Title: Bane Series: Strain, #2 Author: Amelia C. Gormley Genre: Dystopia/ Military Length: Novel (279 pages) Publisher: Riptide Publishing (September 21st 2015) Heat Level: Moderate Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4 Hearts Blurb: The weapon that nearly destroyed humanity may be their only salvation.
Rhys Cooper’s unique immunity to all three strains of the virus that nearly annihilated humanity has brought him the unwanted attention of Clean Zone scientists. They’ve summoned him for testing—ostensibly in the hopes of finding a vaccine—but Rhys’s partner, Darius Murrell, has good reason not to trust any government. He and his comrades in Delta Company were unwitting test subjects for Project Juggernaut, the military experiment that gave them superhuman abilities and unleashed the pandemic. Doubting the government’s intentions, Delta Company refuses to let Rhys go alone.
Fear of infection has kept Zach Houtman and his lover Nico Fernández apart for a decade. They meet rarely, just long enough to coordinate their spying on the head of the government’s virus research division. Secretary Littlewood is a vicious predator, and they suspect he’s trying to acquire the strain of the virus that would make him superhuman. To stop him, they need the perfect bait: Rhys.
For Rhys, helping them might cost him his relationship with Darius—or his life. For Zach and Nico, even if their plan succeeds, they still face the ultimate question: can infected and uninfected people ever live together safely?
Review: I admit I’ve still yet to pick up Strain and read it, and while I was afraid it will prevent me from enjoying Bane, since Strain is the setting for Bane and is totally connected with it, I felt like I got to know enough about Rhys and Darius for me to avoid feeling like I’m missing something important. This book focuses heavily on the relationship between Darius and Rhys, and let me tell you those two are so incredibly hot together.
I’m happy I didn’t get to read Strain, because it saved me from reading about Rhys being passed around for all the soldiers to fuck, even though there was a reason for that. I enjoyed Darius’s possessiveness when it came to Rhys, and the sex those two had was smoking hot!
Bane also catches up with Zack and Nico, the main characters in JUGGERNAUT, but their relationship is not as intense as that between Rhys and Darius. I found Zack tiring and frustrating, he annoyed me with his Fate multiple times…yeah I know, what a horrible thing for me to say. Not that I have something against his fate in God or anyone else’s, but does it have to be mentioned constantly throughout the book? Yes, I got it. God is telling you to stay without Nico and be miserable, now STFU!
I liked the whole plan for finding a cure, the antidote for the mutated alpha strain, even though in the end it didn’t work like it was supposed to. I also liked that this story was told from multiple POVs. It allowed us to better understand why the characters chose to do what they did, and the feelings they had about the situation they were in.
The ending was pretty unique and the idea was very interesting, but I’m not sure I understand exactly how the air in Russia is different from the air in the US, to the extent where it created such a tragedy.
Great series if you’re looking for a great sci-fi/dystopian theme.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *
Hi peeps, we have Amelia C. Gormley visiting with the blog tour to her newest release Bane, we have a great excerpt, a fantastic giveaway and Tams & Aerin’s reviews, so enjoy the post and leave a comment to enter the giveaway! <3 ~Pixie~
Bane
(A Strain Novel)
by
Amelia C. Gormley
The weapon that nearly destroyed humanity may be their only salvation.
Rhys Cooper’s unique immunity to all three strains of the virus that nearly annihilated humanity has brought him the unwanted attention of Clean Zone scientists. They’ve summoned him for testing—ostensibly in the hopes of finding a vaccine—but Rhys’s partner, Darius Murrell, has good reason not to trust any government. He and his comrades in Delta Company were unwitting test subjects for Project Juggernaut, the military experiment that gave them superhuman abilities and unleashed the pandemic. Doubting the government’s intentions, Delta Company refuses to let Rhys go alone.
Fear of infection has kept Zach Houtman and his lover Nico Fernández apart for a decade. They meet rarely, just long enough to coordinate their spying on the head of the government’s virus research division. Secretary Littlewood is a vicious predator, and they suspect he’s trying to acquire the strain of the virus that would make him superhuman. To stop him, they need the perfect bait: Rhys.
For Rhys, helping them might cost him his relationship with Darius—or his life. For Zach and Nico, even if their plan succeeds, they still face the ultimate question: can infected and uninfected people ever live together safely?
Hi guys, we have Amelia C. Gormley visiting today with her newest release Juggernaut, we have a short guest post, a great excerpt straight from Riptide, a fantastic giveaway and Tams & Aerin’s reviews. So enjoy the post and leave a comment (with a way to be contacted) <3 ~Pixie~
Juggernaut
(Strain 0.5)
by
Amelia C. Gormley
They helped destroy the world. Now they have to survive the new one.
For rentboy Nico Fernández, it’s a simple job: seduce a presidential advisor to help cement approval to launch Project Juggernaut. He’s done similar work for General Logan McClosky before, and manipulating people for his favorite client beats the hell out of being trafficked for slave wages in some corporate brothel.
Zach Houtman feels called to work with the most vulnerable outcasts of society. But his father, the Reverend Maurice Houtman, insists that Zach work for him instead as he runs for Senate. Zach reluctantly agrees, but is horrified to see his father leave behind Christ’s mandate of love and mercy to preach malicious zealotry and violence instead. Zach even starts to suspect his father is working with fundamentalist terrorists.
