Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Icon Men — all three books in Cat Grant’s EPIC Award-winning series, available together for the first time in this special edition boxed set. Set in the glittery world of Manhattan nightlife, the men who work at the Icon bar share friendships, family, laughter and heartache on their way to happy endings.

The First Real Thing
Cameron is the most sought-after escort in New York. He has only rule: never let anyone in. But when he picks up ad man Trevor Barclay in a hotel bar, Trev’s shy smile and soft green eyes have Cameron forgetting all the rules. Their steamy encounters leave Cameron shaken, breathless – and falling in love for the first time in his life. But how can he tell Trevor the first man he’s been with in sixteen years sells himself for a living?

Appearing Nightly
Diva Michelle is the hottest drag act in the Manhattan bar scene. But behind the diva is Mike, a lonely man nursing a crush on the Icon’s hot new employee. Ryan’s not just another pretty face – the skittish, fearful young man’s holding back secrets. He may find comfort in Mike’s bed, but he’s not sure if he can trust Mike with the pain of his past.

A Fool for You
Brian Barclay is trying to make it in the New York music scene, but he doesn’t count on his boyfriend Kit stealing all the songs they wrote together. Kicked out of his own band, Brian has no choice but to ask his estranged father Trevor and his partner Cameron for help. Brian and Cameron quickly clash - Brian still blames him for his parents’ divorce – and when tensions at home escalate, Brian finds himself leaning on sexy blues guitarist Chase Aubrey. Chase and Brian make beautiful music onstage and off, but when Chase’s past threatens their newfound happiness, Brian fears he’s about to be played for a fool yet again.

 

 

NOTE: These books were originally published by Ellora's Cave in 2010/2011.

 

Book Review

The First Real Thing
'The First Real Thing' by Cat Grant is book one in her new series 'Icon Men'. I was intrigued by the description and Cameron's voice. The book is written exclusively in Cameron's point of view, with the added fun of his voice being his blog he's just started about his life. I have read many books by this author and always enjoy them so I jumped right in.

No matter how professional you are, having sex with strangers is still an intimate act, and hiding yourself from that for years will, eventually, come back to bite you. In my opinion. As Cameron says, it doesn't matter what you call him, whore, prostitute, rent boy, it all comes down to the same thing; he sells himself for a living and he enjoys it. He's been in the business for five years and I was pleasantly surprised to discover he wasn't some young kid. Nope. Cameron is thirty and seems happy with his life until he meets Trevor, and everything Cameron thought goes straight out the window.

It was an honest mistake picking Trevor up in the bar and assuming he was Cameron's client for the night. When he realizes what's happened, Cameron doesn't know how to feel as his two hours with Trevor is the most real he's felt in five years. But Trevor is just coming out of a divorce and Cameron is the first man he's slept with in sixteen years. Trevor isn't even out to his family. Oh boy. Now what? Cameron figures Trevor will go home to Toronto and he won't call. Cameron is wrong and now he's tentatively seeing Trevor when he's in town and juggling his work. Uh-oh. What's the saying about tangled webs?

The author introduced really great secondary characters like Cameron's best friend, Mike, or on drag nights, Michelle. Ryan, the young concierge who inadvertently loses his job and Cameron tries to prevent from making the same choices he did. And the bar, Icon, that Mike works at and will become a fixture in the series, although I can't say too much about it and ruin the surprise of Cameron's book.

This was an easy read, not too long, not too short, with some hot sex and a little drama. It was predictable in how Cameron and Trevor's relationship developed and the truth reveal by Cameron, but I still enjoyed it. Thank you, Cat, I had fun with your guys!

Appearing Nightly
'Appearing Nightly' is the second book in Cat Grant's 'Icon Men' series and features Cameron's best friend and business partner, Mike. Or as he's called on the weekends, Diva Michelle, the fabulously big and bold drag queen at the Icon. I really enjoyed the first book which featured Cameron and Trevor, but gave me enough glimpses of Mike and Ryan to whet my appetite for more. Cameron and Mike bought Icon and now own a gay bar with a lot of history under her belt.

