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anya_doesntmatter's review against another edition
4.0
Buddy read w/ Letti
It's classic MC and to quote Icona Pop: "I don't caaaa! I LOVE IT!"
3 stars in comparison to other books by Mary Calmes.
4 stars in comparison to other books I've read thus far this year.
Reading Mary Calmes is like slipping on your favorite pair of comfy pajamas. Her writing is like comfort food. You know before reading that the ridiculously handsome smexxi MC's will be fiercely loyal, possessive and that the sex between them will be sizzling hot! With that stated Floodgates, is classic Mary. All her trademarks are included in the story and you can't help but fall in love with most of the characters because they feel familiar yet.. not. Speaking of which.
So why 3 stars? Well because the murder mystery fell flat for me, too much time was spent on there were a tad too many coincidences in this story. There were also a lot of unnecessary characters that served absolutely no purpose and the killer was glaringly obvious.
Mary Calmes is one of the very few that successfully recycles the same themes over and over yet... you'll never get bored because she keeps it interesting. I've come across many writers that constantly recycle the same tripe over and over, cranking out 10 books a week that have been hastily "written" and they SUCK! If a writer chooses to have their body of work circle around the same themes like harbor sharks then they should take notes from Calmes and learn how to do it right! I'm a Mary Calmes fangirl because she is consistent in delivering what I'm looking for when I read her books. Her writing, her characters are my comfort food, my drug of choice. I hope Calmes writes a book about Dimah and his (twin?) brother! That whole good brother/ bad brother is great fodder for a sequel! Simply put, LOVE HER!
It's classic MC and to quote Icona Pop: "I don't caaaa! I LOVE IT!"
3 stars in comparison to other books by Mary Calmes.
4 stars in comparison to other books I've read thus far this year.
Reading Mary Calmes is like slipping on your favorite pair of comfy pajamas. Her writing is like comfort food. You know before reading that the ridiculously handsome smexxi MC's will be fiercely loyal, possessive and that the sex between them will be sizzling hot! With that stated Floodgates, is classic Mary. All her trademarks are included in the story and you can't help but fall in love with most of the characters because they feel familiar yet.. not. Speaking of which
Spoiler
heads up: Breckin, is a refreshing new character type that I love to hate! He's a bisexual cheating man whore that drove me crazySo why 3 stars? Well because the murder mystery fell flat for me, too much time was spent on
Spoiler
Breckin and Trace instead of Trace and CordSpoiler
1) Celia happens to be a friend of the daughter that Trace's dad is dating. 2) Trace just happens to look like Turri Carrera.Mary Calmes is one of the very few that successfully recycles the same themes over and over yet... you'll never get bored because she keeps it interesting. I've come across many writers that constantly recycle the same tripe over and over, cranking out 10 books a week that have been hastily "written" and they SUCK! If a writer chooses to have their body of work circle around the same themes like harbor sharks then they should take notes from Calmes and learn how to do it right! I'm a Mary Calmes fangirl because she is consistent in delivering what I'm looking for when I read her books. Her writing, her characters are my comfort food, my drug of choice. I hope Calmes writes a book about Dimah and his (twin?) brother! That whole good brother/ bad brother is great fodder for a sequel! Simply put, LOVE HER!
idyrrlaon's review against another edition
4.0
If you've read some of Mary Calmes' work before, the way this story reads should not come as much of a surprise. Her traditional methods of storytelling (nested flashbacks, mental tangents, sometimes awkward dialogue conversations, etc.) are still there, love 'em or irritated by 'em, so be forewarned if you don't care for her style.
That said, I generally don't mind them, and find her stuff rather fun to read, not too deep and thought-provoking, but not entirely fluff either. Floodgates fits into that theme; you have a cast of characters that fall somewhere between 2D and 3D, and interact in ways that are fun and engaging but not too earth-shattering.
I did have a few quibbles with this story. Knowing how Calmes' works usually go, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised by this, but I was disappointed somewhat in the switchover from "enemies" to "lovers" that happens between the love interests in the middle of the book.
We spend a good chunk of time at the beginning of the book setting up the characters of Tracy and Cord, and their cadre of friends and acquaintances, as well as the conflict that separates them now, mainly that Tracy thinks Cord is a slut due to how he seems to use and throw away the men in his life. A previous encounter between the two started Tracy's perception down this road, and nothing that he's seen seems to have changed this.
Suddenly, however, we are expected to believe that Tracy is going to throw away all of the thoughts, fears, and beliefs he's had over the last 5 years because he finds out that Cord might actually truly want him back, and may have changed. Not much thought behind it, he switches from his faith in Cord's sluttiness to pretty much absolute certainty that they are a "forever" couple. Without the structures that can support that (such as lifemates/bonded/etc. in works that deal with supernatural forces, such as werewolves), I just didn't buy it.
That main issue aside, I did enjoy them. Tracy's ex Breckin is a cad of the worst sort, and it is both entertaining and frustrating to watch their interactions play out. Tracy is all too trusting (which might lead to why he instantly trusts Cord), and But when Tracy and Cord get going, it's also very entertaining to see them bicker and maneuver around each other.
If you like Calmes' previous works, pick this up. If you're looking for something entertaining and a little fluffy, this is probably also a good fit for you, but be warned, there are some structures of Calmes' works that might be off-putting if you're not familiar with her writing style.
That said, I generally don't mind them, and find her stuff rather fun to read, not too deep and thought-provoking, but not entirely fluff either. Floodgates fits into that theme; you have a cast of characters that fall somewhere between 2D and 3D, and interact in ways that are fun and engaging but not too earth-shattering.
