Review: Up North by Allison Temple (Compass Stars #1)


Note: An advanced reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author via Neon Rainbow ARC Reviews.

Gah! I adored this series starter! Up North by Allison Temple is the first novel in the Compass Stars series, and it's now my favorite read from this author. Readers are introduced to Damian Marshall and Jack Spencer, the former being one of the most in-demand leading men in the film industry and the latter being a fisherman currently employed as a fishing guide for an high-end resort in Alaska. When rumors become too much for Damian--to the point that his future movie projects are in jeopardy--his agent insists he lay low, sending him off to The Wild Eagle Lodge--away from paparazzi and gossipmongers in California. It's also the same place where Jack meets David, bodyguard for the resort's VI-VIP, a certain Mr. Morgan. Over a handful of days Jack falls for David, and vice-versa. Except David is Mr. Morgan--David Morgan. And David Morgan? Well, he just happens to be none other than Damian Marshall--the very same one still in the closet.

In a world where some romance books tend to be formulaic, I love it when an author goes out of their way to stand out. which is exactly what Allison Temple has done with this new novel of hers. Yes, the whole celebrity romance is nothing new, and it can be hit-or-miss, depending on what new twist or creative touch an author can bring. With the plethora of books that I've read in all my years on this planet, I can't honestly tell you if I've read a romance where the celebrity isn't the least bit familiar to the other main character. Yet there was something fresh about Temple's take on this trope. I loved David (aka Damian) and Jack together, and they were such interesting individuals to boot. There was a bit of deception when it came to David not coming clean as to who he really was, but I appreciated how that was resolved and how he made amends to Jack. Up North also had a strong cast of supporting characters, and I hope we get Vin's book next! Five stars!

Release Date: 26 July 2021

Date Read: 18 July 2021

Learn more about Allison Temple.

Pre-order Up North on Amazon.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Release Blitz: Saved by Hazel James

Image
Saved (Battles #2) by Hazel James Release Date: June 21, 2018 About Saved Leilani Moretti Life is out to get me.  Humvee accident that took my right hand? Strike one.  Cancer three years later that stole my breasts and hair? Strike two.  An overbearing mother who seems to think I’m twelve, not twenty-seven?  Yeah, I’m out of there.  I thought moving to Oklahoma would give me a fresh start. I hoped life would finally cut me some damn slack. But between the inept people at the VA hospital and a boss who’s hell-bent on fixing me, I just want to be left alone. Haven’t I been through enough already? Clay Prescott Joining the Army and deploying to Afghanistan? Hard. Kicking an alcohol addiction and starting a business combining fitness and mental health? Harder. Worth it? Hell yes.  Battles, my gym, has been so successful that I hired a new employee—a veteran herself—to help me open a second location. And that’s when it all goes to hell. Everything
Read on...

Release Blitz: Blue Skies by Marie Sinclair

Image
Blue Skies (Blue Skies #1) by Marie Sinclair Release Date: October 11, 2023 About Blue Skies Greg loves his job as a flight attendant. If only his love life could make him as happy, he’d be all set. Asexual and HIV-positive, Greg has had a series of untrustworthy boyfriends who saw him as a challenge or told him they could accept his sexuality and status. Until they couldn’t. Still reeling from his latest breakup, Greg’s romantic heart beats a little faster when he meets Holden at a club, even though his brain whispers caution. For Holden, relationships are something he can’t afford. He’s been in the closet his entire adult life because it could cost him his job if anyone finds out he’s gay. At forty-eight, hook-ups, one night stands, and quickies in a bathroom are as good as it gets for him. It’s all he’s looking for when he goes to Neon. Instead, he finds Greg. Drawn to each other from the start, the two experience a bit of a bumpy take-off. But then Holden ends up on Greg
Read on...

Review: The Room Mate by Kendall Ryan (Roommates #1)

Image
Note: This ARC was provided by the author via InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. I do believe I've found myself a new book boyfriend to drool, erm, swoon over in Cannon Roth, male main character in bestselling author Kendall Ryan's Roommates series starter, The Room Mate . This had a familiar romance trope--falling-for-your-best-friend's-sibling--and yet I didn't find it boring or tiresome in any way. This has both heart and heat as well as lighthearted humor along with a bit of heart-tugging angst and it's headlined by a couple of main characters that I was totally smitten with from the moment Paige got a pretty good idea of just how much her best friend's younger brother Cannon had grown up from the nerdy boy who followed them around like a puppy when they were kids. Bonus points for Paige being older and for the four-legged, furball named Enchilada.  When twenty-eight-year-old Paige took the call from her best friend asking if her yo
Read on...