Day: November 28, 2014

Swimmer by Louis J. Harris

9465c11fc22c99cf434818326d76ed68400ecbc2Title: Swimmer
Author: Louis J. Harris
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novella (60 pages)
Publisher: Louis J. Harris (July 8th 2014)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥ 3 Hearts
Reviewer: Tams
Blurb: When a man loses the love of his life, he has various options. He can find another, he can find himself, and he can also become reclusive, or he can drown in a cloud of guilt.

Basil chooses the latter. Four years previously, his lover left him without a note, without as much as a telephone call. He decided then that he will pursue his dream of becoming a renowned artist, and to hell with love. He isn’t looking for a man.

And then he meets the Swimmer.

Even though he’s not looking, the Swimmer knows that only one thing can save Basil from himself. True love. Will Basil find it? Will the Swimmer give it? A story of love, loss and above all, hope. He can love himself. Invest in material things that can’t hurt him.

Will is a young Olympian whose soul has been places, a wise person beyond his years. A man who will fill the void Basil left behind four years ago. It won’t be easy, for there is a price to pay, and once paid, will they be able to move on with their lives, together?

Purchase Link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/456074

Review: Basil lives a secluded life at his house on the beach, painting and mourning the love he lost when his boyfriend left him. He is alone, but he finds solace in the loneliness, afraid to love again and refusing to give in to desire that would only lead to a one-night stand.Then he sees a man on the beach, swimming, and he watches him every day until he works up the nerve to talk to him.

William is an Olympic swimmer that prefers the fresh water of the beach and sand beneath his feet to the chlorine of the pool, much to his coach’s dismay. The attraction Basil and Will share is undeniable, but Basil will not be just a notch, so he keeps Will at arm’s length. This just gives them the time to really get to know each other and, eventually, the chemistry kicks in and passion ignites. But an ex that won’t go away and an unfortunate accident threatens to break apart their fragile union.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Basil and Will really get to know each other before they jumped into bed, you don’t always get that type of character development and I thought that was refreshing. There were a few typos and the tense bounced back and forth a few times, which was confusing, and there were some things left unfinished in the end.

I wanted to know why Basil’s boyfriend left, what was the purpose of prison being mentioned and the aftermath of the accident threw me, just to name a few. So while I liked the connection between the characters, there were a few hiccups with the story itself.

I can only hope that Harris was dangling carrots and intends to write a sequel and tie up all those pesky loose ends. Still worth the read, especially if you are looking for a short story with great character development.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *

Last Line by Harper Fox

91FR10iplmL._SL1500_Title: Last Line
Series: N/A
Author: Harper Fox
Genre: BDSM/ Fantasy
Length: Novel (201 pages)
Publisher: FoxTales (July 18, 2014)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4Hearts

Blurb: John Griffin and Michael South – agents in the renegade counter-terrorism agency Last Line, and closer than brothers. It’s a fast-lane life of danger and excitement. John loves every minute of it, but he’s facing one big problem now: his feelings for Mike have flared up from friendship into a passion he can no longer hide. And Mike, although the bravest and best of partners, doesn’t feel the same.

Their one sexual encounter leaves them baffled and alienated from one another. Mike is a haunted man, shaken by flashbacks to his past life as an MI5 agent and a mission in Russia that went terribly wrong. He’s been left with a need for violence between the sheets, and John isn’t prepared to hurt him.

Not everyone has Mike’s best interests at heart. Their ruthless boss hires a ghost from Mike’s past to help track down a Russian war criminal who’s planted a nuclear device in the heart of London. Anzhel Mattvei knows all of Mike’s dark secrets, and soon regains his former sexual thraldom over him, leaving Mike locked in battle for his will and his soul.

Anzhel has turned Mike into a human detonation device. Only John’s love can pull him back from the brink – and save millions of lives in the fallout zone.

Product Link: http://www.amazon.com/Last-Line-Harper-Fox-ebook/dp/B00LXN9PC2
Reviewer: Diane

Review: In Last Line, we meet John Griffin and Michael South who are both agents in a black ops type counter terrorism unit. They are incredibly close and live a very dangerous life. John Griffin is gay and has definitely fallen in love with his partner but unfortunately, Michael doesn’t feel the same way. They still manage to be an incredibly efficient team and work extremely well together.

Someone from Michael’s past comes back to haunt him and all of a sudden he is reliving his life as an undercover agent in Russia. Unfortunately, that undercover assignment involved torture and mind control, which leaves Michael struggling to separate past from present.

