Reviewed by Roberta

This is a Series Review of Crashing Hearts Series (Books 1 – 2)

AUTHOR:  Zane Menzy

PUBLISHER:  Self Published

SERIES REVIEW:

I have to say that this series really made me look at what I think of people falling in love , making horrible decisions and hiding who they are.  I have to say that this series was really wonderfully done.  I love the fact that the author gave us so much to work thru, the characters, the timelines…I enjoyed getting the back stories from all of these characters and seeing their growth and watching them truly admit who they are…that was really wonderful to watch.

I have to say that Zane really knows how to keep a reader interested in the stories that he lays out for you.  I am thinking that I found another author to watch out for as he had me hooked and I couldn’t stop reading this series to find out how this was all going to turn out.  Starting off in the now and them moving back into the past and then back to the present…to see the ramifications of decisions made long ago and then the ones from the present…you realize that life is a series of  choices that sometimes leads up to the best decisions of our lives and others…they leave us unsure of ourselves and who we are.

This is the review for book 1 and 2 , the review for book 3 will be posted later this week 🙂

SERIES RATING: 

 

TITLE:  Dubious Desire

RELEASE DATE: October 17, 2016

LENGTH: 157 Pages

BLURB:

A perfect storm of circumstances

Laid back Keegan Andrews loves his family and his friends but he hates conflict. So when his Mum and best mate, Liam, plan a big event for his eighteenth birthday against his wishes, he doesn’t argue.

Keegan warms to the idea when he discovers his girlfriend Tess is gifting him the best present ever. Sex! Finally, he will be able to “join the club” and leave his virgin status behind. Keegan secretly hopes this will cure him of a recently discovered side to himself. A side that wants nothing more than to see what the sexy jock Liam looks like underneath his clothes.
The night goes well ’till his father’s best friend Damon arrives. The handsome womanizer ruins everything by robbing Keegan of his present.

As if that isn’t bad enough, Keegan finds out the next day he is going on a mini-getaway with Damon–alone. Biting his tongue and confused with feelings, the resentful teen begins to wonder how he can get even without it becoming a family dispute. A perfect storm of circumstances leads Keegan to the realization that maybe there is a way to get even… and join the club at the same time.

Dubious Desire can be read as a standalone erotic tale or as the opening chapter of a steamy romantic adventure. The story contains coarse language and sex scenes that deal with themes of reluctance and objectification. Sometimes in life we have to go through the sticky before we get to the sweet.

 

REVIEW:

This short little novella starts in the present.  Keegan Andrews in a young man, just turning 18…it’s the day after his birthday in fact and he’s upset as he’s been dating his GF, Tess and was hoping to finally lose his V-card to her.  Unfortunately…his honorary “uncle” Damon, instead slept with her and Keegan is bent outta shape about it.

Keegan has had this crush on his best friend, but he’d never really call it that…yet, he knows that he wants him and the hickeys on his neck from Keegan are proof of that. Keegan is young, really young…just turned 18 so as we all know…the best decisions aren’t happening when you’re 18. I have to say that once Keegan makes up his mind up, he’s quite devious and manipulative about getting what he wants.  What he wants is to make Damon pay.  He’s got this plan and he goes for it…I guess you could say that the young have that bullheadedness going for him.

 

Damon…well on the outside he seems like the typical single bachelor who is pretty well off and a bit of womanizer.  I have to say that the fact that he’s taking his best mate’s friend son a trip for turning 18 seems like a really good thing.  That he’s a male role model for him and yet, there is something off about Damon for me…I just couldn’t understand how he could allow what transpires between the two of them to happen.  I had really high hopes for this story…that it would show me more into Damon’s psyche…I got a of it at the very end.

 

I have to say that this short story is really erotic and the sexy scenes were very explicit and well done.  I don’t want you to go into here thinking that it’s PWP, it has it’s point and it’s just to whet your appetite for what’s coming next.  There is Dubious Consent happening in this story and if that’s a trigger for you…I’m warning you about that now before you pick up the book.

 

The way the book ends, with Keegan and Damon…I was of two minds about it and couldn’t wait to see what would occur in the next book.

 

RATING:   

 

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

 

TITLE:  I Kissed Him There

 

RELEASE DATE:

LENGTH: 297 Pages

BLURB:

On the edge of adulthood, two boys struggle to define the lines between sex and friendship.

Damon Harris is young, attractive and rich. He should be content. But Damon never is. He is growing increasingly frustrated with his girlfriend Zoe who is limiting their sex life to cuddles and sweetness. He craves more, wanting to push some boundaries. Meanwhile, his cold and emotionless family are being targeted by a mystery vandal intent on disrupting their pretentious lives.

