Series: Love Has No Boundaries (Goodreads) Author: Hennessee Andrews Genre: Rodeo/Cowboys/Coming Out
Length: Novella (76 pages)
Publisher: Goodreads (June 5th, 2013)
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4Hearts
Blurb: Dear Author, These two guys were childhood friends. They tried to hide their relationship in the rodeo but they got caught, so they ran away. That is when they found the gay rodeo.
Photo Description:
Two men in ball hats, plaid shirts, jeans, and boots sprawl in their seats in a rodeo grandstand. Their heads rest together and their shoulders touch, and the man on the right has his hand around the other man’s thigh. They are clearly friends, probably lovers. At the rail in front of and below them, three cowboys watch the action in the arena.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group’s “Love Has No Boundaries” event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
Review:What’s hotter than cowboys? Two hot rodeo cowboys in love. Even more that they’re team ropers. Left to hide their relationship and live separately after coming out in their small town. When another rodeo cowboy approached them with an amazing offer to work with their gay rodeo team and live on their ranch to train to take nationals, will they be brave enough to leave what’s familiar for what’s true to their souls? To be able to live and love each other in the open doing what they love, rodeo, is it too good to be true? You’ll just have to read and find out how this short, very hot, and sexy romance turns out! Great story.
Blurb: A young vampire learns that being a psychic may be a rarity, but possessing magic abilities as well is truly a game changer.
Eight year fledgling vampire Malachi Faust is living his new life clumsily. He’s thankful to his maker, though he doesn’t know who that is, but he wants to party every night away, not caring about anything in the world—including coven life and other kin.
That is until he meets older vampire Dante, who tells him he’s not only a psychic vampire, requiring sexual energy as well as blood, but he’s also the grandson of a witch. These two gifts make him a wanted man by the most powerful clan leader in the city, who’s set to capture him and introduce him to coven life.
Malachi’s sceptical, though it does somehow explain his strangeness to need sex when he feeds, but he’s also unable to stop from getting caught up in Dante’s promises and passions. In order to survive the coven life, he must follow Dante through a world that he didn’t know existed while fighting his own lustful needs.
Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of violence, one MMM ménage scene and a scene of foreskin play, commonly referred to as ‘cock docking’.
Review: As I finished reading this book, I was left with questions, too many of them. Usually I’m pretty good a seeing the plot when reading a book, but this time I failed to see a point of what was happening for at least half of it and the other half simply made me think that the entire story is pretty much a chaotic jumble of carelessly thrown together thoughts.
Malachi is a new vampire, created and left alone in the world by his sire. He doesn’t mind it though, as he’s having a blast of a time; partying every night, feeding on blood and sex and freedom. However, out of nowhere Dante shows up, with his sophisticated mannerism (I didn’t quite see it) and his charm and offers Malachi himself as a mentor in order to escape people who want him – in not a necessarily good way either – and also offers to tell Malachi about who he is, and what makes him so damn special (I didn’t saw this either).
Now, here come my many, many questions. When Dante showed up Malachi was in the middle of his “hunt.” He had spotted his prey, but Dante prevented him from pursuing it. Nothing odd about this except the fact that that particular prey that was eyeing Malachi and vice versa was Raphael, the leader of the coven that ruled the city aka the guy who has been hunting Malachi down. So… why did Raphael let Malachi go with Dante…?
Moving on Dante and Malachi are trying to escape their pursuers that followed them from the club, because Dante is supposed to do just that, help Malachi escape. Yet, we learn in just a little bit that, Raphael had “hired” Dante to get, seduce, and deliver Malachi to him and along with us that information is passed onto Malachi as well. So… why is Malachi still trusting Dante, and why would Raphael let Dante go from the club with Malachi in first place since Malachi was obviously under Raphael’s thrall to begin with? See nothing so far made sense for me.
Moving on, the guy that finally found and captured them is Xavier, Raphael’s second in command. Later in the story we learn that besides being extremely strong, Xavier has also another powerful ability, that of seduction. And another thing, being the person who commands the troops that deal with rogues and drifters, Xavier is the guy that should be after Malachi in first place. It would be a piece of cake for him to get Malachi “home.”
Other questions that troubled me concern the basic story-line. Why are rogues not allowed to be? Why must everyone belong to a coven? What is the cove’s logic and dynamics? Why did Raphael (since he wanted Malachi so badly) let him go with Aurora? Why, since he forbids Xavier having fun with Malachi, did he allow Dante be with him and in the course of action another new vampire join them two in a sexual game? I mean the leader was scary, but not everybody feared him. In fact, the people defied him more often than I care to count and so on and so on. And what on earth is Malachi’s real power and what does it do? I mean the title says “The Rogue’s Power” but that one thing is left so very vague I’m found it frustrating.
Of course there is the romantic side of the story as well that had lots of staring and not making sense at all. The love thing not only came with a lightning speed, but it came out of nowhere. No reason to love there at all. I still don’t know why, why did Malachi fell in love with Dante? Or how even.
So when a book leaves me with more concerns and questions than happy feelings and entertainment I’m not so fond of it. In this case, I simply didn’t get it. For me this was a badly written book, one I wouldn’t recommend unless you don’t mind the plot and simply want to enjoy the “immortals going at it.”
Blurb: A dozen years, two thousand miles, and a law degree after high school, Rafi Steiner continues to harbor resentment toward Isaac Jones, his childhood bully turned NBA star. When Isaac appears at Rafi’s favorite restaurant acting like a long-lost friend, Rafi bluntly dismisses him.
But Isaac is tenacious and has his heart set on the grown-up version of the boy he always wanted and never forgot. The way Isaac sees it, he, and Rafi are perfect for each other, if only he could sink the most important shot of his life: his one shot at forgiveness.
Review: Rafi suffered years of torment in school. He thought he had put it all behind him until his tormentor boldly walks up to him a restaurant and acts as if they were long-lost friends. Dismissing Isaac from his life is harder than Rafi thought because Isaac blithely blasts through his defenses. Isaac has no intention of letting Rafi ignore him. He knows his behavior in school was wrong, but there was some good as well. Now if he can just get Rafi to forgive him, he could have what he has always dreamed of.
This is a great light read that touches on high-school bullying, seeing things in a different light, forgiveness, and love. Rafi is a wonderful character. Even though he was bullied, he came out the other side determined to never be a doormat. Rafi is so dismissive of Isaac that you can’t help but giggle. His internal dialog was funny and his forgiveness of Isaac wasn’t instant or easily won. Isaac is a character that you want to have harsh feelings for, but the thing is he comes across as cute and sweet. Blithely ignoring the past as best he can, so that he has a chance to win Rafi’s affection.
I really enjoyed this story. The descriptions and scenes had me laughing unexpectedly in places. Rafi is a character that I would love a full-length novel about, he was great. Isaac is brilliant, too, just in a much different way. They were perfect characters together making this a very good story. I loved seeing Isaac remind Rafi of the times that he helped Rafi, of the revelation that Isaac’s behavior hid his real feelings and that Isaac tried so hard to please Rafi. I absolutely loved that Rafi didn’t fall at Isaac’s feet because he was rich and famous, that he didn’t want anything to do with Isaac, and, although he wanted to hold a grudge he still gave Isaac a chance.
I recommend this to those who want a great short read, giggles and laughs, great characters, hot sex, brilliant descriptions and a great forgiveness story.
The German occupation is in full swing. Marcel, a famous singer at Levalle’s, grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, and now leads a complicated life. Juggling his common-law wife and his mistress keeps him as busy as his career. But then disaster strikes. Louis Gérard, the man who discovered him, is murdered, and Levalle’s shuts down. Jobless, Marcel ends his relationship with his wife. He can’t see his mistress because her husband is home on leave. Drunk and disorientated, roaming the streets after curfew, he runs into what could be serious trouble.
Jürgen is a young German lieutenant, a pacifist who secretly hates the Nazis and, just as secretly, has admired Marcel from afar. When he sees Marcel in need, he doesn’t hesitate to take him home.
Despite Marcel’s initial suspicions, he and Jürgen soon form a deep bond as Marcel fights his demons to rebuild his shattered career. All the while, the Liberation approaches, bringing tragedy, and glory in equal measure. Hopeless? Probably. After all, neither of them is supposed to fraternize with the enemy, yet they learn to respect and love each other anyway.