When Project Juggernaut accidentally unleashes a deadly plague that claims billions of lives, Nico and Zach are thrown together, each bearing a burden of guilt. With only each other for safety and solace, they must make their way through a new world, one where the handful of people left alive are willing to do anything—and kill anyone—to survive.
Title: Juggernaut Series: Strain, #0.5 Author: Amelia Gormley Genre: Dystopian/ Sci-Fi Length: Novel (378 pages) Publisher: Riptide Publishing (August 10th 2015) Heat Level: Moderate Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4 Hearts Blurb: They helped destroy the world. Now they have to survive the new one.
For rent boy Nico Fernández, it’s a simple job: seduce a presidential advisor to help cement approval to launch Project Juggernaut. He’s done similar work for General Logan McClosky before, and manipulating people for his favorite client beats the hell out of being trafficked for slave wages in some corporate brothel.
Zach Houtman feels called to work with the most vulnerable outcasts of society. But his father, the Reverend Maurice Houtman, insists that Zach work for him instead as he runs for Senate. Zach reluctantly agrees, but is horrified to see his father leave behind Christ’s mandate of love and mercy to preach malicious zealotry and violence instead. Zach even starts to suspect his father is working with fundamentalist terrorists.
When Project Juggernaut accidentally unleashes a deadly plague that claims billions of lives, Nico and Zach are thrown together, each bearing a burden of guilt. With only each other for safety and solace, they must make their way through a new world, one where the handful of people left alive are willing to do anything—and kill anyone—to survive.
Review: Nico Fernandez is the son of the most powerful Sanctioned Madam; he is also her most valued employee. Nico sees how the people who don’t have the opportunities he has suffer and he truly wants to help any way he can. Poverty is prolific and Nico is spared that type of life, until he unwittingly helps a family friend, also a sometimes lover, unleash the virus that now plagues humanity.
Zach Houtman is the son of the most powerful Zealot in this post-apocalyptic world. As a former minister turned politician, his father spouts nothing but hate and venom at anyone that doesn’t conform to his ideals and beliefs, including his own son. Zach turns a blind eye for years, until his father pushes him too far. Zach and Nico become companions due to circumstance. They become lovers by choice. But the society and the unholy virus that is slowly wiping out humanity has other plans for these two, that is, if they survive.
Juggernaut shows us how the plague in the story Strain started. Gormley paints a vivid picture of a society on the verge of breaking down, even before the virus takes hold. War, poverty, lust, greed and a thirst for power pale in comparison to the Juggernaut virus that turns man against each other. Society is already on the verge of breaking down, even before the virus. When you have a base reality of people who are hell-bent on destroying each other, playing God usually backfires, and that’s exactly what happens here.
I thoroughly enjoyed this look back into the history of the Jugs. How they came to be the super soldiers and protectors they are. You’ll not only learn how the Strain started but you get to see a little bit of the reasoning behind certain aspects of Strain that you may have questioned or misunderstood. The relationship between Nico and Zach was a little too simple for my taste, especially if you’ve read Darius and Rhys’s story prior to this one. But I’m very excited to see what Gormley brings to the table with Bane, the next book in this series.
If you like dystopian stories then this is a must read for you. It’s one of my favorite genres, so when new books release in the genre I’m usually standing on top of the buy now button waiting for them. The story itself, the world this is set in is very post-apocalyptic and though it’s not as prevalent in this book, it has a zombie edge to it as well. If you haven’t read Strain yet, you won’t be lost. But if you think that was a cliff hanger, go straight to Strain to answer some of your questions.
* I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *
Hi guys today we have Riptide Publishing’s Amelia C. Gormley with her newest release Player vs Player, we have Amelia telling us a little of what inspired the book, we have a great excerpt and Giveaway and we also have two reviews 😉 So enjoy the post and remember to leave a comment for a chance to win one of Amelia’s backlisted books <3 ~Pixie~
Player vs Player
by
Amelia C. Gormley
Video game writer Niles River loves the work he does at Third Wave Studios: creating games with mass appeal that feature women, people of color, and LGBTQ characters. To make his job even better, his best friend is his boss, and his twin brother works beside him. And they mostly agree that being on the forefront of social change is worth dealing with trollish vitriol—Niles is more worried about his clingy ex and their closeted intern’s crush on his brother than he is about internet harassment.
But now the bodies on the ground are no longer virtual, and someone’s started hand-delivering threats to Niles’s door. The vendetta against Third Wave has escalated, and to make matters worse, the investigating detective is an old flame who left Niles heartbroken for a life in the closet.
No change happens without pain, but can Niles justify continuing on with Third Wave when the cost is the blood of others? If he does, the last scene he writes may be his own death.
Title: The Field of Someone Else’s Dreams Series: Saugatuck, #0.5 Author: Amelia Gormley Genre: Contemporary Romance Length: Novella (46 pages) Publisher: Amelia Gormley (April 12th 2014) Heat Level: Moderate Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts Reviewer: Tams Blurb: Chris Boyden loved Matt VanderVeen since junior high. But growing up gay in the Bible belt of west Michigan was difficult, and unlike Matt, he wasn’t brave enough to face the prejudice head-on. Especially when his family told him over and over, that he wouldn’t be able to attend college without a scholarship.
