Tag: political romance

Erotica, LGBT, Romance

My Review: American Prince (New Camelot Trilogy #2): by Sierra Simone

nicholasjgoodsell
Publish Date: March 17th 2017
Number of Pages: 316 Pages
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Genre(s): Erotica, Romance

***Warning!! This review reveals spoilers from the previous book in the trilogy, so read at your own caution! You’ve officially been warned!***

To see my full review for book #1 – American Queen – Click HERE

Total Star Rating: 4.25 Stars

Wow…just wow, you guys!

My mind was officially blown as I closed this book in the wee hours near sunrise because I couldn’t put it down and couldn’t get any sleep even if I’d tried. This second book in a surprisingly well written romance/erotica trilogy absolutely wrecked me because just when I thought more couldn’t possibly be uncovered, more shocking secrets exposed for the good of the written story, the floor freakin’ exploded from underneath my feet and I’m plummeting down 100 stories and my mind is officially fucked…

So for those that have read the first book, we know by now about the interesting relationship that formed between the President of the United States, his newly wed wife, along with the Vice President. It’s a continuation of the unconventional relationship formed between Maxen “Ash” Colchester, Greer Galloway-Colchester, and Embry Moore, and with that cliffhanger ending the author gave us going in, I had to know immediately after finishing the previous title. Luckily, I thought ahead and got this title for that specific need, ready near my bedside table for the answers I knew I’d need.

This kind of book is rare, and it’s unfortunate that people will write it off because it’s in the romance/erotica genres. It’s so incredibly beautifully written, intense; a smart romance and not just various sex scenes filling up a barely there, poorly thought out plot. Yes, the sex scenes are very descriptive, and get pretty intense at certain points, but they aren’t what drive the story. The secrets, the deceit, the plans made behind closed doors, the motives of the characters and scandals that threaten to tear everything apart is what sets this book apart from all the other romance titles out there on the market.

I can’t reveal too much about what happens within this book; part of the experience is reading it yourself, and because if people thought that the first title shocked your system, it has nothing on this one, and it will absolutely steal your breath away!

What It’s About:

Ash, Greer, and Embry had consummated their relationship the night of Ash and Greer’s wedding, but then the unexpected happened, and Greer was taken by some mystery (but not really) force. With not that much of a mystery to solve, it was Melwas (the leader of an enemy country) that kidnapped her and took her away. Embry and Ash both have to come up with a plan quick in order to rescue her and bring her back safely without causing an international incident and possible war.

As they deal with political intrigue, scandal and tragedies, and global crisis, we learn more about Embry and who he is in all this. You’ll see his side of certain events of the past and what’s happening currently in the story, and learn all the unknown depths of him and get so many answers that will leave you shocked, uprooted and desperate for more!

What I Liked:

  1. More of Embry Moore! Probably my favorite character in these books, this book takes a closer exploration of Embry Moore and his backstory of the events that take place within this story. He’s a complex character: he’s charming but aloof, he’s got his secrets like everyone, but has done some questionable things as well. It’s always been on the reader’s mind what his reasoning behind a lot of things was exactly, and this book reveals all of it, making it some truly shocking stuff! I also found his inner turmoil to be so interesting; he acted like this indifferent, cocky, privileged playboy, but inside was a man with many demons, so much self-loathing to where he doesn’t believe he deserves happiness for himself, despite the sacrifices he’s made for those he loves, even when they don’t know it. He’s fine with people writing him off but actually does so much behind the scenes, and it’s all so incredibly heartbreaking, so emotional, and it all makes him easily one of the best characters in the series, possibly in any book I’ve ever read.
  2. Greer Still has a Voice in the Story! Upon starting this second book, part of me wondered if the story would change immensely because we’d be looking through someone else’s perspective, someone who wasn’t there for everything we’d experienced previously up to that point. Luckily, we kept that base of having Greer continue to tell it from her perspective as the heroine of this story. So much happens to her, so it only makes sense to continue seeing inside her head as things progress and/or escalate.
  3. The LGBT Exploration! By going more in-depth with Embry Moore, it of course covers his complex relationship with Ash over the years; the secrecy, the fear, the tension and of course the unrequited love. It’s more of an LGBT Male/Male romance story, while still having their relationship with Greer also continue to take importance. Having a M/M romance/erotica read was refreshing, as there’s not too much of it in literature. It was a sweeping tale of ambition, bravery, sacrifice, lust, and loss. It goes into the many different sides of love: You can’t choose who you love, you can’t control the circumstances, and sometimes you could meet “the one,” but the timing is off. How you react to all of this, what you do about is a core theme of this book.
  4. The Overall Character Development! For all the characters, it’s truly something to see how different they are by the end of every book. I’m serious, things change so dramatically; plans change, people change and sometimes it causes relationships to change. They are all flawed, but so real and so raw. The ending is great proof of this, and while it’s sad to see how things developed, It also causes me to commend the author on the wonderful job they did with their craft.

