REVIEW BY: Christie

TITLE: Temptations of Desire

SERIES: Desires Entwined, Book 3

AUTHOR: Tempeste O’Riley

NARRATOR: Jeff Gelder

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 6h 17m

RELEASE DATE:  June 15, 2016

BLURB:

Alexander James Noble is a gender-fluid gay man who gave up on finding Mister Right a long time ago. He’s not asking for much, though. He just wants a guy who loves all of him and appreciates his feminine form too.

At the local LGBTQ center where Alex regularly volunteers, he meets Dal Sayer, an officer of the Milwaukee PD. Because he’s been rejected one too many times, Alex doesn’t trust the huge cop and the interest he shows in him, but once Dal sets his mind on something, he goes all out. Pushing aside his preconceived notions, Alex opens up just a little and soon caves.

From their first date – while dealing with his father’s failing health and his parents’ demands for him to settle down and have children – Dal never takes his eyes off his goal of making Alex his. But proving to Alex he isn’t like all the men who couldn’t see him for who he truly was and only wanted to hide him away is harder than he thought.

REVIEW:

Oh, Tempeste O’Riley, how I do adore you and your wonderful books. This third installment in the Desires Entwined series is so sweet. Not many people write stories with a gender fluid main character, and you did with aplomb. And, of course, let us not forget Jeff Gelder. He did a great job at bringing Alex and Dal to life.

Alex is a personal chef and regularly volunteers at his employer’s LGBTQ Center. It’s a great gig for him, because noone judges his gender fluidity, and everyone generally likes him. Well, except for his exes, but they obviously didn’t know a good thing when they had him.

Dal is a police officer with the Milwaukee police department. He’s huge (in more ways than one *wink wink*), hard working, and a generally great guy. Oh! He’s also bi. But, much to Dal’s chagrin, his dad has been on a kick lately to get him married off to a woman so they can start producing grandchildren. It has been a source of contention between them recently, and Dal is having a hard time trying to understand why all of a sudden this is such a priority for his dad.

On an errand at the LGBTQ center, Dal ends up meeting Alex for the first time, and can’t believe his eyes. Alex is stunning, and Dal decides he must have the little chef. So, Dal pursues Alex, breaking thru every obstacle that is put up between them. Except for a couple teeny tiny, almost insignificant issues like Dal’s father wanting him to settle down with a woman, and Alex’s hidden feminine side.

Can it work between the two, if there are such gigantic hurdles? Can Alex be happy living a lie?  

What about Dal’s father? Can Dal hide Alex from his parents and shirk what they believe is his duty to the family? What the heck is wrong with Dal’s dad in the first place? I mean, he accepts his gay son, but forces his bi son to deny part of who he is, in order to fulfill some convoluted family duty? Please do get the book and find out.

Dal and Alex have the right amount of angst and drama between them to not only keep you interested, but also get you emotionally invested. They really are a great couple. The two complement each other beautifully.

Well done, Tempeste! Fantastic book, dear, really. And, Jeff Gelder did a commendable job on narrating the book. Yes, I have read the reviews on his narration. No, I don’t share some of their opinions. Okay, maybe Jeff is a bit stiff in his delivery on occasion, but his voice more than makes up for that. If you have listened to any of his narrations before, please comment and let me know your opinion. Also, if you have read any of Tempeste’s books, do feel free to comment below so we can dish about their books!

RATING:  

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