For a Good Time, Call... (Bluewater Bay #17) [Nate & Seth] by Anne Tenino & E.J. Russell

I thought I could do this but apparently not.. It's been almost 4 years since I more of less abandoned this series (more explanations bellow). But I DID want to read this one by Anne as I've enjoyed so many of her books before and also I LOVE slow burn and this one was sure to deliver (with one of our MCs being "Grace"). Sadly though I liked both Nate and Seth the plot and basically everything that brought them together was, well, boring. 

Seth Larson have been living in Bluewater Bay his whole life, more than that his family is one of the founding families. Not that it makes him feel anything positive about them.. Mostly estranged to them besides his grandmother whom he lives with and helps maintain the family mansion. She actually had enough and she wants to sell, but no one else beside her would agree and since she doesn't have a true hold on her estate or money she isn't sure how to go about it. Seth would do anything to help her, and getting to know Nate proofs to be handy on that account (and a lot more..).

Wedding Favors (Bluewater Bay #7) [Lucas & Gabe] by Anne Tenino

I LOVED this one! We got the background story to this one in the previous installment in the short novella "Helping Hand" which was a sweet "coming of age" story. This one takes place 12 years later, when Lucas returns home to his best friends' wedding. It was hinted that Audrey might have an interest in Zach (Lucas' older brother) and so when SHE returns home about a year before they rekindle their interest in one another. Lucas isn't sure about returning home, and anyhow, he doesn't intend to stay after the wedding.. he just has to figure out where to live after he and his boyfriend broke up. 

Lights, Camera, Cupid (Bluewater Bay #6) by S.E. Jakes, Amy Lane, Z.A. Maxfield, Anne Tenino & L.A. Witt

I stared this series two months ago and while I DID enjoy it, due to lack of reading time that month had to postpone the continuation of the series for other books I was excited to read and so here I am returning to this fun series with an Anthology half of which are about couples we already met in the previous installments and all of written by authors I've already read and enjoyed. 

I'm reviewing each novella on it's own and then adding my overall thoughts and rating for this Anthology at the very end. 

Poster Boy (Theta Alpha Gamma #5) [Toby & Jock] by Anne Tenino

This was another funny and sweet (and also the last) installment in the "Theta Alpha Gamma" frat house series. I enjoyed getting to know both Toby and Jock and having more of some of the others who are SO silly, it's really is impossible not to laugh about how CUTE they are. Yet this one wasn't a favorite. For me, it was too long. The whole story is somehow more focused on the frat boys than on the couple or at least it seemed that way because it takes WAY TOO LONG for Toby and Jock to find their way to one another. It made them both insecure in a way I thought mostly charming and sweet, mostly when it concerns Toby who unlike Jock is actually a confident guy.

Good Boy (Theta Alpha Gamma #4) [Brad & Sebastian] by Anne Tenino

I'm disappointed.  I mean, I KNEW where this one was going but it's not just the fact that Brad and Sebastian are s/D (now), that was half obvious to happen from the first installment in the series - "Frat Boy and Toppy" - in which we were introduced to them..It's the fact that I LIKED Sebastian before, yeah he had a little bit of a mean streak to him, but I thought it funny at the time, as he's being sarcastic, now I realize I just don't like him as a person and so him getting a HEA with a guy I actually DO really like - Brad - made their whole relationship turn sour in my mouth. 

Sweet Young Thang (Theta Alpha Gamma #3) [Collin & Eric] by Anne Tenino

We've met Collin in the first installment, he was Brad's new roommate and fellow frat boy in Theta Alpha Gamma. He knew he was gay, even came on to Brad but he isn't out. That didn't seem to be possible to change for a while.. Not when his uncle Monty, the guy who raised him after his father died have so many expectations from him.. This book was the turning point for Collin, from the guy who agrees with his uncle just because he has to, to the guy who can stand for himself with a full frat house behind him. 

It all started when TAG decided to make it clear on their acceptance registration that gay men are welcome to be a part of the frat house. It seems the Alumni Committee wasn't so into the idea not to mention they were afraid people would take actions against the frat house because of this change. TAG weren't about to back down no matter what, and I gotta say they had pretty cool ideas how to make a stand with their beliefs. Even though it was still funny as hell to see those guys and how they conduct serious business :D 

Love, Hypothetically (Theta Alpha Gamma #2) [Paul & Trevor] by Anne Tenino

This was somehow a bit different from the previous one, I mean, it was still a funny read, but it had a lot more drama to it and I guess, Paul isn't a guy it's easy to love (or even like).. he is bitter and annoying most of the time but I think this short novella was his turning point. Which was hilarious to read :)

Paul and Trevor were high school sweethearts but since Trevor was a jock interested in playing professionally he couldn't be out. So though it felt very serious between the two, Paul was "the dirty little secret", having to deal with Trevor having a girlfriend and not being able to truly BE with Trevor. Then the ultimate act of betrayal from Trevor brought us the Paul we've met (9 years later) as Sebastian's friend and roommate who HATES jocks. 