Back in high school, he worried that coming out would get him kicked off the baseball team or make recruiters reluctant to scout him. Eventually, Matt broke up with him when he couldn’t handle being Chris’s secret boyfriend any longer, but college has given them a second chance — if Chris has the courage to take it.
When a terrible injury puts Chris’s baseball scholarship in jeopardy, it reminds Chris of all the reasons he stayed in the closet to begin with, and his ultra-masculine father’s expectations and thoughtless homophobia aren’t helping. Baseball has always been Chris’s hope for the future, but now that dream could cost him Matt’s love.
NOTE: This eBook novelette is a re-release. It was originally published by the Goodreads M/M Romance group as part of their Love Has No Boundaries event in June 2013. Purchase Link:NOTE: This book is FREE at the time of posting. http://www.amazon.com/Field-Someone-Elses-Dreams-Saugatuck-ebook/dp/B00JMXYYXK Review: Chris and Matt have been in a relationship a couple of times now. First in high school, but Matt left Chris when he wouldn’t come out. Now in college they are trying to make a go of it again. But the same issues that drove a wedge between them before are not yet resolved. Can Chris come to terms with his sexuality and be honest with his conservative family about who he really is? Or will he allow his pride and appearances to cause the man he loves to leave him alone, again.
Chris Boyden loves baseball, he loves everything about it. The rush, the feeling and the sound when he holds that bat in his hand and hits the ball. But his reasons for playing may not be all self-serving. He feels the need to provide for his family, he doesn’t want to let them down. This is a huge factor in why he hasn’t told anyone he is gay either. But the time has come to make a decision. Either Chris comes out and lives his life in the open with Matt, or he stays in the closet and looses the one thing that matters most, Matt’s love.
Matt VanderVeen has loved Chris since they were teenagers. But he wants to love him out loud. He wants to hold hands in public, kiss him whenever he wants and take vacations together. Not lie about where they are going, who they are with or what they are doing. When Chris is injured and finally comes out to his family, it would seem that Matt is getting his wish. But the regret and the backlash may be more than his lover can handle.
This book pissed me off! But not for the reason you may think. My heart broke for Chris and the struggle he was going through. The conversation with his mother in the hospital literally floored me. I wanted to reach into my kindle and strangle her! Kudos to Gormley for making the emotions and words jump off the pages and really resonate with me. Matt was as understanding as could be expected, in his situation. And it’s not often that I read a story where the character is completely honest about his feelings. Matt told Chris straight up that he loved him and he would hold on, until he couldn’t hold on anymore.
I am completely in awe of Gormley’s writing style. There is something almost animalistic in her writing that is really engaging. I can’t wait to see what she gives us next. Be sure to grab a copy of this book, it’s free right now, and then follow up with the companion novel, Saugatuck Summer.
Hey peeps, today we bring you Riptide Publishing’s Amelia C. Gormley and her newest release Saugatuck Summer! Amelia talks a little about Saugatuck Summer, she has brought along an excerpt for you to take a peek at and she has a fantastic Giveaway for you to take part in and we also have Thommie’s stunning review. So I will leave you to enjoy the post and remember to follow the Giveaway instructions, I’ve left links to the other posts on the tour so you can fully enjoy the Giveaway, good luck guys! 🙂 <3 ~Pixie~
Saugatuck Summer
by
Amelia C. Gormely
One summer can change everything.
Hi, I’m Topher Carlisle: twenty-one, pretty, and fabulous. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself. But let’s get real. Walking the fake-it-til-you-make-it road to independence and self-respect isn’t easy. Especially since my mom’s a deadbeat alcoholic, and most of my family expects me to turn out just as worthless. Oh, and I’m close to losing my college swimming scholarship, so let’s add “dropout” to the list.
My BFF has invited me to stay at her beach house on the shore of Lake Michigan. That’ll give me one summer to make money and figure out what I want to do with my life. So of course I decide to have an affair with my BFF’s married, closeted dad. Because that always works out.
Now I’m homeless, friendless, jobless. Worthless. Just like my family expects, right? Except there’s this great guy, Jace, who sees it differently. He’s got it all together in ways I can only dream of—he’s hot, creative, insightful, understanding. He seems to think I don’t give myself enough credit. And if I don’t watch out, I may start to believe him.
Blurb:Satish Malhotra is in over his head. What appeared to be the hookup of his dreams turned out to be another man’s kinky sex game, and thus ended his relationship with sweet, submissive James Sheridan before it’d hardly begun.
Or so he thought. Being used in someone else’s domination/submission play should have been a deal breaker, yet James—bruises, boyfriend, and all—is too compelling to let walk away. But James has needs Satish isn’t sure he can fulfill, and it seems his mysterious Professor isn’t willing to share.
Can Satish keep James happy in bed and in life, or will James be forced to choose between his dominant and his burgeoning vanilla romance with Satish?
Review:Just for the record: Thank you dear authors. Now I just want to cry my eyes out.
