Tag: Artemis’s Reviews

Po' Boys Anthology by Tc Blue, Kiernan Kelly, Lydia Nyx, Julia Talbot, and Ba Tortuga

Title:  Po Boys Anthology

Series: N/A

Authors:   T.C. Blue, Kiernan Kelly, Lydia Nyx, Julia Talbot, B.A. Tortuga

Genre: M/M contemporary

Length: eBook, 205 pages

Publisher: Torquere Press

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4Hearts

Blurb: New Orleans is beautiful, mysterious, and above all, sexy. Po’ Boys explores all the dark alleys and shadowy cemeteries the city has to offer, with all the heat you expect from the Deep South.

In Ghost Hunting with the Stars by Lydia Nyx, Harley Weston is an average guy. So when Jackson Carney, America’s favorite gay ghost hunter, comes to film a TV show at the haunted French Quarter hotel Harley works in, Harley isn’t impressed. However, Harley does admire Jackson’s surprisingly down-to-earth attitude.

In Bubba’s All Night Diner and Bait Shop, by Kiernan Kelly, you’ll find muffuletta and murder at Bubba’s, where the danger is as thick as the accents, and the sex is as spicy as the jambalaya.

In Sexual Frankenstein, by TC Blue, friends and band mates Darian Jones and Tony Delacourt think they know each other well. When an opportunity for the band falls into their laps, it seems like a dream come true, but between their unacknowledged attraction, and some questionable decisions, they must decide whether to play it safe, or risk it all.

Finally, in Link to the Crescent, by Julia Talbot and BA Tortuga, werewolf Landry is sent to New Orleans from his home in the swamp, told he’ll meet his destiny. What he meets is vampire, Thierry, who might just be exactly what Landry’s looking for.

Let the good times roll!

Product Link: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76&products_id=3531

Reviewer: Artemis

Review: Having lived in the Gulf Coast area for many years, I fell in love with all things Cajun.  So, I was really looking forward to reading this book. It is made up of 4 different stories, all set in or around New Orleans,

In Ghost Hunting with the Stars, by Lydia Nyx, Harley meets Jackson Carney, America’s favorite gay ghost hunter, and immediately thinks he resembles a perfectly decorated cake.  All pretty on the outside but weirdly fake.  Harley is just an average guy and has no interest in celebrities, but as he gets to know Jackson he starts to realize that America’s favorite gay ghost hunter is really a pretty nice guy.

I loved the author’s writing style and she created two very likeable characters.  They had an easy way of bantering with each other that made me smile.  I also enjoyed the secondary characters she added into the story.  Harley’s best friend Keith was funny and a bit crass and Jackson’s assistant Amanda was slightly scattered and frantic.

This story had a little bit of ghost hunting, a little bit of sex, some real life stuff thrown in and really well written characters and dialogue.  Very enjoyable!

In Bubba’s All Night Diner and Bait Shop by Kiernan Kelly, Jackson shows up at the diner looking for the Malvin brothers and Bubba offers to show him the way to their cabin.  Bubba is the diner’s owner and has an accent as thick as the gumbo they serve.  Jackson looks like an FBI agent, but is really looking for the Malvin brothers to get their signature on the paperwork that will give his company rights to the natural gas reserves hidden underneath the swamp.  Too bad the Malvin brothers are too dead to sign anything!

Bubba and Jackson get acquainted during the murder investigation and subsequent arson investigation and hospital stay.  When the whole thing finally unravels, Bubba and Jackson are more than happy to keep seeing each other, even if they do come from two totally different worlds.

I liked the story the author created and it really was true to life with gators and shotguns and everything else you find in the back woods of the bayou.  I admit, though, I am never a huge fan of trying to read accented speech.  It makes it very realistic, but there are a few too many aint’s in the story.

In Sexual Frankenstein by TC Blue, Darien and Tony have been in the band with each other for a couple of years, each one secretly crushing on the other and assuming they have no chance.  An amazing gig falls in their laps and during the course of the night they find themselves getting involved with other people.  These brief liaisons serve to open their eyes to what they COULD have if they just manage to find the courage to grab it!

