Tag: D. J. Manley

Fever by A.J. Llewellyn and D.J. Manly

18365576Title: Fever

Series: Tiki Vampires, Book 1

Author: A. J. Llewellyn & D. J. Manly

Genre: Paranormal

Length: Novella (137 Pages)

ISBN: 978-1-7818-4696-4

Publisher: Totally Bound (September 20th, 2013)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥3.5Hearts

Reviewer: Lisa

　

Blurb:When Jepoi meets the man of his dreams, he has no way of knowing that Malakai is a fallen Hawaiian god condemned to eternity…as a vampire.

The pantheon of gods was displeased when Kane, one of their major gods, fell out with his lover Kanaloa, one of the ruling forces over the Hawaiian Islands. Condemned to an eternal earth-bound life as a shape-shifting vampire, Malakai has one chance to break the curse. He must never fall in love and he must never intervene in human problems.

All that goes astray when he meets Jepoi, a young male nurse working on the Big Island of Hawaii. Malakai falls for Jepoi and can’t resist him, but then all hell literally breaks loose when Malakai saves Jepoi from ancient and deadly disease that returns to the fatal shores of Hawaii.

 

This is book one in the Tiki Vampires series, see the full series listing here

 

Purchase Link: https://www.totallybound.com/fever

 

Review: This is a pretty bizarre story. Don’t get me wrong it was a very good read. I just couldn’t get into it. I had trouble following it even from the start. The characters are very descriptive and are pretty hot. Kane is a vampire, his real name is Malakai and he had pretty much been banished by his lover Kanaloa. What Kanaloa had not known was by doing this Kane would find the one man he would truly love. One very sweet and cute love named Jepoi.

 

Jepoi is a young male nurse who has fallen in love with Kane. The only problem was he had not known what Kane truly was. One day Kane had warned Jepoi not to do a flight, but it had been an emergency and Jepoi had to go. He had helped two very ill people only to realize he had caught a very deadly disease. Kane had permission to save his lover, but there is always a price.

Kane had been told to fix his curse he must never love a human and must never intervene in any of their problems. He failed at both, not only had he fallen in love with Jepoi but also he saved his life.

 

I felt like there is a lot of jealousy coming from Kanaloa and it was revenge to send Kane away. There is a lot of danger in this story that does make it a pretty good read. I loved the way each character felt for the other, however I did not really get a lot of it, but I did like the way it did finally connect for me. It has a lot of twist and turns to this story and it left me hanging at the very end. So I am off to read the next book to this story.

The Fetish Cafe by A.J. Llewellyn and D.J. Manly

FetishCafeTitle: The Fetish Cafe

Series: Part of the Tasty Treats AmberPax Collection

Author: A. J Llewellyn and D. J. Manly

Genre: Gay, Contemporary, BDSM, Group Sex, Ménage, Voyeurism

Length: Short Story (91 Pages)

ISBN: 978-1-61124-555-4

Publisher: Amber Allure, February 16, 2014

　

Heat Level:Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥3Hearts

Reviewer: Lisa

Blurb: Imagine a cafe that caters to your every whim and secret fetish, run by hot young men eager to please. Would you go for it?

When, out of desperation, Bran Caspar takes a job in a women’s designer shoe store, little does he know he’s just entered a world of secret shoe fetishes and a string of cafes designed to cater to a man’s every whim and secret obsessions. It’s a world that turns out to be deadly but highly compelling, especially with a certain “maid” named Rick.

For Bran’s best friend, Finn, the prospect of a new business is a pleasant distraction from his horrible breakup with his lover, Waldo. And speaking of which, where is Waldo? Right inside the Fetish Cafe, looking for more than a cup of coffee.

Will these best friends find happiness at the end of their shift, or will they, too, become victims of The Fetish Cafe?

Purchase Link: http://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/FetishCafe.html

Review: Well, this one is different, to say the least. It is very funny but also a little bit nuts. It caught my attention from the start and kept to the end. However I am not sure if that is a good thing or not. I have heard of a lot of fetishes. However, I don’t think I have ever heard of it all in one spot. It starts with Bran needing a job, and with the help of his mother, he has one. At first, I thought it was just selling women shoes, and then it is of a guy wearing the shoes. Strange but you can get it. Then there is a murder and you think ok a bit strange but what can I say. However the first day of the job, your boss gets murdered, but before he dies he gives you his car, money and tells you to open up your own Fetish Cafe. Bran thinks the way I am thinking at first and then he is all for it.