As erotic romances go, I think I’m repeating myself when I say this series is highly satisfactory. It has a great writing style that easily draws you into the heart of the story, a great expertise when it comes to everything sexual, sensual and erotic that makes you pant in beat with the characters, it has characters with a surprising depth for such a short place for development, and it actually has the most intriguing plot in the line of short erotic romances I’ve read.
Each installment in this series is like a different puzzle piece that needs simply put in order to give you the great meaning of the story. Some installment are confusing making you think, “What the heck just happened” while at the same time you know that you’ll find out on the next round. Others do just that, shed light to the whole confusion, while making you crave for more.
This fourth part picks up the relationship building between Satish and James. Honestly, I didn’t expect Satish to make that big leap; it was a bit of a contrast at his whole behavior, though we did get the curiosity emanating from him in a previous installment. Still, it was a big step for Satish to overcome his jealousy and inadequate feelings, and at the same time see the beauty of what is James, want it as he came without wanting to change the slightest bit in him. The time frame it happened was remarkably short leaving me unconvinced about the solidity of his feelings, yet as I said, the writing was exquisite to the point that I did not care one bit about the sudden change of heart on Satish, all I cared for was the flow of the story and what came next, to the point I devoured this book which felt like it was over before it even started.
Unfortunately, this is the first time a book in the series actually made me want to cry. It ends up in a sad note, a scene that you realize held more than it shows. Some kind of mystery behind Carson’s motives, and the ending itself is quite heart breaking when you find yourself invested in the story as much as I apparently was. This is simply a heads up for the fans of the series, be prepared and if possible have the next installment at the ready to immediately pick up after this, for this title is going to leave you wanting and screaming in frustration.
Deduction: yet another wonderful installment from the creators of the most fascinating erotic romance series on my bookshelf. Strongly recommended!
Blurb:Just days after their scorching reunion, Professor Evander Carson has kicked his one-time pupil James Sheridan to the curb—and tried to sabotage James’s new relationship with Satish Malhotra. Something isn’t right here, but James isn’t sure he should bother trying to figure out what. Carson isn’t good for him and will never change. He needs to accept that and move on.
Satish knows something is up, too, but he thinks the relationship between Carson and James is worth saving. To do the right thing, Satish will have to make James and Carson confront the secrets they’ve hidden for years and help them to overcome the pain and mistrust they’ve caused.
But if Satish succeeds, where will that leave him and his intensifying romance with James? Will the three of them be able to find the right balance, or will James be forced to choose between the pain and submission he craves with Carson, and the sweet, vanilla stability he’s found with Satish?
Review: And the series (sadly) come to an end with this last installment that makes up for so much confusion, frustration and wistfulness the previous four books evoked.
In this final part, the authors engage flashbacks in their storytelling in order to shed light to the various “why’s” that had been born, especially concerning Carson’s motives and feelings and the entire background of this enticing little story. We realize yet again that the whole situation with Carson, James, and Satish is set in the very short time frame of some days, yet I had all but forgotten it with the way we went back and forth in time through each book.
For me this last book was very successful and managed to satisfy all my hopes for these characters. It is weird how invested I became with them, how much I came to like and adore each and every one of them, though I have to admit Carson had my heart from the first book even as he seemed quite the jerk back then. We get to see Carson’s true motives and that is so wonderfully written, humanizing him and making him finally, finally approachable, letting his sweet and caring side truly shine.
This little line here: “How could you assume I meant to demean them, when I offered them my greatest treasure?” is a very good example of the hurt Carson suffers when he realizes just what James thinks of him and how much misunderstanding exist between them. There were points while reading this book that I simply wanted to shake James up, and while I liked Satish on the other books, I came to literally love him here. The intensity that came forth, the tangible tension and the way the managed to reach me as a reader were beyond enjoyable. I came to admire the writers for their mastery.
The only frustrating thing and I know I’ve said this again, is that this story was so short. I’m saddened it’s done and over with, I still crave more and more, though all are said and done and the ending was more than superb for me. The sweet balance between vanilla and kink, the love that already exists and the new one that is brewing and simmering, the dynamics that come forth in the end, they all were to my likening and made for a fantastic read start to finish. Fans of the series don’t need the suggestion, but if you’re stumbling through this review and/or series by accident, if you like intriguing and spicy erotic romances, then I urge you to pick it up. It was one hell of a ride and the most enjoyable short length series I’ve read lately.
Blurb: In a world with little hope and no rules, the only thing they have to lose is themselves.
Rhys Cooper is a dead man. Cut off from the world since childhood, he’s finally exposed to the lethal virus that wiped out most of the human race. Now his only hope for survival is infection by another strain that might provide immunity. But it’s sexually transmitted, and the degradation he feels at submitting to the entire squad of soldiers that rescued him eclipses any potential for pleasure—except with Darius, the squadron’s respected, capable leader.
Sergeant Darius Murrell has seen too much death and too little humanity. He’s spent a decade putting plague victims out of their misery and escorting survivors to a safe haven he can never enjoy. He’d rather help Rhys live than put him down, so when Rhys can’t reconcile himself to doing what’s necessary to survive, Darius is forced to save Rhys in spite of himself.
But with each passing day, it looks less and less likely that Rhys can be saved. And that means that Darius might soon have to put a bullet in the head of the one person in years who reminds him of what it means to be human.
