Cover Image: Surreal Estate

Surreal Estate

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Member Reviews

A very enjoyable romance with a bit of angst and two men who help each other overcome some tough situations.

Nick and Sasha are well-rounded characters who make realistic mistakes and find ways of dealing with them. Sasha is a psychic with an affinity for houses and Nick turned to house renovation after losing his business in the recession.

Both men have a complicated history and are in very complicated and human situations. Still, they take a risk and a chance at love, one that's built over time. It's a slow built relationship that was a pleasure to read. On the other side, I really liked the idea that houses can "speak" and project their wants and feelings. It's new, refreshing and creative.

The writing is nice and it flows really well. A lovely story!

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This was a really fun book with enjoyable characters and it was a really great take on the psychic boyfriend which is one of my favorite tropes.

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What a fun read. I loved Sasha's ability to read and talk to houses. While I wanted to shake Nick for making so many bad decisions, his heart was in the right place.

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An appealing m/m romantic novel with a psychic twist! Nick is a straight house flipper who buys the house homeless gay Sasha is squatting in. Sasha is drawn to the house as he has a special talent that allows him to see visions from the past and pick up on vibes about places.
This is not really a ghost story as such, but I enjoyed the psychic elements as it was integrated nicely into the novel. The relationship is well paced with two good characters, and Nick's coming out isn't too rushed. The sex scenes were well written and seemed realistic, though they are not that frequent. Best part was the plot though, some good twists and turns with Nick's loan from a local thug and Sasha dealing with his drug addicted mother, it had enough suspense to keep me finishing it quickly and I would like to read more about the characters in the future as I thought they were realisticlly written and as a reader, I was drawn into their lives. I thought this was a good example of this genre. Thanks to the publisher for allowing me early access through Netgalley.

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This was a new to me author and I'm glad I decided to try this. It was an entertaining plot and I liked both of the mc's quite a bit. I especially enjoyed Sasha's ability to read houses' feelings. I go in to a lot of different homes for my job and sometimes you can feel various emotions (such as sadness and grief). It's almost a tangible thing. I thought it was cool how the author took that kind of thing but made it an actual psychic ability.

Overall I found this to be a really solid book and I'll definitely read other books by this author.

**ARC provided through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

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Sasha has gift for reading houses, when an abandoned house beckons to him, its a dream come true, since Sasha is homeless right now. Nick lost everything in recession, flipping this house is his way to gain back his financially security, what he doesn't expect is find Sasha squatting in the house or to fall for the man, but both men are hiding very big secrets, that will have be brought out of hiding before they can be together.

This was interesting book and it was a different type of paranormal gift that is not seen in books, but it make it interesting to read to see how the house reacted to Sasha and how Sasha reacted to the house.

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I absolutely enjoyed this feel good romance about a young down on his luck guy Sasha, who camps out in an abandoned house which then turns into one of the luckiest choices he's made. I loved both Nick and Sasha throughout the story, both continually growing on me as I read. I thought the idea of Sasha being able to feel the houses energy and actually communicate with it was really interesting and different. And Nick was just such a lovely guy, going with the flow of his feelings despite reaching out into the unknown. I read this in one sitting as I just didn't want to put it down, a perfect feelgood read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Riptide Publishing for a copy in return for an honest review.

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*3.5 stars*

I enjoyed Surreal Estate by new-to-me author, Jesi Lea Ryan. I read a lot of paranormal books and books with psychics, but I don't think I've read one yet that the psychic communicated with houses. I thought it was a cool premise.

I really liked Sasha, who went through so much with his mom and being homeless. He was young, but he really had his head on right. I connected with him a lot.

Nick... was a bit of a mess. He is the older MC by over a decade, but he didn't have his act together at all. Of course, I loved the bisexual aspect (I love a bi MC), and I liked how the relationship was sort of slow-burn, but I related to Sasha a lot more.

I really liked the slight mystery aspect, and I loved the paranormal aspects, even more than I was expecting. I think my only complaint was the pacing, but it was a very, very solid read. I'd read this author again in a heartbeat.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

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I read a lot of fantasy/paranormal books, so it’s really exciting when I find one with a unique twist. Surreal Estate was just that kind of book. I loved the way Sasha’s connections to buildings worked. I also really liked Sasha. I liked Nick too, but Sasha definitely brought out the “mom” in me… for a lot of reasons.

