Book Review: Lights Out (Tales from Cabbagetown Book 2) by Josie Kerr

Lights Out

(Tales from Cabbagetown Book 2)

by Josie Kerr

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU 

Christopher Schuyler wasn’t someone who got many breaks. After eight frustrating years working as a club bouncer and fighting on the amateur circuit, a prestigious MMA training gym offers Chris an opportunity he can't walk away from. 

Paul Decker knows something about dating athletes, and that is an experience he never wants to repeat. It’s taken him two years to get over his last break-up, but he’s finally getting back into the dating scene. 

After a particularly gruesome social event, Paul uncharacteristically ends up solo at a gay dance club. A literal run-in with Chris brings the two men together, and soon they are both taking chances they had never imagined. Taking risks is one thing, but are they strong enough to overcome the skeletons of the past? 

(This book contains references to self-harm and domestic violence, as well as adult language and sexual situations.)

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

You need to call this Chris, or I am going to do it for you and you’re going to have to explain to this man how you got beat up by a middle-aged woman with a cane because you’re a dumbass!



Tate had you reined in so tight, not to mention he was so far in the closet he was behind the winter coats.



My Review:

While any form of violence is so not my jam, human beings continue to intrigue and fascinate me, and I particularly seem to enjoy sweet and sexy love stories. It generally doesn’t matter to me who was falling in love as long as they were of age, all acts were consensual, and they treated each other well. However, some of you may need to know that this heart-squeezing tale featured a sweet and tender love story between two men - Chris an MMA fighter, and Paul a floral designer. Both men had significant and tainted histories of marked struggle and abuse as well as current challenges to their blossoming romance. This was a different type of read for me as MMA is not of particular interest, although the fighter’s story certainly was. Chris wasn’t just an MMA athlete - he fought with heart just as valiantly outside the arena with stereotypes, vulnerabilities, and limited resources. He and Paul were adorable together.

Josie Kerr  

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Josie Kerr is a transplanted West Texan living on the edge of semi-profoundly rural Georgia, a.k.a. the southernmost edge of the northernmost county in Metro Atlanta.

She has an M.Ed. in Secondary English Education but discovered that she hated high school more the second time than she did the first, so she decided to meld her love of technology with her education background and became an Instructional Designer. When not writing articles about how to fire someone without getting sued or why you should really not apply for jobs using your SexxyStud99@aol.com email address, she writes steamy romance novels that feature grown-up Heroes and Heroines.

Book Review: Honey and Happiness (Hemlock Creek Book 4) by Josie Kerr

Honey and Happiness
 (Hemlock Creek Book 4)
by Josie Kerr

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU / Universal

B&N / iBooks / Kobo

Saffron McNabb is living her best life. After abandoning corporate rat race almost twenty years before, Saffy’s happily managing a small bed and breakfast in the north Georgia mountains. That is until the owner of the Creekside B & B wants to sell, and not to Saffy. 

Bruce Baird is in desperate need of a change. Bored both professionally and personally, when he’s forced to take a vacation, the normally unadventurous actuary decides to throw caution to the wind. 

A close encounter with one of Saffy’s rescued animals leaves the tightly-wound man and the free-spirited woman at odds. But when reality intrudes on the odd couple, they find they have more in common than not, and maybe, just maybe, Saffy and Bruce actually make a perfect combination. 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Chances are his suitcase was lost despite the assurances of the airline, and if it was, he didn’t want to spend the next week looking like he was dressed in castoffs from a community theater production of Godspell.

"But I got to thinking—” “Oh, Saffy. Never, ever think when you’re locking lips with a handsome man.” “I know,” Saffy said with a sigh.

… so what type of person did that make her? A judgmental twatermelon…

My Review:

 This has been one of my favorite series, like ever!  And I smirked and sighed contentedly while reading this amusing, sweet, and sexy stand-alone installment.  Aptly titled, as it was sweet as honey and certainly made me happy.  This endearingly appealing tale arrived on my Kindle at the perfect time, as I needed something fun, refreshing, and pleasantly satisfying while definitely lighter in nature after an unhealthy diet of angst and tension.  The alluring and adorable couple of Saffy and Bruce worked a charm.  The storylines were fresh, delightfully upbeat, easy to follow and well paced, while laced with levity, a sweet romance, a few surprises, and hits of humorously delectable steam.   