Review: Rhys Cooper has been mentally and physically abused for most of his teenage years. As one of the few survivors forced to hold up with a religious fanatic that blamed homosexuals for the virus that has almost wiped out mankind, he was ridiculed and shamed for his sexuality daily. Malnourished and already close to death, he’s exposed to the Revenant Strain of the virus while trying to protect his sister and her child. Revs are zombie like creatures that feed off of survivors.
There are three main Strains of the virus. Revenant, Revs, Zombies. Rots, these survivors once infected simply Rot and die. Juggarnauts, Jugs, super soldiers that protect the survivors from infection when possible, and dispose of them when not. This is a government issued virus that we lost control off, how many times does science have to be bitch slapped for messing with DNA and genetics? The virus has morphed into these three categories. There is a possible cure for Rev and Rot, to be infected by a Jug with their strain of the virus. This can only be done through bodily fluids, specifically during sex.
When a team of Jugs comes across Rhys and his brother-in-law they are immediately taken with the young man and his innocence. They want to save him and protect him, but what it requires they do leaves him feeling even more abused and degraded than he already does. After all, he’s never had a choice about anything in his life up to now, and the soldiers that are passing him around like a blow up doll aren’t giving him a choice either. But multiple Jug hosts must transmit their Strain of the virus through Rhys if he is to have any chance to survive. He’s humiliated nonetheless and unable to reciprocate even a modicum of pleasure with any one, except Darius.
There is something about Rhys’ young and innocent nature, his inexperience that is just a little rough around the edges due to the life he’s led that drives Darius insane with want and need. And as much as Rhys tries to convince himself that he doesn’t enjoy the sexual contact with any of the soldiers, he’s lying to himself when it comes to Darius. As the story progresses so does their relationship. Darkness and death are a daily occurrence for these men, and their only light is each other. They both refuse to admit it. Out loud, to everyone around them that can see it plain as day, and least of all to themselves.
Rhys is certain that his body won’t take the Strain, that he is going to die. He captures every stolen moment he can with Darius. Their relationship slowly shifts from forced and just about making Rhys immune, to something more tender, sensual, and loving. The dominate and submissive aspect is always front and center. Darius begins to want to love Rhys while dominating him. The two go hand in hand for Darius. But he fears the day that they realize Rhys is not immune, the day he has to kill the young man he’s not sure any longer if he can live without.
This story was long, dark, and full of pain and misery. Death is everywhere in this dystopian society and though a lot of couples have sex purely for pleasure. There is the degrading transfer immunity sex. On the run trying to find sanctuary or make it back to base, the team along with their few survivors faces Revs, Rots, starvation, and basic annihilation. This is an intricately written novel with several things making the backbone of the story. There is the science of the Strains, which sort of bored me a little and is the only reason I knocked off half a star. BDSM plays a huge part of the story, but is the lighter side of this lifestyle. Darius is just the huge, imposing, overpowering, sexual being and it is basically ingrained in him to dominate. Rhys is a natural submissive, so their pairing was brilliance. And then there is that Zombie twist which is made believable with the science.
I know this is a lot to absorb in one book, but it is almost 400 pages. I was intrigued from start to finish, read this book in one sitting that caused me to lose lots of sleep. Fast past and engrossing with lots of action and mystery. You really won’t know until the last dozen or so pages 1, if Rhys is going to survive 2, did the Jug Strain take? Or is he some kind of immunity Strain? And 3 will he and Darius be able to survive each other if they stay together? The sex is off the charts smoking friggin hot! And aside from a couple of scenes that skirt the boundaries of acceptability, but thankfully never jump the fence, no one is forced into anything. I did prefer Rhys and Darius in the latter half of the book when their relationship became more loving and even keel. But BDSM is what it is, that is the lifestyle and kudos to the author for staying true to that aspect of her novel.
Fans of Dystopian, Zombies, Sci-Fi, BDSM, and an impossible love just maybe having its way in the end will love this book.
Hey guys, here we are back with another great blog tour from Riptide Publishing, this time it’s Inch by Inch written by Heidi Belleau and Amelia C. Gormley. You will have a chance to win some fantastic books so leave comments galore throughout the blog tour 🙂 I’ve also added Thommie’s review so you can see what she thought of the book and it’s good! So here you go and enjoy ~Pixie~v
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? (A look forward at the final two installments of The Professor’s Rule)
Hi, and welcome to the Inch by Inch blog tour! Inch by Inch is the third in Riptide’s BDSM erotica series The Professor’s Rule, written by Heidi Belleau and Amelia C. Gormley. Today, MM Good Book Reviews has asked us to share our thoughts on the future of The Professor’s Rule as the series comes to a close. We’ll also be sharing an excerpt from Every Inch of the Way (The Professor’s Rule #4), coming in March 2014. All week we’ll be touring the web giving you a behind-the-scenes look at The Professor’s Rule, including new character profiles and some very steamy excerpts. We’re also giving away not one but TWO ebooks, so stay tuned!
Thanks so much to our host, MM Good Book Reviews and to you readers, of course, for coming along!
For those readers who might be a little distressed at the quasi-cliffhanger on which Inch by Inch ends, fear not! Coming March 3, 2014, all your questions will be answered and the story of James, Carson and Satish will come to a close in the simultaneous release of Every Inch of the Way (The Professor’s Rule #4) and To the Very Last Inch (The Professor’s Rule #5).
