Unwrapping Christmas (Rebel Sky Ranch #4.75)

Here's "Unwrapping Christmas" by Kelly Fox. It's the next novel in the Rebel Sky Ranch series, which is within the Wrecked universe. 

["College isn't working out, and I'm still trying to figure out what comes next.

I suppose volunteering for the local Christmas Cleanup is better than staring at the four walls of my house all day long, even if I don't know what the heck I'm doing. Here's hoping the locals don't mind my gothy Christmas elf attire.

While I was hoping the volunteer work would help me to discover something about myself, I wasn't expecting to unwrap a whole new...dynamic. At least not until Junior, a tall-strapping cowboy, shows me what I've been missing."]

Tanner is the lovely guy who helped Jason and Patrick in the last book. Sooo glad he now gets his own HEA. With Junior, one of the three children who were “forced” to work at Rebel Sky in book two.

And they were utterly perfect for each other. So soft and understanding, but so sassy and spicy. It was a perfect mix, just like they were. 

Trigger Warnings: homophobia, toxic parent, and more. 

#goodnight #sparrow #navarro #warwick #thesherifstroublemaker #unwrappingchristmas #rebelskyranch #rebelskyranchseries #wrecked #wreckedseries #wreckeduniverse #kellyfox #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

The Sheriff's Troublemaker (Rebel Sky Ranches #4.5)

Here's "The Sheriff's Troublemaker" by Kelly Fox. It's the next novel in the Rebel Sky Ranch series, which is within the Wrecked universe. This piece originated in the Dirty Daddies anthology but has since been expanded. 

["Jason Jennings is gonna be the death of me, I swear. I'm the acting sheriff of this small Texas town, and he's gotten himself arrested—on purpose—at least three times now. Worse, he knows I'm a Daddy and isn't exactly subtle about wanting to be my boy, despite our twenty-year age difference.

I'd love to put him over my knee, but it's an election year, and a dangerous last-minute challenger could set the entire county back if I lose. The vote is way too close for the town to suddenly find out that I'm gay and dating the young man I've been putting in handcuffs for the better part of a year.

Still... he's working so hard to put his life back together, I can only imagine how he'd bloom under my support and direction.

When Jason's world begins to fall apart, so does my resolve. How can I abandon my boy when he needs me the most?"]

First thoughts after reading the blurb (after reading the first book): I mean like...yay for the redemption arc? Secondary thoughts (after reading the third and forth books): Jason grew on me. He made mistakes, and he was a brat, but…sometimes we act out because we don’t know how to ask for help. 

Minor complaint: there was a lot of rehashing plot points that happened in previous points in the series. Granted, that might have been for the sake of the anthology, but it didn't help me, someone who just read the other books in the series, keep my reading momentum going.

BUT these two were utterly adorable--even if they were both troublemakers. They helped each other becoming who they were meant to be. They held and healed each other in so many ways. 

Trigger Warnings: off-page attempted suicide, homophobia, toxic parents, and more. 

#goodnight #sparrow #navarro #warwick #thesherifstroublemaker #unwrappingchristmas #rebelskyranch #rebelskyranchseries #wrecked #wreckedseries #wreckeduniverse #kellyfox #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Warwick (Rebel Sky Ranch #4)

Here's "Warwick" by Kelly Fox. It's the fourth novel in the Rebel Sky Ranch series, which is within the Wrecked universe. 

["I understand that sleeping with the boss is a bad idea.

To be fair, I was already sleeping with my co-worker.

And yeah, we all live in the same bunkhouse on a ranch in the middle of the Central Texas Hill Country, but we’re professionals. We can handle it.
Besides, I’ve made it pretty darn clear that I am in no way a relationship guy.

Am I trying to hide a mountain of pain after losing the unrequited love of my life? Sure…but we don’t say that part out loud.

I’m just trying to figure out who gave Joaquin and Colt permission to go off and start something on their own. I thought our boss / co-worker arrangement was pretty good, especially after that impromptu three-way.

But now they’re excluding me.
It almost feels like they’re trying to make me jealous. Not that I’m jealous, or whatever.

Besides, I could never love someone as much as I loved Renée. There isn’t a single person in the world who could take her place...
Huh.
Is it possible that I need two people to show me how to love again?"]

I wasn’t too sure if this one for a bit. I wasn’t feeling murder-less angst. I wanted some life-or-death stakes. This grew on me though. 

This one was beautiful. It was troublesome, but it was also so kind-hearted. And the trouble all came out of a place of love. These three were perfect for each other, and they completed each other like nothing else, no body else.

I also loooved seeing Sam/Trip get an additional HEA and more hints at the next few pieces in this universe. 