The lovely book cover alone continues to affect me like some sort of visual Xanax, as the gleeful and magnetically attractive woman featured has managed to magically elicit a smile every single time my eyes have landed on her joyful countenance. She makes my heart sing and was the perfect match for the character.  

I enjoyed both of the quirky and enticing main characters, although I aspire to be as Zen in my world as Saffy was in hers; she had found her niche, enjoyed utilizing her skills, and had established a useful and satisfying outlet for her creativity.  I adored her!  Saffy had been living a calm and almost totally fulfilling life, with her unusual menagerie of rescue animals while running a B&B and organic products store ingeniously named Goat Waggle ~ snort!  Sounds like Nirvana to me, and a handsome and gentle vacationer turned out to be the tasty treat who tipped the scales toward total bliss.  That was until a greedy twatwaffle attempted to sell it all out from under her with shady dealings.  The hero of the day was not whom I expected and I look forward to hopefully peeling that onion in a subsequent volume in the series.  

Empress DJ

Josie Kerr  

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authorjosiekerr

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Josie Kerr is a transplanted West Texan living on the edge of semi-profoundly rural Georgia, a.k.a. the southernmost edge of the northernmost county in Metro Atlanta.

She has an M.Ed. in Secondary English Education but discovered that she hated high school more the second time than she did the first, so she decided to meld her love of technology with her education background and became an Instructional Designer. When not writing articles about how to fire someone without getting sued or why you should really not apply for jobs using your SexxyStud99@aol.com email address, she writes steamy romance novels that feature grown-up Heroes and Heroines.

Book Review: Until the Next Time (Give Me Shelter #2) by Josie Kerr

Until the Next Time 

(Give Me Shelter #2)

by Josie Kerr

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU / B&N

Meghan Sullivan doesn’t have time for distractions, especially one like handsome veteran Jason Richards. She needs to concentrate on saving Foley’s Public House, and that means focusing all her energy on preparing for a huge local event that could make or break the struggling pub.

Jason Richards has a long history with Meghan. The two had been friends with benefits until Meghan put an end to things when her father got ill. Now Jason spends his time with his brothers, both blood and military, but wonders what would have happened if he’d gotten his act together earlier.

When outside forces conspire against Meghan, she reluctantly turns to Jason for help. The two vow to keep things professional, but serious chemistry and years of bottled up emotions make it impossible for them to keep their distance. When the actions against Meghan turn personal, Jason will do everything in his power to keep her safe. 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Jason and Meghan had the most complicated uncomplicated non-relationship he’d ever been involved in, because when it came right down to it, he didn’t do relationships.

He hadn’t seen Chelsea in months, not since she’d gone to California to try her hand at getting a real modeling job, as opposed to just posing and making duck faces in the mirror for people on the internet… Her showing up with a bottle of champagne in each hand foretold of either a huge break or a giant breakdown…

I have to go see a woman about converting a detached garage into a ‘she shed’ … It’s like a man cave but girly. I predict a Pinterest nightmare, but the lady’s paying me.

“Pierce used to be a bouncer at Foley’s. He’s a sweetheart.” “A sweetheart that is capable of pulling my arms off and bludgeoning me with them. Jesus.” “Oh, he doesn’t do that stuff anymore… Usually.”

My Review:

This bickering couple generated enough sensual heat to set off fire sprinklers. Holy singed ceiling tiles! I enjoyed this couple. Meghan and Jason started off as friends with benefits, but despite her general crankiness and someone trying to ruin her business and end her life above ground, they developed into a much more profound, supportive, and satisfying level of squabbling and began relating to each other beyond the slap and tickle. The engaging storylines were well-crafted and populated with a large cast of interesting and oddly enticing characters. The narrative was well balanced between humor, steam, and a variety of stressors and tense situations and was also active and highly eventful with lashings of intrigue. I am eager to see what Ms. Kerr does with the rest of this group of quirky friends. 

Empress DJ

Josie Kerr  

Website

Twitter
authorjosiekerr

Goodreads

Amazon

Josie Kerr is a transplanted West Texan living on the edge of semi-profoundly rural Georgia, a.k.a. the southernmost edge of the northernmost county in Metro Atlanta.