Review: Usually I avoid books that their plot is about WWII. That war has a way of affecting me the wrong way and depressing me for days and even weeks for personal reasons. This one did not fail to somehow transfer that slight melancholy (even though it could do much, much more). It is a story that unfolds in France and has that peculiar French air about it, which is so very different from the British stories about WWII.
I found the setting more or less accurate, but lacking the intense desperation of the time. I found Marcel’s story quite realistic in regard to his French hot-headedness, his crude habits and his cussing mouth. The life he led, the womanizer he was and the way his main “wife” was in their relationship were all quite real when compared with rumors of how many artist of that time were. His obnoxious character I did not mind at all. It was charming in its own way. It was what I was expecting from a French character (yes I know I’m generalizing and stereotyping), but I’ve read similar characters by many French authors that has written WWII books not all of them romances either. So the portrayal of Marcel was something that got into me from start to finish and I loved him for his genuine French temperament. Along with him, I loved Loulou and Connie as well, so very real they both were and made this book more tolerable to read.
However, I felt it lacking emotions. The very fact that the writing was an incredible head-hopping caused this story to lose its brilliancy. But, the fact that the author seemed to avoid dwelling and diving in the intense emotions caused by loss, or killings, and even love, ruined a story that could have swiped me off my feet and kept me in its hook for weeks to come. Here we had a character that suffered from incredible mood swings, going from calm to frantic in the blink of an eye, the narrator giving us a very close view of the events that mood could cause. Yet, when the moment came to capture us all with Marcel’s trying period of realizing he’s falling in love with a man (which was quite a shock for him), that period that should have been full of intensity and turbulence, we never got to experience it because it was simply jumped over and then told how Marcel now felt.
So I feel cheated. Each and every single one of the events that were crucial to the story that should have been traumatizing emotionally to read, the ones that could turn this book into a masterpiece were ripped off and I feel cheated. But, then again, I always expect too much.
It’s a good book though, I do recommend the read. It’s not as heavy as many of the style; it has some really good points in there, some funny ones as well if you have a weird sense of humor like I do. The ending is also great and removes even those slight bittersweet scenes that have the power to make you misty-eyed, transforming them to joy.
Blurb: Dayton Whitmore injures his arm playing basketball with his lion-shifter friends, and his best friend asks Dayton to check on her estranged brother Hart while he’s in Atlanta visiting a specialist. Though Dayton and Hart were never close, he grudgingly agrees.
Banishment from his pride meant Hart Sherman could never see his family again. His liger heritage—a tiger mother and lion father—was a thorn in his alpha father’s side. He always planned to go back for Dayton, the man he knows is his mate, but he uses his career as an entertainment attorney as an excuse to avoid risking Dayton’s rejection. When Dayton shows up unannounced on his doorstep, Hart wants nothing more than to claim him.
Knowing what it means to be a lion’s mate, Dayton isn’t in any hurry to make a lifetime commitment. To convince Dayton he’s serious, Hart must come to terms with the circumstances of his birth—and find a place in the pride for them both.
Review: When Dayton injuries his arm playing basketball, he has to visit a specialist in Atlanta and does a favor for his best friend, Tawny. He visits her estranged brother, Hart. Hart was banished from the pride when he was eighteen. being a Liger and more powerful than the alpha, his father, was a huge mark against him and he was told he could never contact the pack again. Hart always planned to go back for his mate, Drayton, the only human adopted by the pride, when he was settled. But, fear of rejection has him putting it off. When Drayton turns up at his apartment, Hart knows it’s time to claim his mate. But, Drayton isn’t ready for commitment…. And Hart has to confront his father to keep his mate.
This is a great shifter story with just a bit of tension and a touch of angst. Dayton basically grew up within the lion pride. His best friend is Tawny, the alpha’s daughter, and he thinks her brother, Hart, hates him. But, nothing could have been further from the truth. Hart has always known that Dayton is his mate. Even when he is kicked out of the pride, Hart knows he will return for him. When Dayton is injured and has to go to the city, Tawny decides the time has come for her brother to claim her best friend. She thinks Hart is taking too long. He has a great career and a wonderful home and now just needs his mate and Dayton has everything he could want except a man to love.
I liked the characters in this story with Dayton and Hart making a great couple. They have difficulties as Dayton tries to accept that he is Hart’s mate. Especially after the way that Hart always treated him and then again, when he comes face to face with how the pride handles things. Hart’s predicament is one that makes you want to start slapping people. His mother shunned him and his father kicked him out at eighteen, banning him from contact with his sister or with anyone else in the pride. It makes you want to growl.
Although this story is quite good, there wasn’t much background or world building. Sometimes it felt like there should have been just a bit more detail. I would love to know where the hell that thing with Rick came from, that just blindsided me. Some of the secondary characters are wonderful like the boy band, who Drayton helps out, and Maxter J and his troubled times and I would love to see them in future books. Tawny is a great character, too. She is certainly sneaky, but only has the best of interests.
If you love shifters, finding your way relationships, hot sex, tension and conflict, great characters and an interesting storyline then give this story a shot.
Publisher: Loose Id (May 21st, 2013) First published April 9th, 2010)
HeatLevel: Low
HeartRating: ♥♥♥♥3.5 Hearts
Reviewer: Thommie
Blurb: Stefan Sanchez’s number one reason to flee Boerne, Texas twelve years ago, was closeted deputy Chet Blain. Since then he has lived in Los Angeles, become a successful author of children’s books and managed his sexual relationships with a certain cool cynicism.
When Stefan returns to Texas for the funeral of his best friend, Tommy, he is confronted by painful memories: His infamous father, shot as a traitor, his alcoholic mother, and Chet, who seems to want to start their old painful relationship all over again. Added to this is a missing widow, drugs in the trunk of his rental car, and a hunky Secret Service agent who seems determined to make Stefan’s business his business.
It all ends in a mad chase across the infamously haunted Devil’s backbone where ghosts from the past and personal demons in the present all conspire to give Stefan a chance to close the book on his childhood forever… or die trying.
Review: You know what this story reminded me of? The Three Musketeers. Yeah it really did. There were the three guys here with Stef being the reckless one, the one who was sharp and witty and always the cynic. There was Tommy – the dead/murdered friend, who used to be the one to always pursuit justice, and there was Chet, the clean-up-the-mess guy. There was Tommy’s wife Sammy, the one to get em all together, the cool one, the one that never came between friends. And there was definitely the evil/smart villain, who of course is above suspicion and the obligatory conspiracy theory.
That was quite simple really. Stefan having left Texas for twelve years is forced back for his best friend’s funeral. It’s weird because all the way back he was hearing Tommy’s voice in his head, having quite a conversation, and at first I thought he was a bit crazy and had an imaginary friend you know. Only later on at the funeral did I realize that Stef is indeed a bit crazy and has whole conversations in his head.
Anyway, so there he is looking at his best friend’s dead body and it hits him that even as a corpse Tommy looks horrified. The cause of his death doesn’t satisfy Stefan – who always had some sort of an intuition – and he believes that his friend has been murdered. Of course, it helps a bit the fact that he discovers bits and pieces of information written in their secret code language that only he and Tommy perfectly knew and a small portion Tommy’s wife Sammy.
Speaking of Sammy, she’s gone missing in a hurry leaving nothing behind, no trail, no way to get in touch, at least for the simple mortal, because Stefan finds bits of clues from her too and like this starts a kind of a treasure hunt for a runaway bride and truth at the end of the game.
I liked it, a lot. The story was quite engaging, the plot laid in such a way that had you wanting to follow it, wanting to see what’s next and at time making you feel like you figured the bad guy, then doubting yourself and then going back to what you originally thought and then doubting that thought… again. It was quite fun the way it sent you back and forth. The characters involved were numerous and quite literally filled the book.
In the middle of all this was the very weird, very dysfunctional relationship between Stefan and Chet, that started out as friends when they were kids, morphed into secret hooking/lovers later on and ended quite badly causing Stefan to leave Texas to escape the pain. But oddly enough, there was no romance in their “thing,” for it wasn’t even a relationship. It was as if Stefan was a drug Chet couldn’t resist and you have one hell of a nightmare between them. As for Stefan, gosh what a character. His entire personality was so very complex that I don’t know how to feel about it. His life was literally stolen from him and he’d been in a loveless situation his entire life, or that how he felt. Quite the dark emotional drama there, but so skillfully written, so flawed and hurt and stuck in limbo for so long that you can’t help care for this character.