Last Line was a hard book for me to read, mainly because I hated knowing that Michael had lived through such torture in his past. The mere fact that he cannot find sexual pleasure without pain really bothers me, as he seems like a gentle soul underneath all that brawn and bluster. There are elements of fantasy in this book that were not really explained and I found myself wanting to know more.

Extraordinary healing ability and a psychic bond between Michael and John made me wonder what sort of world these men really live in.

This is an intense story that really makes you think. You have characters with depth and a meaningful history together. You have a mystery when people from Michael’s past come back with threats of dirty bombs and their ability to control Michael’s behavior with very little effort on their part. You have an innocent in the form of John’s younger brother who I really need to learn more about in a future book!

Overall, Last Line is an amazingly complex story with well-developed characters. I hope that there is a sequel that explains a few of the book’s mysteries and gives us a closer look at Michael and John’s developing relationship.

Barefoot Dancing by T.A. Chase

91vGpBBWCrL._SL1500_Title: Barefoot Dancing

Series: Rags to Riches, #6

Author: T.A. Chase

Genre: Contemporary

Length: Novella (30K words)

ISBN: 9781784302986

Publisher: Totally Bound (November 28th 2014)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥3 Hearts

Reviewer: Cat

Blurb: A moment in time can be the most pivotal one in our lives.

Kendall VanHooren is happy with his life. He works as a corporate lawyer in his father’s firm and does as he wishes on the weekends. He used to be a partier, but as he’s matured, he’s settled down and figured out that sometimes quiet is a good thing.

George Bowie is working a minimum wage job, which is barely keeping him off the streets most days. He lost his job in the banking crisis and has learned the hard way that pride has no place when it comes to survival.

Dancing barefoot on the beach might seem an odd thing to do, but it brings two men together at just the right moment for their worlds to collide

Purchase Link: https://www.totallybound.com/barefoot-dancing

Review: I absolutely Love the covers from this series.
Kendall VanHooren, Dayton’s brother (Dayton was featured in book 5) is at Ion and Adrien’s wedding reception (from the first couple of books). Walking on the beach to get away from the crowd for a bit he spots a beautiful man dancing barefoot on the beach. He takes off his shoes and joins him.

George Bowie lost his banking job in the banking disasters and market crashes a couple of years back and has been living on the streets until he moved to the Hamptons and took a job in a small diner for minimum wage so he didn’t have to sell himself just to eat. He still is staying in homeless shelters or cheap motels since he doesn’t make enough to eat and pay rent and utilities. He loves the beach and goes there on his days off to meditate and escape the harsh reality he lives in.

This is a beautiful story. It stands alone fine since each book features a fresh character that only has a mild connection with the other characters from previous stories. As in all the others, one character is wealthy and one is down on his luck.

I loved both of these characters. George is a lovely man who fell from his wealth into destitution. He wasn’t born wealthy but his previous job he lived well. Kendall, though he was born into wealth and his father was a republican Politian, his mother worked with lots of charitable organizations and made the boys work in one also. So Kendall has a kind, giving, accepting heart.

I will say I didn’t like this one as well as the first couple of books. There really wasn’t much plot here. The story was basically a fast-moving insta-love with lots of hot man-sex and nothing more. I would have liked to see more from George’s and Kendall’s past, at least a small amount of conflict instead of so much sex.

Having said that, this is a very good sweet, romance, with lots of steamy hot man-sex.

Miracle on Mistletoe Lane by Derrick Knight Blog Tour, Excerpt, Review & Giveaway!

Derrick Knight - Miracle on Mistletoe Lane Miracle600x600BannerHi guys, we now have Derrick Knight stopping by on the first day of his Miracle on Mistletoe Lane blog tour, this is a sweet Christmas story that warms the heart. We get to have a quick peek at an excerpt and there’s a great giveaway where you can win your own copy. So enjoy the post, read my review and click that Rafflecopter link <3 ~Pixie~
Derrick Knight - Miracle on Mistletoe Lane Miracle on Mistletoe-1800x2700

Miracle on Mistletoe Lane

by

Derrick Knight

Joe Koehler and his six-year old son, Joey, are down on their luck. Currently, Joe is unemployed due to a bad economy and taking care of a medically complex son. Recently father and son become homeless due to their apartment catching on fire and Joe being without any insurance. They are forced to live in Joe’s old red pick-up truck. Eventually father and son take refuge at Hope House, a local homeless shelter, which is run by a kindly, yet mysterious, elderly woman named Emily.