"I knew I must look horrific before I dared to glance in the mirror. One whole side of my face - the side the beer torrent had blasted the hardest - reminded me of a cake with the frosting scraped off. One false eyelash stuck to my cheek. No idea where the other one was. Foam still clung to my chin and one side of my wig. Looked like I'd gotten splashed with the world's biggest cum-shot."

Owning your own business can suck. Pun intended. *snort* Mike and Cameron are working eighteen-hour days trying to keep Icon afloat. The recession has hit their bottom line, too, and it doesn't look like it's getting any better. At least not anytime soon. Ryan is just grateful that Cameron gave him a job and he's trying to keep his head down and out of trouble. Mike is working so hard not to flirt with him and Mike has no clue why Ryan turns tail and runs from him all the time. Cameron knows but he isn't saying. It's Ryan's story to tell, if he chooses. I'm not telling, although if you read the first book, then you already know. All I can say is that Ryan has been hurt, physically and mentally, and trust is really hard for him these days.

Fate hates Ryan. At least, he's pretty sure she does. When his temporary roommate sets his kitchen on fire and gets arrested for marijuana possession, Ryan's landlord evicts him. Mike finds out and offers to let Ryan stay with him for a few days until he can get himself sorted out. Literally the best thing that could ever happen to Ryan. He feels safe with Mike and protected, and Mike likes having Ryan to take care of.

I actually liked Mike and Ryan's story even more than Cameron and Trevor's. Mike is such a gentle giant who has to let his diva out two nights a week or he'd just wither and die on the vine. At first I was afraid that Ryan would be a bit of a snarky jerk, but he wasn't, at all. Ryan has had to take care of himself for so long that he doesn't know how to handle loving and being loved. Watching Mike and Ryan together made me just…sigh… Read it. You won't regret it.

A Fool for You
'A Fool for You' is Cat Grant's third installment in her wonderfully fun 'Icon Men' series. These books revolve around a gay bar, Icon, her owners, Cameron and Mike, and their respective partners, Trevor and Ryan. In the previous book, which was Mike and Ryan's story, Cameron and Mike took a huge chance and expanded Icon into a full time drag queen bar and cabaret. This edition picks up five years after that and features Brian, Trevor's son.

Brian and his band members, Kit and Stewart, are sharing a one-room apartment in Brooklyn while starting their musical career. Brian is a music prodigy who has taught himself how to play multiple instruments and he and Kit have written all of the songs for their band. Much to Brian's embarrassment, however, he can't read or write music, he's never learned how. It about broke my heart when Brian discovered Kit, his first and only love, was cheating on him with their new, smarmy agent, and that Kit had written down all of their songs and only given himself composing rights. Ugh. What a sleaze ball!

Brian ends up having to contact his dad and he hasn't spoken to Trevor in two years. Let's just say that Brian still has issues with his parents divorcing and his father falling in love with a male prostitute. It doesn't matter that Cameron is no longer in that lifestyle, Brian is a typical young man who is hurting and hiding it all underneath sarcasm and anger. Oh joy. Brian met Chase at a club that they both performed in and when Brian's life took a dive, it seemed only natural to hang out. At least Chase understood the music thing, which was more than Brian's dad did. What starts as friendship and great sex segues into feelings neither of them expected. When some of Chase's past comes back to haunt him, it's time for him to be honest with Brian and let the chips fall where they may.

This was a very sweet love story. It was refreshing to watch Brian gain maturity and a deeper understanding of what being an adult really means and how difficult it can be. Chase was adorable and the two of them together were very sexy. I definitely enjoyed this and thank you, Cat, for bringing me such fun characters.

 

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by the author for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Collection/ 3 novellas, 251 pages/120000 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	25-November-2014
Price	$4.99 ebook
Buy Link	http://bit.ly/1HEyNZB