Author Garrett Leigh serves up such an appealing, authentic foodie experience in Misfits, it’s easy to forget that restaurant umbrella company Urban Soul is only fiction: Reading Misfits left me with a craving for Pink’s paella, burgers & champagne, and Cass’s rib eye steak.

This story is layered with emotion and life choices and shared experiences. Misfits is a beautiful tribute to three very different men, the ties that but them together, and the personal quirks that set them apart. I loved the style of the storytelling: the ambling, believable pacing; the structured passing of perspective at key points in the story; and the originality about everything [...]

*** This review is SPOILER-FREE! Read on with confidence! ***

Served Hot is a cozy read about two men who meet and dance a slow, heartwarming romance over coffee. The story is told from Robbie’s POV in first person, which really showcases his adorable personality and geeky Portland ways. David is very “accountant”, with his starched shirts and awkward segues, and harbors a painful, emotionally debilitating past.

There were moments in this story that gave real, truly touching, glimpses into the deeper emotions that blend together a couple’s yesterdays, todays, and tomorrows. The plot didn’t feel contrived or [...]

Without spoiling how the plot ultimately plays out, I wanted to mention that while I found the story to be enjoyable overall, there were things about it that bothered me. First, the guys are both “born and bred New Yorkers” but many of their speech cadences and word choices sounded suspiciously British. The dialogue also felt a little stiff and forced in places, as if the author had trouble really bringing Riley to life. Cam, on the other hand, was much more relatable and his personality felt more balanced and better communicated.

The story is quite unique and I really loved how Ms. Clarke stretched out the plot and developed everything in its own time without [...]

GraveTells (GT): Please help me welcome Heidi Belleau, author of Riptide Publishing’s Rear Entrance Video series! Heidi, I just have to know… is there a fun story behind the naming of this series and the adult store it revolves around? Because, seriously, I adore it!

Heidi Belleau (HB): Thanks so much for having me! The story behind the name is that once upon a time I used to work at a seedy porn store myself, and on the front door of that store was a sign that said “second entrance in rear” and I thought it was so funny as a double-entendre that I decided, hey, what if someone used a sign like that to name the whole store? And so it came down to naming the store/series “Rear [...]