I did have a few quibbles with this story. Knowing how Calmes' works usually go, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised by this, but I was disappointed somewhat in the switchover from "enemies" to "lovers" that happens between the love interests in the middle of the book.
We spend a good chunk of time at the beginning of the book setting up the characters of Tracy and Cord, and their cadre of friends and acquaintances, as well as the conflict that separates them now, mainly that Tracy thinks Cord is a slut due to how he seems to use and throw away the men in his life. A previous encounter between the two started Tracy's perception down this road, and nothing that he's seen seems to have changed this.
Suddenly, however, we are expected to believe that Tracy is going to throw away all of the thoughts, fears, and beliefs he's had over the last 5 years because he finds out that Cord might actually truly want him back, and may have changed. Not much thought behind it, he switches from his faith in Cord's sluttiness to pretty much absolute certainty that they are a "forever" couple. Without the structures that can support that (such as lifemates/bonded/etc. in works that deal with supernatural forces, such as werewolves), I just didn't buy it.
That main issue aside, I did enjoy them. Tracy's ex Breckin is a cad of the worst sort, and it is both entertaining and frustrating to watch their interactions play out. Tracy is all too trusting (which might lead to why he instantly trusts Cord), and
Spoiler
his increasing number of revealed indiscretions makes me wonder how much more we don't see that he lied about.If you like Calmes' previous works, pick this up. If you're looking for something entertaining and a little fluffy, this is probably also a good fit for you, but be warned, there are some structures of Calmes' works that might be off-putting if you're not familiar with her writing style.
podperson2206's review against another edition
3.0
Not as great as her other books but still pretty damn good!
coconutlavender's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
leelah's review against another edition
1.0
Wash, rinse, repeat.
I am honestly not sure MC can write character who isn't Jory.
colleen_m's review against another edition
4.0
Title: Floodgates
Author: Mary Calmes
Series: N/A
Genre: M/M Romance
Main Characters:
Tracey Brandt is kind of a spaz. If you are familiar with Mary Calmes, Tracey is Jory. He has a ton of friends that flit around him with their drama, he himself has drama in the form of a stalker, and keeps getting assaulted, etc. He has split from his long term boyfriend, Breckin, after finding him cheating.
Cord Nolan is a reformed manwhore, but he reform for one man in particular, his former partner-on-the-job’s younger brother, Tracey. After a rocky first meeting with Tracey years ago, Cord has set about changing his life in such a way that Tracey would accept him as a partner.
Plot/Conflict:
Tracey is in danger from someone who is attacking Breckin Alcott’s former lovers (Breckin is the ex that Tracey kicked to the curb after finding him cheating. Cord jumps in to make sure that Tracey is safe, and to make a case for taking a chance on Cord rather than trying to work things out with Breckin.
Loves:
Typical Mary Calmes, I loved the come-together, the release of tension when they characters finally get their shit together
Likes:
Tracey’s a little less flighty than the typical Jory stand-in.
Peeves:
I both love and hate how much most of Calmes’ book characters are interchangeable.
Favorite Quote:
“ I was getting things lined up so I could make my play.”
“For me?”
“Yes, idiot. It was always gonna be you.”
kumabear's review against another edition
4.0
LOVED IT. there are some interesting names in it though
sequel coming?
sequel coming?
suze_1624's review against another edition
3.0
It was fine - nothing special for me. I kept waiting for something to happen and never felt it did, even if things did happen on page. Too character driven for me and the mystery of who is stalking Breckin didn’t engage me.
Quick easy to read, skimmed bits. Didn’t get Cord at all. Tracy (which to me in UK is a female name mostly, so that took getting used to) is one of these intelligent but often TSTL types, not to an extreme but treated as a child by those around him.
Quick easy to read, skimmed bits. Didn’t get Cord at all. Tracy (which to me in UK is a female name mostly, so that took getting used to) is one of these intelligent but often TSTL types, not to an extreme but treated as a child by those around him.
shazov's review against another edition
4.0
So, yes, like so many others out there I have to admit that I love Mary Calmes' books. Something in her characters, her story development always gets to me, regardless of what the storyline is about. And this book is no exception to this.
Again we have an interesting storyline that kept me guessing throughout most of the book. The characters, while not perfect (but doesn't that make them better in reality lol) were engaging, sexy and fun. And combined it made a book that I didn't want to put down at all!
Again we have an interesting storyline that kept me guessing throughout most of the book. The characters, while not perfect (but doesn't that make them better in reality lol) were engaging, sexy and fun. And combined it made a book that I didn't want to put down at all!
the_novel_approach's review against another edition
5.0
In Floodgates, we are introduced to a whole new set of characters. For awhile now we have been settled in comfortably with our favorite characters, and I know I have loved it. Then along come Tracy Brandt and his own caravan of crazy. Tracy brings along his (maybe) ex-boyfriend Breckin, his friend and business partner Dimah, his brother Evan, the actor, his other brother Alex, the DEA agent, and Alex’s former work partner Cord Nolan, the police officer.
See the entire 4.5 Star review at The Novel Approach: http://thenovelapproachreviews.com/2014/03/05/mary-calmes-opens-the-floodgates-to-danger-and-romance-reviewed-by-jackie/
See the entire 4.5 Star review at The Novel Approach: http://thenovelapproachreviews.com/2014/03/05/mary-calmes-opens-the-floodgates-to-danger-and-romance-reviewed-by-jackie/