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bitchie's review
3.0
Not really my favorite from this author. Maybe it was due to the length, but I didn't really connect. I do like the idea of a series around the "gayborhood", so I'm sure I'll read more of the series.
a_reader_obsessed's review
3.0
3.5 Stars
Um, I - like many of you - probably can't resist a romance about a nerdy bookstore owner. To make it even better, said nerdy bookstore owner wears glasses. Yep. I'm being a bit superficial.
Anyhoo, Mark and Shepherd may have started off on the wrong foot but once their misunderstandings are cleared up, it's pretty much smooth sailing for these two. Throw in some very nice, hot "interactions" and you've got a simple, enjoyable and sexy fluff read. You couldn't ask for more except for it to be of course, longer. Good thing there's 4 more books to this loosely connected series!!
Um, I - like many of you - probably can't resist a romance about a nerdy bookstore owner. To make it even better, said nerdy bookstore owner wears glasses. Yep. I'm being a bit superficial.
Anyhoo, Mark and Shepherd may have started off on the wrong foot but once their misunderstandings are cleared up, it's pretty much smooth sailing for these two. Throw in some very nice, hot "interactions" and you've got a simple, enjoyable and sexy fluff read. You couldn't ask for more except for it to be of course, longer. Good thing there's 4 more books to this loosely connected series!!
raynebair's review
4.0
This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Mark and Shepherd met a year and a half ago at Mark’s bookstore, Bookmarked, and it was a bad first meeting. They both reacted poorly. When Mark realized the guy he was admiring from afar was his favorite author, he gushed like a fanboy. Shepherd, in a panic, was very rude, and told him to get lost. Then never came back to the store again.
Now Mark is desperate to save his store, so he swallows his pride and asks Shepherd to do a book signing at the store. He thinks getting a big name author to the store will draw enough interest to keep the store open.
At first Shepherd isn’t interested. But he goes about it in such a rude manner, that Mark lashes out. And Shepherd apologizes for his horrible behavior and agrees to the book signing.
This is a turning point in Shepherd’s rude behavior. It turns out that Shepherd’s problem was a bit of social anxiety. He was attracted to Mark and didn’t know how to handle it. His first ever book signing is the stepping stone he needed to come out of his shell.
It’s a huge success for both men. It helps Shepherd to slowly step out into the limelight. And it helps draw more attention to the store for Mark.
I liked these guys, after I got over Shepherd’s attitude. I still didn’t love him, because even with his issues, I felt his bad attitude was a bit over the top but he did redeem himself by overcoming his fears of being in the public eye to help Mark. There were at times it seemed that Mark liked Shepherd only because of his status as Mark’s favorite author, and I kept having to remind myself that he liked him before he knew who he was.
Overall, this was a fun little book. I like the small “gayborhood” community and look forward to reading more books in this series.
My favorite quote: “Brittany, Shepherd’s PR rep/personal assistant, was short, blonde, and wore enough pink to make Elle Woods jealous.”
Note: This review is cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews
Mark and Shepherd met a year and a half ago at Mark’s bookstore, Bookmarked, and it was a bad first meeting. They both reacted poorly. When Mark realized the guy he was admiring from afar was his favorite author, he gushed like a fanboy. Shepherd, in a panic, was very rude, and told him to get lost. Then never came back to the store again.
Now Mark is desperate to save his store, so he swallows his pride and asks Shepherd to do a book signing at the store. He thinks getting a big name author to the store will draw enough interest to keep the store open.
At first Shepherd isn’t interested. But he goes about it in such a rude manner, that Mark lashes out. And Shepherd apologizes for his horrible behavior and agrees to the book signing.
This is a turning point in Shepherd’s rude behavior. It turns out that Shepherd’s problem was a bit of social anxiety. He was attracted to Mark and didn’t know how to handle it. His first ever book signing is the stepping stone he needed to come out of his shell.
It’s a huge success for both men. It helps Shepherd to slowly step out into the limelight. And it helps draw more attention to the store for Mark.