She has an M.Ed. in Secondary English Education but discovered that she hated high school more the second time than she did the first, so she decided to meld her love of technology with her education background and became an Instructional Designer. When not writing articles about how to fire someone without getting sued or why you should really not apply for jobs using your SexxyStud99@aol.com email address, she writes steamy romance novels that feature grown-up Heroes and Heroines.

Book Review: Out of the Dark by Josie Kerr

Out of the Dark 
by Josie Kerr

Amazon / B&N

Daniel Beaujardin spent fifteen years serving his country in the United States Marine Corps until a roadside bomb ended his military career. When a former teammate offers him a job in Atlanta, Dan left scarred and partially blind from the accident, jumps at the opportunity for a fresh start.

Three years after his partner’s death, Alexander Westport is still simply going through the motions. Work, softball practice, and the occasional family dinner is how he spends his time, but Alex knows he's not really living.

An anonymous encounter at a local gay club first brings Dan and Alex together, and after a second chance meeting, the men strike up a friendship that quickly turns romantic. When professional and personal troubles threaten their fledgling relationship, Dan and Alex learn battles fought together are won more easily than those faced alone.

 My Rating:

Favorite Quote:


I know you’ve always liked eyes. You have since I caught you kissing that photo of Elijah Wood when you were fourteen.


My Review:

Sizzle and snap – this book was a scorcher, it started off steamy then bloomed into a tender sweet love story between two lonely, mature, and swoon-worthy men. Sigh, why do all the best ones bat for the other team? I adored this couple, they were extra special and Ms. Kerr has created an engaging, heart squeezing, and insightful story to showcase them while kicking off her new series. What a bold move to start off with an M/M romance as an anchor, although the storylines easily meshed and connected with her DS Fight Club crew. I enjoy her unique brand of clever and snarky levity and thoughtful and emotive HEA tales.

Empress DJ

About Josie Kerr  

Website

Twitter
authorjosiekerr

Goodreads

Amazon

Josie Kerr is a transplanted West Texan living on the edge of semi-profoundly rural Georgia, a.k.a. the southernmost edge of the northernmost county in Metro Atlanta.

She has an M.Ed. in Secondary English Education but discovered that she hated high school more the second time than she did the first, so she decided to meld her love of technology with her education background and became an Instructional Designer. When not writing articles about how to fire someone without getting sued or why you should really not apply for jobs using your SexxyStud99@aol.com email address, she writes steamy romance novels that feature grown-up Heroes and Heroines.

Book Review: Moonshine and Muscadines (Hemlock Creek Book 3) by Josie Kerr

Moonshine and Muscadines 

(Hemlock Creek Book 3)

by Josie Kerr

Goodreads

Amazon  US / UK / CA / AU

Tallulah Douglas is starting over. She’s left her abusive husband behind in California and is building a new life for herself and her teenage daughter in the North Georgia mountains. Between working at her family’s vintage shop, volunteering at the local legal aid office, and avoiding the scrutiny of the town’s Gossip Brigade, dating is the last thing on Tally’s mind.

Only two things are worthy of Robert McFerrin’s attention: his eight-year-old daughter and his fledgling distillery business. He just wants to keep his head down and live his life, but unfortunately, memories are long in Hemlock Creek and getting a fresh start is easier said than done.

A captured bouquet and too much muscadine wine sends Tally into Rob’s arms, and smarmy suitor makes her stay there. Can a fake relationship develop into something more?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

“What? What is wrong with you? Who doesn’t like weddings? I love weddings.” A dreamy look drifted across Billie’s face for a split second, and then she was back to her no-nonsense self. “I’m good at weddings. After all, I’ve had four. It’s the marriage part I have a problem with.”

If this were a spaghetti western, the main theme song, complete with whistles and the cries of coyotes, would be playing as the two men faced each other across the dusty expanse of desert. But this was actually the lobby of the only modern three-story building in the county, and the elevator music version of that damn Toto song was all Rob could hear as that jackass Chad Bryson eyeballed him.

I’m an open book… Okay, I’m an open book that’s facedown and dog-eared and maybe a bit redacted, but I’ll truthfully answer any questions you have.

