Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: How Not to Sin
SERIES: LOVESTRONG #3
AUTHOR: Susan Hawke
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 228 pages
RELEASE DATE: February 19, 2019
BLURB:
One regular guy who happens to be a preacher…
Reverend Dr. Gabe Samson doesn’t think he’s better than any of the people in his church, so please don’t put him on a pedestal. While he’s never hidden the fact that he identifies as bisexual, he’s never acted on it either. Gabe isn’t happy to learn that the sole reason he was hired to pastor the LGBT-friendly church was that the ruling elders wanted a safe poster child for inclusivity—in other words, they wanted the rainbow flag without letting it fly.
Plus one easygoing, new age kinda guy…
Seth Thomas owns Holistic Healing, a metaphysical shop and yoga studio. He’s never really been a relationship kinda guy, but only because he hasn’t met the right man yet. Seth is laid back and goes with the flow. When fate drops a hot preacher in his lap, why wouldn’t he accept the gift?
Equals a pair of men who click from the start.
The two men find it almost too easy to get together, especially Gabe, who is fully embracing his bi side for the first time. Nothing in life is simple though. While Gabe and Seth are busy falling in love, they face an anti-gay hate group, a divided church, and a ruling elder who is hell-bent on sowing discord. Between Gabe’s patient wisdom and Seth’s snark, the pair fight the growing drama with the strongest weapons in their arsenal: love and humor.
This is the third book in the LOVESTRONG series about finding love and being yourself in a small town, and the third in series. Intended only for 18+ readers, this is an mm romance full of all the fun, fluff, and feels you’d want from an S. Hawke book.
Note: This isn’t a trigger warning, but please be prepared for a few instances of ignorance and hate speech, and mentions of violence. This is a romance, not a sermon—but please keep in mind that the main character is a pastor dealing with real-life issues in his church and these truths are reflected in Gabe.
REVIEW:
Before I get started, I want to make note of the add on at the end of the blurb. There are some spots with hate filled speech and its not pretty. There is some violence. It doesn’t go into too much details, but I know sometimes it doesn’t take much for a trigger, so please have a care.
“He was laughing as I got in. I shot him a playful glare before bending my head to buckle my seatbelt. “I can’t believe you just kissed me with those testicle-eating lips.”
Now you’ll notice the line above. I had to put it in here because it is one of the funniest lines in the book. And believe you me, there’s a ton. When you have a group that involve Andy, his Gams, and Larry alone….well, you should know by now how it’s going to go. If you don’t know, get your butt off here and go find out lol.
This book hit a personal note with me so much. Long story short, I was raised in church. Baptists and Pentecostals. So yes, I believe in God and am a Christian. But I was always the outcast or black sheep, because I didn’t and don’t believe in some of the things the rest of my family did. I’m very much like Gabe. And it hit me hard. This book was a lot like so!e conversations I’ve been having lately and I was so glad to see this written. Especially at a time like this in the world. Now I don’t want anyone to be discouraged from reading this because it’s a pastor and there are Bible verses quoted and such. I know there are people out there who don’t believe the same and that’s perfectly ok. Even though you don’t need me to tell you that.
My point is this. Gabe is a pastor, yes. There are scriptures and ‘debates’. I use that term loosely. But most importantly, this book is a book of showing true acceptance of anyone who is different and showing what is believed as the most important thing God wants is love. Period. It gets more into detail, but Gabe is struggling in this church with religious believers. Not true Christians. People who use the church or God to spout hate and bigotry. Something people are severely fighting today.
I love Gabe. From the moment I started reading him and how he believed and searched for answers instead of being a sheep, I adored him. He’s such a good man with a heart of a lion. He’s kind, compassion and stands up for what is right. His fights for his people. He’s the kind of man more people should be like in real life. He makes you want to be a better person. But he’s also the first to admit, he’s just a man. He makes mistakes.
And there couldn’t be anyone more perfect for him then Seth. Running a yoga studio and dealing with healing crystals, he also has a side to him most people don’t know. Even though it’s shown in plain sight. He’s the best partner for Gabe. He’s sassy and fun, bit stands up for beliefs as well. He believes in trying to make people the best they can be. Just like Gabe.
Of course, I was also happy to see Gams again with Andy and the rest of the crew. There are quite a few surprises in this book as well. One I was so happy to see. Someone finally gets liberated and on a better path. That’s all I can say on that. Heehee. This was one hell of a book. It’s been one hell of a series. And I’m super excited to see where it goes next. I really hope you all give this a book a try. It’s exceptional.
I also want to say I hope no one thinks I was preaching at you or anyone. This book just hit me on a very personal level with things I struggled with myself. So if I come across that way. Please forgive me. It’s not my intention.
RATING: 
BUY LINK:
TITLE: How Not to Tuck
SERIES: LOVESTRONG #2
AUTHOR: Susan Hawke
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 64 pages
RELEASE DATE: February 9, 2019
BLURB:
A Valentine’s Day dare given to a nemesis backfires in sexy, fabulous way.
Honey Combover slays them, honeyyy… and hey, she can’t help it if her “equipment” is too large and in charge to stay tucked away during her drag performances, right? The school principal, Godric Sheppard, tells Larry that he can’t lead the Glee Club in performing Born This Way while dressed as his drag persona. He has a point, since Honey is infamous for her wardrobe malfunctions. Determined to show the uptight little prig that he can keep things, er, tucked away… Larry invites him to catch his show to prove him wrong.
After the inevitable untucking event occurs, Godric knows two things. One, Larry needs a keeper. And two? It probably needs to be him. Godric’s firm hand and gentle touch is just what Larry needs. It doesn’t hurt that Larry melts a little every time Godric calls him pretty.
This is a 16k short story intended for adult readers only. The light bdsm themes, drag queens, and snake infestations will leave you smiling and begging for more. But what else could you expect from an S. Hawke book?
REVIEW:
I snorted, laughed, cackled, etc. my way through this little story. I just adore Larry/Miss Honey Combover. Full of sarcasm, smart ass and wit, as both Larry and Honey, Larry definitely keeps you on your toes. And let us not forget his snake getting free all the time lol!
Larry and Godric have been at each other’s throats, more or less, for the past two years. And he was working Larry’s nerves again about this glee club stuff. His kids have worked hard for this contest and he wants them to get what they worked for. While Godric is talking, Larry is fantasizing. And about Godric! But Godric isn’t really upset about the kids performing or going on the trip. It was the request he added and that he wanted to lead as his drag queen, Miss Honey Combover. Knowing Honey often wore risque clothing and often having her ‘snake’ coming untucked, Godric didn’t think that would be a thing for kids and parents to see. But Larry planned to dress more appropriately and invited Godric to see him perform to prove it. Godric shows up and realized as Honey was performing and the snake came loose again, that Larry/Honey was his and no one was seeing that snake again.
I have loved Larry from the beginning. And knowing how untactful he can be, it came as no surprise that he and the stuffy principal butted heads. And it was comical. Larry, we all know, doesn’t hold back and let’s it fly. (Literally lol). But what made this even better, is beneath that boisterous personality, lies a soft, sweet hulk of a man. And Godric saw it. It made it comical, too, seeing these two realize that they really were attracted to each other and how much so. Godric might be a stuffed shirt but Larry’s personality broke Godric out of his shell. And Godric was the ‘firm hand’ Larry needed to feel special. Godric doted on him, called him pretty, and made Larry feel even taller than his 6’4. A match made in heaven.
This series is just great. I’m loving every minute of it. The characters are so different and have such basic but complex personalities. And I was happy to see two certain some bodies who will hopefully be getting their full story.
RATING:
BUY LINK:
TITLE: How Not to Wait
SERIES: LOVESTRONG .5
AUTHOR: Susan Hawke
PUBLISHER: self published
LENGTH: 30 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 2018
BLURB:
Eighteen-year-old virgin Shaw Michaelson is alone at his family cabin, waiting both for his parents to return from town and for his dad’s hotter-than-hell best friend to arrive to spend New Year’s with them. When Nick St. Cloud arrives with a flurry of snow at his back, Shaw’s first thought says it all… hello, Santa.
Former Navy SEAL “Saint” Nick can’t let himself be attracted to his friend’s kid. Even if Shaw does check every box on his list, Nick can’t go there… although every part of him wishes he could.
Snowed in, no power, with only the heat and light from the fireplace, Nick and Shaw must spend an evening getting to know each other better and fighting their attraction. But how can Nick keep fighting when he’s startled awake by a determined virgin with one goal?
REVIEW:
So yeah. I’m backwards again. I read book one first before this one. I honestly didn’t know about this one until a few weeks ago and I’m glad I got to get this one. When I read book one, I was curious about Nick like a few others were. But no one would tell his story. They would just say it’s Nick’s story to tell. Now this is not his whole story. It’s a short. Just gives you an intro into things.
With Nick’s past, he was lucky to have his friends Charlie and Charlie’s little family. He would have been lost without them. With too many years gone by since he last saw them, he was determined not to miss this opportunity. But this snowstorm is rough. He makes it to the little cabin, only to think he found the wrong one when he sees the young beautiful man in front of him. Until he realizes it’s Charlie’s son, Shaw. Time has definitely passed and that little kid has become a stunning young man. But Nick will never act on it. Shaw had different ideas. Big snowstorm, no power, and this warm man he’s been crushing on for years, Shaw decides to wake him up in a fun way. But it backfires when Nick berates him. Now it’s up to Nick to comfort the young man in spite of his mistake and fight the feelings he brings up.
I knew there was a story behind Nick when I first read about him. I didn’t know it would be that rough, but I knew something was up. I’m so glad of this little short to see a glimpse of him and his background. He seems like such a good guy. Just battle worn, if that makes sense. With his shock at seeing Shaw, you just knew it was going to be instant attraction. The forbidden son. And with Shaw crushing on him for so long, you know what’s bound to happen in a snowstorm power outage lol. But it was a good little short. It made me happy.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
You can check out Becca’s review for book 1 HERE