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. It felt So Short!…I know, this isn’t much to go on, but seriously…I wanted more! I wanted to have about 100 more pages of this story; of what, I have no idea…

Conclusion:

Another jaw-dropping, heartbreaking, shocking addition to an incredibly smart, beautifully written romance/erotica series written by someone who sets the bar on how to write for the specific genre. It explores the mind of Embry Moore, Vice-President, and the darkness that all but fully consumes him, but makes him think he’s a bad guy, someone who doesn’t deserve happiness, someone to write off…but none of that is true. He’s a tortured, complex soul and while he’s confident, charming, noble and charismatic, he’s got a dark side that draws him back, makes him aloof, cold, secretive and reckless. This title will take your breath away, send a jolt down your spine, and make you question everything/everyone around you!

Thanks For Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Erotica, LGBT, Romance

My Review: American Queen (New Camelot Trilogy #1): by Sierra Simone

nicholasjgoodsell
Publish Date: October 5th, 2016
Number of pages: 392 pages
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Genre(s): Romance, Erotica, Political Drama

Total Star Rating: 4.25 Stars

To keep my vocabulary clean and proper, I just want to point out that holy shit you guys… this book was an experience to say the least! This book was FIRE; It was intense, it was kind of dark and twisted, and was absolutely eyebrow raising amongst all the other Romance/Erotica titles that I’ve read or want to read.

There’s actually a lot I’d want to reveal about the story, but most of it will spoil the book, so I have to stay somewhat kind of vague. Part of the experience of the book is the shocking discovery of certain things, seeing how things develop and reveal themselves, so why would I ruin it for any new readers?

The very first scene is a wedding, and it starts out pretty light and innocent, but then the author starts to point certain things out that normally would go unnoticed, like a dirty little secret amongst only the select few who know, giving you a little tease of what’s to come…

It’s unorthodox, spellbinding, seductive, wicked, forbidden, and a completely different kind of fairytale than the ones you’ve ever read before…

What It’s About:

Recent college grad and literary professor, Greer Galloway, has always been around the political circuit for as long as she could remember. Her parents died when she was much younger, so her grandfather became her legal guardian, and he also just happened to be the Vice President of the United States at the time. Going with him to special events and galas, she became well versed in politics and how to read people based off facial expressions, body language, what is said and how people say it. Her grandfather noticed, and used her perceptiveness to his advantage.

Through most of her childhood, she’d run into one of her grandfather’s best friends, Merlin Rhys. Cold and aloof, he’d leave Greer with not much more than a few warnings and then disappear, leaving her to wonder if maybe he lives up to the magical being he’s named after?

The real story begins years later when Greer is 15 and meets Maxen Ashley Colchester, or “Ash” for short. They meet at a party in London, and sparks instantly arouse, but they know it’s forbidden because she’s so young, and he’s a 26 year old War Lieutenant. Despite it all, they share her first kiss, not knowing their lives will be forever changed. Their meeting brings a new life into her, and so after he’s off fighting in the war, she writes him letters. She reveals things that she’d never told anyone else, along with her intense, growing attraction to him. Unfortunately, she never heard back from him.

Six years later, at Merlin Rhys’s birthday celebration on a rooftop in Chicago, Greer coincidentally runs into Maxen yet again; this time he’s come back and is considered a huge war hero. She discovers that they are both still attracted to each other, but he’s engaged to another woman. Devastated, Greer leaves the party and meets Embry Moore, a charismatic and charming military comrade of Maxens. They hit it off, both trying to get over lost love, but discover that they may have feelings for each other too, so Greer decided to act on it, and thus loses her virginity to him. The next morning, she leaves Embry with the promise of more should he contact her again, but again she’s left out in the cold

Now in present time, Greer is visited once again by Embry, but now he’s Vice President under Maxen, who was elected as a Third party contender. Maxen sent him to come find her, and what happens after that is an epic love story between a woman and the two most powerful men in the country thats told from past and present times. Its an unconventional story of lust, jealousy, sex, forbidden love, political intrigue, scandal, deceit, and danger.

This book is told from the view of Greer, and the next two books will be told from the perspectives of Embry and Maxen.