When Tony and Damien finally acknowledge their attraction to each other and end up in bed it is sweet and hot and a little bit frantic and even just a tad bit awkward.  Just what you would expect of 2 college kids who have been suffering from unrequited love for the last 2 years!

The author created a group of very likeable characters and I loved that there was an epilogue at the end to let us know how things ended up after the initial craziness of the new relationship.

In Link to the Crescent by Julia Talbot and BA Tortuga, Thierry is bored. He has been around a long time and has lost interest in life.  Landry is a werewolf, sent from his pack, in search of his destiny.  He is young, but denies it, and hungry and wanting to play.  Thierry offers him a nice rare steak and a bit of fun and they quickly move forward to a fiercely loyal and protective relationship. Unfortunately, another pack has already claimed this area for themselves and Landry and Thierry need to stake their own claim.

This was a fast paced story with thoroughly enjoyable characters.  Thierry is protective and loving and Landry is adorably playful and willing to please.  I found it interesting how the author blended the wolf and the human in some scenes.  It was often difficult to determine which one was actually in charge.  Throughout the story, I could really feel how much they cared for each other.  I wish the story had gone a little farther, I didn’t want it to end!

These four stories are all very different, but if you love the bayou and all things Cajun I think you will really have fun with this anthology!

Carnal Compromise by Robin L. Rotham

Title: Carnal Compromise

Author: Robin L. Rotham

ISBN: 978-1-60928-591-3

Genre: Comtemporary,  MMF Menage

Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd. (August 9, 2011)

Length and Format: Novel 396 KB

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4Hearts

From the Publisher:   Joe Remke has just one qualification for his lovers—he wants them gone before sunrise, which makes his new bunkmate AJ about as safe as a woman can be around him. It also makes his determination to sleep with his boss downright stupid, because if Brent ever gives in, he’ll be looking for a new job.

Ladies’ man Brent Andersen knows sex with his right-hand man Joe is inevitable, but he’s not going down without a fight. Putting the new female hired hand in their cramped RV was a stroke of genius, taking the heat off him while protecting her from the horny guys on his custom farming crew.

AJ Pender’s hard-bodied roomies may hide their feelings for each other from the rest of the crew, but they aren’t fooling her—Brent and Joe are hot for each other, and it’s all she can do not to cry at the thought. If they ever found out she fantasizes about being the meat in their farmer sandwich, they’d probably die laughing.

Fortunately for Brent and Joe, fantasies have a way of revealing themselves and AJ’s are right up their alley. But even threesomes have their risks, and AJ can serve as a buffer for only so long before the tension between them explodes.

About the Author (From Amazon):  When I complained of being bored the summer before 7th grade, my mother (who worked at a bookstore at the time) handed me a stripped copy of Victoria Holt’s The Shivering Sands–and I was hooked. I became a voracious reader and an aspiring author, bringing home stacks of books from the library every single week. The next year, I did a school report on Ms. Holt and wrote to her asking for information. In reply, she sent me an autographed photo and a lovely two-page hand-written letter in which she encouraged me to follow my writing dreams. Sadly, both the photo and the letter were lost over many moves, but my writing dreams remained.

My Review:  I am usually hesitant to read books involving threesomes because too many of them seem to be all about the sex and not enough about their relationship and character development. I think that Ms. Rotham did a good job finding balance with AJ, Joe, and Brent but I had parts I enjoyed more than others.

At the beginning of this book, Joe and Brent are very close friends. They have known each other for years and while Joe (who is bi) openly acknowledges his attraction to Brent (who has always considered himself straight) the two have no awkwardness between them at all. They share the occasional woman between them, work together with easy camaraderie, and are comfortable together. I love that the author had the 2 male characters already have a bond between them before the sex came into play.

AJ is a bit on the feisty side, which I like. She seems to hold her own with the guys pretty well. Her active imagination has her fantasizing about being with Brent and Joe and she is mortified to be interrupted by them during a very private moment but it just gets the boys moving a little faster to get her into bed.

I would have played that first sex scene out a little differently than the author chose to. I don’t want to give away any plot details but suffice it to say that Joe is a bit of a jerk. While it has been hinted at that he has some serious commitment issues, we don’t really understand WHY. In face, we don’t really know a lot about ANY of the characters history before they end up in bed. We know they are close and enjoy each other’s company but not really what makes each one tick. I think that throwing a little bit of back story into the book as it progressed would have helped me understand the characters better.

