Blogtour Review: Stripped Clean – Ellis Carrington

Posted 3 December, 2013 by Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms in Blog Tour, Reviews / 10 Comments

Blogtour Review: Stripped Clean – Ellis CarringtonStripped Clean by Ellis Carrington
Published by Selfpublished on 13 October 2013
Genres: Adult, LGBT
Pages: 292
Format: eARC
Source: Enchantress Design and Promo

5 Stars

Carlos O'Shea is stuck. He knocked up a girl in college after a night of too much drinking and then married her to be honorable. With little money, fewer options, and no degree, he winds up cleaning the floors in a small town gentlemen's club and thinking desperate thoughts about the handsome owner that'll lead to nothing but trouble.

Greg Moorehouse only invested in a nudie bar to help his best buddy out of a financial crisis. Now his drug-dealing ex-boyfriend, his reverend father, and a parade of surgically-enhanced DDs are driving him insane. But what's really stripped him of all good sense is his growing obsession with his married employee, Carlos.

They circle each other in a push-pull of misunderstandings and growing attraction. Carlos needs to get his boss out of his head, and Greg can’t abide cheaters and married men. So what are a strip club owner and the guy who cleans going to do with their undeniable desires?

*I received a free ARC of Stripped Clean from Enchantress of Books Blogtour in exchange of an honest review*

Welcome to my stop on the Stripped Clean blogtour. This is yet another book for which I participated in the cover reveal, and I just had to sign up for the blogtour because the blurb was so awesome! The story follows Greg, who has been openly gay for quite a while, but he is still trying to find his soul-mate. And when he meets the bar’s new janitor, Carlos his first reaction is so strong he has no idea what hit him! Unfortunately for Greg, Carlos is not only married, though, he is married to a woman. So since Greg has always been very much against cheating and cheaters, he has no way to find out if there could be more to the chemistry between the two of them – or can he?

Carlos is my favorite character in Stripped Clean, because he has put his whole life on hold after a drunken night of sex – the first and last with a girl – ended with the girl pregnant. He did the right thing and married her, only to end up with no baby after she miscarried. He is the kind of person who takes his promises and vows seriously, though, so there is no way he is going to leave her just because they have no baby. When he meets his new boss Greg for the first time, he really wonders if that is a decision he is going to be able to stand by, though. But that’s not Carlos’ only problem, he has always hidden that he is gay, and he has no idea how to come out of the closet now.

I thought that Carlos’ tentative new feelings, and Greg’s confusion at the mixed signals he felt from Carlos were very well done. And the chemistry between these two guys is very well done. Stripped Clean is a beautiful story about two guys who have a lot in common, and I enjoyed the way they became friends first, and also the way things unfolded to make it possible for something more, eventually. And the one thing they have in common is that they both have a father who has never had a nice word to say about anyone that is gay!

If you are looking for a M/M romance, you should pick up Stripped Clean! It is well written, with complex characters and a storyline that really got to my heart. There is both friendship and chemistry, hotness and confusion, and I thought it all seemed very plausible.

A small picture perched on the glass shelf above the end of the counter. Him and Lacey, back when they were still friends. Before that awful night he’d knocked her up and married her to try and do the right thing. Before their lives had twisted and warped beyond recognition. A layer of dust covered the glass and frame from lack of care. That neglected picture summed up their relationship now, in a nutshell.

Hi, Greg, this is your imagination. He’s your employee and he’s married. You freaked out, and he made you feel like you weren’t a loser. Let’s not make it into something more, okay?

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Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.

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10 responses to “Blogtour Review: Stripped Clean – Ellis Carrington

    • I have read some M/M that I didn’t enjoy very much, but Stripped Clean is very good! It is a real love story, and I really understood both of the main characters. You should definitely try it, Braine 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by.

  1. Great review, Lexxie! I’ve been waiting for this review. 😉 I’m so glad this story was such a winner and I CANNOT wait until I get to sit down with it. I’m eager to see where Greg and Carlos’ story goes.

    I’m just finishing Let Me Go for a tour and then I’ll be starting Fearsome. I’m excited! Have a good trip! *hugs*

    Bookworm Brandee recently posted: **Blog Tour ~ Entrusted ~ Connie Ann Michael**
    • You are going to love this story, Brandee 🙂 I can’t wait to see your review 🙂

      I’m looking forward to reading Fearsome with you! I have to make sure I can e-mail you a little bit about it – that’s going to be half the fun 😉

      Thanks for stopping by! *hugs*

  2. I’ve been waiting for your review on this one since you first featured it. I actually love M/M stories. My favorite so far is The Rebuilding Year by Kaje Harper. This one sounds great. I’ve learned deeply held beliefs are sometimes a crutch instead of a guide to make the right choices. I’m adding this one. Do I even need to say that? Seems redundant…repetitive…commonplace on your blog! Awesome review, Lexxie.

    Robyn Jones recently posted: New Cover Celebration Hop!
    • Very rue that deeply held beliefs can do the opposite of actually hepling someone move forward.

      I need to check out The Rebuilidng Year 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day, Robyn.

    • Naomi, if I had started with Stripped Clean, I probably would have read loads and loads of M/M Books by now, instead of only a handfull.

      Thanks for stopping by 🙂

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