What I Liked:

  1. (Most of) The Characters! There’s Greer who’s smart, kind hearted, determined, submissive but strong. There’s Embry who’s charming, reckless, intense, conflicted, arrogant, and aloof. Maxen is commanding, heroic, powerful, manipulative, and honorable. Mixing them together drives the story forward as Greer internally battles herself on the fact that she’s in love with both men for different reasons, and who should she end up with in the end. Personally, there were times I wasn’t a big fan of Maxen, but I dive into that later. The author keeps you wondering, and makes you feel for the characters and worry about them, hoping they all get their happily ever after.
  2. The Exploration of Sexual Attraction! One thing that I’m starting to notice about self/indie published romance books is that they are starting to really dig further in terms of exploring the spectrum of sexual attraction of human beings. It’s become so broad in today’s world, and yes, it’s no longer just about being gay or straight. While this book stays within the realm of those two orientations, it shows forbidden fantasies and if we were to allow ourselves to explore our curiosities, no matter how devious, perverted, or explicit they may be seen as. Sexual orientations are never straight out said within the story, and the author never tries to justify if a character is gay or bisexual; it was done in the “show, don’t tell” method, as it should.
  3. The Romance! It will drive you nuts! The author creates aching sexual tension, and is slow and methodical in the buildup between the pages. The love scenes are so incredibly intense and well written that I actually had to stop, blink, and catch my breath a couple times.
  4. The Sudden Cliffhanger Ending! The ending just happens so abruptly, and I went back and wondered, did someone rip out the last page?… Nope, it’s just a really big cliffhanger that excites as much as it frustrates. I get it; it’s the perfect ploy for any sort of drama to get people to want to read the next book ASAP, and (oh god) does it work, but at least I’m not waiting a whole year for the next title, I already have the next book on my shelf because I had a hunch I was going to need it *wink wink*
  5. The Author’s Writing Style! Grab your vibrating toys ladies, gents, and non-binaries, because this author can freakin’ write! It was probably one of the most intense romance/erotic novels that I’d ever read in my life, and I’m not even talking entirely about the sex scenes. The author weaved a complex story as a great base for everything, and her prose were actually incredibly beautiful! Sierra Simone paints a pretty impressive picture, check this little snippet out:

I’m nothing, I’m everything, I’m the light and the dark and the air and the void. Strong force, weak force, gravity, electricity, magnetism are all pinning me underneath this violent, tragic soldier.

– Sierra Simone, “American Queen”

Pretty hot stuff, right?

(Side note: this isn’t even one of the best written lines in the whole book, but it certainly makes a strong case, am I right? *nudge nudge*)

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. Maxen’s Dark Side…So big surprise (not really though), the lead Male has a tragic past, and is into some dark, kinky stuff… Yes, I do mean BDSM. Nothing most of us haven’t read before…but there’s a scene that gets more graphic about it in the story, and I just found that it’s probably the part I liked the least in the whole book. I’m not too familiar or all that informed with the BDSM lifestyle choice, but I still find it a bit off when someone loves someone deeply, but still wants to whip them too? For me personally, it’s not going to be my cup of tea, but I also noticed how controlling Maxen gets throughout the story. He’d go from 0 to 100 real quick, at least during the love scenes, and it felt almost dictator-ish how Embry and Greer would sometimes look down and stay silent and be like, “Don’t do or say anything to upset him,” and while there are plenty of hot moments in the book, this controlling side of him was something I’m not particularly fond of.
  2. The Presidential Factor…While it would be absolutely amazing to have two incredibly gorgeous men in their thirties be the President and Vice President of our country. It’d certainly make me more interested in politics, but it felt a little far fetched in terms of realism and believability. Maxen becomes president by being a war hero, similar to Dwight Eisenhower back during WWII, but it felt like this aspect was added only because Greer had been around politics her whole life. Him and Embry could’ve just stayed Military men, and the story wouldn’t have had to change all that much…
  3. The Cliché Romance Male Lead…I complain about clichés a lot on here…but no apologies, so get over it. Anyways, the whole “Dark haired, light eyed, masculine male who’s in a position of power, has lots of money and a tragic backstory, and now has a dark sexual appetite” is SOOOO played out, I feel like it’s every other male character you’d read in any of the Romance/Erotica novels/series out there nowadays. WE GET IT…If we hate the 50 Shades of Grey crap on paper so much, why do we still go back to it?

(Side note 2: this trilogy along with others like the Crossfire series, are like 50 Shades, but SO much better written.)

Conclusion:

I found myself enjoying this title a lot, and I can say that despite a few clichés that will probably not go away anytime soon, it is something enjoyable that really sticks out amongst other titles. I recommend to anyone who loves intense, erotic romance and is into sexual exploration. I certainly have become a fan of the author after this title, and will continue to read her other works should they interest me. Anyone who like the 50 Shades-esque stories with gorgeous men with a secret dark side and lots of money and power will love it, and that cliffhanger is a doozy, so watch out!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

LGBT, New Adult Romance

My Review: Red, White, and Royal Blue: by Casey McQuiston

nicholasjgoodsell
Publish Date: May 14th 2019
Number of Pages: 423 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre(s): Contemporary, New Adult Romance, LGBT

Total Star Rating: 4.25 Stars

One thing that I love to see is that there is so much more LGBTQ representation in literature nowadays. Identifying myself as a part of the queer community, it really is uplifting and feels like I’m not only acknowledged, I feel like I’m more understood and accepted amongst in this world when there are authors that write these stories, there are publishers that release these stories, and there are fellow readers who also enjoy these stories.