Trigger Warnings: death of a loved one and associated grief, brief mention of family violence, SCs struggling with sobriety/depression/suicidal thoughts, and more. 

#goodnight #sparrow #navarro #warwick #thesherifstroublemaker #unwrappingchristmas #rebelskyranch #rebelskyranchseries #wrecked #wreckedseries #wreckeduniverse #kellyfox #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Navarro (Rebel Sky Ranch #3)

Here's "Navarro" by Kelly Fox. It's the third novel in the Rebel Sky Ranch series, which is within the Wrecked universe. 

["My late wife made a bet with me: if I marry her brother, I have to take his last name.

“That's the rule. You marry two Navarros, you become one of us.”

Renée always did have a sense of humor—even as she was dying—but I’ll never love anyone the way I loved her. Falling for my brother-in-law? Psh. Desi’s almost twenty years younger than me and far too pretty.

Besides, my son would never forgive me.

Still, it's getting harder and harder to deny our chemistry with every encounter. I just want to pretend that none of this is happening.

God, what if I can’t keep pretending?
The worst kept secret at Rebel Sky Ranch is that I’m deeply, tragically in love with Wyatt Goodnight.

Not only is he my late sister’s husband, but he may have changed my diapers once upon a time. And his son, my best friend, hates the fact that I’m in love with his father.

Complicated doesn’t even begin to cover it.

There are times when I think I’m the only person who sees the real Wyatt. The man who sacrificed everything for my sister, who moved heaven and earth to try to save her. The man who wants a life beyond the ranch.

But he denies us, ignores his own feelings, and pretends that his hands don’t know the exact weight and measure of me.

What if he never sees how good we could be together?"]

Let me see if I got this right, Wy: Desi is cute and perfect and deserves the world, but he'll always be that gangly child, but you get jealous when he's with other men, but you don't feel that way for him (though, in your humble opinion, he doesn't have a crush on you anymore). Did I sum that up well? No wonder Dez is getting whiplash. 

Wow, this book made me cry. A lot. Like a lot a lot. It was devastating, but it was also beautiful and kind and healing. 

I have a feeling the next book will make me cry, too…

Trigger Warnings: death of a loved one and associated grief, off-page attempted suicide, mentions of homophobia, and more. 

#goodnight #sparrow #navarro #warwick #thesherifstroublemaker #unwrappingchristmas #rebelskyranch #rebelskyranchseries #wrecked #wreckedseries #wreckeduniverse #kellyfox #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Sparrow (Rebel Sky Ranch #2)

Here's "Sparrow" by Kelly Fox. It's the second novel in the Rebel Sky Ranch series, which is within the Wrecked universe. 

["I like horses better than most people. After years of supporting our local equine rescue, it’s safe to say that I have a certified hate-on for the rodeo. So why is Luke McCall, injured rodeo diva, in my training paddock?
I feel bad that he was outed by the media, and I get the need to regroup out of the spotlight. I might even be willing to admit that he’s a little more vulnerable than his Rodeo King persona would suggest.
But, seriously—why does he have to recover in my bunkhouse?

I thought volunteering at a queer-friendly horse ranch was a stroke of brilliance—I’d get to hang out with horses while rebuilding strength and mobility after my injury. Win-win, right? Wrong.
Rebel Sky’s gorgeous foreman hates my guts on sight, even if he is willing to protect me from the bigots who just want a shot at the fallen cowboy.
What would it take to get him to see that I’m a good man with a soft heart and a helpful little rope kink?"]

We’ll talk about rumors adding fuel to the hurt-comfort fire. Then again, for a chill guy like Sparrow, he was anything but chill to Luke. 

Luke was a gem. A stubborn gem. But a gem. He was lighthearted and optimistic and so kind to everyone and everything. He got a little sassy sometimes, but it was always warranted. 

LOVED the Anders and Odd moments (glad to know that everyone on teh ranch is learning not to "trust" Anders when he gets unhinged).

SOOO looking forward to all of the other couples we got teased about in this one. 

Trigger Warnings: mentions of animals being hurt/put down, domestic violence, toxic ex, homophobia, toxic parents, homophobia, death of a loved one and associated grief, and more. 

#goodnight #sparrow #navarro #warwick #thesherifstroublemaker #unwrappingchristmas #rebelskyranch #rebelskyranchseries #wrecked #wreckedseries #wreckeduniverse #kellyfox #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Goodnight (Rebel Sky Ranch #1)

Here's "Goodnight" by Kelly Fox. It's the first novel in the Rebel Sky Ranch series, which is within the Wrecked universe. 