So, concluding my thought on this book, it was a very nice story, with a very nice conspiracy, well-developed characters and a good enough pace to keep you interested through the entire read. The romance was lacking there and the relationship between Stefan and Dale was hazy at best and left quite hanging, but overall a very decent read I don’t hesitate recommending those who like a good suspense/mystery story.
Blurb: Jesse Reagan has had more than his share of tragedy, and he may have been dealt another blow when, once again, cancer threatens the sister who raised him. Faced with the possibility of being left behind, Jesse vows to care for her young son, though he’s not convinced he can.
When Trip Cantrell returns to town, he’s blindsided the instant he’s reunited with his kid brother’s lifelong friend, Jesse. His inability to find happiness in the years he’s been gone, suddenly makes sense. Love’s been waiting at home all along.
Life begins to look promising, except for the fact that neither have come out of the closet publicly, and that’s not even their biggest problem. Someone has a secret so shocking they may never find a way past it.
Will they be accepted in their small Texas town, or will secrets, lies, and the threat of tragedy destroy everything?
Jesse has had a lot thrown at him in his young life, losing both parents, his sisters’ fight with cancer, keeping the business going and helping to raise his nephew and staying hidden deep in the closet. When faced with the cancer attacking again, Jesse vows to his sister to look after his nephew while she fights it. Trip returns to town after discovering that the life he thought he wanted just makes him unhappy. Discovering his newfound attraction to Jesse, the two embark on a secret relationship. But jealousy, lies, and secrecy threaten to tear them apart.
This is quite a good story with the secrets of the past being discovered and threatening to blow a family apart. Jesse has hidden his sexuality from everyone but his sister, Joslyn. Living in a small town, he can’t even tell his best friend, Eric. But, when Trip (Ethan), Eric’s brother, comes back to town, Jesse has a temptation that he just can’t resist. Trip has always hidden his sexuality in the small town, so returning home to his resentful brother he knows that he is going back into the closet again. But, meeting Jesse as a grown-up shakes his resolve. Joslyn has a secret she dare not tell, she has kept it hidden for years, but now it is on the verge of eruption. Eric resents his brother coming home and slotting himself into Eric’s makeshift family, but Eric also knows something he shouldn’t.
I really have mixed feelings about this story because while I thought it was well written and a great storyline, I found it hard to connect to the characters or understand how they could dole out forgiveness so easily. Trip and Jesse dive into a secret relationship headfirst. They are hot together and eventually they settle everything between them. Joslyn was a great sister and a great mother, but not a very nice person at all.
The secret she had would have been taken to the grave if it hadn’t have been discovered by another, and I can’t like a character like that at all. Eric was wrong in his hate and jealousy, but you could understand why he acted the way he did. He felt abandoned by his brother and hoarded the family he created.
Trip never deserved anything that happened and was completely innocent and was so forgiving. you can’t help but love him. Jesse pointed his anger in the wrong places. Just because his sister was ill didn’t justify her actions in any way, shape or form or the fact that Jesse should have been angry with her. I don’t like when someone gets automatic forgiveness, just because they are family or dying.
I recommend this to those who love complicated family drama, finding love close to home, secrets, lies, forgiveness, hot sex, and a happy ending.
Prime’s Review: ♥♥♥3 Hearts
Two small town Texan boys, both have had difficult lives and difficult parents. One has recently returned home. And they’re both buried in the closet, fearful of what could happen to them if they indeed admitted their sexuality. It’s a good story and although I felt empathy, particularly for Jesse, I can’t say that the story immediately dragged me in and had me hooked.
We encounter four main characters, Jesse, who has sacrificed a lot including a social life, for his older sister, Joslyn. Joslyn was seven when their mother left and had since helped their overworked father raise Jesse before their father had a stroke and subsequently died. On the heels of that, Joslyn, who was in her senior year of high school, later became pregnant. A couple of years after that, she got cancer.
The story picks up four years after that diagnosis with the possibility that it had returned and besides Jesse, she only has her son, Jeremy. Then there is Eric Cantrell, he’s Jesse’s best friend despite the fact he has kind of left Jesse behind since Jesse has responsibilities. Eric is a ne’er do well type of character, always sleeping with a different woman and always on a bender on either drinks or smokes.
Although, through all this, he has dependable Jesse and Jesse seems to have to hots for his very straight friend. His older brother, Ethan (aka Trip), has been away for about five years. He went off the college and has returned to his small town home after realising, that he hated the profession he had chosen to enter.
So Ethan’s back and he sets his sights directly on Jesse. However, between the four of them, there are a number of secrets and lies whizzing about, the biggest one of course being that Ethan and Jesse are gay and together.
I know there’s a lot going on and that was just the introduction.
The story ran flat to me, though well paced. I really don’t hate it and I don’t find it boring, it just seems to lack that particular bit of spark that draws me into romance stories. I think the problem is that there is too much drama, secrecy and lies going on and there wasn’t enough time for everything to evolve. It sounds contradictory to what we expect as readers in terms of entertainment value, and while Jesse and Ethan’s love story seems more realistic to those of us in the real world,
I’m pretty sure all the intrigue was giving me a migraine. There was some level of sweetness to the story and lots of sadness, as well as seeing the chain of repercussions from stupid decisions made in the heat of the moment by immature teens. At times, it was even thought-provoking.
Still I find it hard to go beyond liking it.
Another problem, while I like Jesse and his sister, Joslyn, I wasn’t too impressed with Ethan and his little brother/Jesse’s BFF, Eric. Meanwhile, at the same time, Joslyn was the most judgmental character and contradicted herself with a whopping secret of her own.
Eric was really a questionable character to me, he seems a little unhinged at times and in serious need of an intervention. He seems angry for all the wrong reasons and I’m not sure if he likes Joslyn or Jesse. At first, I found it difficult to like Ethan, but he eventually came into his own and ended out to be a very likable guy.
Then again, half the time it seems that Ethan is the one being screwed over by everyone else and I feel really sorry for the guy. While it’s Jesse that’s angry when everything goes down a certain creek, I think that Ethan had rights to feeling more anger. Thankfully, despite the sadness and secrets and lies, there is a happily ever after.
I get the feeling that this book more than most is a bit hit and miss as to whether people love it or hate it. It’s going to appeal to those that like the small town, closet storyline – there’s even a touch of coming of age in it. It’s also good for people who love over the top drama, almost like a soap opera. In the end, it’s a web of the four interconnected lives and complex in places.
Blurb: Vault for the gold or fall in love? What about both?
Dylan Parker wants nothing more than to win the gold. He’s worked on his vaults long and hard to be the best. And he is…until the best, Aiden Conrad, shows up at his gym. What’s a guy to do when the object of his affection also happens to be his stiffest competition?
Aiden’s no slouch when it comes to competition. He’s got more than a couple of medals under his belt, but finding love? That’s his one weakness. When he meets Dylan, all bets are off. Dylan might be damn good on the vault, but is he just as good in bed? Aiden’s next goal? Dylan.
Can these two hard-headed men find common ground and passion in each other’s arms or are they destined to fail in the biggest competition of all—the game of love?
Reader Advisory: This book contains lots of gymnastics fun, voyeurism, and hot sex in the locker room.
Review: I didn’t like this book for too many reasons. First of the blurb is in white contrast from the story itself. There is no competition between Dylan and Aiden at all. As a matter of fact, the story starts with Aiden approaching Dylan and telling him he’s thinking of joining their gym because he wants to be Dylan’s teammate. And Dylan always had admiration for Aiden because he is one of the best out there. Again no competition there at all, only instant lust and in the span of a month – that we didn’t witness- both of them have reached the point of deep feelings for each other even if no move has been made yet.
And that takes me to the pace and time frame for this book. The pace seems too frantic, the events between the pair happened in lighting speed, the time frame was hazy at best. There was no depth to the story; you couldn’t see the built of their friendship, partnership, and relationship. Thus, you couldn’t connect with either character that by the way was completely flat. Beside some “hurtful” past events in Dylan’s past we didn’t get much on their personality, who were they and so on.