Representation truly matters. People who are different and who don’t fit into the typical social criteria need to feel like they are seen and that they matter, because they do! They need to feel like that when they read stories with characters that are just like them. It normalizes the exposure of LGBTQ+, and thus, helps create a society that realizes that there is no social agenda, only a want and need for unity and respect for our differences.

Yes, books are powerful tools if they can be tools to help us achieve that!

This is a debut novel, so some could say that the writer’s style reads similar to a royal romance fan fiction, but it’s still a great love story that is receiving a surprising amount of publicity as being the big queer romance story of the summer! One of the main aspects of the story is politics, which was expected when the two main characters is the bisexual fictional half-latino son of the president and the (fictional) gay prince of Wales.

I am by no means a big fan of politics, in fact I only skimmed the parts of the story where there’s a substantial amount of information about how it all works, I can still say I immensely enjoyed this title despite all that. Compared to the love story, it’s truly such a small aspect of this book, so don’t let that be the reason to deter you from picking it up!

What It’s About:

It’s a sweet, hilarious, and thoughtful love story between the son of the President of the United States and the second born Prince of Wales.

Alex Claremont-Diaz, along with his older sister and best friend, are the “White House Trio,” the marketing strategy designed by his mom, President Ellen Claremont (Yes, a WOMAN president). They are America’s version of royalty, and are treated as such with the paparazzi that follows them around, and the rumors written in Us Weekly and People. They get invited to the Royal Wedding overseas, to which Alex is less than enthused about because it means he’ll have to see Prince Henry, his long time rival. It turns out worse than expected, and a confrontation leads to an international scandal.

With re-elections on the horizon, President Claremont issues a fake friendship as a PR stunt in order to do damage control, but Alex unintentionally starts a bigger news story; he falls for the royal prince. They begin a hot and heavy secret relationship, and everything Alex thinks he knows gets blown out of the water and he questions everything: Is it all worth it? How can you do the things you still want to do with everything stacked against you? and What can you do to be remembered in history?

What I liked:

  1. The Romance! I am a hopeless romantic at heart, and while I’m not the biggest fan of “fluff,” this story had equal fluff with steam and humor to this a definite worthwhile story. Alex and Henry had a great relationship and were incredibly easy to like and support as they fight for their love despite all that threatened to tear them apart.
  2. The Theme About The Importance of Family! It was a major theme of the story and was shown in many different ways: Alex and his relationship with his best friend along with his sister, Prince Henry and his sister, Alex’s relationship with his estranged father, Henry and his older brother and mother, his friendship with his BFF Pez (picture a flaming male version of Awkwafina in Crazy Rich Asians) even both of their relationships with their heads of security. One of my favorite scenes was one where President Claremont organizes a family dinner one night, and turns off the “power suit” and just switches personas and becomes just their mom again; it was a warm and really touching scene.
  3. There is a Woman President! A female President who’s a badass in the office, and a badass mom who loves her family on top of it, and still makes time for them. I totally picture her being portrayed by Connie Briton if they ever make this into a movie!
  4. The LGBTQ Representation! Like I said earlier, it’s so relieving to see a novel with two gay male characters get so much attention and so much mainstream hype. Back in the earlier 2000’s, it felt like these kinds of books, or any books where LGBTQ was a main aspect of the story, it was pushed aside or kind of taboo, so they didn’t get as much hype, and there was no big excitement over the release of titles like that. Now it’s 2019, and this book is on the New York Times Best Sellers list! I hope to keep seeing this as more and more titles come out in the future.

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. Politics…I’m not a big fan of Politics; while it worked for this story, if they could’ve had parents in different occupations, that would’ve been fine too. This has nothing really against the story or how it was written or even against the author, it’s more just a small personal quirk for me. Luckily, the author didn’t become too technical in matters of terms or explanations behind anything that happens concerning Politics.

Conclusion:

It’s a sweet and sexy romance that’s perfect for the warmer months of summer, and I enjoyed this story so much, it was such a joy to read. Alex is a strong willed, smart mouthed protagonist that I would just adore having as an actual friend. The author crafted such a heartwarming story in the aftermath of the 2016 elections and what it’s done to our country ever since.

I won’t ever really talk about Politics or what my opinions are with anyone, not even most of my family, but it was interesting to read an almost alternate-universe kind of story where a woman actually won and became a great President. Even if it stars two men as the two romantic interests, I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good, well written romance, fiction about politics and stories that showcase the importance of family.

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell