Deacon Reid's life changed when his sister died and he found out he needed to raise her young daughter. Giving up his past, he sells everything he owns and purchases an auto shop in a new town, hoping to start over and give his niece a good life. And when he runs into the bookstore owner next store, he begins to wonder if the new start might just be a good thing for him to. ( )

There is exactly one part of this book I loved: Deacon's niece Zig.

The romance is lightning-fast-insta & there is some suspension of disbelief needed to buy the mystery part of the plot. And also there is the magical dick syndrome, which I'm not a fan of.

But in spite of all of that, I think I could have actually liked (if not loved) the story if not for the the flowery, overly-descriptive, OTT cheesy writing. Mostly, the descriptions felt entirely unnecessary and made me feel tired of the story and tired of reading. My eyes started hurting because I was rolling them so much. I felt relief when I finished it.

In the end, I can't remember why I thought reading another book written by this author was a good idea. I've had similar experiences with several of her books and I'm giving up. Life is too short to waste time on books I know I won't enjoy. ( )

The first installment in Rhys Ford's new mystery series, Fish Stick Fridays, is a delightfully heartwarming romance. The mystery aspect of the storyline is compelling, but the marvelous cast of characters is what makes this novel such an outstanding read.

From the wrong side of the tracks with a bit of a sketchy past, Deacon Reid turns his life around after his sister dies so he can become his niece Zig's guardian. Deacon is WAY out of his comfort zone when it comes raising a little girl, but he is determined she will have a better life than he or his sister did. Deacon is patient but firm with Zig and although she tries to keep an emotional distance between them, he does a pretty good job giving her the stability she needs to heal from her traumatic past.

Bookstore owner Lang Harris is everything Deacon isn't: refined, wealthy and privileged. However, this does not mean that his life is any more perfect than Deacon's. Lang has been hurt in the past and he is still trying to move on from a disastrous relationship that left him both physically and emotionally shattered. His relationship with his family is also strained but Lang is quite happy with the life he has made for himself in Half Moon Bay.

Zig is a precocious but lovable eight year old who steals every scene she stars in. She is tough, scrappy and swears like a stevedore but behind all her bravado is a scared little girl who is trying to cope with a painful past. Deacon will do just about anything to protect her and it is incredibly touching watching him go the extra mile to try to make the transition to their new life together easier for her.

The mystery element is understated but it is still an integral part of the storyline. Clever misdirects and a few red herrings make it impossible to figure the perpetrators' identity until nearly the end of the novel. This aspect of the plot is action packed, intriguing and quite suspenseful.

Fish Stick Fridays by Rhys Ford is a heartfelt novel of love and family that I highly recommend to fans of gay romances. It is a perfect blend of sweet and sexy with just a hint of danger. The characters are beautifully developed with slight imperfections that add to their overall appeal. This well-written and fast paced novel is the perfect beginning to the Half Moon Bay series and I cannot wait to read the next installment! ( )

I spent a couple of weeks wanting to read something, but not finding anything interesting to read. I would find something from one author or another, and was disappointed with each page turn. It was really disheartening to read so much, but not be satisfied.

I'm happy to say that Rhys Ford's book, "Fish Stick Fridays" broke that long string of blah reading weeks, and left me not only completely satisfied, but wanting to read even more from Ford. I have to say that I'm a sucker for bad boys (Reid) and domestic-type situations (Reid Lang Zig), so this was especially a treat to read. Conversely, my heart went out to Lang at what he'd gone through in the past. The capacity for love and hate in a human heart is quite unfathomable.

The situation was quite relatable, because we could all find our ways into losing a sibling and gaining a child. And the tension that Ford managed, with the "trickery" of thinking the bad guy was person A, when it really turns out to be person B, was pretty awesome. Ford knows how to tell a story with twists and turns, and keep the reader engaged.

There was only one thing that I didn't care for, and that was some of the chosen pet names that Reid called Lang. Yes, I'm nit-picking! It seemed like the pet names came a little too soon, and some of them seemed out of character for the tough-guy persona that I built up for Reid in my head. But if that's my only complaint, you know I'm pulling at straws to try and find something to be more critical about.

All in all, this was an enjoyable, fun read. I can't wait for the next book in the series to be published! ( )

I need to add a new bookshelf called "It's me, not you."

This is my second DNF by this writer. I just don't care for the writing style. Too many paragraphs filled with words that want to be beautifully inspiring but only seem pretentious to me.

Though, what do I know. This writer seems to be a fan favorite, with glowing reviews and high ratings, so maybe I was smoking something when I started reading. Or maybe I should be smoking something.

No rating.