Review: Taylor Maid by Tara Lain

Taylor Maid (Dreamspun Desires #5) by Tara Lain
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 218pgs

4 Pants Off

Blurb: He'll marry the maid to get $50 million but a secret could queer the deal.

Taylor Fitzgerald needs a last-minute bride.

On the eve of his twenty-fifth birthday, the billionaire’s son discovers that despite being gay, he must marry a woman before midnight or lose a fifty-million-dollar inheritance. So he hightails it to Las Vegas… where he meets the beautiful maid Ally May.

There’s just one rather significant problem: Ally is actually Alessandro Macias, son of a tough Brazilian hotel magnate. But if Ally keeps pretending to be a girl for a little while longer, is there a chance they might discover this marriage is tailor-made?

Review

Maid To Love You

I do believe this might be my fave book in the Dreamspun series so far. I found it cute as hell, and I love a man that dresses up just because he freaking can. This book had secret riches, a surprise dick, and two young dudes just falling in love. It was adorable!! 

Taylor Fitzgerald is on the cusp of his 25th birthday and looking forward to it because he will inherit 50 million that his grandfather left him. What he didn’t expect was that his inheritance came with a little extra something, he has to be married in order to receive the money. Just one day until his birthday and Taylor has to find a wife fast, only problem is that he’s very much gay and marrying a man won’t do. Taylor needs the money to do some good, so what’s a man to do when he needs a wife? He’ll have to pay someone to fill the role for a bit. 

With a plan to put into action Taylor makes his way to Vegas, but his plans don’t fall through and all he has left is to convince the pretty maid with the beautiful voice to accept his marriage proposal. Ally May is beautiful and Taylor is drawn to her which he can’t quite explain because he’s never been attracted to a woman, when Ally accepts the proposal and they get married everything seems to be falling into place. All that’s left is to convince the lawyers that this marriage is a love match, and to convince his dick that he isn’t attracted to women (his dick ain’t listening). 

Ally is enchanting and Taylor is very much under her spell. She’s beautiful, charming, intelligent, and sexy as hell and she has everyone believing their little charade. Taylor is very much close to getting his 50mil, but Ally’s surprise penis puts a dent in their plans and suddenly the attraction makes total sense. Can Taylor get his money's worth or is the future bleak for him and his wife now turned husband? Well Taylor is willing to go down with the ship and enjoy Ally’s company in the process because a search for a wife gave him the husband he never knew he needed. 

He cocked his head. “Truthfully, I’m a little nervous.” 

“Why?” “Maybe you won’t like me as a boy.” 

“Uh, excuse me, sir. Was that your ass I was just fucking?” 

Seriously, this book was fecking cute. There isn’t anything really plotty, and it’s not great but it is a feel good read. Tailor Made has that kiss the frog turn to a Prince vibe but with a twist (kiss the wife turn to a Prince). Throw in the asshole dad, the ever in your business lawyers, and the neat coming together ending and you have a nice well balanced read. For a moment there I thought they were going to not have the money and I almost cried, that would have upset me so much and I don’t even know why 😭 sometimes you gotta have the money for the kids. 

Overall, a sweet read with a happily ever after. Loved the concept of a man who isn’t afraid to dress up a little (well a whole lot in this case) there was even tucking. Taylor Maid was very sweet!!

Similar Reads: Choices and Changes by K.L Belanger, Dressed to Thrill by Kimberly Gardner 

Review: First Comes Marriage by Shira Anthony

First Comes Marriage (Dreamspun Desires #2) by Shira Anthony
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 262pgs

3.5 Pants Off

Blurb: Their marriage was supposed to be all business....

When struggling novelist Chris Valentine meets Jesse Donovan, he’s interested in a book contract, or possibly a date. The last thing Chris expects is a marriage proposal from New York City’s most eligible bachelor!

Jesse’s in a pinch: to keep control of his company, he has to marry. So he has valid reasons for offering Chris this business deal. In exchange for living in a gorgeous mansion for a year, playing the doting husband, Chris gets all the writing time he wants and walks away with a million dollar payoff. Surely Chris can handle that. He can handle living with the most handsome and endearing man he’s ever met, a man he immediately knows he wants in the worst way and can’t have. Or can he?

