Title: Bar None Anthology
Author: Kiernan Kelly, Ba Tortuga, Julia Talbot, Sean Michael
Length: Full length Anthology (223 pages)
Publisher: Torquere Press (September 24th, 2013)
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥ 3 Hearts
Reviewer: Thommie
Blurb: Do you like your bartenders hot and sexy? Do you like it when they get up close and personal with some of their patrons? Then you’ll love Bar None!
Kiernan Kelly goes into outer space for Kind of a D.R.A.G., the story of bartender Max and a robot who’s more than your standard nuts and bolts. On the other hand, Julia Talbot’s men stay firmly planted on earth, and in nature, as werebear Seamus deals with grumpy bar owner and werewolf Hugh and a dangerous animal poacher in The Blue Moon Bar.
BA Tortuga revisits Shane and Galen from the Stormy Weather series in Bartender Rescue. This time Shane’s the one working too hard and Galen has to remind his bartender how to have fun before they forget how to be a couple. In Flair, Sean Michael goes to the Hammer club where flair expert Nathan is hired by Xavier to teach the staff some bartending tricks, but it’s Dom Jarrod who winds up showing Nathan a few tricks of his own.
Don’t miss out on these four sexy tales of bartenders and the men who love them.
Product Link: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76&products_id=4025
Review: Four stories that have you glimpse at sexy bartenders in hot and needy situations. Admittedly, not one of the stories resembles the other and that is a great plus in my books. Here is a more specific review for each of them. Enjoy!
Bartender Rescue by BA Tortuga 2.5~3 Hearts
Hmm, well this was definitely not the fun, happy-go-lucky kind of read I thought it would be. It rather had this melancholic vibe, a bit depressing, and it took a lot of the fun away. This story follows Shane and Galen, and if you’ve read The Stormy Weather Series then you already know these characters. If not it’ doesn’t matter because the story stands easily alone and you can follow it without a hitch.
Shane is finding himself in a weird situation where he’s literally transformed from a beach bum to a five bar owner. It’s a big success really, but with it comes great responsibility and stress. Things are going so bad that from his point of view everything is going down and fast. Running five bars is not an easy thing to do when everything depends on you. The only constant in his life his love for Galen, but now even Galen is not enough to help him from this dead-end situation. If something doesn’t give, he might just lose it.
Galen on the other hand has everything he ever wanted. Most of all and everything he got Shane, but lately Shane is rarely there always running to one bar or the other, rarely sleeping and day by day seeming more lost than ever. Along with him, Galen feels at a loss of what to do and how to help his lover overcome this thing that is literally killing him.
It’s a rescue mission kind of read, but I’m afraid I didn’t enjoy it much. The erotic part was hot as hell, but it had me thinking it was too much and always so tinged with despair. I still feel like I have a heavy burden pressing down my chest and can’t really breathe. Weird reaction!
Kind of a D.R.A.G. by Kiernan Kelly 3.5 Hearts
Oh, my. This story was fun. It certainly brought a smile or rather smiles on my face.
Artificial Intelligence, outer space, superior androids, and a plot filled with surprising twists that leave you in a dreamy land of possibility and charming emotions. Yup, I liked this story.
Max is a bartender in a remote prison planet hating his life. His Boss went off the planet for vacations without leaving any way of contact behind, his second in command popped dead. The two Queens androids started a destruction phase from cutting off a stripper’s penis and setting him on fire to messing up the D.R.A.G. machine after creating the most disturbingly HOT android ever made. Disturbingly HOT because there is no way you look at “Ben Dover” and not get instant erection. With everything falling apart and Max not being able to control or put a full stop on this destructive wave he fears he’s going to get his ass handed when Boss finally gets back… Let the twists begin!
From that moment on, this story is incredibly funny. Yes the Queens’ antics were hilarious (loved their names by the way), Ben Dover the new stripper was a huge surprise, Max’s life as it unfolded was a knock over, but what I pissed myself laughing was the part when Boss came… back.
Yeah definitely a worth reading space tale this one.
The Blue Moon Bar by Julia Talbot 3 Hearts
A bear behind the bar and a wolf as a boss, now there is a combination that is bound to bring sparks and fireworks.
Hugh is the most grumpy, growly, irritating boss ever made. Seamus is seriously trying to control his bear and not rip this crazy wolf’s head off. He loves his job, his boss trust him more than one would think, but that riding his ass as hard as he can is getting old news. Perhaps the crazy wolf needs to get laid and get rid of his irritation. And wouldn’t Seamus love to be the one to relax that sexy son of a bitch.
This was a nice story, with growls and fights in place to make you appreciate the wild side of these shifters. We even have poachers hunting for bears and a rescue mission that while it failed, or was a bit late, it led to some hot erotic scenes. If only the villain of the story wasn’t so flat, it would’ve been a much better one.
Still quite a nice read and the wolf-bear mating was one I liked a lot.
Flair, a Hammer Story By Sean Michael 4 Hearts
Oh damn, this Hammer story is one of the best I’ve read so far. So freaking fun, hot, sexy, and sweet. Damn great!
Nathan is a professional bartender, an entertainer. Writing books, traveling and training other bartenders. He’s hot really and the picture painted is so appealing, he’s simply irresistible. A honey trap for Jarrod who enters Hammer Club only to see him there while training the other subs/bartenders. He can’t help but ask Nate for dinner and from that moment on, the flirt begins. Only problem is Nate isn’t into the lifestyle and is a bit scared of anything involved. But there is a bright side that Jarrod can’t ignore; Nathan is a natural sub without even knowing it. And what a wonderful challenge to explore this man and open his eyes to the world of BDSM.
As I said this is one of the best Hammer stories ever. The sensuality in this read is huge and drags you in its depth like a drug-induced dream. The sensations are sublime, the plot actually intriguing and enticing, the characters both are quite alluring and Jarrod’s confidence make your heart beat faster whether you like it or not. Loved it!