Bayou Book Junkie: Blog Tour ~ Elysium by JJ Harper ~ (Series Reviews)

Monday, June 20, 2016

Blog Tour ~ Elysium by JJ Harper ~ (Series Reviews)

Blog Tour ~ Elysium by JJ Harper ~ (Review)

Title: Elysium

Series: Reunion Series #3

Author: JJ Harper

Genre: M/M Romance

Release Date: June 16, 2016

With Nico by his side, Ryan says goodbye to his old life and moves away, leaving his job and his hometown behind him.

Ready for a fresh new start together, Ryan and Nico settle down into a slower and easier lifestyle and life becomes as perfect as they could wish for.

When Ryan is unexpectedly reminded of the life he happily walked away from, his world is turned upside down when he gets notice of news that he never expected to hear. Ryan is tormented by what is being asked of him; the very thing he was promised would never be asked of him again.

A man Nico once knew returns, and Nico wishes he'd never caught up with Lyle. His ploy to keep Lyle away from Ryan fails and Lyle tells all about his previous connection to Nico. Ryan takes off, leaving no clues as to where he's gone and Nico is devastated believing that Ryan has left him.

When Ryan finally returns home; so does his past and he is forced to visit an old friend. But things are not what they seem and Ryan must fight as hard as he can to keep himself safe.

Maybe the perfect life with a happy ever after just isn't in the cards for Ryan and Nico after all.

Reading this may seriously raise you blood pressure, contains lots of hot scenes of sex between two men and has strong language throughout

This book is intended for 18+ readers.

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie in exchange for a fair and honest review. ***

REUNION

Nico Angeles left his home and his love Ryan, ten years ago after he told his parents he was gay and they threw him out. Uncertain of what to do, he boarded a bus leaving town and had to do things he wasn't proud of to survive, finally meeting a man who helped him turn his life around and become a model.

Ryan, heartbroken when Nico disappeared, joined the army and once his mother died, returned home and became a police officer, but he never forgot his first love.

When they meet again before their 10-year high school reunion, they discover that the love they felt for the other is still there, but so are a lot of things that might push them apart.

The story had potential, I liked the blurb and thought it might be something other than what it was. While I don't mind sex scenes in books (actually love them), there's a point when it's a bit too much, especially when the author sacrifices character or plot development in lieu of having the MCs have sex every chapter.

I liked Ryan, for the most part, but there were a couple of instances in which he behaved very immaturely. Still, he was reliable and willing to help Nico, even if he was a bit dependent of him. Now Nico I just wanted to slap silly, not only did he leave without telling Ryan ten years ago, but he felt he was entitled to be jealous of anyone Ryan might have slept with in that time, especially considering he had sex with someone the night before going back to their hometown? Nope, sorry, that didn't compute for me.

The writing was okay, but it needed some editing, and really, if you are looking for a sexy, hot read with just a touch of plot, I guess this is the book for you. Please keep in mind that this book ends on a cliffhanger, but you have the next two books to read now, so it's not that bad.

Rating: 3 Stars

REUNITED

Nico and Ryan are back together, but there are a lot of things that might still keep them apart.

With their 10-year reunion looming, Nico and Ryan are surprised to discover that the man their old friend Marcus is married to is none other than Ethan, now named Tate, with whom Nico had hooked up right after leaving their hometown years before. As things from Nico's past start to surface, this will put a strain to his relationship with Ryan. Is love enough to overcome it all?

This book was moderately better than the previous one. For one, the editing is much better, which, for me, made for a more enjoyable read. Yes, Nico and Ryan seem to want to avoid their problems by having sex, in all kinds of places and positions, and while I have to give kudos to the author that it's hot sex, it's still too much for me.

Also, there's a bit more of a plot on this book, well, it's more like a subplot I guess, considering it takes a backseat to all the sex, but there's a bit more of substance and while it's a bit over the top, it made this book overall better than book one.

Anyway, this book was well-written, flows nicely, and has a bit of suspense, predictable in some sense even if I didn't see the end result coming, but still enjoyable.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

ELYSIUM

Ryan decides to move in with Nico, leaving his job and hometown behind, but someone from his past comes crashing into his present.

Ryan and Nico still have to work through several issues from their past, trust is easily put to the test as Ryan meets with someone from Nico's past who reveals a hard truth that makes him re-think whether or not he made the right decision by moving in with Nico. And when Ryan is contacted by someone from his army past, they will have to come to terms with the fact that happily ever after might not be in the cards for them.

I think out of the three books this was my favorite. Both subplots made it so that we had more of a glimpse of Nico and Ryan having to work through their problems in a more mature way and not just through sex, although there's still plenty of that. It was nice to have Ben's POV interwoven into the book and while that particular plotline was a bit over the top, it still felt realistic enough considering what we've seen of the army in the past years.

I don't particularly care for Nico, but he got better in this book, despite a few questionable decisions and I was happy to see another side of Ryan, other than him overreacting with some of the things he found out about Ryan.

All in all, it was a nice wrap-up to the series. All questions were answered and we got a lovely glimpse into Nico and Ryan's life in the future.

Rating: 4 Stars!