Review

Then Comes Love 

I love the marriage out of desperation trope or arranged, anything along those lines so First Comes Marriage is already a win on that part. So I’m surprised I don’t love it, I really liked it but it lacked a certain amount of angst that would have made it sensational. I think it would have been glorious if they hated each other in the beginning… 

Chris Valentine, struggling author, living on his best friends couch, and working in a coffee shop. He’s running out of options in both life and with his writing. When a handsome stranger makes him an offer that will literally change his life. He balks at the idea, but a man has got to eat and what’s so bad in marrying a good looking guy with lots of money. At the end of it he’ll walk away a million dollars richer, and maybe his manuscript will finally be done. 

Jesse Donovan, rich ass dude. His company is on the line and he can’t have that. His dead grandfather left a clause in his will that guarantees him the company if he marries. He formulates a plan an in order for it to succeed, he’ll need Chris. The natural order is, first comes love, then comes marriage but for Jesse and Chris marriage is most definitely first. 

What can I say about this book? Things don’t go as planned, what was once a business deal becomes something more. The lines become blurred and feelings take root, and you know you can’t stop the feelings. 

Honestly, I liked the book. I liked Jesse and Chris, they worked together on a nerdy level. With that being said, everything felt formulated. 

• • The business/marriage proposal 
  • The marriage  
  • The questioning if this is the right thing to do 
  • The feelings 
  • The sex 
  • The blow out that causes separation  
  • The reunion 

Overall, I liked this offering from the series. I believe it could have been better if only it was a little shorter and had a tad bit more angst. I understand the idea behind painting a picture but after awhile everything felt like dry wilted lettuce. I believe this was my first ever read by Shira Anthony which surprises me because I own a few of her books. I’m actually interested in seeing what else she has to offer.  

First Comes Marriage was a nice harlequin-y type of book.  

Seriously though, where the hell is my secret baby 😁 

Review: Two Lips, Indifferent Red by Tinnean

Reviewed by Fehu
Two Lips, Indifferent Red by Tinnean
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 326pgs
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
Kipp Llewellyn would rather follow his dreams than toe the family line, so instead of the support of his wealthy family, he has estrangement and a part-time job with Hunter, an in-demand interior designer. Hunter opens a new world for Kipp to explore—and not just for his career. It’s through Hunter that Kipp meets and begins what he thinks is a one-sided flirtation with Ham, one of Hunter’s customers.

To Kipp’s astonishment, Ham asks him for a date. Unfortunately for Kipp, a mysterious phone call summons him home, where his father gives him an ultimatum: save the family company by marrying billionaire Hyde Wyndham, in which case all will be overlooked, or never set foot in his home again. But meeting Hyde leaves Kipp stunned and betrayed, because Hyde is actually Ham.

A guarantee of marriage is no excuse for making Kipp feel foolish, and Kipp had enough of the gilded cage in the first twenty-one years of his life. He turns Hyde down, stating that marriage should be about love rather than convenience. If Hyde wants him, he’ll have to court him the old-fashioned way.

Review:
One thing first, this has a lot of sweetness, which one might like or dislike according to one's mood. The good thing - the book has enough family drama, secrets and homophobia, so that the story is not sugar only. Actually after all that poor Kipp went through, I at least felt, that he deserved all the saccharine happy ending. As the cherry on the icing, I would have loved a confrontation with the stupid ex of his, but one cannot have everything. Second there are flashbacks and it's usually bothers me, here they were minimal and mostly to explain something from the past, like Kipp's date with Daniel (the stupid, asshat ex), who only asked him out to win a bet. The dreams annoyed me, since they were not necessary for the advancement of the plot and they were quite long, thankfully there were not many and mostly at the end.

Kipp is a shy young man, who comes from a wealthy family, but his father hates him, his brother doesn't really care and his grandfather hasn't spoken to him after Kipp told him of his wish to study design. In school he wasn't very popular, always compared to his older brother, who was a sports star and his only date with a guy in school was a disaster. The distance to his father is made visible by how Kipp thinks of him, not father but "Sir", even when he speaks to others about him it's the word he uses. Kipp's mother died at his birth and he thinks that this might have something to do with his father’s distance, but we find out later in the book, that it's not true.

In college Kipp has mostly to take care of himself and doesn't really develop any close friendships or relationships at school, but he is on very good terms with his boss in the in design shop he works, it's also the place where he meets his second crush  - Ham.

Ham and his relationship with Kipp is a bit of problematic topic, since we don't see a lot of it. Mostly we are told they've met, they've kissed but there were more interactions, they've known each other for over a year and we don't see them. It's problematic since they budding relationship ends with a marriage proposition, after Kipp is ordered home by his father and again ordered to marry the guy who he never met - Hyde, to close a business deal. As it turns out Hyde is Ham and he knew about the marriage deal, for the purpose of him gaining shares in Kipp's father's companies. Hyde is a self-made Millionaire and he has come back to the town for revenge, families who nearly destroyed him, now are struggling financially and hoping for his financial support of their businesses.