Sidney Maier recently inherited his grandparents home but the house is in desperate need of repair. Skills Sidney greatly lacks. He befriends a fellow church member Emily who is the Interim Director at Hope House. Sidney tells Emily that he needs help with remodeling his new home. Also, he confides in her, that he is lonely and wishes he could meet someone special.

Emily and her assistants orchestrate for Joe and Sidney to meet where an instant attraction forms between both men. Joe and Sidney embark on a journey of courtship, but soon a negative force learns of their budding romance and wants to stop it at any cost. Emily and her assistants must all use their special talents if Joe and Sidney are meant to live happily ever after.

Categories: Contemporary, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance, Holiday

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Bonfire Heart by Devon Rhodes

23461820Title: Bonfire Heart
Series: Unconventional Chicago, #5
Author: Devon Rhodes
Genre: Reader Advisory: The stories in this anthology are set in a contemporary alternate universe.
Length: Novella (54 Pages)
Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing (December 26th, 2014) Available for early download November 28th, 2014)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4Heaerts
Blurb: Sometimes fires burn and destroy, but from the ashes, new growth can heal and cleanse.

Thierry Alexander is the deputy mayor of Chicago, a city he loves but can’t save on his own from the corrupt political system. His assistant and lover, Eduardo, is also known as Cesar, the head of the underground resistance movement. He has been working behind the scenes for years and finally gets what he needs—enough information to get the US government involved and take down the criminal elements strangling the city he loves.

But they need to act fast because legislation is about to be enacted that will give rise to social and ethnic purging in Chicago. Not knowing who they can trust, they will have to put their faith in one another and risk everything to save a city.

Publisher’s Note: This story has been previously released as part of the An Unconventional Chicago anthology by Totally Bound Publishing.

ISBN: 978-1-78430-341-9
Product Link: https://www.totallybound.com/bonfire-heart
Reviewer: Lisa
Review: This story has been previously released as part of the An Unconventional Chicago Anthology. It was an amazing story but would be better if it had been longer. I loved this story. It was the final ending to the previous books. It was amazing and I had a blast reading it. I loved the happy ending that there was and the fact that all of the sexy men from the previous books and this one were happy and alive.

Thierry was the deputy mayor and part of the resistance. He was a major player whose intent was to free Chicago from the crime families. Eduardo was not only his assistant but also his lover. His goal was to free Chicago and to stay with the man he loved. The danger out there was strong but they have proven that they were stronger. Stronger together than apart. Eduardo was also the head of the resistant and was known as Cesar.

This was amazing and I had so much fun with it. Of course, I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened next. I loved it and want to start reading the whole series once again. It gave me everything I could want in a story. In fact, it gave me more than I could ask for.

I would definitely recommend reading this story. It gives you sexy men, dangerous situations, excitement, twist and turns, suspense and some very hot sex. It had caught my attention from the moment I started reading and kept it all the way to the end. I loved this story and this whole series.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *

Here Comes Trouble by A.E. Via Release Day Blitz, Excerpt & Giveaway!

A.E. Via - Here Comes Trouble Release Day Tour Banner
Hiya guys, we have A.E. Via showing off her brand new release Here Comes Trouble, her third book in the Nothing Special series. Not only does she let you have a peek at an exclusive excerpt but she also has a fantastic giveaway for you to take part in. So check out this great book and then click that Rafflecopter link <3 ~Pixie~
A.E. Via - Here Comes Trouble HERE COMES TROUBLE MASTER COVER (2)

Here Comes Trouble

 (Nothing Special 03)
by

A.E. Via

Detectives Mark Ruxsberg and Chris Green are very good at their jobs. Being the enforcers for God and Day’s notorious Atlanta PD Narcotics Task Force causes the crazy duo to get into more trouble than they can often get out of. The pair never misses out on an opportunity to drive their Lieutenants crazy with their dangerous, reckless, and costly stunts, landing them in the hot seat in front God… often.

Ruxs and Green love their jobs and they don’t mind the very demanding schedule that leaves them little time for socializing or dating. It was fine with them, they enjoyed hanging out with each other anyway. 

However, most of the men in their close circle of friends and colleagues are pairing off and settling down. God has Day, Ro has Johnson, and their Sergeant Syn has Furious. 

For the past several years, Ruxs has only sought out the advice and company of one person, his partner and best friend Green, and vice versa. Both of these alpha males are presumed straight, but neither can deny the heat that’s building in their once ‘just friends’ relationship.

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