first he needs to get his over-protective, no-girlfriend-’cause-you’ll-get-her-pregnant parents off his back. And what better way than pretending he’s gay?
Sam, Luke, and Jeremy. Three guys who have a lot of history together, and a lot of future too—
—well, if they can sort out their issues, that is.
Taboo for You has been on my Kindle for a while now, long before I’d read anything by Anyta Sunday. You’d think I’d have started there, since it sounded fantastic, but I continued to put it off. I figured, since I’ve been reading so many of her books, it was about time I cracked it open.
The bottom line, I really liked it. There’s something about the friends to lovers trope I enjoy, particularly when they involve a kid. Unfortunately, I tend to compare all of them to Bear, Otter and the Kid. I know it’s not fair, and it’s hard to measure up to, but I can’t help it.
In comparison, BOatK will always be my favorite. Jeremy was no Tyson, just like Luke and Sam aren’t Bear and Otter. Still, everything in Taboo for You was so much fun to read. Obviously it’s a slow burn, and nearly angstless, which was the one bonus over BOatK. I thought the interaction between Jeremy and Luke was sweet. I also loved how Luke and Sam’s friendship was always rock solid. There wasn’t a big problem they had to overcome, it was more about the two men realizing how deep their feelings actually ran.
Taboo for You hit all the right buttons. It made me feel happy and romantic, and it was just the right size to read all in one day. I’m kinda really loving those day reads right now.
Birdie Bookworm 
I haven’t read these M/M books. It sounds like some were better than others. Maybe favorite M/M novels are Him by Sarina Bowen/Elle Kennedy and Undone by You by Kate Meader.
LikeLike
I’ve never heard of Undone. I’ll have to go check that out. Him is one of my favorite M/M novels too. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’ll like this one then! It’s a novella.
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] Birdie […]
LikeLike