Moving on, there was the issue of chemistry and the old classic telling that made it hard to feel them two. Both characters shared similar emotions. Both wanted each other, both were scared of their feelings, and both shared the same thoughts even. Between that and their intimate scenes that were as bland as they come, it felt as if I was reading a bad copy/paste over and over again. A big, big thing I disliked was the comparison of a certain sexual stance with submission and since the story had no kinky side in there, I couldn’t quite understand it why would that even be mentioned. And really, when too people like to have rough sex it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are possessive, I don’t get what one has to do with the other.
The plot was also a big reason I didn’t like this book. It was irrational in so many ways. At times, I felt like there had been more there, but was crudely cropped, chopped, and deleted so I was left with a text that jumped and leaped and the meaning didn’t fit. The dialogues made no sense and were often a contradiction of previous dialogues between the guys, adding to the feeling that there was a story behind the line that I’d somehow missed.
Speaking of irrational, the villain of this story (because every story needs a psychopath) made no sense at all to me. He wanted Aiden so he harassed Dylan – so far so good- but later on, he wanted Aiden so he beats the heck out of him sending him in the hospital… I suppose the author needed Aiden in the hospital so badly so that Dylan would have that kind of déjà vu, that the rationale behind it didn’t really matter. And dear me, a guy is in the ER badly injured, his mother and friend (because no one knew Dylan was the boyfriend in that damn hospital) go to check on him and visit, and the nurse said “Ten minutes then you’ll switch. Once we get him in a room, you’ll be able to stay longer. No monkey business.” I’m still rolling this over and over in my head to try to make some sense from it. The guy is barely conscious, badly hurt, friends and family are distressed and in agony to see he’ll be all right, what monkey business would there be for crying out loud?
So no, I didn’t like this one and I can’t recommend it.
Blurb:A handsome Bollywood actor must choose between his career and a rugged cricket player from his past, who he’s fallen in love with…again.
Rajan Malik has the world of Bollywood in the palm of his hand…a beautiful girlfriend, starring roles, adoring fans…He should be happy, but behind the façade lies a man conflicted and exhausted by the pressure placed on him by his ill mother, his agent and society. His life is not his own, and all he wants to do is escape.
Indian Premier League cricketer Ajay Singh can’t believe how bad his university roommate Rajan looks when he spots his picture in the paper. They had parted on bad terms. Still, he’s moved to offer Rajan his support by renewing their friendship.
But friendship was not all they shared back then. Though Ajay is out, Rajan isn’t willing to give up his carefully cultivated Bollywood image to be with him publicly. And with very little privacy, it won’t take long for someone to find out they are more than friends.
Their renewed secret affair is fraught with difficulties as they deal with the death of Rajan’s mother, the secret of Rajan’s till-now absent father, a jealous friend, intrusive social media, and threatening notes from someone who seems to know all about their private lives.
It’s a bit of a sticky wicket they find themselves in. Will it be too late when both men finally realise that they’ll need to compromise, or stand to lose everything?
Review: Rajan is a Bollywood star living the life that his mother created for him, starring roles, beautiful girlfriend, and fame. But the life is starting to tear him apart, having to suppress his natural desires to please all those around him. Getting a surprise phone call from his old concerned friend Rajan remembers a time when he was happy and in love. Ajay doesn’t know what Raja’s reaction will be to his offer of a place of sanctuary, they didn’t part on the best of terms and now Ajay is an openly gay cricketer and has no plans to go back in the closet. Rekindling their romance is risky but neither man can resist, Rajan begins to get anonymous phone calls and notes, his mother is dying and trying to force him into an engagement. Ajay feels like he has been shoved back into closet having to hide his relationship with Rajan, while Rajan parades around the girlfriend. Can the men find a compromise before it’s too late?
This was quite a good Bollywood dilemma story that is an easy read. Rajan is very easily pressured, he did want to be a teacher, but when his mother heard how close he was to a friend he was quickly whisked home to be molded into the perfect Bollywood star, since then his mother, agent and girlfriend have control of his life and it is wearing him down. Ajay has stood on his own and made his own decisions, he is openly gay and a star cricketer. Offering Rajan a retreat from the high-pressure world might be a mistake but even after all these years he still cares deeply for the actor.
Ajay has a confidence in himself that is impressive and having Rajan again is all he wants, but accepting the restrictions are hard when all he wants is to love Rajan. Rajan is easily controlled by other people, especially his mother, but soon he will have to make his own choices if he wants to hold onto his love. I liked both Ajay and Rajan and enjoyed watching as they maneuvered into a relationship that they could both work with. the hot sex that is never a problem. The conflict that Rajan faces and the patience that Ajay has to dig deep for, and finally a compromise that works for both of them.
I was also surprised that the story was more focused on Rajan rather than Ajay and that was because of the series name, it was quite disappointing because I was looking forward to seeing what the authors could come up with for a cricketer but it was all about the Bollywood stars problems. I was very disappointed with the storyline. Especially seeing as it reminded me very strongly of another Bollywood story released over a year ago. Change the cricketers for bodyguards and yeah, very similar storyline.
I will recommend this to those who love closeted actors, hot cricketers, tension, forgiveness, hot sex and a great happy ending.
Blurb: Hal went looking for a wild weekend, and found more wild than he could ever have hoped for.
Hal’s world has been in a tailspin since he wrote a book exposing police corruption. Seeking respite and distraction, he heads off for a wild weekend in Brighton, hoping for hot guys, loud music and lots of booze. What he gets instead is a near-naked man mountain, bruised, bleeding and suffering from temporary memory loss.
Hal isn’t ready for the news that Luke is a werewolf, and even less prepared for Luke’s declaration that Hal is his life mate. But he can’t seem to walk away when Luke is obviously in trouble, and there is no denying the searing heat that is between them.
The more time they spend together the deeper their connection becomes, until Hal starts to wonder about the whole ‘mate’ thing.
However, there is a cloud of danger hanging over Luke’s head that could destroy everything they have the potential to become…the men who abducted and tortured Luke still have him in their sights.
Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of moderate violence.
Review: You go on a wild weekend only to fall asleep most of it… No this won’t do.
You go on a wild weekend, you fall asleep most of it, but you end up saving a hunk of a man… Hmm, better still something’s missing. Oh how about…
You go on a wild weekend to get away from your crazy life, only to end up saving you soul mate, while crazy becomes a constant in your life.
Yes, Hal’s life has become wild all right; reporters and paparazzi hunting him down and attributing every little thing to his book that brought down an entire carter of corrupt cops. He’s a journalist for crying outloud, and he can’t seem to get away from his fellow “colleagues.” In a last attempt to make them see there’s no more story coming from him he goes on a weekend for a break only to find a nearly dying man on a remote country road on his way back.
And it was beautiful how Hal and Luke meet. It was refreshing seeing “mates” not fall instantly in love within the blink of an eye. Oh the passion and the craving were there all right, disguisable and fierce, but the circumstances didn’t allow for that sappy you’re-my-mate notion on first sight that we are accustomed to. Instead, the author focused on the danger that Luke had just escaped and the possessiveness that hit Hal in a steady build.
Luke had been abducted and drugged to the point he had no memory of what happened to him. He was nearly falling unconscious with exhaustion when Hal found him and he’d been brutally abused. While trying to get him into a hospital, talking with cops, and finding Luke is a werewolf, Hal feels reluctant to let go of the gorgeous man Fate seemed to drop onto his arms. He feels a responsibility to protect him and take care of him that run deep in a much more personal level he would have thought and while he’s shocked with his reactions he can’t seem to find it in him to leave Luke alone in his house, still vulnerable not yet fully healed after the hospital. But being a werewolf Luke’s body rejects the drugs fast, his muted instincts come forward full force and the next morning finds him on his feet, ferocious almost in his belief that he has finally found his mate.
It seems like just another shifter story, yet it’s not. The world it’s build is aware of shifters and just like with everything else the knowledge of their existence has caused from panic to emotions of hatred in the population. Several groups had taken on them to clean the world from their wicked existence and had been hunting them down, forcing the werewolves to hide back. Yet the evil and prejudice never stop and in there this story lives and breathes.