I liked the characters, the sex scenes were hot and well written, and I liked the story itself. I just would have rearranged things a bit so that the character’s histories and feelings were a little bit more well understood before the bedroom scenes hit.

Overall, though, a good story and I will certainly be checking out other books by this author!

 

The Closer You Get by L. A. Witt

Title: The Closer You Get

Author: L. A. Witt

Genre: M/M Contemporary

ISBN: 978-1-60928-552-4

Length: Novel (394 KB)

Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd. (November 15, 2011)

Heart Rating:  ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts

Heat Level: Explicit

Reviewer: Artemis

From the Publisher:   The virgin isn’t the only one with something to lose…

Self-described manwhore Kieran Frost is loving the single life. Two years after moving to Seattle, he still has his friends with benefits, Rhett and Ethan, plus a never-ending supply of gorgeous, available men wandering through the bar where he works. A relationship? Spare him the drama and heartbreak. He’s got no complaints about his unattached lifestyle.

When Rhett’s daughter introduces him to newly-out-of-the-closet Alex Corbin, Kieran’s interest perks up. After all, the quiet ones are always the freaks in bed. But Alex isn’t just shy and reserved. He’s a virgin in every sense of the word, having never even kissed anyone else.

Kieran is no one’s teacher, and his first instinct is to run like hell in the other direction. But his conscience won’t let him throw the naïve kid to the wolves for someone else to take advantage of. The plan is to introduce Alex to his own sexuality, pull him out of his shell, and then go their separate ways.

It’s the perfect, foolproof plan…assuming no one falls in love.

Product Link:  http://store.samhainpublishing.com/the-closer-you-get-p-6532.html

About the Author: (from Amazon)

L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer who, after three years in Okinawa, Japan, has recently relocated to Omaha, Nebraska, with her husband, two cats, and a three-headed clairvoyant parakeet named Fred. There is some speculation that this move was not actually because of her husband’s military orders, but to help L. A. close in on her arch nemesis, erotica author Lauren Gallagher, who has also recently transferred to Omaha. So, don’t anyone tell Lauren. She’s not getting away this time…

My Review:   I have read a number of L. A. Witt’s book in the past but let me say that this has got to be one of my favorites so far! I read it straight through in about 2 days and then when back and bought the book leading up to this one, The Distance Between Us. That one didn’t disappoint me either so I recommend buying both!

When we are first introduced to Kieran in The Closer You Get, he is a bit of a wild man and is having the time of his life bar tending at a popular gay bar and enjoying a wonderful friends-with-benefits relationship with his 2 best friends. Those two best friends, Ethan and Rhett are the subjects of the previous book and happen to be happily committed to one another while sharing some very sexy threesome moments with Kieran. Suffice it to say that Kieran knows his way around the bedroom.

As a favor to Ethan’s daughter, Kieran agrees to a blind date (of sorts) and ends up meeting Alex, a slightly shy and newly out of the closet young man who has just moved to the area from a very gay unfriendly town. Now that Alex is free to express his sexuality, he isn’t quite sure how do go about doing it. Kieran has LOTS of ideas but doesn’t really know how to handle an inexperienced virgin! He also doesn’t want to let Alex go! They come to a mutual agreement…Kieran will teach Alex everything he needs to know about being gay and there will be no falling in love!

There is a sweet getting to know you phase, hesitant explorations, passion when Alex finally starts to feel comfortable with his sexuality, and the eventual falling in love. Kieran lets Alex lead the way and in the beginning there are some insecurities, a few small mistakes, a LOT of sexual frustration and a whole bunch of really tender moments. There is also a bit of freaking out when the word ‘love’ gets thrown in the mix!

The thing I loved about Kieran is that he is really sweet. Yes, he gets around quite a bit and declares from the get go that he is only in it for the sex but he is a nice guy. I liked him…that is important to me in a main character!

Alex is shy but Ms. Witt does a great job of hinting at the devil inside…one that has had to hide his sexuality a little too long but who wants to come out and play! He does not always take a passive role in this relationship, even though he is clearly the less experienced of the two.

