Month: January 2013

Sock It To Me, Santa! by Madison Parker

Sock-2Title:  Sock it to Me, Santa!

Series:  None

Author:  Madison Parker

Genre:   Young Adult

Length:  Short (55 Pages)

Publisher:  Madison Parker (Amazon)

Heat Level:  None

Heart Rating:  ♥♥♥♥♥5Hearts

Blurb:   Ryan is assigned to Jamie Peterson for his class’s secret gift exchange. If word gets out that he has to make a handcrafted gift for flamboyant and openly gay Jamie, Ryan will be the laughing-stock of the school. It’s a good thing no self-respecting boy would be caught dead in a craft store, because otherwise he’d be at risk of being spotted when his mom drags him to her weekly craft workshops. He hopes Jamie will appreciate all the trouble he’s going to for this assignment. Finding the perfect gift is gunna be tricky. Jamie deserves something good, though, after all the crap he has to put up with at school. At least, Ryan tells himself that’s the reason he’s putting so much thought into the gift. It couldn’t be that he has feelings for Jamie, could it?

Product Link:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A6JN95I

Reviewer:   John

Review:  Ryan is a closeted gay teen who has been living in the shadows all his life. In high school, he keeps hiding because he fears the retribution of his peers, since being gay is not acceptable by them. He tries to go under the radar and live a normal life, like everyone else. Jamie Peterson is the opposite of Ryan. He is the most flamboyant gay kid in school. His sexual orientation makes him the center of every joke and prank by his classmates. When Mrs. Keats assigns Jamie for Ryan’s secret Santa gift exchange program, their paths intercept and we get to see a new side of these two boys.

I love Ryan. He is a normal gay kid trying to survive an environment where being gay is totally unacceptable and lands you a spot on the hot seat. He has to hide who he is in order not to be the center of brutal jokes. When he has to make three gifts for Jamie for the secret Santa gift exchange program, he begins to let loose and gets to know the flamboyant boy. Jamie was as sweet as sugar. Even though he was the center of attacks by his classmates, he did not let them get to him. The kid fought back. That was something that Ryan could not do. He could not come out as a gay kid and tell the world to screw off. After following Jamie around, he falls in love with him. Yes, he messes up sometimes, but he quickly does something that makes you continue loving him. I loved the ending since Ryan got the courage to tell everyone how much he loves Jamie and what he means sot him.

This is one of the sweetest and shortest stories that I have ever read and I hope that there is a sequel to it because I want to read more about these two characters. Madison Parker is a fresh voice to the writing community and I know that great things will come her way if she continues writing sweet little stories with happy endings. I recommend this novel to anyone who wants to treat their eyes with a loving story about love, acceptance and courage for this Christmas season.

Once a Marine by Cat Grant

Once-A-MarineTitle:  Once a Marine

Series:  None

Author:  Cat Grant

Genre:   Contemporary

Length:  Novel (197 Pages)

Publisher:  Riptide Publishing (October 30, 2011)

Heat Level:  High

Heart Rating:  ♥♥♥♥4Hearts

Blurb:   “Love is a battlefield.”

Discharged under Don’t Ask Don t Tell, former Marine major Cole Hammond is struggling to find a new identity. But PTSD casts a pall on everything, and his hard-nosed, homophobic father can t even bear to look him in the eye. To top it all off, he’s pretty sure he’s flunking out of law school.

Marc Sullivan is a kind, sensitive romance author-slash-waiter with a thing for men in uniform. Cole’s not wearing his anymore, but there’s no mistaking the warrior Marc meets in the diner one rainy afternoon. Cole’s sexy smile and Carolina drawl prove irresistible, but Marc’s played this game before, and he always loses. Once a Marine, always a Marine, and if there’s one thing Marc knows about such men, it’s that they all leave him in the end. It doesn’t t help that Cole’s practically closeted in public, or that he refuses to seek treatment for his PTSD.

But like any good Marine, Cole’s willing to fight for what matters. And like the characters in Marc’s stories, he’s certain that if they try just hard enough, together they can find their own happily ever after.

Product Link: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/once-marine

Reviewer:   John

Review:  Marc Sullivan is a struggling author who waits tables in order to make ends meet after being a college professor. His passion is writing, not teaching little frat boys. Marc also has a weird fetish and that is men in uniform. Cole Hammond is handsome and the drop-dead gorgeous type of guy. He has recently been discharged from the Marines under the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell scenario. He returns to college to study law, after spending his entire professional life with the persons who turned their backs on him for being gay. He has a homophobic father, financial problems and is on the verge of failing law school. What do these to need? Each other.