Then there was Nick… like I said, I liked him and I know he was desperate to handle his money problems on his own, but a loan shark? Really?!? Sasha had his own problems, but none of them were his own doing. When he lost his only real family support he was at the mercy of a mother who was beyond selfish.

It may not have seemed that way in the beginning, but Sasha helped Nick (not with just the physical labor) as much as Nick helped Sasha (not with just a place to stay.) I really liked these two together. There were some really great supporting characters in Surreal Estate too… there were some not so great ones as well, but they all added to the story.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, but I’ll definitely be checking out some of her other reads. 😉

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Sasha Michaels is down on his luck, he can’t stay home and finds himself sleeping on the streets. His life looks up when he finds an abandoned house that calls to him, he has always has had the ability to feel the memories and mood of buildings which can be a blessing and a curse. When the house is finally sold to Nick Cooper Sasha gets ready to move on until Nick makes him an offer he can’t refuse. Very enjoyable story. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

The premise of this book caught my attention when I first heard of a it, a house flippers who falls in love with the squatter who lives in the new house he bought. And one of them is a house psychic, how cool is that? The house flipping theme and the psychic with a affinity for houses is what pulled me in. The house psychic thing also ended up being one of my favorite parts of this book.

Surreal Estate was a fun read, I liked the premise, the writing flowed well, the pacing was well done and there was a nice romance too. But for some reason it failed to fully pull me in. I enjoyed myself when reading it, but I wasn't really eager to continue or find out what would happen next. There is just something about the book that prevented me form enjoying it as much as I would've liked and it's hard to put my finger on what that is exactly. But it ended up being a good 3 star read, a good read, but failed to leave a lasting impression besides the fun theme.

Nick hasn't had the best luck with his business and when he finds the house in question he sees an opportunity. But it seems everyone doubts his ability to pull it off, except for the squatter who he finds living in the house. Sasha believes in the house and in Nick's vision. Nick makes a deal with Sasha and let's him stay as long as he helps with renovating the house. Sasha is homeless and happy to finally find a safe place to stay when he finds an empty house. It gets even better when he meets Nick and can stay in the house in exchange for some work. Then there is the topic of Nick dealing with a loan shark who got him the money for the house and Sasha dealing with his drug addict mom and unsure housing and living situation.

I liked reading about the whole house flipping business and getting a bit of an idea of what is involved in this. I liked how the author gave the reader a feel for what's involved, without delving too deep in the details. There is still enough room for the romance and other plot lines as well, which was great.

One of the things that didn't work as well for me was how sometimes things lacked impact. There is a pretty traumatic (in my opinion) scene for Sasha that almost is forgotten the next day and only serves to further the romance. A scene with Nick were he realizes how creepy the loan shark is, that someone failed to have the impact I had hoped it would have. Nick discovers he is bi, but even that revelation comes and goes quite quickly and he easily goes with that. It just seemed to lack impact at times these events, on the other hand I did like how things weren't dragged out or dramatized for the sake of the story.

I also didn't really care about the loan shark plot line and the plot line surrounding Sasha's mom. There was nothing wrong with them, but I don't really care for the topics and have read some other books that dealt with similar topics. Having said that I did like how the plot line surrounding Sasha's mom got wrapped up. And the ending of the book was great and sweet. I also manage to predict quite early on how the money situation got resolved, once a certain plot line pops up I thought it was a bit too clear that this was the solution to the problem. I did like how the book is low on the drama and the plot lines don't get unnecessary dragged out. In fact things got resolved quite quickly, which was nice.

I liked Nick and Sasha well enough, I didn't like them as much as I would've liked, but they both seemed like decent characters. I also liked how they both had their struggles and I felt for both of them and hoped they would get out of their difficult situations. Nick was compassionate and I liked how he offered Sasha the deal to stay in the house. I also liked how Sasha was willing to work hard and made the best out of a bad situation.