Finn is his best friend and has been in love with Waldo, however Waldo takes off. They discuss the cafe and they are all in. After Bran had met Rick, he has wanted him. Rick is a little bit different. He was one of the men in a French maids outfit at a cafe his late boss had taken him to. After talking with Rick, they are all in.

Then they find themselves in danger and questions are asked. Lots of sex, strange ideas, and even stranger fantasies are in this book. It is amazing and very funny. Each one falls in love, however they realize that they can’t have their cake and eat it too. Neither wants the other being with other men, and in starting The Fetish Cafe, it is all about sex.

I laughed my ass off with this story however it left me with more questions than answers. I just can’t figure out how it moved so fast. One minute working, the next your boss is dead and you just open up a cafe and the dangers come after you. If you love a quirky comedy, hot sex, murder and quite a bit of death than you would love this story. I would recommend reading it because it will lift your spirits up. I just love the humorous way it was told.

Mirrors by DJ Manly and AJ Llewellyn

Title: Mirrors

Author: D.J. Manly & A.J. Llewellyn

Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense

Length: Super Novel (280pgs)

Publisher: Silver Publishing (7th April 2012)

Heat Level: Moderate – Explicit

Heart Rating:  ♥♥♥♥♥4 ½Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: Aaron Mayer has lived in poverty, while his identical twin Troy enjoyed a privileged existence. When Aaron unexpectedly hears from Troy, he discovers his twin has committed suicide. In a letter, Troy offers Aaron the chance of living his life…

Troy and Aaron Mayer, identical twins separated from the age of two, have lived wildly different lives. Aaron has struggled taking care of their alcoholic, gambling-addicted mother, leaving his finances in disarray. Troy, living with their father, experienced luxury. He calls Aaron asking to see him after years of silence. When Aaron arrives at his brother’s boat, his twin has committed suicide. In his farewell note, Troy offers Aaron his car keys, his money and… His life of riches.

Aaron, on the run from the loan sharks he owes money to, finds his new life is even worse. Everywhere he turns he discovers somebody Troy devastated… including his handsome, charismatic husband, Dave Alvarez, who is on the verge of leaving Troy. Can Aaron turn things around for Troy… and for himself? Or are some mirrors just meant to be broken?

Purchase Link: https://spsilverpublishing.com/product_book_info/products_id/828?zenid=7655563b0076f4c7f2b3159d0279047a

Review: Aaron thinks its providence when his brother phones him and offers to help him out of the trouble his mother landed him in, but when he turns up for the meeting, things are much different from he thought they would be.  With the opportunity to experience the life he could have had, Aaron embarks on an adventure that will take him to the highs of joy and the depths of despair.

This is a story that will grab you by the throat, shake you about and then toss you on the floor like a used towel and you’ll take it then ask at the end ‘but will they find it?’. Aaron is desperate when his brother phones him, so he jumps at the chance to meet him.  But, when he arrives and Troy is gone and there’s a note saying ‘you’re welcome to my life, enjoy’. It doesn’t take him long to take the option that will keep him alive. Dave is Troy’s husband and although Dave loves Troy, he can’t take any more of the treatment that is always being dished out.  When he returns from a business trip Troy has changed for the better and it has him reconsidering his plans.

A brilliantly written story that didn’t take the easy option of the twins knowing everything about each other.  They were strangers who hadn’t seen each other since a very young age. When Aaron takes over his brother’s life, he struggles with even the simplest facts, like where his brother lives. At first, it’s a struggle for him to fit into his brother’s shoes, but he bluffs as much as he can with the help of a list his brother wrote. I loved the way that Aaron contemplates how he is going to pull it all off and then the guilt he starts to feel as he begins to realize exactly what kind of man his brother is and then even more guilt as he realizes that everyone would hate him if they found out the truth.

There is a damn lot going on in Troy’s life that Aaron gets pulled into and how he bluffed like he constantly did was amazing. There are lots of secrets that become unraveled, mystery and suspense and there are a couple of twists and some violence. There are a lot of bitter feelings and betrayal, cons, lies and confessions and the reactions of some of the characters were well written and fantastically portrayed. This is one of those stories where not everything is as it seems and there are secrets inside secrets and you sit there shaking your head as you realize that someone is playing the long game.

The relationship between Aaron and Dave is far from easy, as Aaron tries to play Troy and he can’t have Dave divorcing Troy or they might find out who he really is. I really wasn’t sure about Aaron stepping into those shoes, but the authors both handled it well and they managed to blend it into the story where it seemed natural between Dave and Aaron when they do become intimate.