The plot is very engaging, the violence that rules people’s heart is well described and that makes for some gruesome scenes that gives quite an edge to the story and make it somehow fascinating. On the other hand, we have the romantic part that I absolutely loved. While based on the very non-escapable Fate, Luke’s and Hal’s love slowly grows. Luke has surrendered to it being a shifter and knowing bone deep that this is that forever relationship, Hal as a human puts a certain resistance that did not seem fake in the course of the story. His brain after all can’t accept such things that easily, but his heart and instincts all scream for him to let go, which he does in the most unconscious way, freely admitting to it when death hits their door. The need to acknowledge and protect each other undeniable.
I also adore their loving scenes. They were absolutely brilliant with the visceral passion and eroticism of such relationship all there for me to taste and breathe. The balance between carnal and romance was beautifully accomplished and when Luke used the term “ my Hal” it was as if I could hear all the pent-up longing and desperation he had for a family, for someone he can call his own, for finally filling that emptiness and not being alone anymore. (Heh, am I a sap or what?)
In the end, this was a most satisfying story I enjoyed very, very much. One I would love to see a sequel of, as there were plenty characters and possibilities for follow-ups. Totally recommended.
Publisher: Harmony Ink *Dreamspinner Press (Published June 6th 2013)
Heat Level: Moderate to Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4Hearts
Blurb: Part One: The Throwaway Boy
As the country’s religious and secular leaders battle over equality in the abstract, Brian McAllister and Jamie Mayfield live in the crossfire. In their little town of Crayford, Alabama, loving another boy is the worst kind of sin. Best friends since childhood, they explore their love and each other in Jamie’s backyard tree house as they hide from the world. They happily plan for the future together—until their lives are rocked when their secret is exposed and Jamie’s family intervenes.
When hatred turns to violence in their sleepy little town, Brian tries to cope with the loss of his best friend, who is stolen in the night. In desperation, he turns to Adam, a new friend with a shared pain. Can Adam fill the hole left by Jamie’s absence? The answer will change everything.
Adapted from the award-winning Little Boy Lost series by J. P. Barnaby.
Review: Brian and Jamie have been best friends since they were children. Brian is a foster child that has been in and out of several horrible foster homes until he was placed with the Schrieber’s when he was 11 years old. He and Jamie have been best friends since that day. Over time, friendship has grown into stronger feelings of desire and love, but neither boy has told the other. Until one day in their shared tree house, Jamie throws caution to the wind and kisses Brian.
This isn’t an insta love relationship, these two young men now 17 years old have been falling in love for close to 6 years. Due to their strict religious families, they haven’t shared their feelings for fear of rejection and hatred. When they finally open up and are honest with each other about how they feel, it is beautiful and touching. It’s what comes after that will break your fucking heart!
This was a hard book to read, I must warn you. The story of Brian and Jaime is beautiful, endearing, emotional, and tragic. Mayfield wrote a prolific story of the reality that is growing up gay in a small town with narrow-minded people. I mean, Brian isn’t even safe at school! I have to wonder how much of this book is reality since the author gave a main character his name.
This really is a powerful read that shows what some young gay men have to endure for being who they are. Brian is ostracized for being gay, and not only is he bullied and ultimately critically injured at school by his peers, but the adults gang up on him. I was floored by the reaction and treatment this young man received at the hands of the very people who are supposed to protect him. His foster parents, local martial arts teacher, and a fellow gay teacher are his only allies. When Jamie’s parents find out the truth behind the relationship between them they force Jamie out of Brian’s life and eventually place him in one of those “we cure the gay” programs that I think should all be blown off the map!
There is a positive in this story as well thankfully. Watching Jamie and Brian grow closer in the beginning and ultimately loving each other completely was my favorite part. Mayfield captured the true pain and pleasure of their first sexual encounter flawlessly. After Brian was hurt he was very bitter and withdrawn, rightfully so, but he came through it and learned how to protect himself in the end. I loved the addition of Adam and how he feels the same way about Brian that Brian feels about Jamie. I can’t wait for the next book to see how the trifecta that is Brian, Jamie and Adam plays out.
If you are looking for a fluffy young love story, pass on this one. If you are looking for a reality based love story where heroes’s have to fight not only to be together, but also to be true to themselves, grab it NOW! As hard as it was to read at times, I still loved this book overall and highly recommend.
Blurb: When Charlie Michaelson stumbled onto the pack as a teenager, Alpha Perry Wyndham was overjoyed to realize the young wolf-shifter would one day be his mate. Then Charlie vanished just before his 18th birthday, the age at which he could have been claimed.
Now, three years later, Charlie has finally been found, but he is starved, broken, and not expected to last the night.
As Charlie begins to recover, things become known that will change the lives of the entire pack forever. As the full story unfolds, a deeper wedge is driven between him and his mate, leaving both men feeling rejected and alone. Charlie is devastated to feel Perry backing away, and Perry cannot hope Charlie will still want him after all the young shifter has suffered through.
Will they be able to find their way through the misunderstandings and the shadows of the past to finally claim each other?
Review: Perry discovered his mate Charlie but had to wait just a bit longer to be able to claim him, Charlie wasn’t yet eighteen, but then Charlie disappeared with no clue as to where he went. Three years later Charlie turns up on Perry’s doorstep starved, broken, injured and not expected to live the night. Charlie has longed for his mate for the last three years, thinking of Perry is all that kept him going, but now physically recovered Perry seems to want nothing to do with him. Perry is sure that after everything that Charlie has gone through the last thing he needs is a horny mate intent on claiming him, so Perry focuses on finding out where Charlie has been. But, as plans are made, the distance between Perry and Charlie grows, can either man just talk to the other before it is too late.
This is a great first published work from new author Violet Joicey-Cowen. Charlie and Perry are both great characters, they just don’t talk to each other and both jump to conclusions due to body language. Perry is the typical Alpha, he wants to look after his pack and his mate, but instead of talking and including his mate, he just presumes he knows what his mate needs. Charlie is still a young wolf and because of the distance, that Perry holds himself at he thinks Perry doesn’t want him anymore, but Charlie doesn’t confront him or ask him about it. Both shifters think they know what is going on with the other, but they are both far from the truth.
Now let’s get on to the rest of the storyline, Charlie’s disappearance, this bit was good but leaves us with unanswered questions. When we discover what happened to Charlie we are horrified especially when we discover there are many more who are in Charlie’s former position, now the way that Perry handled it was brilliant, even as we wish he would open up to Charlie more. The execution of the plan was nicely carried out and the sympathy and heartache flowed smoothly for the poor paranormals that were held, everything that was described and how the scenes played out were nearly perfect and this is where our unanswered questions come from.
I can’t help but wonder what happened to the guards? What about the faculty they were held at? Are they going to do anything about Michaelson? And what about Charlie’s mother? Why isn’t Charlie in the least bit concerned about her? These are just some of the questions that were rolling around in my head by the time I finished the book. Charlie’s and Perry’s relationship is strained for a lot of the book and it isn’t until near the end that they finally talk and straighten the misunderstandings out, they are hot together and they make a good couple.
I recommend this if you love shifters, uncommunicative wolves, a brilliant rescue, a hot claiming, great characters and a very happy ending.
Series: Previously published short story City of Gold, 2011 Dreamspinner Press Author: L.J. LaBarthe Genre: Historical Romance, 1311 Silk Road
Length: Novel (350 pages)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥3Hearts
Blurb: 1131, The Silk Road . Gallienus of Constantinople, a scarred soldier who used to work the city gates, enters a new phase of his life when he meets and falls in love with Misahuen of Gyeongju. But prejudice of same-sex relationships dominates Byzantine society, and both the Emperor and the Church denounce such love. Should Misahuen and Gallienus be discovered, the punishment is castration or death. Fearing he’ll lose Misahuen, Gallienus decides to go with Misahuen when he leaves the city forever.
A former farmer, Misahuen fled war-torn Korea and journeyed to Constantinople with a merchant caravan. He didn’t expect to take such an interest in a wounded soldier at journey’s end. But he understands the danger, so he and Gallienus join another caravan as guardsmen and begin a two-thousand-mile trip along the Silk Road. Now all they have to do is persevere to their final destination without the truth of their relationship being discovered and being killed because of it… or by the other dangers along the Road.
