Title: Faith & Fidelity
Author: Tere Michaels
Genre: m/m romance
Print length: 336 pages
Publication date: September 23, 2008
Rating: Four Stars
Blurb: New York City Vice Detective Evan Cerelli has lost his wife, the only person he ever loved and slept with. He's trying to get on with his life, build a life for his children. Former Homicide Detective Matt Haight is a ladies’ man, all sex/no commitment. He's depressed, having a midlife crisis, and not sure where his life is headed.
The two find friendship in the bottom of a shared bottle. When the friendship turns to love, it shakes two straight men to the core and flips their lives inside out. Kids, families, careers that are not gay-friendly -- can all the love in the world overcome the obstacles to faith and fidelity?
Review:
This was a surprisingly sweet book.
I've reread it a few times since I bought it almost a year ago just to find out that it never lost its potency. There is something very real and down to earth abut both of the main characters. The romance develops slowly, carefully, each installment logical but sweet. It's obvious that the author took her time to perfect the story line and the relationship between the two men. The sex scenes will give you goose bumps without ever edging into plain vulgarity. In short, this was very well done and I never hesitate in recommending it to readers of this particular genre.
I was impressed by it when I first bought it and I'm still impressed by it today.
Buy it from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Faith-Fidelity-Love-Devotion-ebook/dp/B0045JK2N2/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1368329345&sr=8-7&keywords=tere+michaels
If you enjoyed Faith & Fidelity, the part II is also available:
Title: Love & Loyalty
Author: Tere Michaels
Genre: m/m romance
Print length: 253 pages
Publication date: September 8, 2009
Overall reviewer rating: Four and a Half Stars
Blurb: Detective James “Jim” Shea is a Seattle homicide detective who has never taken his work home with him – until now. A case has gotten under his skin and though it’s “over," it isn’t for Jim. The emotional toll has left him vulnerable and tied to the victim’s dying father.
Meanwhile, Hollywood comes calling for a hot story, and screenwriter Griffin Drake sees the tragic case as his ticket to more serious fare than his usual action blockbusters. But to get the whole story he needs to win over the stoic and protective Detective Shea.
Neither man has had much luck when it comes to romance or long-term relationships and neither is particularly looking but there's an attraction from their first meeting that can’t be denied. Their impromptu first date seems to have no end in sight – quickly becomes a barreling freight train of romance.
Looming problems outside threaten their relationship – death, secrets and broken trust – and they'll have to learn loyalty to save their newfound love.
Review by Saritza Hernandes:
I devoured this book in one night (one of the many reasons I'm typing this review under highly-caffeinated influence) and boy was it worth the lack of sleep!
Summary: Detective James "Jim" Shea is a Seattle homicide detective who has never taken his work home with him - until now. A case has gotten under his skin and though it's "over," it isn't for Jim. The emotional toll has left him vulnerable and tied to the victim's dying father.
Meanwhile, Hollywood comes calling for a hot story, and screenwriter Griffin Drake sees the tragic case as his ticket to more serious fare than his usual action blockbusters. But to get the whole story he needs to win over the stoic and protective Detective Shea.
Neither man has had much luck when it comes to romance or long-term relationships and neither is particularly looking but there's an attraction from their first meeting that can't be denied. Their impromptu first date seems to have no end in sight - quickly becomes a barreling freight train of romance.
Looming problems outside threaten their relationship - death, secrets and broken trust - and they'll have to learn loyalty to save their newfound love.
What I liked about this book: Unlike Faith Fidelity (where we first meet James [Jim:] Shea) this story is not about coming to terms with your sexuality as both Griffin and Jim are happily out of the closet. However, this story is as gut-wrenching as her first book and I'm starting to think, Michaels enjoys torturing her characters... and her readers by proxy. :)
On the surface, Jim and Griffin could not be more different but as their relationship grows, you begin to see why these two couldn't possibly live without the other. Griffin's the young, carefree screenplay writer. Jim's the middle-aged, reserved, homicide detective with serious OCD issues. Match made in heaven, right? Right! The conflict in this one is not as angst-ridden as the first book but once again, Michaels manages to vividly detail a character death that had me sobbing into my pillow at 4 AM.
Summary: Detective James "Jim" Shea is a Seattle homicide detective who has never taken his work home with him - until now. A case has gotten under his skin and though it's "over," it isn't for Jim. The emotional toll has left him vulnerable and tied to the victim's dying father.
Meanwhile, Hollywood comes calling for a hot story, and screenwriter Griffin Drake sees the tragic case as his ticket to more serious fare than his usual action blockbusters. But to get the whole story he needs to win over the stoic and protective Detective Shea.
Neither man has had much luck when it comes to romance or long-term relationships and neither is particularly looking but there's an attraction from their first meeting that can't be denied. Their impromptu first date seems to have no end in sight - quickly becomes a barreling freight train of romance.
Looming problems outside threaten their relationship - death, secrets and broken trust - and they'll have to learn loyalty to save their newfound love.
