AJ's Review
PURE GENIUS! are the two words that come to mind after reading Lorelei James' latest release in the Rough Riders series, Short Rides. Ms. James is a mastermind at combining fantasy, fiction, and real life situations to pen compelling stories that warm your heart, put a smile on your face, and heat up your body in all the right places. Short Rides is the perfect compliment to the Rough Riders series for readers who need a quick fix of some of their favorite characters.
King of Hearts
In King of Hearts, Ms. James delves into the difficult subject of PTSD and the struggles that veterians deal with on a daily basis. She handles this difficult topic with finesse, class, and reality as Cam McKay's struggles with PTSD pushes itself once again to the forefront of his mind after he's called to the scene of a murder/homicide. What increased the depth of this short story is how Ms. James focused on the importance of family and friends to help victims of PTSD. Add a few smoldering love scenes, some rambunctious kids who will steal your heart and put a smile on your face, and a loving wife who's determined to help her man fight his demons and you have an awesome short read that will keep you engaged until the very end.
Rough Road
In Rough Road, we get a glimspe of how things are going for Chassie, Trevor and Edgard Glanzer. I love this polyamorous relationship and was excited to see how things were going with this dynamic trio and their children. While things are great on the homefront, outside of it is another story. Chassie, Trevor and Edgard knew that the untraditional lifestyle they had chosen to lead wouldn't be easy, but when it begins to affect their children, these three must ban together and allow some family members to assist in making the hardest decision of their lives. Ms. James has created a riveting story that entails bigoted people who don't understand how much love the heart can handle. Instead, they pose their views on the Glanzer family and begin instilling hate in their children. Rough Road is as real as it gets and there are individuals and families dealing with these same issues at some level on a daily basis. I loved how Ms. James didn't sugarcoat the situation. She emphasized that life is hard and unfortunately, we can't protect our children from everything. But it's imperative that we stand up for what we believe not only for our own sakes, but also for our children even when things get tough. Furthermore, she emphasizes that no one person or family is an island of it's own, so it's important to ask for help from your larger family when the going gets tough because if you're a McKay or West, they have your back. :)
All Knocked Up
All Knocked Up is the perfect title for this at times hiliarious, riveting story as the reader is allowed to witness how Jack and Keely have grown over the years. The witty banter and sarcasm still exist in this dynamic duo's realtionship, but also the unwavering love that these two have for one another. I must admit that Keely and Jack are two of my favorite Rough Riders' characters, so I was estatic to see how they were doing. The chemistry is still smoking hot after four years of marriage and the start of a family. Ms. James does an excellent job of showing how a couple's life changes once they begin having kids and it ranges from the mother's body after childbirth, to their sex life, to the early morning feedings, and simple exhaustion of it all. But more importantly, Ms. James shows how a man and woman who desperately love one another can work through anythng as long as they keep the lines of communication open.
I absolutely loved Short Rides and hope that Ms. James will do more of these short anthologies that bring us up to speed with our favorite characters. The dialogue remains crisp, witty, and fluid, the characters are genuine, flawed, and lovable, and the situations are as real as they come. If you haven't picked up a copy of Short Rides, then do so today. Ms. James has hit a homerun with her first self-published anthology and I for one want more of them. Bravo Ms. James and thanks for bringing a little more joy into my world with your Rough Riders series.
Rated 5 Ravens and a Recommended Read by AJ!
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From the Publisher
"Daddy, what's wrong? Is the crown too tight?"
"No. It's just..."
Liesl placed her little hands on his cheeks and stared into his eyes. "Does your heart hurt again? 'Cause I can give it another kiss. Sometimes, it takes a whole bunch."
And sometimes in a single instant, it just took the sweetness of one little girl, the happy screaming laughter of his kids, and the loving indulgence of his wife to set everything in his world right again.
Edgard covered Trevor's restless hand with his and threaded their fingers together.
Chassie kissed the top of their son Westin's head. "See how Daddy and Papai are holding hands? They love each other. Some people think it's wrong. That two men shouldn't love each other each other like that."
"But why not?"
"We honestly don't know."
Trevor and Edgard reached for Chassie's hands at the same time.
"And some people don't think it's right that your Daddy and I love each other, and we both love your Mama, and she loves us both back," Edgard said.
Westin had three loving parents. In what universe was that wrong?
Jack's job as her baby daddy entailed three things:
- Sucking it up and listening to her every pregnancy complaint like she was reciting secret stock tips.
- Keeping her fed and never ever ever mentioning the amount of food she consumed on a daily basis.
- Fulfilling her s*xual needs whenever and wherever she wanted; or keeping his d*ck away from her on those bad pregnancy days she suspected she'd chop it off if he showed it to her.
These titles are the origin stories in the Rough Riders series that inspired the SHORT RIDES ANTHOLOGY
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Rough Riders Book 5 |
Rough Riders Book 7 |
Rough Riders Book 8 |
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Don't miss this catch up on the Rough Rider's Series
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 14, 2013