Piss-poor and known as the town weirdo, Matt Andrews is far from happy. His mum has vanished, running off with her lesbian lover. Not to mention, Matt’s only friend, the flamboyant Jason, has dropped out of school, leaving Matt an utter loner. With his mother gone, Matt is forced to get an afterschool cleaning job, working for the wealthy Harris family. It sucks, but maybe it will give him access to Lexi Prebble; Matt’s school crush and a close friend of his snooty employer’s son.

Things don’t start well when Matt is caught in an indecent position by Damon and his best mate Todd. The two boys decide to teach Matt a vindictive lesson. When Mrs Harris finds out and forces her son to apologise, Matt is presented with an opportunity to become friends with the popular Damon. But in a town riddled with secrets, friendship with Damon comes at a cost.

I KISSED HIM THERE can be read as a standalone novel or as part of the Crashing Hearts Series. The story combines elements of romance with erotic moments. It contains coarse language and sex scenes that deal with themes of reluctance and objectification. Characters do not always make the wisest decisions.

 

REVIEW:

Now, this is the story of how Damon and Matthew Andrews (Keegan’s Father) met.
I have to say that this book was really tested some of my boundaries in the fact that these kids truly are so messed up in different ways and the ways that they go about their lives…some of these parts truly hurt my heart, I suppose that what the author wanted to do, play with my heartstrings to see them go thru all of the ups and downs of life.

 

Matty is a senior in high school whose mother has left him and his father to go and start her new life as a lesbian with her running partner.  Matty’s older brother recently passed and that’s taken a toll on his family.  Matty is that shy kid who always had the older brother who was outgoing and fun and yet, he always had time for his little brother.  I liked that Matty had Jason for awhile there as his best friend and buffer the horror that is high school.  Now that he’s all alone, he’s wants to have friends to make this life not so harsh.  I have to say that Matty truly has a submissive personality.  The way he goes along and does whatever he thinks will make Damon stay his friend…I just couldn’t understand why and then the more you get into Matty’s life and background…it started to make sense.  I swear, I really wanted Matty to be like F**k this and be his own person and yet, I realize that I was putting my personality into this story and not allowing Matty to be himself.  That’s something I struggle with sometimes when I read a story.  I’m glad that I finally pulled our of what he should do and allowed the story to unfold, as Matty shows the strength that I hoped to see, kinda.

 

Damon…well, we met him in the first book and we heard about his brief session with Matty as he told Keegan about it, however, I have to say that I really enjoyed getting to know Damon and why he is the way he is.  The arrogant ass that he is.  To be raised in one of the wealthier families, to know how his parents met and married under a cloud and to be a good looking guy who is popular…we can see how this starts, but you realize that Damon isn’t all bad.  He lost his younger sister to cancer…yeah…you can see how that would effect a young man whose life isn’t as perfect as he projects.  Damon has his own issues, calling his mother, Jenna…never mum…his older father who truly is absent, younger sibling passed away…you start to feel for Damon…granted…you still want to kick his ass on the regular in this story.  Damon is selfish and thinks loads with his dick…trust me on that, however, Damon does redeem himself for me, but it takes awhile.

 

I have to say that this book had some great secondary characters, I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Jason.  I love how he and Matty were friends and how the love that they had for each other was always there.  They were there to keep each other sane and allowed each other to be who they were without fear of rejection.  They got that outside of each other and it was nice to see these two have that with each other.  Lexi…she’s a good friend to Damon.  They hung out in the sane circle and yet, she was a calm port in the storm.  She was never as foolish and meek as Damon thought she was.  She was so much more and I liked that about her.  Jenna…as Damon’s mother…I have to say that I liked her.  I know what she had to put up with and yet, she’s still this strong woman and hell yeah, she’s made mistakes…she’s human…but she loves her children and that showed.  Matty’s  mum, it was hard for me to get a handle on my feelings for her, I mean, I totally understood why she did what she did…but you’re sad for Matty and for his father as the way that she did it, yet, I’m glad that she showed up and talked to Matty.  Todd, Damon’s Best Friend…he was a douche nozzle from the moment he stepped on my ereader and he stayed that way.  I didn’t like him and that opinion stayed the entire book and I like knowing that I was right about him…he’s the type to want what he wants and he hates being denied…jerk…nuff said.

 

There were plenty of sexy times in this book, however, I will say that while they are plentiful, it didn’t distract from the story.  It was done in the way that you’d see where these boys were coming from.  The feelings that they didn’t know or understand what to do with.

 

I have to say that I enjoyed going back and seeing the way their friendship started and how it evolved.  It’s nice to see Damon as not the complete jackass that you thought he was in the first book.  Can’t wait for the final book.

 

RATING:   

 

BUY LINK:

 Amazon