Overall, a wonderful story with characters I really enjoyed. The passion between them is amazingly hot but is well balanced by the tender emotions they clearly feel for one another. This is one that I will keep in my library to read again!

Developing the Counselor by Serena Yates

Title: Developing the Counsellor

Series: New Horizons (#7)

Genre: M/M Contemporary

Author: Serena Yates

Publisher: Total-E-Bound (October 17th 2011)

ISBN: 978-0-85715-788-1

Format: ebook short story

Heat Level: Moderate

My Rating: ♥♥♥3Hearts

From the Publisher:   Emilio Scarpino is a self development counsellor who can’t seem to lose the extra pounds he believes stop him from finding love. He likes eating and hates perfectly fit men like his personal trainer – until he meets ex-Army man Ivan Macer. The man is not only a hunk but very interested in Emilio.

Ivan became a security specialist when he left the Army two years ago and now co-owns a small company with his friend Leo. Part of the reason he left the Army was that he couldn’t be himself – and he still hasn’t come out, but would for the right man.

Can Ivan convince Emilio that he cares more about who he is than what he looks like? Can Emilio believe him and develop a new sense of self?

About the Author (from the Publisher):   I’m a night owl who starts writing when everyone else in my time zone is asleep. I’ve loved reading all my life and spent most of my childhood with my nose buried in a book. Although I always wanted to be a writer, financial independence came first. Twenty-some years and a successful business career later I took some online writing classes and never looked back.

My Review:   I had a friend when I was younger that constantly battled his weight and as a result, he had some serious misconceptions about himself. In a similar fashion, Emilio firmly believes that no one could possibly be attracted to him because of his excess weight. He suffers from a serious case of low self esteem and also some inward hostilities towards people he believes look ‘perfect’.

Emilio is in serious need of a vacation and is envious of his friend Felix’s blossoming relationship with his new boyfriend. He decides to takes some time off from his counseling job to go visit him. When he shows up at Felix’s office he discovers the absolute physical perfection of Ivan Macer. Exercise buffs, personal trainers, and ex-Army men all get his guard up so he just has no clue how Ivan could possibly be attracted to him!

We were first introduced to Ivan in Ms. Yates previous book ‘Saving the Bodyguard (New Horizons, #5)’ when he suggested that his partner go for anger management training. He feels an instant bond of friendship and camaraderie form as soon as he meets Emilio and is quick to admit that he is physically attracted to him as well.

This is the part that I sort of had a problem with…in the earlier pages, Ivan says multiple times that he cannot admit that he is gay (although there are some allusions to brief M/M encounters?) but he grabs Emilio, pushes him up against a wall and dives into bed with him without one ounce of hesitation. I have to be a bit skeptical of this situation. I would think there would be a bit more resistance to getting physical if he is as ‘not gay’ as he suggests.

The author does a great job with Emilio’s character. We are given quite a wonderful and emotional look into what drives him, his insecurities, and his dreams. Leo’s character didn’t really come together for me. He is sweet and encouraging to Emilio but went from dominant and aggressive to insecure and hesitant depending on the scene.

The interactions between Emilio and Ivan were well written and there was both passion and tenderness in their relationship. I would have liked to see the story keep going a little bit more, I thought maybe it ended a little too abruptly.

Overall, not a bad story. Tender and passionate with a real look at what weight problems can do to a person’s self confidence. I just would have preferred Leo’s character be a bit more defined.

 

Noticing the Finance Manager by Serena Yates

Note:  When Ms. Yates noted that Noticing the Finance Manager was in queue for review, she graciously submitted Saving the Bodyguard for review.  Each can be read as a stand-alone, but she feels that reading them in order will add to the reader’s enjoyment.  Both can be found on the publisher’s web site or wherever quality MM romance titles are sold.

Title: Noticing the Finance Manager

Series:  New Horizons 06

Author: Serena Yates

Publisher: Total-E-Bound Publishing (August 15th 2011)

ISBN: 978-0-85715-627-3

Genre: M/M Contemporary

Format/length: eBook (46 pages)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating:  ♥♥♥♥4Hearts

Reviewer:  Artemis

From the Publisher:  Felix Oakden loved his work as a finance manager…before a spiteful ex-boyfriend used false accusations to not only get him fired, but also blackball him throughout the health care industry. Forced to work as a waiter to support himself, he met Leo and the two fell in love.