This story I am recommending to everyone as we have mystery, suspense, murder, secrets, twists, violence, lies, and cons and amidst all that we have a love developing that is sweet and some hot sex to sweeten the deal. P.S. Karma is a Queen bitch.

 

 

Conway by D. J. Manly

Title: Conway

Author: D.J. Manly

Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy, Werewolves

Length: Novella (73pgs)

Publisher: Amber Quill (Amber Allure) (16th October 2011)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: Detective Ryan Hubbard is looking to catch a vicious killer, a killer with apparently no motive except the desire to kill.

Conway is looking for the same man, but for a very different reason.

The moment Ryan finds Conway, he becomes suspicious. And when Conway refuses to tell him what he knows, Ryan suspects the man may even be somehow involved in the deaths. Ryan, firmly on the trail of a hot lead when it comes to Conway, doesn’t intend on letting go. And once Conway gets a look at the hot detective Hubbard, he doesn’t either…

Purchase Link: http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/Conway.html

This title is part of the Howling At The Moon 2011 AmberPax™ Collection.

Review: Ryan is looking to solve a case but an obstacle pops up in the form of Conway.  Conway is also on the hunt but when he meets Ryan he wants a different kind of prey.

This is a great paranormal that keeps you reading. Conway is a great character that made me laugh, he was just cheeky, flippant and flirty and Ryan’s attitude just slipped off his back. Ryan is uptight and just wants to solve the case but Conway frustrates him constantly. These two characters are perfect for each other and it was a joy to watch the conflict between them and to see Conway wear Ryan down.

The story-line is good about a rabid werewolf who has a blood lust for humans and a cop and an enforcer who try to work together to catch him. The sex is hot and sexy although at first you doubt that Ryan will give in to his attraction. I also liked that it wasn’t instant mates on Ryan’s side and also that the werewolves were of the scary movie type and that they were tied to change at will when the moon is out.

So I recommend this to those who love werewolves, cops, hot sex, and a really good story.

 

 

 

The Next Generation by D. J. Manly

Title: The Next Generation

Series: Gladiators 04

Author: D.J. Manly

Genre: Historical, Ancient Greece

Length: Novel (157pgs)

Publisher: Total E-Bound (10th October 2011)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating:  ♥♥♥♥4Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: To follow in his father’s footsteps, Gold’s son will need to defeat Ariston in the arena to become champion…but Ariston might be the love of his life.

Nicolaus has lived in the shadow of his father all his life, a father who was the greatest gladiator of them all. His desire is to prove himself in the arena, even though it is against his father’s wishes. He also has other desires, forbidden desires for his father’s lover, and a love/hate relationship with the slave he must defeat if he is to reign victorious as a gladiator in the arena.

Ariston falls in love with Nicolaus the moment he sets eyes on him. A slave all his life, he has never known freedom but he is the unbeatable champion. The fact that Nicolaus can’t decide whether to bed him or kill him greatly complicates his life when he becomes the newest addition to Gold’s ludi.

Review: This is a perfect example of a well written story. Nicolaus wants to be the champion and resents his father for denying him the chance; he sets out to prove himself and refuses to listen to anyone. Ariston falls hard for Nicolaus and will do anything to be close to him, even if it means training Nicolaus so he will eventually fight him in the arena.

This story draws you in slowly; sneaking up on you and making you want to keep reading. Nicolaus comes across as a spoilt child at first and it was amazing to see how he developed from a childish 18-year-old brat into a grown 18-year-old man as he trains to become a Gladiator to prove himself to Gold but along the way he loses his heart and tries to ignore it. Ariston admits his feelings early and is left feeling bruised by Nicolaus and is determined to not let it happen again. We also see Gold and Samson as secondary characters and all isn’t rosy for them either.

Now at first this story just didn’t rock my boat, but then before I knew it I wanted to know what was happening next. What was Nicolaus going to do? How had Gold and Samson come to this point? What was Julian playing at? And just what would Ariston do about Nicolaus? I really don’t know how it happened; one minute I did not like it and the next I couldn’t put it down. The storyline was really good, the characters were great, the sex was hot and the love story was a rollercoaster ride.

I will recommend this to those who love hot sweaty Gladiators who are glistening in oil, flexing their muscles, wearing little loin clothes, rubbing up against other hot sweaty gladiators and…. Err *cough* sorry lost my train of thought there *cough* yeah, so anyway, I recommend this for the men, the hot sweaty Gladiator sex, the great storyline and the love (but mainly the hot sweaty Gladiators).