So what can you expect?
Carson may have an agenda that James never suspected–but does it involve Satish, or will it require trying to get rid of him? As we get into TPR #4 and #5, we begin to see how some of the most innocuous of events at the beginning of Carson and James’s relationship (as shown in An Inch at a Time), will carry ripple effects that may make or break their chances of a future together.
We also get to see just what Satish is made of. Is he a hapless subject in a game that has nothing to do with him, or is he crucial to healing the wounds James and Carson have inflicted upon one another in the past?
Just what did result in James leaving Carson in the past? In TPR #5 we delve further into their history. We’ve seen the genesis of their relationship revealed in TPR #2, but now we get a look at where it all fell apart, and why. And whether Satish is there to end it for good . . . or to help shape it into something new?
And now, a sneak peek of The Professor’s Rule #4, coming in March 2014 from Riptide Publishing!
“Excuse me?” A cultured voice intruded on Satish’s mental flailings.
He blinked and turned around quickly, the mask of professionalism sliding into place with a little more effort than usual. “Can I help you?”
“Yes. I’m here to collect a tailoring order for . . .”
The man didn’t even need to finish the sentence, didn’t need to say the words “James Sheridan.” Satish knew who he was looking at.
Well, no problem. According to James, this man recognized Satish, but that didn’t mean Satish must in turn recognize him. Satish could feign ignorance, pretend he thought this man was James’s dad or something, hand the clothes over, and it would all be over. No need to face James, which was what he’d been stressing over all morning.
Wait . . . Had James really chickened out on this? Sent his “whatever” instead? What the fuck? After everything, he couldn’t even look Satish in the face to pick up his own damn tailoring?
You can’t have it both ways, man. Either he’s giving you the space you requested and you’re glad not to bump into him, or you want to have it out and you’re pissed he’s not here. Make up your mind.
Satish gave his mental voice of reason a few well-chosen hand gestures.
“Of course, sir.” Satish pasted on a vapid smile. “If you’ll wait, I’ll go grab your son’s tailoring.”
Satish hadn’t meant it as an insult, but when the man’s nostrils flared, it still gave him a bitchy jolt of satisfaction. So, he was touchy about the age difference, huh? All right, Satish could turn this situation to his advantage. Game on.
“I’m Professor Carson,” the man said, his voice artificially calm.
“Oh?” Satish replied, and felt an evil little smile tugging at his lips. “James didn’t tell me his father was a professor.”
Carson sighed like he found the situation tiresome. “Come now, Satish. Are we really going to play this game?”
Well, that took the wind out of his sails. No fun trying to poke Carson if he wasn’t going to play along. Whatever. Satish was getting perilously close to endangering his job for the sake of a few petty jibes now, anyway. But oh, it felt good. He did need this job, however. He sighed. “Right. Excuse me, sir,” he said with an apologetic nod of his head. “Let me get your items.”
Whatever Satish wanted to think of him, the dude had composure in spades. And presence. Maybe it was because of his age, but it was like he filled the entire store when Satish ducked into the back room to fetch the mini-wardrobe James had purchased after blowing him in the dressing room. Satish could still feel Carson out there, waiting with that unflappable expression.
The weight of all the clothing James had bought practically pulled Satish’s arm off as he carried it back to the counter, where Carson was casually checking his phone as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
Texting James? Satish had to keep his mouth from twisting bitterly.
“This is everything, sir. All paid for. Just sign the slip here.”
“Of course.” Carson produced a pen out of his inner breast pocket with a strangely graceful gesture and signed the receipt with a negligent flourish. His eyes returned to Satish as he slid the paper back across the counter. “Anything you’d like me to tell James on your behalf when I see him next?”
Satish narrowed his eyes. He dropped his voice to a hiss to prevent his manager from overhearing. “No thanks. Unlike some people, I don’t need to involve third parties in my business.”
Carson didn’t–quite–roll his eyes, but there was something in his expression that conveyed that same sort of disdain. An arrogant brand of Really? “Well, consider it for the best.” He gathered up James’s tailoring, and his tone dripped the same sort of bitchy condescension Satish’s had earlier when he’d goaded Carson about his age. “It’s hardly like things would work out with you and James anyway. He has needs you could never fulfill. Believe me when I say it’s better for you to just step gracefully aside. Good afternoon.”
Carson swept out while Satish was still gaping like a fish, searching for words.
Contest Info:
If you haven’t fallen in lust with the Professor, yet, now’s your chance! We’ve got two ebooks to give away to two lucky commenters: one copy of Giving an Inch, and one of An Inch at a Time. That’s two chances to win! Let us know your thoughts and hopes for the rest of the series! Be sure to include your contact info (email, twitter, or facebook!) on this or any of the other of the posts on this tour for a chance to win. More comments=more entries, so to increase your odds of winning, be sure to follow the entire tour! We’ll pick a winner New Year’s eve, so you can start 2014 right!
Inch by Inch (The Professor’s Rule #3)
After two long, kink-free years apart, James Sheridan has reunited with his Professor: the sexy, dominant Evander Carson. But this time, things will be different. James is older, more sure of himself, and confident that he can draw the line between Carson’s demands and his own principles.
