Robbie Michaels

After an accident while visiting Bangkok, Patrick forgets everything--who he is, where he is, why he's there. He forms a connection with Jack, the only person who shows him kindness, and the two quickly become something more. Jack works to help Patrick figure out who he is, but they continue to hit dead ends at every turn. When someone shows up claiming to be one of Patrick's family members, they hit a crossroads--should Patrick try to figure out what he's lost, even if it means he might lose what he's found?

Concept? Great. Execution? Not so much. This fell flat for me at every turn, was rushed in all the wrong places, and left me feeling completely unsatisfied as a reader.… (more)

Adam has managed to keep his sexuality a secret from his father--until his father comes home early one night and catches him in bed with his best friend. Determined to get Adam away from "bad influences," his father uproots him from the life he's known and takes him to live on an old family farm in the country. If that wasn't bad enough, Adam has been promised as an extra set of hands for the neighbors, and is forced to work with Ben, a surly young man who very clearly would rather Adam wasn't there at all. But Ben's not unattractive. And when Adam pushes through the rough exterior, he finds there may be more to his new "supervisor" than he realized. But even if Ben is interested in return, can a relationship like theirs survive in a small town? And what would Adam's father say or do if he found out?

I don't like the stories where parents are terrible to their children when they find out they're any part of the LGBTQ spectrum, but only because I wish they were not a reality for anyone in our community. But since they are, they need to be told, if only to help provide glimmers of hope that things can and do get better, and hopefully these kinds of stories will one day be clearly in the realm of fiction. The story does a good job of addressing the issues that Adam and Ben face, within themselves, with each other, and against the world. There are a few change of heart moments for characters that I thought were a bit superficial or rushed, but overall this is an enjoyable read.… (more)

Mark Mitchell isn't one of the popular guys in school. He's not a total pariah, but he's a bit of a nerd and not even the slightest bit athletic. His plan is to just do what he needs to do to get through high school and not make any waves until then. On one cold morning when Mark is volunteered to help unload the chocolate orders for a class fundraiser, he's a bit surprised to be working with Bill Cromwell. Bill's probably the most popular guy in school, and he's incredibly sexy. Mark manages to get through the day without being completely distracted by his attractive classmate and puts all of his thoughts away for later. He stands no chance with a straight jock like Bill. A few nights later, when an unexpected snowstorm hits, Mark finds Bill stranded in the parking lot and offers him a ride home. It seems like an easy enough task, but the chance offer turns out to be something that intertwines the two of them together in very unexpected ways. Mark's vision of Bill's life as being perfect is clearly far from the truth, and they both just might have to stick together to survive until graduation.

I had an idea of the basic concept of this story when I read the blurb. Nerdy gay teen starts crushing on the obviously straight jock. It turns out maybe the obviously straight jock isn't so straight after all. It's a story I've definitely seen before. But there's more to this story--it goes in some unexpected directions and deals with a whole range of other issues. So it stands out as unique for me in terms of the way the story unfolds. And I found myself enjoying reading about the characters and the town where they live.

I did feel like Bill's speech didn't come across as being as inspiring as the characters in the book seemed to think it was. And I also feel like the book could have ended a little earlier than it did. But I definitely think this one is worth a read. I'm looking forward to picking up the second installment in the series.… (more)

Actually more a 3.5 star, just not quite a 4.

It's a fun, uplifting story with no real drama or angst involved. The 1st person POV is never my favourite, but in this case he's actually telling us a story which makes it a different experience. It's a little all over the place at times and while I'm not sure if you should call it insta-love, it's definitely a very quick experience.

A book that in a way truly reflects the title; quirky, unpretentious and fluffy. Just what I needed right now!… (more)