Returning to the real world means making a decision about his future professional life. Felix discovers several alternatives he would have never considered before Leo noticed his talent for financial analysis.

When an old enemy begins to make life difficult for him, can Felix fight back and win – even when the situation seems hopeless?

About the Author:  I’m a night owl who starts writing when everyone else in my time zone is asleep. I’ve loved reading all my life and spent most of my childhood with my nose buried in a book. Although I always wanted to be a writer, financial independence came first. Twenty-some years and a successful business career later I took some online writing classes and never looked back.

 

Living and working in seven countries has taught me that there’s more than one way to get things done. It has instilled tremendous respect for the many different cultures, beliefs, attitudes and preferences that exist on our planet.

I like exploring those differences in my stories, most of which happen to be romances. My characters have a tendency to want to do their own thing, so I often have to rein them back in. The one thing we all agree on is the desire for a happy ending.

My Review:  This book is the second part of Felix and Leo’s story. In book 5 of the New Horizons Series (Saving the Bodyguard) we learn a lot about Leo and the beginning of their relationship. Noticing the Finance Manager (Book 6 of the New Horizon’s Series) is more about Felix’s development and the deepening of the feelings between these two men.

With the financing of Leo’s security company taken care of, Felix needs to figure out what he is going to do with the rest of his life. While he loves his new partner and their relationship is deeply emotional and fulfilling, he needs to get back to work and start focusing on his career! His ex blackballed him with just about every health care firm in the area so he is floundering without much of a plan.

Getting his career straightened out requires Felix to think outside the box a little bit, settle some issues with an old enemy, and get a little bit more aggressive than he has been in the past (both in the bedroom AND the boardroom!) All this is accomplished with Leo’s support and their increasingly intense feelings for one another really play a major part in the story. Without giving away any spoilers…Felix will end up with both the man of his dreams AND an awesome career by the end of the book!

I found the relationship between Leo and Felix to be both sweet and hot at the same time. They are at times fiercely passionate but there is always an undercurrent of love between them that is very obvious. This is a quick but enjoyable read with great characters and I enjoy Ms. Yates’ writing style. The storyline is simple but believable and I could certainly see another book highlighting these characters.

 

Saving the Bodyguard by Serena Yates

Note:  When Ms. Yates noted that Noticing the Finance Manager was in queue for review, she graciously submitted this title for review.  Each can be read as a stand-alone, but she feels that reading them in order will add to the readers enjoyment.  Both can be found on the publisher’s web site or wherever quality MM romance titles are sold.

Title: Saving the Bodyguard

Series:  New Horizons 05

Author: Serena Yates

Publisher: Total-E-Bound Publishing (June 13, 2011)

ISBN: 978-0-85715-573-3

Format/length: eBook 135 Kb

Genre: Contemporary M/M fiction

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4Hearts

Reviewer:  Artemis

From the Publisher:  Leo Taber is an ex-bodyguard who now runs a security company with a good friend. Business does not go as well as expected, and he soon faces anger management issues. He is very skeptical about the ten-day course his friend recommends, but feels he has no choice but to go. Once at the retreat, he meets Felix, who works as a waiter there, and all his issues seem forgotten when the sparks start flying. Giving in to his feelings has never been so easy.

But is this temporary peace going to last – even when the real world starts intruding into their temporary idyll?

About the Author:  I’m a night owl who starts writing when everyone else in my time zone is asleep. I’ve loved reading all my life and spent most of my childhood with my nose buried in a book. Although I always wanted to be a writer, financial independence came first. Twenty-some years and a successful business career later I took some online writing classes and never looked back.

Living and working in seven countries has taught me that there’s more than one way to get things done. It has instilled tremendous respect for the many different cultures, beliefs, attitudes and preferences that exist on our planet.

I like exploring those differences in my stories, most of which happen to be romances. My characters have a tendency to want to do their own thing, so I often have to rein them back in. The one thing we all agree on is the desire for a happy ending.