I loved Marc. He was the nerdy type of guy who left everything just to do what he loves, writing gay romance novels. He has had it tough, but he keeps fighting and moving on in life. I absolutely loved Cole! He was that amazing and perfect to me. My heart broke after learning about his troublesome past. At first, he seemed dazed, lost and confused with Marc, since everyone had turned his back on him for being gay. But, he proved himself to be a charmer and a sweetheart. I don’t blame him for running away from the fact that he was gay at first and being jumpy about it. When these two let their guards down and let love fill their hearts, I completely fell in love with this story. They grew in each other arms and became one in the process.

I recommend Once a Marine to anyone who is looking for a historical and classical love story between two very diverse characters. I must warn you; this novel will take you through the biggest emotional ride of your life.

A Hard Bargain by Hennessee Andrews

ha-ahardbargain3(1)Title: A Hard Bargain

Series: The Man Love Collection

Author: Hennessee Andrews

Genre: Gay, Western, Cowboys

Length: 121 pages

Publisher: Siren Publishing (January 3rd, 2013)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4-loved it

Blurb:   Three months ago, Cade Lawson was left standing at the altar in front of a packed church of friends and family. His bride admitted to a love affair with his own best man. That scene not only injured him, but propelled him forward to find his happiness on his terms.  Cade uses money set aside for a dream home for his bride to chase the dream of owning a ranch. Little does he know cowboy

Jed McMasters will give him more than he bargained for. The ranch has its perks, one of which changes Cade’s outlook and sexuality.  Jed stirs new emotion and desire Cade had in previous years dismissed as merely curiosity. Cade tries to ignore his attraction, fearful of ruining their business deal. What he doesn’t realize is that Jed is gay and has his sights set on luring him into his bed.  Will he succumb to the passion that Jed creates inside him? Or deny the inevitable?

Product Link:   http://www.bookstrand.com/a-hard-bargain

Reviewer: Patrick

Review: I loved every aspect of this story except one. The characters are wonderful and the story was wonderful. I like the fact that a guy did not just come out then jump into a relationship. Most guys in situations like this freak out and run or at least take time go and think. Thank you for making that real. The only part I did not like about this story was the dirty talk. It seemed stilted and unreal, like the author doesn’t know how to use dirty talk during sexual encounters. This is the only reason I gave the heart rating a 4 instead of a 5. It kind of cooled the libido a little when they were trying to talk dirty and be Dominant. Neither one of them is a Dominant or an Alpha, much less a submissive. Now, however, giving over to each other control is a different matter and they handled that beautifully. I hope a sequel is planned for this book with the same characters, because I will read it!

O Christmas Three by Suzan Butler

o-christmas-three3Title: O Christmas Three

Author: Suzan Butler

Genre: Contemporary, MMF

Length: Novella

Publisher: Soaring Phoenix Press ( November 1st, 2012)

Heat: Explicit

Heart: ♥♥♥3Hearts

Reviewer: Cam

Blurb: Garrett and Brianna Zane have the perfect marriage on the surface. They share everything from love to their wildest sexual desires with ease. So when Brianna confesses she wants a threesome with his best friend Leobardo Vasquez, it awakens feelings Garrett has long tried to forget.

But the smoldering attraction between Leo and Brianna is hard to deny and even harder to dismiss when it’s all he can think about, especially when the three are trapped together in Leo’s cabin during a snowstorm. Seducing Leo will test their relationship, reveal old secrets, and maybe tear them apart. While there may be room for Leo in bed, there may not be room for a third in their marriage.

Purchase Link: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/252915

Review: This plot will appeal to anyone who is a true believer in polyamory. The three characters spend the entire book getting hot with each other within the limitations of two bisexual males and one very hetero female but emotions don’t really get mentioned until the last few chapters. I felt very sorry for Leo. Despite being a likeable character, the impossibly perfect Brianna had set her predatory sights on him and as was mentioned many times – What Bri wants, Bri gets. An utter spoilt bitch in other words.

So the plot was OK even if one of the three characters was despicable (I got the feeling I was supposed to understand her feelings, I didn’t)  The sex was good. No punches pulled even though the way those three were going at it the author must have needed a thesaurus by the end. What ruined the book for me was very bad editing. Points of view were changed with no notice and the number of typos was bad.. With two men involved, I had to keep checking back to see if the “he” referred to was Leo or Garrett because the transition of POV was not clear at all.