So Hyde wants Kipp, Kipp wants Hyde, because he apparently did fall in love with him and his father and grandfather, who have cancer, are both urging Kipp to marry. At the same time Kipp’s brother is planning his wedding, no one has told Kipp anything about their engagement or even sent him an invitation, but of course he is invited now, that he is supposed to marry a wealthy businessmen. The only person who cares about Kipp seems to be his grandfather, who is very ill and has come to regret his decision to distance himself from his grandson. There are lot of things going on in the small town where both marriages are about to take place and I think the whole marriage is happening too fast - in a week! After Hyde has officially met Kipp together they uncover some of the towns and of Kip's family secrets, which make Kipp reconsider decision to go through with the marriage.

So I'm not telling on the intrigues or secrets but let's just say that Kipp's father is a jerk and while his brother has redeemed himself a bit I still didn’t come to like him, since he always followed their father's wishes and didn't give Kipp the time of the day when he grew up. The story is well written and very detailed, but I missed the developments in Kipp and Hyde's relationship which would explain why they wanted to get married so quickly.

Should you read it? I liked it and if one likes a well written Cinderfella story set in a modern time, with a lot of twists, then this is the perfect story. Not everything is well and Kipp and his father don't suddenly become friends at the end, so don't worry about the story being too sweet, but it has some soap opera character that may not appeal to all readers, again I think that it depends on the mood, this is more of a light read and a pick you up/feel good story

4 Pants Off

Review: I Don't: A Christmas Wish by Kari Gregg

I Don't: A Christmas Wish by Kari Gregg
Self-Published
Short Story: 67pgs
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
At least he isn’t pregnant.

Seth Murphy campaigned for Maryland’s Question Six, wildly celebrating the Election Day victory for marriage equality. Divorce attorney and live-in boyfriend Owen, however, believes just as passionately that the gay community should focus on a plurality of equal rights protections instead of allocating so many resources and man-hours to one hot button issue.

Owen won’t marry Seth.

Relationship deteriorating, the couple visits the Murphy farm outside Brunswick for Christmas. Seth’s family never considered that Seth and Owen wouldn’t be first in line for a marriage license as soon as same-sex marriage passed. When they find out there won’t be a wedding, their season of miracles is invaded by pornographic gingerbread cookies, frowning church ladies, and a determined father with a tactical assault shotgun.

Neither Seth, Owen, nor their love may survive the family holiday circus to say, “I don’t.”

Review:
What a cute and hilarious read with lots of Christmas spirit. I haven't read much from Kari Gregg but this will definitely be my fave read from the author. It brought the funny and the right amount of conflict to make not a completely fluffy holiday story.

Seth Murphy is beyond happy with the legalization of same sex marriage in Maryland; it means he can finally get married to his lawyer boyfriend Owen. Only problem is that Owen won't marry him and he is feeling all sorts of blue especially over the holidays. With Owen not wanting to marry him, Seth can't help but hash on his insecurities, maybe overall he's not good enough and he can't help but worry about how they will move on from this.

Well, tis the season to suck it up and celebrate because its time to spend the holidays with Seth’s family. When the family finds out there will be no wedding, it releases a can of worms. They bring the crazy, and Owen has to prepare because he might get caught up in a shotgun wedding.

The story was so hilariously sweet, and I liked that Miss Gregg played with a very hot issue. Detailing the seriousness of Question 6 but offering it up in a fun story mixed in with the love of family. I liked the development of Seth, and his discovery in realizing it wasn't all about him, and coming to like himself a bit more. Owen seemed like a laid-back kind of guy completely devoted to Seth.

What I did not really like is the parents’ involvement. I understand in wanting the best for your children. However, there comes a time you have to step back and let them figure out their life/relationships on their own. They pushed a bit too much, and were all up business they had no right to be apart of. So when it came time for Owen to pop the question it felt like he was doing it for them instead of for him and Seth (my feeling).

Sexy hotel room loving was hot *nods head* was going the way of a trick and his client for bit but then the intimacy and love came through again (though I was really enjoying that urgency sexy time :D)

Should You Read It? For sure, it’s a light humourous holiday read to get you in the Christmas spirit. Quite different from what readers have come to expect from this author and its no disappoint. A great way to spend an hour or two.

4 Pants Off