Review: Charming as Puck

Charming as Puck by Pippa Grant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Warning! The subject of the following review contains moments of absolute hilarity, a cow-dog, two spiders, seven clowns, an escape room full of Wanker's and Johnson-Wankers, three dogs, a kitten, mentions of stolen chickens, animal (and parental) cockblocking, and some very steamy sexy times. If you are prepared to laugh so hard you pull muscles, spit your morning caffeine all over yourself (and your laptop keyboard but you didn't need to type up that proposal anyway, did you?), and turn in to a ball of fluffy love over an asshole hockey player and the sweetest veterinarian with very naughty prankster instincts, then this book is definitely for you!!!

This year just keeps getting better! Wanna know why? No? I'm gonna tell you anyway because this is my review and you're here because you know you want to know. I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of this funny as hell story!



If you know me, you know that I have been waiting for Nick Murphy to find his forever love since the moment we really got to know him in Beauty and the Beefcake. Sure, he was around before (and a hilarious prankster) but you just knew that he was going to have this come to Jesus moment about commitments and settling down. He's a big, badass hockey player who seems like an asshole but he's got a heart of gold… If you can get him to stop joking around long enough for you to see it!



I've been wanting to hear the stories that made him the way he is (you get some of those) and I've been wanting to see him be more than a fighting, pranking, love 'em and leave 'em kind of man. Who knew that this moment would come in the form of a forgotten birthday, a prank gone wrong, and the loss of his FWB who actually owned his heart all along? Obviously, Pippa Grant knew but she didn't give us any hints until The Hero and the Hacktivist with that teaser. (… and I really was scared that she was going to hook him up with the charm school teacher (yeah, way back then) when I just knew that Kami would be perfect for him and fall into the Best Friend's Brother trope I love so much!!)



Even I figured out that he forgot her birthday and seriously Nick how did you not get that? Not only does Kami decide she's done with him in that teaser, but she decides to go to war.



And seeing sweet, loveable Kami go to war and show her more devious side? It proved to me that they were a match made in heaven! Or the shower, or the bed, or the front seat of his Jeep…



The cow, I mean dog, I mean Sugarbear may be the unwitting pawn in Nick and Zeus Berger's prank war (YES IT IS A WAR AND YES IT IS GLORIOUS!!!!), but she becomes something oh so much more! She becomes a catalyst for change - an amazing, wonderful change that leads to an I love you moment that had me blubbering almost as badly as Ares' voicemail message to Felicity and their I love you moment. The fact that Nick's I love you moment is fighting me for top position is a lot for me to handle because Ares Berger is my boy. He will always be my favourite book boyfriend so this should tell you a lot about this moment! Sugarbear is a catalyst for change in the way the Thrusters players play their pranks - and now that living animals are no longer allowed, and Nick has a new cow-dog baby to play with, it means that things are about to get a lot more interesting -- and a lot more sparkly!

There are so many things I could tell you about this story - but I won't!



I know better - KNOW BETTER - and yet, I still managed to make the mistake of drinking coffee while reading the bonus epilogues (I love you Pippa for always doing that!!!!!) so that I wore it! As did my laptop - and I think it's working ok, do you think it's working okay??? I also know better than to read anything this funny after I've put my son to bed because my laugh is LOUD… AND I WOKE HIM UP!!!!!! laughed so hard at the ridiculousness of the pranks, of the situations after the date (sweet Jesus save the kittens from the aliens -- IN SPACE!!!!), the garden shed escapade and the resulting birds and the bees talk, and just EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!



Favourite Lines -

And Felicity's in a custom Thrusters T-shirt with the rocket bratwurst logo - yes, rocket bratwurst, and yes, there's a story there - and the phrase "I'm carrying Ares Berger's Baby" printed across her chest and arrows pointing to her small but growing baby bump.

And while I stand there gaping, my cow-dog peeing a river down the sidewalk, he turns and strolls away.

"My mom has a crush on Hulk Hogan," Zeus offers.

"You mean you do," Ares says. They're still laughing when I head for the elevator.

I have to dodge the monkey, who’s been sent to sic my phone.

She beat me to my own I block the shots on the ice, but I score all the goals here.

"My bratwurst need to mortify you."

"If we lose, it's the Johnson-Wankers' fault."

"I'm supposed to talk to you about where babies come from. Your mother says you were doing it wrong."

"Muff Matchers, how can we match your muff today?"

If you want to know the name of the kitten, just how many times Ares Berger dangles his teammates by their ankles for being bad males to their ladies, well then… You just have to read the book and see how fabulous it is for yourself!



But I think you know my vote. ;)

You want to one click this one. You don't know it yet, but you NEED Kami and Nick in your life! Read it… I dare you!!!! I double cow-dog dare you!!!!! If you make it through the second chapter without laughing once, I'm afraid it's already too late for you. If you almost piss yourself laughing like I did? Then you know you're going to have an awesome year addicted to everything in the Pippaverse!

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Review: Without a Compass

Without a Compass by Helen Juliet
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Can I just tell you how adorable these boys were???



Be still my heart!

M/M titles have been my guilty pleasure lately, but Kai and Riley? Their story was so sweet it almost gave me a toothache!!! My favourite trope (no matter sexuality) for a romance is the older sibling's best friend and this is just that.

Riley has always known that he's gay, a lot like he's known that for years he's been crushing on his older brother's best friend Kai. They've known each other for years, have the comfort of a relationship like friendship considering how much they've been thrown together in the past, and these kinds of relationships are always my favourite! The one problem? Kai is straight. Or so it seems…



A Truth or Dare kiss brings an awakening moment to Kai. From the beginning, he's drawn to Riley - even mentions that he has always thought Riley's mannerisms were cute (so we have our unnoticed attraction) and that makes me happier that this isn't just a GFY story. It is, but it also isn't. Also, labelling is not Bi which usually comes with these but Pan and that makes me feel better as well because it's used correctly here. Seriously, if you don't know anything about the difference between Pansexual and Bisexual don't write about it. This is not the case with Helen Juliet so thank you for bringing that voice to the foreground.



So, camping holiday, the story focuses mostly on what becomes the beginning of Kai and Riley, and leaves me wanting more. Yes, there's sex and yes, it’s hotttttttt, but I've seen how they handle slight trouble together - now I want to see how they navigate their life. I would have loved a little flash forward before that epilogue two years later. That is the only thing I did not like about this story.



I'm just gonna bask in the glory of the sweetness of Riley and Kai. Le sigh!

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Review: Hosed

Hosed by Pippa Grant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Do you know what the best thing about 2019 is so far? No? Well, let me tell you what that is…

An ARC of Hosed by Pippa Grant and Lili Valente arriving in my inbox on New Year's Day!



Now, you may be asking, how do I know if Hosed is the right read for me? And I may be sitting here shaking my head at you for even daring to ask that question! If you're on this review it’s because you either a) love everything that Pippa Grant writes and have to have it, b) love everything that Lili Valente writes and have to have it or c) love sexy smouldering firefighters falling in love with their nerdy next door neighbour girls. Or it could be all of the above, and with me, it's definitely that!

There's so much wonderful in this book (that may or may not be related to one adorable cock blocking trash panda by the name of George Cooney) that I barely know where to start! Cassie Sunderwell is all kinds of nerdy awkward - and for that I identify with her. She's the programming, gaming, technology queen who is totally out of her element in the little town of Happy Cat and at the helm of her sister's sex toy factory. Yesssss, you read that right - her sister runs from town after a nasty marriage breakdown (sheep man, damn those sheep!!!!) and leaves the care of her struggling business to her nerdy, virgin big sister.



Yup, recipe for disaster in the making!

But then there's Ryan O'Dell… All kinds of wonderful fireman - and he's going to get Cassie out of her sexually repressed shell! He's also going to get her to love the small town of Happy Cat over the anonymity of the big city she's used to. He's also the loving owner of George Cooney!

People, people please… While I love the sexual awakening of Cassie, George Cooney stole this show! I love him more than I love his namesake! Some of the most hilarious moments in this book come from this little Raccoon, and he doesn't let you forget it!



He's a total trash panda and he steals the freaking show! If you manage to snag a penis shapped lollipop from him, you know you've made an impression!

Favourite lines -

I do a double-take as I realize she's standing under a birch strung with dildos tied to anal beads. It's a Sexmas tree in June.

Cassie cries out again and scrambles off my lap and I'm left with a fat-ass, mood-killing raccoon curled around my shoulders like a mink stole.

The last time I saw George Cooney, he was sliding down Main Street on his fuzzy butt, assisted by mango-lime lube he'd liberated from a pump bottle during the near-death commotion with the allergic tourist.

I thought you WANTED me to experience sexual pleasure, not to get cockblocked by a trash panda!

"They're playing dildo-ball," Ruthie May explains. "It's like football, but with - "

Lingering Questions -

1. What are the rules of play for dildo-ball?
2. Will there be any books for the remaining O'Dell brothers because I wanna know what's up with Jace and Olivia?
3. What in the hell am I going to read now????



Make sure to One-Click this one! If this is the promise of what's to come this year, I can't wait to see what else these ladies have to offer in 2019!

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