My Review:  At the very beginning of this book, Leo is not particularly ‘likeable’ as a character…mainly because he has some serious anger management problems. When he almost takes down a little old lady in a grocery store and nearly beats a vending machine to death, you start to see some serious issues with his temperament! However, his friend and co-worker encourages him to take a little time out to get a handle on things and he ends up at a weeklong retreat for some soul-searching and relaxation. He doesn’t have much hope that it is going to work for him until he meets Felix! I liked Felix’s character right away….even if he does seem a little scattered at first. He is just recently out of relationship with a total jerk who got him kicked out of the accounting field and he is stuck waiting tables until he figures out what to do.

When the two characters first meet they are total opposites but strongly attracted to each other. They spend quite a bit of time getting to know one another in every way humanly possible and Felix is a huge help when it comes to getting Leo to understand what his anger issues do to the people around him. With a crisis happening at work, Leo’s vacation retreat is cut short but Felix has a solution that might just work for everyone!

Ms. Yates does a really great job getting the readers to understand her characters, what motivates them, and their emotions. This is a relatively short and fast paced story so things move along pretty quickly. The one thing I would have slowed down just a little bit is how quickly Leo and Felix got physically involved. I admit I like a little bit more of a buildup between my characters before they start having sex! The scenes are fairly well written, however, and there is a definite emotional connection between the two.  Despite being two very different types of men, they seem to balance one another quite nicely!

Overall, the author created a sweet story with enjoyable characters and some very steamy bedroom scenes. Very nicely done!

 

Bondi Beach Boys by Rhian Cahill

Title: Bondi Beach Boys

Author: Rhian Cahill

Genre: Erotic Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Etopia Press (May 6, 2011)

ISBN: ISBN: 978-1-936751-29-7

Length: Novella

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥2.5Hearts

Reviewer: Artemis

From the Publisher:   What’s a girl to do with two sexy Aussie surfers? Ride the waves, of course…

After weeks of lusting over a couple of hot surfers, Piper Doyle has the opportunity to turn fantasy into reality. There’s just one problem—they’re her new clients. When the men offer a no-strings-attached affair, Piper has a decision to make, one her body made for her weeks ago when she first started watching “her boys.” She can’t risk the job that could make or break her career, but she sure as hell isn’t going to pass up this chance to live out her wildest dreams…

Sam Bridges and Nate Russo share everything, from their home to their business to the occasional woman. Even themselves. But they’ve never shared what they feel for Piper. What starts out as hot sex with a willing woman turns into something none of them expected—but what’s wrong with a few strings on a hot summer day at the beach…

About the Author:   Years of slavery to four young aliens and their sire failed to squash the love of writing or reading hiding behind the facade of a boring stay-at-home mum. Escaping from the mother-ship with vivid imagination intact, Rhian uses her superpowers for good.

Okay, so that’s not quite how it happened. Married to her very own hero for over 20 years and raising a family of four kept writing on the back burner but with more time to spend on the things she loves most, Mr. Muse and Rhian have taken over.

Writing a multiple of genres keeps life interesting and busy. Rhian can be found in numerous places online where her love of talking is well satisfied. An Aussie, who’s spent years living overseas, Rhian and family are now happily residing back in their native land of down under.

My Review:   This book started off on a very positive note. I could really imagine that I was sitting beach side and watching the waves, enjoying a fruity beverage, and ogling the sexy scenery as it walked by! As each character was introduced, they seemed very charismatic and I really wanted to get to know them all a little bit better.

What really bugged me was that by page 15 we have our 2 main male characters having sex. I am all for M/M sex but I like to get to know the characters in a book before they start fooling around…the buildup, the tension, the sexual frustration all makes that first sex scene something worth waiting for.

Soon after the rushed sex scene we had another one of my personal dislikes…a fainting female. Just the mere site of her object of desire causes Piper to faint right there on the porch step? Maybe it’s just me but I like my women with a little bit more backbone than that!

The story line itself was promising. Up and coming web designer gets hired by 2 cute male business partners who happen to enjoy each other’s company as much as that of a woman. I think more time should have been spent developing the story and really creating the characters. With the descriptive and smooth writing style that Ms. Cahill has, I think she could have really weaved a bit more story into the sex that is so predominant in this book.