The romance was also nice enough, but just failed to fully get me invested. They were a good couple and worked nicely together. They both had their own problems to overcome and deal with, but also some things they had to resolve as a couple. Sasha shuts Nick out for a while and doesn't communicate. I did like how Nick shows a bit of vulnerability there and worries he did something wrong, they all resolved in a mature manner too, which was nice. They made for a great couple, but I didn't fully feel their chemistry. I also thought their romance progressed a bit weirdly at times, they seemed to make these big leaps and then stand still for a bit and then another leap.

My favorite part was by far the whole house psychic thing. I thought it was so interesting and I really liked how the houses Sasha meets almost feel like another character with their own personality and vibe. I liked how the house psychic scenes were described and how Sasha handled it. the personality and vibe of a house was very important to Sasha and I liked seeing how the houses could tell him things in their own way.

To summarize: all in all I had fun reading this book, but something was missing to fully pull me in the story. It all was nice enough, but never got to the point of really good, which is a shame as I loved the premise. The house flipping theme was fun, the homelessness situation was handled well and there are some side plot lines going on too. I felt that some sort of big events failed to have the impact their could've had, but I did like how the book was low on drama. Things get resolved a bit too easily at times and I predicted the resolution to the money problem as soon as a certain plot line got introduced. I liked Sasha and Nick and thought they made for a good couple, but I didn't fully feel their chemistry. Their romance also seemed to progress a bit slow at times and then suddenly take a leap forward. The house psychic thing was my favorite part of this book, I really liked how the author wrote about that and how Sasha could communicate with the houses in a way and each house had their own personality. All in all this was a nice contemporary romance book with a paranormal twist.

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Jesi Lea Ryan is a new-to-me author, and I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book, but what I got was an enjoyable paranormal romance.

The paranormal aspect of the story is unusual and a nice change of pace from more typical tropes—one of the main characters, Sasha, can read and to some extent commune with buildings. Ironically enough, Sasha is homeless until he is drawn in by the vibes coming a vacant house. That house has just been purchased by Nick, who plans to renovate and sell it so he can get back into the house-flipping business. When Nick finds Sasha squatting in the house, he feels sorry for him and agrees to let Sasha stay if he will help with the renovation. As they work together, Nick finds himself attracted to Sasha, even though Nick has never had feelings for a man before. Sasha is equally into Nick, and it’s not long before their mutual attraction grows into more. However, their relationship is complicated by Sasha’s mother, an addict who keeps dragging her son into her troubled life, and by Nick’s bad choice to get the money to buy the house from a shady loan shark. And then there’s the house itself, which isn’t entirely happy with what’s going on, either . . .

There’s some heavy stuff included in the plot—homelessness, addiction, and the potential for violence—but for all of that, the book didn’t feel particularly dark or angsty to me. That may be because the relationship that develops between Nick and Sasha is full of light and sweet moments that counteract the darkness that surrounds them. Nick especially is kind of adorable in how fast he goes all in with Sasha, once he decides that his attraction is real. The way their problems resolve in the end is just a little too perfect to feel realistic, and I think it might have been better not to tie things up so neatly. But on the other hand, this is a romance, and who doesn’t love a happy ending?

All in all, this was a good read, and I’m going to be keeping an eye out for more by Ryan. Nick's brother definitely needs a book, given what we see of his jerk boyfriend in this one.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

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Surreal Estate by Jesi Lea Ryan was a mix of home renovations, psychic powers, and m/m romance, and while Nick left something to be desired, I enjoyed most of this one.

So, Sasha needs a place to stay, and he is walking past an abandoned house when it calls to him. Fast forward to when Nick buys the house at a steal and decides to renovate it. He doesn’t expect to find Sasha. Or to get in over his head financially.

This book started off really well. I instantly liked Sasha. He has a drug addicted mother to deal with as well as being homeless, and it definitely takes a toll. The psychic parts were done really well though it peters off a bit in favor of Nick’s increasing shenanigans.

Nick didn’t deserve Sasha, in my opinion. Nick gets in trouble with a loan shark, and he’s really naive where everything is concerned. He even lets Sasha meet the loan shark and puts him in danger, and it’s not even Nick who comes up with a solution.