Okay, that was an excellent subject change. Wow. Total boner-killer… Inchworm city over here now.

What did this woman look like? Kind of like Miranda Lambert if Miranda Lambert was a freeze-dried chain-smoker?

Chloe yawned so wide it seemed as if her head had hinges.

My Review:

This was a fun and playful read packed with clever humor and observant wit.    Although I never want to live in a small community again, Hemlock Creek sounds like such a hoot where gossip and team fishing are competitive sports and local businesses are as quirky as their eccentric customers with a coffee shop named Nonesuch Possum, a boutique named Goat Waggle, and an antique shop named Backward Glance.  The storylines were keenly written, stealthily amusing, buoyantly satisfying and pleasantly enjoyable.  I found myself perusing slowly in order to fully savor each well-chosen word.  The writing was crisp, pleasingly breezy, and vibrant with colorful and evocative descriptions of each quirky character as well as the sounds and surroundings in each scene.  I adored Tallulah, but how could I not?  She wore “super-cute leopard-print Mary Janes,” snotted on her boyfriend’s shirt during an ugly cry, and snorted when she laughed.  And Robbie Mac was the perfect charmer.  I was blithesomely entertained from beginning to end and greedily wished for more, although I always do when I’ve lost myself so thoroughly inside a perfectly written tale.  Please, Ms. Kerr, I beg of you, keep this delightful series going.  

 Empress DJ

About the Author

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Twitter authorjosiekerr

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Amazon


Josie Kerr is a transplanted West Texan living on the edge of semi-profoundly rural Georgia, a.k.a. the southernmost edge of the northernmost county in Metro Atlanta.

She has an M.Ed. in Secondary English Education but discovered that she hated high school more the second time than she did the first, so she decided to meld her love of technology with her education background and became an Instructional Designer. When not writing articles about how to fire someone without getting sued or why you should really not apply for jobs using your SexxyStud99@aol.com email address, she writes steamy romance novels that feature grown-up Heroes and Heroines.

Book Review: Sounds and Spirits (Hemlock Creek #2) by Josie Kerr

Sounds and Spirits

Hemlock Creek #2

by Josie Kerr

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Forty-eight-year-old Liddie Hopewell doesn’t quite know what to do with herself after her husband passes away after a long illness. When one of her beloved uncles encourages her to come back to Hemlock Creek, she heads home, with her daughter and granddaughter in tow.

Tobias Harper moved back to north Georgia after three decades in Nashville, hoping to recharge and regroup. A successful musician and songwriter, Tobias is searching for inspiration but a vindictive ex-wife and the ghost of his overbearing father seem to be all he’s finding.

High school sweethearts more than three decades before, Liddie and Tobias have a chance meeting at the local tavern. A second unexpected encounter leads to answers of long-unresolved questions. Will Liddie and Tobias be able to rebuild the relationship they once had, or will the burden of the past prove to be too much for their newly-rekindled love affair to bear?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

I don’t know how you didn’t go crazy, Mimi. What did you guys do for fun? Chase goats? Make cheese?

I had myself a little Steel Magnolias come-undone, complete with finding the flower arrangement she sent and running it over with my car… Backed over it three times and then put it back in the reception area. That was not my finest moment. She just made me so damn mad… She just had the unmitigated gall to be twenty years younger, fifty pounds lighter, and about five inches taller.

Marty raised his eyebrows so high they shifted his toupee back on his head...

And for the record, the biggest thing about Tobias is his heart and his kindness, but, honey, everything is physically proportional, and that, my dear, is mighty fine.

My Review:

Book two in the series provides more delightfully amusing, eye-popping, sheet-scorching, and heart-squeezing excellence from the smooth and clever wordsmith known as Josie Kerr.   I couldn’t read fast enough to get to the mysterious secret that had been deeply buried for thirty years, I thought I knew what it was, but I was wrong.  Multiple tropes and genres were tapped for this well-crafted tale as it was part second-chance adult romance and part family drama with small-town complications, clever humor, and southern flavoring.  It was a quick, entertaining, and spicy read that kept me smirking.  I mourned finishing and yearned for more.  Write faster Ms. Kerr; you have provoked an addiction that you are now required to feed. 