I liked these guys, after I got over Shepherd’s attitude. I still didn’t love him, because even with his issues, I felt his bad attitude was a bit over the top but he did redeem himself by overcoming his fears of being in the public eye to help Mark. There were at times it seemed that Mark liked Shepherd only because of his status as Mark’s favorite author, and I kept having to remind myself that he liked him before he knew who he was.
Overall, this was a fun little book. I like the small “gayborhood” community and look forward to reading more books in this series.
My favorite quote: “Brittany, Shepherd’s PR rep/personal assistant, was short, blonde, and wore enough pink to make Elle Woods jealous.”
Note: This review is cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews
readingwithhippos's review
4.0
Novellas are great for times like these when anxiety makes it hard to focus. If you’ve had trouble hanging with long books lately, trying out a novella might be just the thing. They can provide a quick dose of happiness and a sense of accomplishment when you’re done. Didn’t manage to shower today or make a dent in that list of household chores? No problem! Just brag to everyone that you read an entire book in a day (no need to mention the book was less than 100 pages).
Bookmarked is a yummy little snack of a book, a literary aperitif if you will. (I just looked up the definition of aperitif and sadly learned it’s not a food as I thought, it’s a beverage, but it is taken before a meal to stimulate the appetite, so I’m keeping it, AND I’m adding “learned a new word” to my list of accomplishments for the day.) It’s a sweet and sexy romance between an indie bookstore owner and his favorite author, and therefore highly relevant to my interests. Shepherd used to come by Mark’s bookstore to work on his novels and eyefuck the shit out of Mark, but when Mark finally got up the nerve to talk to him, Shepherd was a jerk and then stopped coming in altogether. Mark doesn’t want to set himself up for another disastrous interaction but knows Shepherd has lots of fans and would be a big draw if he did a signing at the store, so he very politely badgers him until he agrees. Turns out “Mr. Tall, Dark and Grumpy” might have a heart underneath his crusty exterior, to my swooning delight.
Bookmarked is a yummy little snack of a book, a literary aperitif if you will. (I just looked up the definition of aperitif and sadly learned it’s not a food as I thought, it’s a beverage, but it is taken before a meal to stimulate the appetite, so I’m keeping it, AND I’m adding “learned a new word” to my list of accomplishments for the day.) It’s a sweet and sexy romance between an indie bookstore owner and his favorite author, and therefore highly relevant to my interests. Shepherd used to come by Mark’s bookstore to work on his novels and eyefuck the shit out of Mark, but when Mark finally got up the nerve to talk to him, Shepherd was a jerk and then stopped coming in altogether. Mark doesn’t want to set himself up for another disastrous interaction but knows Shepherd has lots of fans and would be a big draw if he did a signing at the store, so he very politely badgers him until he agrees. Turns out “Mr. Tall, Dark and Grumpy” might have a heart underneath his crusty exterior, to my swooning delight.
papercranestitches's review
4.0
*** 3.75 Stars ***
The first in a series of standalone books with intermingling characters, Bookmarked introduces readers to the fictional and extremely LGBT-friendly town of Heartsville, Illinois. With a few words (and helped along by Natasha Snow’s cover art), I found myself transported to a quaint little town where independently owned stores with old-fashioned signs line the downtown streets, and people are friendly enough to hold doors for each other and smile at total strangers just to see them smile in return.
Sorta like this:
Only with more of this:
And this:
Bookmarked is Mark and Shep’s story. I wouldn’t exactly classify it as enemies-to-lovers, but let’s just say that the earliest interactions between the struggling bookstore owner and the best-selling author who masks his social anxiety by pretending to be a standoffish a-hole don’t exactly inspire love at first sight.
Well, between the characters, that is. Personally, I found it impossible not to love Mark. The man’s smart, good-natured, close with his family and friends, and tenacious. Plus, he runs a bookstore. I can practically hear a choir of angels singing the Hallelujah Chorus in the background when I say those words, can’t you? And lucky for Shep, I’ve always had a soft spot for the gruff ones (especially when their bark really is worse than their bite).