One of those lines is gorgeous menswear salesman Satish Malhotra. After their steamy dressing room encounter, James feels an unexpected connection to Satish, and he wants to explore it further. But Carson’s involvement—in James’s life, and in James and Satish’s budding relationship—complicates things.
Carson’s penchant for using other men in their sex games has always troubled James, and he’s adamant that Satish not be just another notch in their whipping post. But when Satish learns what prompted James to pursue him in the first place, will James’s new ability to draw the line even matter?
About Amelia: Amelia C. Gormley may seem like anyone else. But the truth is she sings in the shower, dances doing laundry, and writes blisteringly hot m/m erotic romance while her son is at school. When she’s not writing in her Pacific Northwest home, Amelia single-handedly juggles her husband, her son, their home, and the obstacles of life by turning into an everyday superhero. And that, she supposes, is just like anyone else
Her self-published novel-in-three-parts, Impulse (Inertia, Book One;Acceleration, Book Two; and Velocity, Book Three) can be found at most major online book retailers, and be sure to check Riptide for her latest releases, including her Highland historical, The Laird’s Forbidden Lover, theThe Professor’s Ruleseries of erotic novelettes (co-written with Heidi Belleau), and her upcoming post-apocalyptic romance, Strain
About Heidi: Heidi Belleau was born and raised in small town New Brunswick, Canada. She now lives in the rugged oil-patch frontier of Northern BC with her husband, an Irish ex-pat whose long work hours in the trades leave her plenty of quiet time to write. She has a degree in history from Simon Fraser University with a concentration in British and Irish studies; much of her work centered on popular culture, oral folklore, and sexuality, but she was known to perplex her professors with papers on the historical roots of modern romance novel tropes. (Ask her about Highlanders!) Her writing reflects everything she loves: diverse casts of characters, a sense of history and place, equal parts witty and filthy dialogue, the occasional mythological twist, and most of all, love—in all its weird and wonderful forms. She also writes queer-flavoured M/F as Heloise Belleau.
Blurb: After two long, kink-free years apart, James Sheridan has reunited with his Professor: the sexy, dominant Evander Carson. But this time, things will be different. James is older, more sure of himself, and confident that he can draw the line between Carson’s demands and his own principles.
One of those lines is gorgeous menswear salesman Satish Malhotra. After their steamy dressing room encounter, James feels an unexpected connection to Satish, and he wants to explore it further. But Carson’s involvement—in James’s life, and in James and Satish’s budding relationship—complicates things.
Carson’s penchant for using other men in their sex games has always troubled James, and he’s adamant that Satish not be just another notch in their whipping post. But when Satish learns what prompted James to pursue him in the first place, will James’s new ability to draw the line even matter?
Review: Book three in a series that is best read in order, Inch by Inch picks up right after James and Satish hook up at the clothes-store. If you’ve read the first part of the series, you already remember that James defied Carson in the little game he planned for James and Satish. Not only he defied him, but turned the encounter from a mere game to be all for himself and Satish, leaving Carson completely out of it. And as you’ve probably already guessed, there is a price to pay for that.
What follows is a beautiful scene between Carson and James. Discipline administering, sensory deprivation, a rough claiming and surprise-surprise James still made it and put some limits in this get together. Two years had left him craving for what Carson offers him, but thing will not be the way they used to, not anymore.
Also James takes a stand and delivers the final blow to Carson by telling him in no uncertain way that he intends to date Satish, and in no way with he be one of their games.
It’s really interesting reading this part of the series, besides it being awfully hot and maddeningly erotic. There are things being stated here that James completely misses the meaning of them when it comes to Carson. I admit I’m biased as Carson is my favorite character, but I don’t think I blind myself into seeing things that aren’t there. To me it is apparent how deeply Carson cares for James, I even think he’s in love with him, and it saddens me that James can’t see it. Yes, Carson is a master into hiding his emotions, but even so, there were times in this story that I so wanted to slap James silly, especially in the way I felt he was taking advantage of Carson.
So here, we have, the first book was the start of something between Satish and James while introducing us to James and Carson’s dynamics, the second book going back in time to show us exactly what Carson and James’ relationship was all about, with the third book going full circle and two different relationships emerging. James and Carson are trying to go back to what they had but with major new differences, and James and Satish trying to make something out of their attraction. The result of all that are some amazingly well written scenes involving kinks and a Dom/sub dynamic that leaves you panting, and the passionate claiming of new lovers that simply have you drooling all over the pages.
The end of this part leaves you with a hopeful feeling for the two new lovers, but it left me with a deep sadness on Carson’s behalf. If I thought I’d know by now what the next installment will bring, I’m roughly disillusioned, as I have no clue, only eagerness and a rising anticipation that has me nearly trembling. I knew of course this series would captivate me, but as it unfolds, it’s becoming brightly clear that that is an understatement. I’m simply in love with The Professor’s Rule and I totally recommend it to fans of Kinks &Fetishes. It’s an absolutely lovely series, so well written that you will have no trouble getting lost in their magic at all.