Empress DJ

Josie Kerr  

Website

Twitter
authorjosiekerr

Goodreads

Amazon

Josie Kerr is a transplanted West Texan living on the edge of semi-profoundly rural Georgia, a.k.a. the southernmost edge of the northernmost county in Metro Atlanta.

She has an M.Ed. in Secondary English Education but discovered that she hated high school more the second time than she did the first, so she decided to meld her love of technology with her education background and became an Instructional Designer. When not writing articles about how to fire someone without getting sued or why you should really not apply for jobs using your SexxyStud99@aol.com email address, she writes steamy romance novels that feature grown-up Heroes and Heroines.

Book Review: Whiskey and Serendipity (Hemlock Creek Volume 1) by Josie Kerr

Whiskey and Serendipity 

(Hemlock Creek Volume 1) 

by Josie Kerr

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Nothing is going right for Kate Fahey, a forty-two-year-old risk analyst, on her last-minute business trip to Ireland. From one screwup to another, the trip has the potential to be an unmitigated disaster. The handsome Southern gentleman she meets on the flight provides a welcome distraction from her very bad day, but in her rush to a get to a meeting, she leaves the plane before she can turn her flirtation into something more.

Forty-five, fresh from a divorce and recently unemployed, Cal Harper decides to go on what should have been a delayed honeymoon to Ireland alone. Cal only wants the comfort found at the bottom of a bottle. Even hungover after a trans-Atlantic flight, he knows it was a mistake not to make future plans with the beautiful woman who sat next to him the entire time. 

When the luck of the Irish brings the two strangers back together, they throw caution to the wind and agree to a wild, holiday fling. Will their short time together be enough? Or will they be forced to go back to their separate lives when they return to the US?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

His deep voice reminded her of a really good bourbon—a little raspy, but ultimately smooth and languid.

Oh, don’t call me Mr. Harper. That’s my ol’ man, and I haven’t pissed you off enough to warrant that sort of bone-deep ugliness.

Babe, if this is your version of fast, going slow just might kill me…

Yeah, you’re right—this is a lotta look. It’s like . . . a granny’s house, but only if that granny was obsessed with both Gunsmoke and Miami Vice.

You know, when I met Nolan, Bridget promised she’d never try to fix me up with either of his brothers because you both needed hand trucks to haul around your emotional baggage. But you know what? … I’ll take you, baggage and all.”

Hold on, darlin’. Give me a chance to get the blood directed to my brain again.

My Review:

They met on a long plane ride and enjoyed each other’s company as they crossed the Atlantic, but despite the immediate attraction, somehow they didn’t exchange information, but then they just so happened to meet up again while attending the same conference in the same Irish hotel.  Fate – maybe, serendipity – obviously, outstanding Irish luck – most certainly!  I adored this book start to finish!  Josie Kerr has a wily sense of humor and is a master storyteller as she quickly sucked me into a captivating Cal Harper/Kat Fahey vortex with her cleverly amusing writing style, alluring and quirky characters, and enticing and engaging storylines.  Even the cranky characters were appealing and/or intriguing.  And sizzle and snap – this couple threw sparks and scorched the ceiling as well as the sheets.  This series has proven to be addictive as the other stories are already beckoning to me.  I greedily want all Ms. Kerr’s lovely and witty words; I need to know all there is to know about each of them. Thankfully I already have the second book ready for perusal.  

Empress DJ

Whiskey and Serendipity can also be found as part of the Tempting Luck Anthology

In this 21 book boxed set, from New York Times, USA Today, and other bestselling authors, find out just how lucky you can be with just one click. You'll be packing your bags and hoping Ireland will have just that sexy sort of magic you've been looking for.

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Amazon

Josie Kerr  

Website

Twitter
authorjosiekerr

Goodreads

Amazon

Josie Kerr is a transplanted West Texan living on the edge of semi-profoundly rural Georgia, a.k.a. the southernmost edge of the northernmost county in Metro Atlanta.

She has an M.Ed. in Secondary English Education but discovered that she hated high school more the second time than she did the first, so she decided to meld her love of technology with her education background and became an Instructional Designer. When not writing articles about how to fire someone without getting sued or why you should really not apply for jobs using your SexxyStud99@aol.com email address, she writes steamy romance novels that feature grown-up Heroes and Heroines.