Then there’s the constantly worry for Nick that he’s not good “in the sack” despite Sasha’s repeated attempts to console Nick. Hate to break it to ya, Nick, but you have bigger problems to worry about. Especially since he makes the worst decisions ever, has the most random thoughts, and then Sasha has to pick up the pieces, over and over again. It left me feeling the relationship was very one-sided.

I didn’t like how everything tied up either because--again--Sasha has to pull them both out of Nick’s situation. The overall premise had a lot of potential and there was good chemistry in the beginning. It just didn’t hold up for me in the end.

3 stars.

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4 Stars

After reading the blurb I was really intrigued. I’ve read a few stories featuring psychics and one that is tuned into homes, like Sasha, was interesting and not a subject matter I’d read about in the past.

Sasha and Nick were both interesting and likable men and what I found most interesting, and different about the story was that both men were struggling financially, so there was no clear or easy way I could see for them to get out of their predicaments, so along with being an enjoyable read, it was a bit angsty as well.

The story is well-written and I loved not only Sasha and Nick, but Nick’s brothers and parents as well. Sasha and Nick had great chemistry and I loved that Nick, who was just a bit bi-curious before meeting Sasha, accepted his sexuality so easily.

I’m hoping that the author will revisit this 'verse and maybe write Nick’s brother, Steven's story. He was an interesting character and I think he needs his happy ending, too!

This was a cute and recommendable read!

*Copy provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

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I wasn't real sure about this book for the first few chapters, but then it really picked up and I couldn't stop! I enjoyed the chemistry between Sasha and Nick, and I really liked how this book wasn't full of sexy times, but really told a story about the house's and the MC's. The way the homes spoke to Sasha was really interesting, and the way he "cleansed" his family home kinda broke my heart a little. I give this book a solid 4 stars!

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This review will post on The Blogger Girls on November 5, 2018.

I was curious with the blurb of this one. It says “psychic with an affinity for houses” and that was something NEW for me. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered such description for character in romance – I have read characters with psychometry power but not one that only limited to houses. So, I took the chance to read this from a new-to-me author – this is also her first M/M book, I believe.

And I wholeheartedly enjoyed it!!

From the two men, I had more affection towards Sasha. How could I not? Sasha has been down on his luck. Since his grandfather died and his drug addict mother took the only house he knows, Sasha has nowhere else to go. Being homeless, he sleeps at the abandoned house whom later being bought by Nick for a house-flipping job.

Nonetheless, I never felt that Sasha is giving up on life. When Nick gives him a chance to earn his staying at the house by working for Nick, Sasha grabs the chance and be tenacious at it. Of course, it helps that the house has been attached to him, so Sasha can help Nick by showing things that can improve the house.

Nick, on the other hand …. well, with him being 15 years older than Sasha, I was a little baffled with how ‘seemingly stupid’ he is sometimes, especially when it comes to his finance. I mean, really, borrowing money from a loan shark?! Then acts like things would not be as bad if he couldn’t sell the house? That sounds really naïve, don’t you think?

In addition, it’s not like Nick doesn’t have a GREAT support system – with his loving parents and supportive siblings. Although I know that is never an assurance for people not acting stupid, but still…

In the romantic relationship development, I liked how the progress. When you read between the lines, Nick made his move towards Sasha rather quickly (in terms of timeline). However, it still felt rather slow-burn to me, probably because other things were going at the same time, most naturally the project on the house. I also appreciated that Nick aren’t in too much denial with him suddenly liking a guy, since before he is married to a woman. Probably helps that Nick’s older brother is gay *grin*.

All in all, this is an enjoyable read. I hope Ms. Ryan will continue somehow with the story of Nick’s older brother, Steven. He needs his own happy ending. Also, it’ll be nice to get updates on how Sasha and Nick work on their personal and professional partnership.

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Surreal Estate

A very enjoyable romance about two men who learn to face their tough times together.

It is a nice romance with difficult situations to overcome but no unecessary angst. I liked the fact that both men were trying to deal with their situations but at the same time they took risks and decided to acknowledge their feelings and try for love.