Blurb: James Sheridan is failing history. Luckily, his professor is a rumored pervert, and James isn’t too proud to pay for a better grade with his body. Professor Carson lives up to his reputation, but he’s not unethical enough to take sexual bribes. What he can offer is some highly unconventional tutoring . . . creative use of a ruler included.
The deal? Studying, followed by a “quiz.” Wrong answer? Spanking. Right answer? Reward. Ace the final, earn some mind-blowing sex. Its harder work than sexual bribery, but it beats the volunteer tutors at the student center.
After a few study sessions, James realizes he wants way more than a grade from Professor Carson, even if he’s not sure what that is. Carson’s a silver fox, all right, but James isn’t “bent” the way Carson is, and for him, the spankings are only supposed to be a means to an end. But the better he gets at history, the more he realizes he likes getting answers wrong just as much as getting them right.
I knew it with absolute certainty when I read Giving an Inch, the first book in the series, that it was the beginning of a great ride. I knew that the second book would be just as good, if not better. But I hadn’t anticipated exactly just how much.
This second book does not follow the first; it rather takes us back at the beginning, at how Carson and James met. So there, I have my wishes to get to know Carson being fulfilled.
The rumors had it that Professor Carson is a deviant who takes advantage of gay college boys, so James who is failing his term thinks it a good idea to hit on his professor in exchange for a grade. He had no idea though how this would go about. Carson is definitely a character that his sole existence is to keep people on their toes, let alone a green guy like James. Carson’s leanings come a bit of a shock to James and while everything in his head tells him to go elsewhere for help, his stubborn personality and love for challenge make an appearance and the result is, well, quite mind-blowing if I may say so.
I absolutely adored this book. I can’t state enough that this was so much more than I expected. I loved the fact that the authors took us back in time and let us see the young James. I loved the fact that James has a background and more depth as a character. It makes it so easy to get attached to him now, something that was lacking in the first book. I could now see that determination his older version had, see where it came from, how it becomes stronger. Literally, this book gave me a huge connection with our MC’s for I’m not forgetting Carson.
If you’ve read the first book, you well know that Carson was just voice through the phone there. Yet he was so strong and made such an impact (to me at least) that getting to know this character now was like a sip of cold water after a very hot day. He is so wonderfully charming I just can’t get enough of him.
And what a great writing did these authors exhibit with this pair’s dynamic and chemistry. How effortlessly did the relationship fly from a game of sorts to something… more (can’t call this a relationship), and how freaking hot everything was. Keeping in mind that there was only one sex scene, I’m afraid the “moderate” level of heat I gave it was not quite so fair, because this book is so full of sexual charge that every single page seemed to be overflowing with heat and sex, even as there was none of it. I quite astounded by that, and can’t quite find the words to describe how intense, beautiful, and hot this read was. You know when authors use that phrase “electric charge.” Well, for me this entire book was just that. Pretty brilliant.
In the end the only thing I can add is that if you like the teacher/student gig and if you’d like to read a book that caters to this part of kink and BDSM, An Inch at a Time is masterfully written to give you a perfect and most enjoyable read. As for me, I can’t wait for the next book in The Professor’s Rule Series.
History grad James Sheridan thinks his biggest problem in life is trying to find a suitable outfit for his upcoming Ph.D. candidacy exam. That is, until he accidentally texts a changing-room selfie meant for his fashionable sister to his ex, the domineering Professor Carson.
James and Carson haven’t seen each since James fled their power games two years ago. Back in his undergrad days, Carson was his Professor, and not just in the academic sense: a man of unusual tastes and extreme sexual demands, James had been happy to sate Carson’s savage appetites. Too happy, in fact. He never could trust himself not to let Carson push too far.
Now James is older and wiser, and sharing some seriously flirtatious vibes with a cute menswear rep. When Carson replies to James’s errant text, ready to pick up where they left off, James can’t help being drawn back into Carson’s control. It’s only when Carson suggests involving the salesman that James has to ask himself how far is too far, and whether he’s willing to go there with Carson again.
Review: What an enticing story to start a series. Giving an Inch slowly lures you into its depths and gives you no chance to escape the addiction.
James is a character that I really don’t know what to make of him. He has long broke up with his “Professor,” his pushy, demanding professor Carson, but not because Carson’s demands and want-more, but because James himself couldn’t stop from giving whatever Carson put on the table and then some. Yet an accident put Carson back in his life when he accidentally sends him a picture of his attire and Carson grabs the opportunity to get his lovely sub back.
Still demanding, still ordering him around into things that James feels humiliating, but this time James is different. The game might be Carson’s but James is putting down rules of his own. This time James wants more.
And this character right here is addictive. We get to see a slight side of Carson and I can’t wait to properly meet him in future installments. We get to meet Satish, the salesman that gets involved into Carson’s little game, and I really do hope to see more of him in the future. But the main character that made me want to grab the authors and shake the next story out of them is James. Lovely James; needy James; defiant James. He might have come as weak at some points but oh my, he did grow some spine there and took what he wanted from this wonderful, brilliant play.
Enticing? That is quite an understatement.
A lovely short story, one of those that you don’t want to say much about the plot out of fear of spoiling the fun, Giving an Inch will most certainly win you with a great writing, wonderful protagonist, a promising plot and one very erotic and sexy scene. Strongly recommended.
Title: Bane
Title: Juggernaut