Review: A lengthy love story about a refugee of war-torn Gyeongju (Korea) Misahauen; and wounded soldier Gillienus of Istanbul (Constantinople). As the two men meet and fall in love in a city that is not accepted of gay lovers, they decide not to risk death or dismemberment by the Empire if their forbidden love is discovered, instead joining a caravan traveling with a wealthy merchant and his family in 1131, along the Silk Roads to China. Misahauen and Gillienus hope make a home for themselves in a more understanding land among an accepting culture. The story seemed slow going and repetitive at first but then I quickly drew a parallel to what life must have been like traveling for an entire year by caravan. Moving at a slow pace, making camp, selling wares and packing camp on a nearly daily basis. That life must have been very repetitive and the time seemingly long while on the road. So I developed more patience and explored along with Misahuan and Gillienus as they traveled these trading routes to the east, city by city, discovering differences in food, craft, religion and other cultural practices along the way. This story is a historical novel set during the Byzantine Empire along the trade routes between Constantinople, the City of Gold and Shoaxing , the City of Jade, China; cutting through the holy lands along the way. If you are a history buff or art history buff and have a curiosity about the middle and far eastern cultures, you will enjoy this story. The journey is long, full of obstacles, but I felt I’d bonded with the main characters along the way and was sure cheering for their much-deserved HEA by the end.
Blurb: Zygi Wyatt is an intimidating Dom, but he yearns for love just like the next man. However, finding a partner who isn’t scared of his size is no easy task. The easygoing Mo seems like the answer to his prayers.
Love is the stuff of dreams. Ask the god Morpheus—he knows all about it. Mo wants Zygi in a forever kind of way, but he has to be sure of Zygi’s love before he claims him for his mate and reveals his true self.
Unfortunately, Zeus is growing increasingly unhappy with Morpheus, and Ares is determined to throw a monkey wrench into everything. Zygi and Mo will have to brave the wrath of the gods to make their dreams come true.
Review:This story is part of a series and is best read in order. Zygi is a Dom and he has his eye on sexy shy man Mo, Mo seems interested and Zygi can’t wait to have him bound to his bed, but something isn’t quite right and there is a overheard conversation lurking in the back of Zygi’s mind. Mo wants nothing more than to claim his mate Zygi, but first Mo has to come clean as to who he really is and with Zeus and Ares, interfering it isn’t easy.
This story is a great ending to The Gods series. We get to see Zygi and Mo start a tentative relationship, moving slowly before interference causes them problems. Mo is an absolute sweetheart, he’s shy and quiet and although he knows what he wants, he is nervous about asking for it. Zygi is a man used to total control and recognizes a submissive at first glance, Mo is definitely submissive, and Zygi wants Mo to be his. Mo has his secrets though and no matter how much he wants to confess them, he is scared of what Zygi’s reaction will be. Zygi doesn’t know if he will be able to forgive the loss of control but Zygi is made to face what he was being protected form.
Hmmm BDSM woven together with an innocent God and an interesting storyline, what more could a kinky gal ask for? I really liked this storyline, the characters, Mo and Zygi were perfect together, and it was beautiful to see Zygi drawing Mo out, guiding him through the first stages of BDSM and giving Mo confidence. Mo brought out the Dom in Zygi very easily and reacted to the Dom sweetly and sexily. There is some tension and angst when Zygi discovers the truth and Zeus has to have words with him to get him to admit the truth of his own reaction. The story is well written and we see all the guys from the previous books. There was one part of the story that caused me to nearly die, Mo gets the ultimate revenge on Ares and it was so unexpected and funny that I sprayed tea everywhere, snorted it out of my nose and choked as I inhaled it… I have so got to stop drinking tea when I read.
I recommend this to those who love Gods and BDSM, hot sex, plenty of horny foreplay, great characters and a very happy ending.
Blurb: The Brothers Grime is Jack Masterson’s way of helping people in crisis after disability ends his career as a firefighter. Jack’s people get to a scene long after the physical trauma ends. They don’t solve crime or rescue the victims. They help people move on. The new job is all Jack wants or needs, until he gets the call about old flame Nick Foasberg’s suicide.
Ryan Halloran’s cousin Nick has been on a downhill slide for a long time. Despite that, Ryan does everything he knows to help. Ryan only understands part of what happened between Nick and Jack in high school, but after Nick’s suicide, Ryan agrees both he and Jack need closure. They work together to clean the scene and despite the situation, heat flares between them.
Jack is keeping a painful secret and fighting his attraction to Nick’s lookalike cousin, Ryan. Ryan calls himself a magnet for lost causes and worries Jack might be the next in a long line of losers. Despite his misgivings, despite the past and the mistakes they’ve both made, Jack gives Ryan something to look forward to, and Ryan gives Jack a reason to stop looking back, in Grime And Punishment.
Review: When Jack’s career as a firefighter comes to a crashing halt, he makes a new career as a crime scene clean-up technician, he might not be in the thick of the action helping people anymore, but he can still help the victims after the event. When he hears that his ex-lover Nick committed suicide he offers his services to Nick’s cousin Ryan, but it is a way for Jack to put his ghosts behind him. Ryan was trying to give his down on his luck cousin a hand and took him in, now he is facing the devastating clean up of his suicide, being a nurse doesn’t prepare him for clean up after a loved one and Ryan is grateful for Jack’s help. Ryan thought he knew what had happened between Nick and Jack all those years before, and has no qualms of embarking on a hopeful relationship. Jack’s secret comes out and Ryan doesn’t know how to handle it, Jack doesn’t want to look to the past anymore and Ryan doesn’t want to harbor any more lost causes. Can the two men help each other look forward or will they always look to the past.
This is a great book that takes you to the grim side of life, to the people left behind by tragedy and the mess that is left to clear up. When Ryan and Jack meet the ice quickly thaws between them, Ryan remembers what his cousin, Nick, did to Jack although he doesn’t know the whole story. Jack and Ryan act on their attraction but then Jack is left wondering if he should confess what his real relationship with Nick was, his friends warn him again and again to come clean or to leave Ryan alone. Both Ryan and Jack have to face how Nick has affected them and Ryan has to work out how he feels about the truth.
I enjoyed this story with its crime scene clean-up theme, I liked it for showing such a strong character as Jack, and I liked it for the conflicted emotions it shows. Ryan is just a typical character who is working through a loss; his getting together with Jack doesn’t faze him until he learns the truth from a third-party. Jack doesn’t want to tell another person’s secret, but it is more his secret as well, does he really want to admit that he was hoodwinked and used for years before being betrayed to Ryan or anyone else? No, he would rather protect his heart by placing it in a steel box, encasing it in concrete, and then wrapping it in razor wire.
The storyline is good and the characters are interesting, the romance is rocky because Jack doesn’t come clean but the sex fantastic. I was a bit unsure at first about this story because Jack had an arrangement with his friend, the closeted detective Dave, that was friends with benefits and at times Dave seems to care more than you would expect, but we discover that what Nick did all those years ago scarred more than just Jack. I also found that while Jack thought he was being loyal to his first love he was, in reality, still hiding the truth from himself, facing the truth is hard but letting Nick get away with what he did and not enacting on a little revenge by yelling the truth from the rooftops is just hard to fathom.
So I will recommend this to those that love budding romances, secrets emerging, great supportive family and friends, hot sex and a happy ending.
Blurb: Love is a powerful force. Unparalleled, unpredictable and often unforeseen. Yet it can surface in the most dangerous of situations. Suffocation, mutilation and dismemberment aren’t the normal outside influences that bring two people together, but inside the newly refurbished Alcatraz Prison, anything can happen.
As inmates begin dying in shocking and sometimes gruesome ways, the deaths prompt Warden Jensen Black to bring in sexy parapsychologist, Brian Phipps. With the help of Brian, Jensen hopes to get to the bottom of what is killing the men he is responsible for. But what he didn’t count on is falling—and falling hard—for the smaller man with the heart of a lion. The question is: will their love survive against the ghosts of Alcatraz?
This book was previously published by Loose Id (2009) and Silver Publishing (2011)
Review:The setting for this book is 2020. Jensen Black is the Warden at the recently reopened Alcatraz, but the prison is plagued with unexplained deaths, seventeen in as many weeks. Jensen calls in parapsychologist Brian Phipps to pin down what is causing the deaths and is surprised at the sexy man he meets. Brian is called in to investigate some gruesome unexplained deaths at Alcatraz, meeting the sexy Warden is a nice surprise and they quickly fall for each other, but malevolent spirits have other plans.