Nick and Sasha are realistic characters who make realistic mistakes and find ways of dealing with them. Sasha is homeless and Nick is trying to revive his business and Nick gradually realises he is bi-sexual. Both men have complex situations to deal with and in the midst if these difficulties springs hope,
love and courage. Their lives are portrayed in a way that is thoughtful, very human, complex and yes realistic.

There are great secondary characters that enrich the story. Supportive but sometimes irritating family members and rather shadowy characters that Nick is foolish enough to do business with. I must admit that the shadowy characters felt a bit exaggerated but I think as part of the story they fit in well and provided a challenge to overcome. They also provided a bit of tension and pace for the story because I wanted to see how Nick would resolve that issue. I read that part with bated breath.

The characters have a slow burning attraction to each other that they discover gradually through friendship and through the circumstances that draw them closer to each other. I really enjoyed this. The writing is smooth and flows so well. I loved the way they became stronger as a couple, helping each other to see different options and being there for each other.

Best of all in this story is the frisson of the paranormal. The idea that houses can speak or project images and feelings, was creative and new. I have come across so many haunted house stories but this was something completely different.

This is the first time I have read anything by this author and I would definitely read more.

A lovely story which I thoroughly enjoyed!

Copy provided by Riptide Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

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3.5 Stars rounded UP

Color me surprised! Frankly, despite intrigued by the blurb, I didn’t expect I’d love this book, more specifically, the characters. (Nick and) Sasha played major roll in me liking the overall story despite some of what struck me as rather brainless moves on Nick’s part.

The center of “Surreal Estate” were two people down on their luck yet pushed on despite everything; it’s a story of hope and perseverance. Sasha had been homeless for nearly a year after his drug-addict mom thrown him out. His psychic ability to houses led him take shelter on an old house. And there Nick found him, after he bought said house to flip it to revive his business. They hit it of - sort of - on the first meet and struck a win win deal: Sasha could stay in exchange for helping with the renovation. And everything - as they were - went from there.

It started with Sasha’s voice then alternating with Nick’s and I have to say I had my doubt at the first chapter as I grappled to connect the story. But it didn’t take long for me to be drawn in. I loved how the author took an unusual subtle paranormal take on “Surreal Estate” through Sasha’s ability to “communicate” with houses. Especially the way he played his ability down, yet Nick somehow sensed the undertone quality from this young stranger. For me Nick’s kindness toward Sasha made up for him being so dense about the thing with the loan-shark (I mean, going to them in the first place was eyebrow-raising enough, but to repeat that mistake was just beyond stupid).

Another plus was slow burn affection between these guys, with the icing of the cake the (protagonist) secondary characters didn’t bat an eye over their budding romance (on the contrary, they encouraged it). The age gap between Nick and Sasha was also not too striking other than on the outside, Sasha really was an old soul the way he saw life and deal with it. These all negated the unbelievable selfish deeds Sasha’s parent done repeatedly.

“Surreal Estate” is my first book of Jesi Lea Ryan’s and it won’t be the last. I’m going to check out her backlist titles and on the look out of her upcoming books after this.


Advanced copy of this book is kindly given by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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3.5*

This was a cute little read.
I’ll admit after reading the blurb I was a little intrigued. It’s the first time I’ve come across a book featuring a psychic with an affinity for houses.
Sasha used to have a pretty good life. He had a home, attended college and played in a band. Now he’s twenty-four and homeless. While walking an abandoned house calls to him, he enters and squats there.
Nick is a house flipper who lost everything in the recession. He buys this house and borrows money from a dangerous source to get him back on his feet.
Nick sees an opportunity and offers Sasha a job and accommodation while the renovation is taking place.

Sasha is gay and Nicks now thinks he might be bi.
Now this is a quick cute read, it’s not a book you examine too closely. It’s definitely a just go with and enjoy it type of book. And I did.

I liked all the characters including Nick’s brothers. I hope they get their own books at some point.
It’s an easy read. We always know where it’s going and how it will end but it’s a nice journey. There’s drama from both sides, Sasha’s mum and the loan shark.

I voluntarily read a review copy kindly provided by NetGalley.

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Although the premise was intriguing, I had a hard time getting into the story, even when factoring in the paranormal plot-line. However, the writing itself is solid and I would try another book the author in the future.

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