["Trip
I was born and raised on Rebel Sky Ranch. In the long, terrible year since my mother’s death, meeting Sam is the one bright spot. He reminds me of the horses we rescue. Scarred, skittish, and…strong. Beautiful . He’s a bit of a hat-stealer, and, truth be told, I’m a little leery of his chosen profession. The things he does in front of a camera... Well, it makes me blush just thinkin' about it. But if that scar on his face is any indication, he could use somebody at his back. I aim to be that person. And yeah, some of my parts get confused by the fact that he’s all delicate and sparkly, but that’s not important. Even if the good hand lotion has somehow made it into the tack room. I just hope he knows that he’ll always be safe with me.

Sam
I’m a cam boy who officially identifies as Wrangler-sexual. It’s entirely the fault of Trip Goodnight, the strapping cowboy at the ranch next door. He doesn’t know it yet, but he’s going to be the father of my two-point-five children. We’re an unlikely pairing, what with him being a straight cowboy and me being a gay sex worker, but those, darling, are mere details. When he saves me from a literal nest of rattlesnakes, it’s nothing if not true love. I’m aiming for a spring wedding. While it’s true that I haven’t been able to let a man touch me since I was attacked last year, and there’s no telling what my father might do if he manages to find me, I’m not letting any of that stop me. In fact, I’ve stolen Trip’s cowboy hat and used it in one of my videos, so I’m already well on my way to making him mine. Besides, he’s the first man outside of my found family who’s made me feel safe. Protected. That’s gotta count for something...right?"]

I spent sooo much of this book smiling like an idiot. These two were just sooo cute and fluffy! It was all fan-girl-kicking on my end. Well...almost all. There was a good bit of angst and triggers, but mostly from outside sources (mostly). The sheer amount of times that Sam mentally planned their wedding? Glorious. (And the one time Trip did? Fucking. Swoon.)

There are soooo many possibilities for future HEAs (and shenanigans) with all of these new characters/cowboys. Not to mention all of the Bash family cameos (oh Anders, you fuckhead--I didn't like you at first; now I'm obsessed). 

Trigger Warnings: toxic parents, homophobia, mentions of conversion therapy, death of a loved one and associated griefg, past experience with really bad bad guys, past assault, past attempted SA, and more. 

#goodnight #sparrow #navarro #warwick #thesherifstroublemaker #unwrappingchristmas #rebelskyranch #rebelskyranchseries #wrecked #wreckedseries #wreckeduniverse #kellyfox #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Deep Impact (Wrecked: Guardians #4)

Well, here's to reading another universe (series of series) in whatever order I want to. Here's "Deep Impact" by Kelly Fox. It's the fourth and final novel in the Wrecked: Guardians series, which is within the Wrecked universe. 

["DeShaun and I have been locked in a mutual imaginary affair since the day we met.
So many close calls, drunken flirtations, exchanged glances…and then his unfailing sense of duty would kick in. He has always outranked me and was never going to cross that line.
Even though we’re no longer in the service, he insists he’s not good enough for me. And sure, he’s still the boss…of our highly illegal mercenary organization. But that’s not the only thing holding him back. He’s scarred and in pain and believes his physical limitations should deter me.
What he doesn’t seem to get is that I would sacrifice a limb for him. Major organs. My entire heart.
If he thinks he can push me away for good, he doesn’t know Odd Bash.

Odd, the quiet man with the strange name, believes he can love me as I am. I will never let him do that to himself.
The bad guys never take a break, and every time he's in danger I lose another night of sleep. Fall apart a little more.
Physically, let’s just say my knee isn’t the only problem. There’s an experimental surgery, but…I’m not going through that again.
In a perfect world, no one would ever know the extent of my injuries or the toll it has taken on my mind. Odd insists he loves me without reservation, but he doesn’t understand the reality of my life.
And I love him way too much to ever put him through that."]

Kinda glad these two didn't make me cry nearly as much as I thought they would. That's a plus. 

They could have pulled their heads out of their asses faster...but then we wouldn't have a book. And this book was perfect. They fell in love and healed each other (and healed themselves). They found their own HEAs and found a HEA for the entire Guardians team.

Kinda upset there's not official Wimberley series. I wanted some super, secrets, slightly supernatural secrets. And the Wonder Twins.  Well, I guess I can read the Wildlings series, see what all of these crazies' children are up to. 

Trigger Warnings: combat injuries, violence, murder, all sorts of bad guys, and more. 

#hardtarget #fullcontact #mostwanted #deepimpact #wreckedguardians #wreckedguardiansseries #wrecked #wreckedseries #wreckeduniverse #kellyfox #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks