Read but Not Reviewed for 2016's CBR8: Part 1

Sarina Bowen's  The Understatement of the Year (2014) was the first m/m romance I ever read. It wasn't a genre of romance that I ever really thought about, especially because I'm more into historical romances. Nonetheless, I read it after reading a CBR review of it.

Reading this story of Michael Graham and John Rikker made me think of some of my former male students who came out after high school. I remember thinking how wonderful it would have been for them to have had stories like this to read because the featured characters were close to their own age and had relatable fears and experiences.

Well-written with likable characters and a reasonable plot, I loved The Understatement of the Year and highly recommend it as a romance and not just as porn on the page, which I've found to be the case with many m/m "romances."  (Rating: 4/5)

Looking at my orders history on Amazon, I followed up my purchase of The Understatement of the Year with Him (2015) the very next day. I think I read these stories one after the other, and in not reviewing them immediately after reading each, I got confused about the details, mixing each story up since they both featured hockey players, a separation, and wild sex.

Similarly, I loved Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy, which made me question how it is that two females could be so knowledgeable about the ins and outs (pun unintended) of gay sex.

Again, loved the two leads and the story which really sustained my interest. (Rating: 4/5)

After having read and reviewed Paterka's The Other Wife earlier in the year, I remember wondering why stories about unhappy marriages had to be so soap opera-ish. When I got to read Juliette Fay's Deep Down True (2011) in October, I remember being pleasantly surprised. There was no melodrama. It was a simple story that revealed the aftermath of divorce from a woman's perspective in a realistic, mature way. No drama.

It's a slow read. I don't have any direct experience with the specifics detailed, and yet, I found the story of newly divorced Dana Stellgarten as she tries to adjust to her new normal wholly relatable. A truthful satisfying read overall. (Rating: 3/5)

In contrast to Fay's Deep Down True, Kate Moretti's Thought I Knew You (2012) is pure Lifetime Television for Women. I could not stop rolling my eyes with this one. So cliché.

One morning, Claire Barnes' husband goes on a business trip and never returns. She goes on the hunt with her trusted sidekick Drew, her best friend/subconscious love interest whose love for Claire had been unrequited since they've known each other. Along the way, Claire unearths unsettling truths about her husband, gains a deeper sense of her identity unrelated to being a wife and mother, blah, blah, blah.

I didn't care for Claire Barnes. Maybe it had to do with this "romance" being told in first person. In the end, I just couldn't get past the melodrama, which also features amnesia. A positive: I love the book's cover. (Rating: 1/5)