This is a great paranormal story but sadly lacks in the romance stakes. Jensen has been plagued with horrific deaths at Alcatraz, but the deaths are even worse because of their unexplained nature. That’s where Brian comes in; Brian is a parapsychologist who discovers that Alcatraz is haunted by more than just one evil spirit. Jensen and Brian have an instant attraction and they waste no time acting on it and they rapidly fall for each other. Laying the spirits to rest is harder than Brian hoped for and Brian and Jensen uncover a terrible secret that is over fifty years old, both men along with Jensen’s friend Fisher have to risk their lives laying old ghosts to rest.
The paranormal aspect of this story is brilliant. The reopening of the world’s most notorious prison and its subsequent horrific hauntings is awesome, the mystery and secrets that have been hidden for so long is a brilliant twist, and two men finding love during the stressful dangerous time is great. The murders are gruesome and chilling, more so because of the circumstances surrounding them, the long forgotten secret is one that surprises and I have to say brilliantly thought of.
The one thing that let this story down was the rushed relationship between Brian and Jensen, they are hot together, they seem a great match but they fall in love much too quickly. Within a very short space of time, when they don’t really know each other and in a very high-tension time, they declare their love for each other and it was just wrong. It felt rushed and it was dissatisfying. If we had seen them, together when they weren’t in danger or in a hospital bed, but in a more natural setting then it might have worked better.
I recommend this is you love horrific hauntings, evil spirits, a secret that is over fifty years old, hot men, hot sex, a great story line and a happy ending.
Author: C.C. Williams, Kayla Jameth, Tilly Hunter, Julian Siminski, Stevie Woods, Jeff Mann, Kenzi Mathews, James Thorpby, K. Vale, Michael Roberts, Salome Wilde, Steve Rudd, Barry Brennessel, Richard May, Landon Dixon, Rob Rosen
Genre: Historical, Erotica, Anthology
Length: 77, 000 words
Publisher: MLR Press (February 22nd, 2013)
Heart: ♥♥♥♥4.5Hearts
Heat: explicit- overall though a few have little or no sex.
Blurb:History and fiction meet at the crossroads in these erotic tales of love and lust. From ancient Israel and Greece and Rome, to the time of the Vikings, the Wild West, Woodstock, and all points in between, witness the steamy encounters, lurid battles, raucous clashes, and tender moments of couples who span the centuries. Get swept up in the lives of the biblical David, Emperor Hadrian, barbarians from Britannia, a 19th Century physician, Jewish immigrants, cowboys World War I soldiers, hippies, and so many more, all in search of adventure, passion, and, yes, even fame.
Recommendation: I highly recommend this to anyone that likes Anthologies, stories that date back in time, Vikings, Warriors, Civil war, Cowboys, Indians, time travel, friends to lovers, Sad stories, true love, and much, much, more.
Review: Overall. This is a fabulous mix of stories ranging in heat levels and genres. Plenty to choose from, but I suggest you read them all. Here are my individual reviews for each story.
1000 B.C. by C.C. WILLIAMS
David is a Shepard and loves playing his Lyre. He is summoned to go play for King Saul. When he goes, he meets Jonathan King Saul’s son and a great warrior. He will do anything for Jonathan even risk his life to fight a giant named Goliath.
I found this a very sweet and sexy take on the biblical story of David and Goliath. It was interesting, sweet, and loving. ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts
496 B.C. by Kayla Jameth
Galen was Alexio’s slave and lover. Alexio freed Galen so other kings couldn’t order him to pleasure them. Alexio loved Galen and wanted him for himself. Alexio was put under tutorship to King Lyko’s and King Lykos had designs on Alexio. Galen was jealous though Alexio said his heart was only for him. Galen’s jealousy gets him into a lot of trouble since the other men do not respect him though he is no longer a slave.
I liked this story a lot. It showed hints of a love triangle, but nothing really happened threesome wise. More of one of the men was just a voyeur. This was a sweet and sexy story. ♥♥♥♥4 Hearts
27 A.D by Tilly Hunter
Lucius was defeated and captured by Barbarian Finian. Lucias likes the rough treatment and finds himself wanting Finian’s humiliation and more. Finian is very rough on Lucias.
I found this story very intriguing if a bit hard to read. The rough treatment was tough but it was sexy in its own way. If you like rough and not loving BDSM this one is for you ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts
130 A.D. By Julian Siminski
Antinous is Hadrian’s servant and lover. He is turning twenty and no longer a boy. Antinous fears he will be cast aside since men are not allowed to serve. Sabina Hadrian’s wife is jealous of Antinous and cuts his hair showing he is now a man. Hadrian and Antinous are both very upset. They visit the Oracles and each of the three gets their futures. Antinous sacrifices himself for Hadrian.
I loved this. It was absolutely beautiful. I loved the way it showed Antinous ’love and passion for Hadrian and how they came to be together. I loved the way Hadrian fights for Antinous and the end is so sweet and sad. You definitely need a box of tissues for this! ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts
794 A.D by Stevie Woods
Aland and Garrick had been friends since boys. They also have been lovers but must keep this secret. It is highly looked down upon for two men to be lovers. They go on a battle together and were very worried for each other. After the battle, they return to Garrick’s and make love. Garrick knows that Aland must take a wife and Aland Knows Garrick needs one to help him on his land. Though the two men know, they shall always love one another.
I loved this story it was sexy and sweet. It shows that sometimes though love is hard it does overcome all obstacles. My heart went out to the two that they could never show their love publicly yet would always find a way. ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts
1066 A.D by Jeff Mann
Thorir is a Viking. He and Eirik are lovers in a time and among men, this is just not heard of so they must keep their secret. Thorir goes to visit Eirik to spend time before their next trip to plunder and raid a village. Their families think they are hunting.
This story was very good. I loved it. There are many twists and surprises. It’s extremely hot but I warn you the sex is very brutal. This is a good rough and tumble BDSM story and be sure to have your box of tissues. ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts
1576 A.D by Kenzie Mathews
Cesare is a very spoiled rich boy. His father has a close relationship with Jewish family the Montefiore as there accountants. Cesare has seen a mistake in the books and knows the Montefiore’s have been stealing form them. He also has designs on his personal advisor Tuviya. He spots Tuviya with a servant girl laughing and it makes him jealous so he grabs Tuviya and tells him he knows his father has been stealing form his father. He gets rough with Tuviya.
I liked this story. It is a bit rough the way Cesare handles Tuviya and could almost be considered rape. Though Tuviya is confused by the rough treatment he also finds he doesn’t really want the debt settled and be discharged from Cesare’s services. This story is rough and nothing sweet at all about it but it shows that sometimes love isn’t always sunshine and sugar. It’s much deeper. ♥♥♥♥4 Hearts
1822 A.D by James Thorpby
Charles is a doctor to the King and is very glad the king is leaving the next day so he can get some rest. He has a thing for Mosby one of the servants and that is the one thing he doesn’t want to see leave.
This one is very hot and sexy. I loved the story how both men have such feelings and was glad for a sweet story to break up some of the macabre ones, though the sex here is pretty rough and tumble yet loving also. ♥♥♥♥4 Hearts
1865 A.D by K. Vale
Ben and Ammon have to keep their love for each other a secret from the Calvary men. They steal some time away before a battle.
I loved this. I loved how Ammon n had surprised Ben by setting them up a sort of romantic place to have sex and share their love. It was sad when they were separated. Another you will need tissues for but it is bittersweet. ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts
1881 A.D. by Michael Roberts
Eric is a time traveler and he has just brought back Billy the Kid with him.
This one was so funny. I laughed until I about cried at the banter between Billy and Eric the sex was pretty hot. I loved it. ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts
1889 A.D by Salome Wilde
This is an account from a Yiddish Journal. It is a rather sweet tale of a man on a trip to start a new life he meets a stranger on the trip and they fall in love though the man decides he can’t defile his religion and faith and he decides to not pursue the relationship after the trip. It’s sweet romantic and very bittersweet. Beautiful. ♥♥♥♥4 Hearts
1890 A.D by Steve Rudd
One night Shem drunkenly wanders into Wayne Smiths tent. They both work for the buffalo bill traveling show. Wayne is busy tending to himself when Sham walks in and they end up in some frisky sex. Wayne asks if he’d be interested in doing it again and adding another bull. Shem hasn’t done a threesome, but accepts the offer. It turns out to be an Indian.