What I liked about this book: Unlike Faith Fidelity (where we first meet James [Jim:] Shea) this story is not about coming to terms with your sexuality as both Griffin and Jim are happily out of the closet. However, this story is as gut-wrenching as her first book and I'm starting to think, Michaels enjoys torturing her characters... and her readers by proxy. :)
On the surface, Jim and Griffin could not be more different but as their relationship grows, you begin to see why these two couldn't possibly live without the other. Griffin's the young, carefree screenplay writer. Jim's the middle-aged, reserved, homicide detective with serious OCD issues. Match made in heaven, right? Right! The conflict in this one is not as angst-ridden as the first book but once again, Michaels manages to vividly detail a character death that had me sobbing into my pillow at 4 AM.
Buy it from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Love-Loyalty-Faith-Devotion-ebook/dp/B002WTCIXO/ref=pd_sim_kstore_2
If you enjoyed Faith & Fidelity and Love & Loyalty, part III is now available:
Title: Duty & Devotion
Author: Tere Michaels
Genre: m/m romance
Print length: 234 pages
Publication date: March 23, 2010
Overall reviewer rating: Four and a Half Stars
Blurb: After their happily ever after in Faith & Fidelity, Matt and Evan move forward to a new chapter of their lives – inside the bedroom and out – with some surprises in store for both. Evan struggles with labels and feelings even as he wants to give in to his baser desires. Matt, now the ideal househusband of Queens, New York, has his own set of struggles – who is he now? What does he need and want?
A visit from his friend and one-night stand Jim Shea (of Love & Loyalty) throws everything into disarray as Evan’s jealousy and unease push Matt’s buttons – and not always in a good way.
Review by Shira Anthony:
I read this pretty much back to back with Faith & Fidelity (Faith, Love and Devotion), the first book in the series that chronicles the love of Matt and Evan. I'm giving this one a 4.5, rounded up because of the smile I had on my face as I read! It's a lovely HEA to the original book, and explores more of the "realistic" side of relationships, for which I was grateful.
MILD SPOILERS FOLLOW:
Evan and Matt have now been together for months. They've bought a new house (finally!) and Matt, former hot-shot cop, is now playing house-husband to Evan and his children while Evan continues to work as a vice cop for the NYC PD. Matt actually enjoys his life, shopping, taking care of the kids and making a home for the two men. But Evan (ah, angsty Evan, what are we going to do with you?) is still not very comfortable with how his life appears to those outside the sweet little bubble in which he and Matt live. He's afraid to show any public affection, he doesn't know if he should call himself "gay," and on and on and angst. I have to say that, although I love angst, I wanted to slap Evan upside the head a few times in this book.
Matt, on the other hand, is the rock of Gibraltor. In spite of his history as a ladies' man, he's pretty much accepted that he's at least bi, and probably gay. He wants to explore more of what it means to have gay sex, he wants to get out and live, see people, and he accepts his life with open arms. Thank God for Matt, because otherwise, Evan would be a miserable wreck.
I loved the exploration of the mechanics of a gay relationship, although I have to say I'd like to have seen a bit more of the difficulties the kids faced and even maybe a face to face confrontation with Evan's in-laws, who have gone off the deep end with their daughter's death and their son-in-law's new relationship. This is given short shrift, IMO. We do get to see the boys trying to figure out if they're ready or even interested in anal sex, which was sweet and fun (cough, cough).
With a bit more detail, I'd have given this an unhesitating five stars. Still, I enjoyed it immensely and look forward to reading the third book in the series!
MILD SPOILERS FOLLOW:
Evan and Matt have now been together for months. They've bought a new house (finally!) and Matt, former hot-shot cop, is now playing house-husband to Evan and his children while Evan continues to work as a vice cop for the NYC PD. Matt actually enjoys his life, shopping, taking care of the kids and making a home for the two men. But Evan (ah, angsty Evan, what are we going to do with you?) is still not very comfortable with how his life appears to those outside the sweet little bubble in which he and Matt live. He's afraid to show any public affection, he doesn't know if he should call himself "gay," and on and on and angst. I have to say that, although I love angst, I wanted to slap Evan upside the head a few times in this book.
Matt, on the other hand, is the rock of Gibraltor. In spite of his history as a ladies' man, he's pretty much accepted that he's at least bi, and probably gay. He wants to explore more of what it means to have gay sex, he wants to get out and live, see people, and he accepts his life with open arms. Thank God for Matt, because otherwise, Evan would be a miserable wreck.
I loved the exploration of the mechanics of a gay relationship, although I have to say I'd like to have seen a bit more of the difficulties the kids faced and even maybe a face to face confrontation with Evan's in-laws, who have gone off the deep end with their daughter's death and their son-in-law's new relationship. This is given short shrift, IMO. We do get to see the boys trying to figure out if they're ready or even interested in anal sex, which was sweet and fun (cough, cough).
With a bit more detail, I'd have given this an unhesitating five stars. Still, I enjoyed it immensely and look forward to reading the third book in the series!
Buy it from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Duty-Devotion-Faith-Love-ebook/dp/B003N3V5ZA/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1
No comments:
Post a Comment