 

 

The House of Driscoll by A. J. Llewellyn and D. J. Manley

Note:  A digital copy of this book was provided for review by the publisher.

Title: The House of Driscoll

Series:  Premier Book 01

Author: A.J. Llewellyn & D.J. Manly

Genre: Dark Fantasy, Vampire

Length: Novel (189pgs)

Publisher: Amber Quill Press

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: In the midst of the turbulent French Revolution, Max Driscoll turned his stable-hand Galien into a vampire mate to save him from the guillotine. Max later came to regret that rash act, however, when he realized Galien was not a good man, nor the right man for him. Since then, no matter how many miles, how many centuries Max puts between them, he just can’t shake the rogue vampire.

Lured from his French castle to New York City to “clean up” Galien’s series of abductions and murders in the city’s gay district, Max is forced into a long-awaited confrontation, and vows to eliminate his nemesis permanently. What he doesn’t know, however, is that it’s not Galien who’s on the killing spree, but a young man Galien turned. Now, Blue is a sweet, sensitive, beautiful, tragic vampire…and a homicidal maniac.

Can Max tame Blue enough to make him his partner in the afterlife and a worthy member of the vampire community in the House of Driscoll?

Review: Okay, my lovelies, this is a definite pleaser in the making. Max is a bit of an urmm, err, well; let’s just say he couldn’t keep it in his pants if they were glued to him.  He doesn’t believe in love and he can be quite callous to those who want him. Galien is in love with Max and has been for centuries and is a little obsessed… okay he is totally whacked out about Max and does some pretty horrific things to get his attention. Blue is a victim of Galien and is completely messed up in the head because of him; he’s done things he can’t remember and has Galien’s memories of Max (poor sod).

A great storyline and plot.  I love how the story unfolds giving us bits and pieces and teasing us with the relationship between Max and Blue (it’s a will they – won’t they? teaser), which had me pulling my hair in frustration as every time they got close something or someone interfered. We get a decent background on the MCs as it flicks to 1793 to the time of Galien and Max’s affair and the present day.  The storyline has twists that I didn’t expect and I have to say that I didn’t hate Galien like I expected to.   I actually felt sorry for him. I thought Max was an ermm, err, b****** but for some bizarre reason still liked him, too.  I think that Blue was the definite star of the show and I think that he will have Max by the short and curlies soon.

I will recommend this to everyone and wonder why you haven’t already got it, but really I know that this will appeal to those who love… hot men, hot sex, paranormal, vampires, twists, complex relationships and men who can be complete heartless b******s.

 

 

 

All About Jenny by D. J. Manly

Title:  All about Jenny

Author:  D. J. Manly

Genre:  Contemporary

Publisher:    eXtasybooks

Length:  Novella

Heat Rating:  Moderate

Rating:  ♥ ♥ ♥

Reviewer:  Astrid

Blurb:  Mark has been raising his niece since she was a small child. Abandoning his own life in the big city, he settles in a small town and devotes himself to Jenny. When Mark’s sister dies in an accident, Mark is given full custody of his precocious twelve-year-old niece. Just when he thinks the worst is over, he finds out that his sister left instructions to contact Jenny’s father, a man she had always refused to name.

Mark is terrified that Jenny’s father will try to take Jenny away from him but Cole Waters is not anything like he expects at all.

Review:  The blurb was enough to entice my interest in this book – there was just so much potential for emotional angst. Think about it – a man raising his niece for 13 years and he’s forced to allow her biological father, a complete stranger, into the picture. An emotional rollercoaster for sure.

While most DJ Manly books I’ve read aren’t what I would consider sweet or overly romantic this one certainly falls into the “sweet and easy” category – where you aren’t bombarded with gratuitous nookie scene after scene.

Uncle Mark is a nice guy, who you can’t help but like. Biological Dad Cole is understanding, patient and an all around good guy. We hear Cole tell Mark about his troubled past but he’s all straightened out now. And Jenny, she’s a smart and loving girl who just lost her Mother, a woman she barely knew.  Cole’s Dad had the potential to be a great antagonist, but was diffused fairly quickly. Unfortunately, the author didn’t take the opportunity to exploit the dramatic possibilities I had hoped for and expected.  I am a great lover of the Happily Ever After, but there has to be a point where you REALLY worry that it won’t work out. I didn’t really get that from this book.