I loved this it’s another funny and hot story. I loved the banter between the two and how the Indian was so silent and submissive to them. It’s super-hot and sexy with a bit of charming wit.♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts
1909 A.D. by Barry Brennessel
Jesse is taking his parents to the train station in their new car. A blizzard is coming and he is worried that he will ruin the car and get in trouble. He finally makes it home, but gets the car stuck. A group of boys comes by and one helps. It turns out to be his old friend and first lover Fig.
This is a sweet sexy story of friends to lovers and love lost and reunited. I loved it! ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts
1916 A.D. by Richard May
Henson is under jacks command. Henson reminds him a lot of his lost love Alex. Alex had been killed in battle a few years back. On leave, Jack runs into Henson. They are form two stations in life. They find a bond between each other.
This was a lovely yet heart-wrenching story. I am a sucker for a good tearjerker and this one does that. Very sexy, very sweet and very sad. ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts
1957 A.D by Landon Dixon
A young private Dick was sent in to investigate if Bert was fixing the game show. The young man knew how to use all his skills to manipulate both his boss and the game show master.
This was a cute sexy story. I loved the twists, though the language and sex is very pornish, it is still funny and an enjoyable read. ♥♥♥♥4 Hearts
1969 A D by Rob Rosen
This is a very sexy escapade of two men in the 60’s at Woodstock. It is hot and sexy with a bit of a twist. If you haven’t ever read any Rob Rosen, you should. His style and wit are so much fun to read!
If you like a short story to break the monotony of waiting in lines or appointments or just want a bunch of quick to read stories and like stories with angst rough sex and not all happy endings. This is a great collection.
Blurb: It’s 1991, and a group of English football fans are driving across Belgium; their trip takes them through the site of a former battle, and that’s when a strange sequence of events begins. For Dennis and Allan, colleagues who cordially dislike each other, this means journeying further still – into what appears to be the past, and into the lives of two men who travelled this way seventy-five years earlier, whose unfinished love-affair remains to be played out in full. As they move backwards and forwards in time Dennis and Allan have only themselves to rely on, no markers to show them where they’re going, and no real certainty of ever finding their way home again.
Review: This story starts out in a rather lighthearted way with an interesting collection of friends, coworkers and acquaintances heading out on a journey to watch a sports game. They bicker, tease, nag and argue but everyone seems to be getting along okay. The journey home poses some problem when the ferry company they used goes belly up and they are forced to find an alternate route home. The route they choose takes them into a rather isolated area on a long stretch of empty road. Pitch black with an eerie mist rolling in; the author does a great job of portraying the slightly spooky surroundings just as Allen starts acting very strangely. As he dives out of the car with Dennis fast on his heals they seem to cross a barrier of sorts that leads them back in time. In ‘real life’ Dennis and Allen have a sort of casual dislike for each other. As they are thrust back in time they begin to replay a 75-year-old love affair between two World War 1 soldiers.
I found it interesting how the author had Dennis and Allen essentially living two lives each. While they had the thoughts, feelings, and emotions of their current selves they also had those same things floating around in their heads from their 75-year-old counterparts. It created quite a bit of tension within the characters minds as they tried to decide whether they liked each other or not.
I enjoyed this story. Not only the main characters but the secondary characters were very well written as well. It is written with a very heavy British influence in terms of the writing style and some of the phrases were totally new to me but I had no problem understanding them in the context of the story. Overall, a very well written story with a nice time travel twist.
Blurb: Tallis Carrington ruled Rock Bay with his gang of jocks and an iron fist-until a scandal destroyed his family’s name. Ten years later Tallis is dead broke, newly homeless, and on the walk of shame to end all walks of shame. He needs money and needs it fast, and Rock Bay is the only home he knows. But the people of Rock Bay haven’t forgotten him-or the spoiled brat he used to be. The only person in town willing to overlook his past is Lex, the new coffee shop owner, who offers Tally a job even though he appears to despise Tally based on his reputation alone. When Tally discovers his gorgeous boss is the kid he tortured back in high school, Lex’s hot and cold routine finally makes sense. Now Tally has to pull out all the stops to prove he was never really the jerk he seemed to be. After all, if he can win Lex’s heart, the rest of the town should be a piece of coffee cake
Review: James Alexis Barry better known as Lex (it’s a family name) has always known he was gay. He’s been best friends with his “girlfriend” Amy as long as he can remember. He was a little shorter and a little thicker in high school and was picked on relentlessly by the local homophobic jocks. Ten years later and Lex is not so awkward and pudgy anymore. He’s still living in Rock Bay and dealing with the same assholes he dealt with in school, but he’s made a life and a business with his little coffee shop. And most importantly, Tallis Carrington, the guy that made his teenage life a living hell, is far away in Seattle.
Tallis Carrington, Tally, spent most of his teenage years in the closet. In an effort to make sure that none of his buddies suspected he was gay, he bullied and tormented fellow student “Jamie” (Lex) and made his life a living hell. After his father died and he finally came out to his mother, who then disowned him basically, he moved to Seattle. Now he’s back in Rock Bay, broke and broken. His hometown has not forgotten or forgiven who he was when he was younger and they more than remind him of that fact when he returns. The only person willing to not only give him the time of day, but a job as well, is the enigmatic coffee shop owner Lex.
Tally is instantly pulled toward Lex, but he doesn’t remember who he is. Tally quietly becomes quite attached to Lex and eventually they end up together. But Tally’s old buddies and a hot male nurse, that wants to get to know Lex a little better, are determined that these two don’t get much farther than casual sex. Can Tally prove to Lex and the residents of Rock Bay that he’s a different person? Or will the past put a bridge between these two lovers that can’t be crossed?
I loved the character development between Lex and Tally for the majority of the book. Toward the end, the angst got to be a little much and they lost their way a bit, thankfully O’Shea brought them back full circle in the end. Strong secondary characters added some depth to the story, like Amy, Lex’s best friend, who is actually a lesbian. Mason the hot male nurse that thankfully turns out to like Tally’s old high school buddy Drew more than Lex.
Aside from the angst toward the end, this was a good, solid read. The ending is a little abrupt, but book 2 in the series is ready and waiting! If you are a fan of rocky love stories, characters learning who they are and being true to themselves, and some hot guy on guy action, then I recommend you grab a copy of this one.
Blurb: Gregory has no problem talking Atari, muscle cars or just plain dirty, but will he be able to open up his heart to Chad and just say everything?
Gregory put his past up for sale on Craigslist. He never expected Chad, a gorgeous black-haired devil, to waltz in and take it all. He doesn’t leave him empty-handed though, giving him friendship and new memories to fill the space. Torn between his past and the chance at a real future, Gregory has to decide if he can let down his defenses and open himself up to the chance of getting hurt again. But Chad isn’t going to wait forever and Gregory only has one chance to convince him to stay, but he’ll have to say everything.
Review: This was a very beautiful story. Gregory is a character who suffered a big shock many years ago that shaped his entire life, the event remaining a secret even to his therapist and not letting him move forward and/or create a meaningful relationship with someone. Until Chad came along.
Chad is a character full of life. He barges in Gregory’s life and changes everything. In a matter of months, Gregory has made leap in his struggle to get back at his life, a struggle that is anything but when he’s with Chad. But Chad needs more. The easy-going guy so easy and fun needs Gregory to totally open up to him and let him in his life and heart for good, no longer keeping him at bay when memories of his past hit.
A lovely story with well-developed characters, sexy, hot intimate moments and a plot that was quite easy, funny at times (Gregory comes along as this sexy nerdy type, and ATARI, oh sweet Lord, the memories) and realistic, as well as having a hint of suspense since Gregory’s past is kept a secret till the very end. And even as we suspect exactly what that secret is, it is not heavy and it still creates a tension we expect to explode any moment now as we read it. On top of that it was quite a romantic read and it’s very well written as it doesn’t come along cheesy or sappy, just plain beautiful.
I for one enjoyed this story immensely and I strongly recommend it for fans of romantic reads and a beautifully executed love-story.
P.S. The time frame that the relationship took to blossom was fantastic and made all the difference.
Title: Rough In the Saddle
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group’s “Love Has No Boundaries” event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