Due in large part to Mark’s tenacity, these two eventually get a do-over and thankfully, things go a lot more smoothly the second time around. And by that I mean there were apologies and then bookstore hand jobs.
*pauses to fully appreciate the bookstore hand jobs*
The rest was pure, fluffy, feel-good reading combined with a playfully naughty streak that kept things interesting, so it’s no wonder Piper Vaughn continues to be one of my Top 5 Most Read Authors. Bookmarked is just the latest example of why I love their work so much.
I may not have a charming collection of knit sweaters and puppets, but after reading this story I think it’s safe to say:
An ARC of this story was generously provided by the author in return for an honest review.
The first in a series of standalone books with intermingling characters, Bookmarked introduces readers to the fictional and extremely LGBT-friendly town of Heartsville, Illinois. With a few words (and helped along by Natasha Snow’s cover art), I found myself transported to a quaint little town where independently owned stores with old-fashioned signs line the downtown streets, and people are friendly enough to hold doors for each other and smile at total strangers just to see them smile in return.
Sorta like this:
Only with more of this:
And this:
Bookmarked is Mark and Shep’s story. I wouldn’t exactly classify it as enemies-to-lovers, but let’s just say that the earliest interactions between the struggling bookstore owner and the best-selling author who masks his social anxiety by pretending to be a standoffish a-hole don’t exactly inspire love at first sight.
Well, between the characters, that is. Personally, I found it impossible not to love Mark. The man’s smart, good-natured, close with his family and friends, and tenacious. Plus, he runs a bookstore. I can practically hear a choir of angels singing the Hallelujah Chorus in the background when I say those words, can’t you? And lucky for Shep, I’ve always had a soft spot for the gruff ones (especially when their bark really is worse than their bite).
Due in large part to Mark’s tenacity, these two eventually get a do-over and thankfully, things go a lot more smoothly the second time around. And by that I mean there were apologies and then bookstore hand jobs.
*pauses to fully appreciate the bookstore hand jobs*
The rest was pure, fluffy, feel-good reading combined with a playfully naughty streak that kept things interesting, so it’s no wonder Piper Vaughn continues to be one of my Top 5 Most Read Authors. Bookmarked is just the latest example of why I love their work so much.
I may not have a charming collection of knit sweaters and puppets, but after reading this story I think it’s safe to say:
An ARC of this story was generously provided by the author in return for an honest review.
bookcraft's review
2.0
Decently written, from a grammatical standpoint, but there was no emotional resonance; the author never made me feel for the characters. There was very little conflict to drive the story, and what conflict there was ended up resolved quickly and easily and feeling like it had no real or lasting impact on the characters. Mark and Shepherd's romance didn't feel like it had any real basis, either; we're told that they're attracted to each other, but we never really feel that attraction. In fact, there's a lot of telling rather than showing, which keeps this story from reaching its potential.
Overall it's a bit of mildly entertaining fluff, and while I don't actually resent having spent 99 cents on it, I probably won't be buying more from this author in the future, either.
(Note: My star rating for this differs here from on Amazon, because of the difference in definition between the two sites. I'm rating it "it was ok" in both places.)
Overall it's a bit of mildly entertaining fluff, and while I don't actually resent having spent 99 cents on it, I probably won't be buying more from this author in the future, either.
(Note: My star rating for this differs here from on Amazon, because of the difference in definition between the two sites. I'm rating it "it was ok" in both places.)
marget_orange's review
3.0
Ok
So, the book was well written (both books n the sense that the dialog and descriptions were believable and that I didn't notice any poor grammar or typos) and the story was sweet. However, it was not gripping or angst filled or anything like that. This might be a personal thing as I could see some people loving the sweet storyline.
So, the book was well written (both books n the sense that the dialog and descriptions were believable and that I didn't notice any poor grammar or typos) and the story was sweet. However, it was not gripping or angst filled or anything like that. This might be a personal thing as I could see some people loving the sweet storyline.