Frat Boy and Toppy (Theta Alpha Gamma #1) [Brad & Sebastian] by Anne Tenino

This was a FUN read, easily a Laugh Out Loud romance, not heavy, very mild on the drama, almost no angst, all the characters are easy going and FUN. FUN is THE word for this book. It's a light weight romance, we only get a HFN but it's enough because it's SO SWEET and funny. I"m not usually impressed with college jocks and them acting stupid, but hearing Brad's thoughts was GREAT. Sebastian was more mature, age-wise as well as generally, more serious but he was so damn sweet towards Brad I couldn't NOT love him as well. It got a bit kinky but really, not too much (considering frat boys are full of hormones and there's quite a lot of sex in this not so long novel).

Brad just realized he's gay. He might have realized it sooner but he was doing his best ignoring it, mainly with looking as though he is screwing around. Well, besides, Ashley, they were together months.. but didn't have sex.. he didn't want to.. Looking between Sebastian the HOT PA in his History class and Ashley it's no brainer really, only getting TO Sebastian is another matter entirely... 

My Haunted Blender's Gay Love Affair, and Other Twisted Tales by Abigail Roux, Andrea Speed & Anne Tenino

Anthologies are a certain bet I guess especially if you don't know the authors of most of the authors but here I felt like this is a bet I'm REALLY ready to make - two great authors - Abigail Roux of Cut & Run which was the first MM Romance series I've ever read and Anne Tenino which I just recently read two books by her (in the Romancelandia series) the other author - Andrea Speed - I didn't know. For me she was the bet I guess and yet her story was the best of the three IMO. 

I didn't bother read the synopsis of the Anthology , figured, they are short anyway.. so I totally missed the fact that this one is a Paranormal MM Romance. Was trying REAL hard to think of how to explain the weird things that were happening in the first one I picked hehe. It was a nice Anthology but not very engaging, the three stories were quite slow going. 

Billionaire with Benefits (Romancelandia #2) [Tierney & Dalton] by Anne Tenino

I LOVED LOVED LOVED this one - to pieces! I think I enjoyed it more than the first one. But frankly I'm not sure I can be trusted with such a question.. I'll probably like the first one better if I read it second or if I re-read it. I just LOVE Anne's writing, love her characters for being FLAWED but in a loving way not obnoxious can we kill this character already kinda way. 

Finished this one tonight, meaning this morning.. early morning, late night, well, you get the point, I just COULDN'T put it down, especially so close to the ending. Even though you know that the HEA is right around the corner, and yeah, you know they already love each other, you gotta SEE it. Feel it. Read it.. 

Too Stupid to Live (Whitetail Rock #3) (Romancelandia #1) [Sam & Ian] by Anne Tenino

This one was a pure JOY to read! Such a great read! It was so different than my regular MM read and I haven't even realized how much more real the romance can be when the characters are more flawed and by that I mean - REAL. Both the main characters has their issues, yet they felt somewhat normal. Also the things there were dealing with felt like something regular people would. No more macho macho men dealing with life with a fighter's stance. Just two regular guys (even if one used to be a firefighter).

The Fix (Whitetail Rock #2) (Pre-Romancelandia #1) [Nik & Jurgen] by Anne Tenino

This is also a free ultra short novella (Download from here) which is a "pre" read before "Too stupid to live". As I wrote in the review of the previous novella Sam, a side character here is the MC in "Too stupid to live", yet you don't have to read this one or the previous one to "get" the next one (and I'm saying that without reading it - YET) since it just gives you the background of how Nik and Jurgen came together (as I understand they are side characters in Sam's story). 

This one is a year after Nik and Jurgen met, they are now living together and Jurgen is worried that Nik is going to break up with him after hearing a phone conversation Nik has with Sam. 

Whitetail Rock (Whitetail Rock #1) (Pre-Romancelandia #1) [Nik & Jurgen] by Anne Tenino

This is a short free novella (download from here) which is a somewhat "pre" story to "Too stupid to live". Originally I just added "Too stupid to live" then I realized there are two short novella before (this one and "The Fix") so I decided to read them first. 

As I understand the main characters in this novella (and the next one) are side characters in "Too stupid to live" (Sam - the MC is a side character here, being Nik's best friend).