Sam's Reviews in Totally Bound Publishing

Jul 26, 2013 Christy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m, calibre-library, arc

Have you ever thought there is no such thing as white knights in shiny armor willing and able to take on the world for you? Or someone honest and real who can look beyond social and economic strata to see the real you? Or, even better, love at first sight? I'll admit that's oftentimes me, doubter galore. It was refreshing to read this story and find that those people can and do exist and it can happen quietly and without a lot of fanfare.

Sam Masterson has had it pretty rough. He's a wounded Mari Have you ever thought there is no such thing as white knights in shiny armor willing and able to take on the world for you? Or someone honest and real who can look beyond social and economic strata to see the real you? Or, even better, love at first sight? I'll admit that's oftentimes me, doubter galore. It was refreshing to read this story and find that those people can and do exist and it can happen quietly and without a lot of fanfare.

Sam Masterson has had it pretty rough. He's a wounded Marine in a wheelchair, taking on the responsibility of the apartment building and yarn shop belonging to his aunt after she's attacked and left in a coma by a thief, and taking care of his eight-year-old nephew. Pretty tough for a guy who was living in a cardboard box thinking death was a better answer. Watching Sam work on parenting his nephew, Joe, was just about enough to make me tear up. He's trying so hard not to mess up and make sure Joe knows that Sam's priority is still him even with everything going on. I really fell for Sam, especially when he would drift off and daydream wondering how the character in his romance novel would handle it all.

Trevor (Tall) Hollander is more than you think when he first appears as the high-powered architect. Turns out he knows a lot about parenting a younger sibling and having a ton of responsibility thrust on you at an early age. He also knows that he's incredibly attracted to the unshaven and scruffy man in the wheelchair who shows up in his office and claims Tall's new construction put a hole in Sam's building. Hmm. I liked Tall so very much because he's one of those rare people who looks at the kind of person you are instead of what you do or how much you have.

The dynamic between these two characters was quite interesting. There is the inevitable push and pull, but Sam hasn't felt like a real man since his accident and where you think Tall couldn't be the man to provide that, well, it turns out that Tall needs someone to take control and Sam is the man he's chosen. Their growing love for one another is enmeshed with a crumbling old neighborhood, a young boy's fears, a horrible developer, a thief attacking the elderly, and their own hopes and fears for a future. I really enjoyed this story and its theme of hope and love.

NOTE: This book was provided by Pride Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews ...more

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Dec 27, 2013 Marie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: giveaways

I won this book in a giveaway.
Animosity turned Attraction

There was a fair amount of intensity between the main characters. The owner of the building was a jerk, coming onto the architect, even though he was with Sam. The villain was a surprise and I'm glad that they came up with a plan to rejuvenate the neighborhood. ...more

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Dec 14, 2010 Shanna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: all-stars, m-m, 2011, contemporary-fiction, bdsm

This was one of the best books I've read in quite a while. I loved how Irving took standard conventions and just tossed them out. Sam and Tall were awesome characters that came alive for me as the reader. I loved how both Tall and Sam healed each other but I especially loved how Tall was able to show Sam that even though he can't walk he's still the same man he always was. It was great that Sam was the dominant partner and that Tall just worshiped him. The wheel chair became a non-issue as their ...more

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Nov 30, 2010 Tj rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2011

Loved the story overall. I thought Sam's character was interesting and complex. Trevor's character wasn't as well developed. Trevor's trusting Sam so quickly seemed a little unbelievable even with his background. I did enjoy the story line and plot. It was a fun read overall:) ...more

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