Hi guys, we have Lane Swift stopping by today with her brand new release The Losing Game, we have a great excerpt and my review so check out the post and enjoy! <3 ~Pixie~
The Losing Game
by
Lane Swift
Winchester Crown Court, October 2035: Richard Shaw leaves, a free man.
Grief-stricken and angry, Lucas Green is hell-bent on revenge against Richard Shaw, who killed his sister. Lucas has heard of a man who can help—the handsome and urbane owner of a boutique sex shop, with a head for planning crimes. But Dante Okoro has a past he’s desperate to keep buried. Though Lucas piques his interest in more ways than one, Dante turns him away. Still, he wonders if he made the right decision….
An unexpected death brings Dante and Lucas together once more. This time they can’t ignore the chemistry between them. But courting a lover with lies is a dangerous game. Dante has been spying on Lucas, convinced he has plans to kill Shaw. Lucas has been spying on Shaw, waiting for the right moment to strike. If Dante admits his suspicions to Lucas, he’ll surely lose him. If he doesn’t, Lucas might do something reckless—and end up losing everything.
Blurb:Winchester Crown Court, October 2035: Richard Shaw leaves, a free man.
Grief-stricken and angry, Lucas Green is hell-bent on revenge against Richard Shaw, who killed his sister. Lucas has heard of a man who can help—the handsome and urbane owner of a boutique sex shop with a head for planning crimes. But Dante Okoro has a past he’s desperate to keep buried. Though Lucas piques his interest in more ways than one, Dante turns him away. Still, he wonders if he made the right decision….
An unexpected death brings Dante and Lucas together once more. This time they can’t ignore the chemistry between them. But courting a lover with lies is a dangerous game. Dante has been spying on Lucas, convinced he has plans to kill Shaw. Lucas has been spying on Shaw, waiting for the right moment to strike. If Dante admits his suspicions to Lucas, he’ll surely lose him. If he doesn’t, Lucas might do something reckless—and end up losing everything.
Review: Lucas is seeking revenge after justice failed, the man who caused his sister’s death walked away with a pathetic sentence from the courts and now Lucas wants him dead. When a friend gives Lucas the name of a man who might be able to help him Lucas seeks him out, and Dante turns him away. Dante can’t understand why his old friend Avery sent Lucas to see him; he learns quickly that Avery sent Lucas for another reason, one that Lucas missed.
As Lucas plans his next move, Dante watches over him to make sure he doesn’t do something to ruin his life. The loss of a friend brings the men face to face again and this time they act on their desire for each other, but with Lucas still acting shifty and Dante watching Lucas’ every move will honesty clear a way or will it drive a wedge between the two men?
Okay this story isn’t really quite a mystery or a thriller, it doesn’t really have BDSM except more on a peripheral view and if it wasn’t set in the future I’d have said it was contemporary with a dash of suspense. There’s a lot of pain and grief as Lucas tries to make sense of the death of his sister. We also get some despondency from Dante as he faces his two girls embracing adulthood and wanting to spread their wings.
The relationship between Lucas and Dante was okay but nothing to write home about, other than a brief flash of attraction between Lucas and Dante I couldn’t feel the connection between the two men, it seemed to just pop and fizz occasionally but I think that the other emotions always seemed to drag it down.
The revenge seeking was thought out really well, Lucas’ planning shows how serious he is and Dante’s watchful eye means that we know that whatever happens Lucas has a guardian angel watching out for him. I liked the back story of both men, and how they come together to kind of heal each other. But I was expecting more, from the tone of the story I was expecting for Lucas to come out victorious and being able to visit his sisters grave and telling her justice had been found… what I didn’t expect was for it to be a hollow victory or to fizzle quite like it did.
This story had huge potential, all the elements were there and there are some great characters, but, it just missed its mark for me. I think this is the first book in a series and I must admit that although this story missed its mark for me there was something in the last chapter that has me hoping that there will be another story.
I’d recommend this to those who love a dash of mystery, a touch of suspense, interesting characters, a good storyline and an element of ‘something more to come’.
Title: Dormant Heart Series: N/A Author: Lane Swift Genre: Contemporary Length: 136 pages Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (Feb 10th 2016) Heat Level: Low/Moderate Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥3.5 Hearts Blurb: Amateur photographer Josh Thornton is out but not so proud. He’s estranged from his family, his boyfriend dumped him, and his job at an estate agency is in jeopardy—especially after he crashes his boss’s car in the middle of nowhere on his way to Hartley Manor.
Callum Black works at the English country estate and lives there in an isolated cottage. Left mute by a childhood accident, he’s more comfortable in the company of animals than people. But when Josh—literally—crashes into his life with his camera and his friendship, Callum realizes his peaceful solitude has been more than a little lonely.
Josh’s affection for Callum deepens even as he’s consumed by doubts over Callum’s sexuality and whether Callum could ever love him. And Callum is haunted by the secret that stole his voice—a secret that keeps him tethered to Hartley Manor.
When the past comes hurtling painfully back into the present, Josh and Callum have to overcome their fears and breathe life back into their dormant hearts in order to have a chance at their own picture-perfect future.
Review: This book is very different from what I’m used to usually reading, and that’s not a bad thing. Callum and Josh’s relationship has a purity and otherworldliness about it that’s not usually seen in most MM books.
Josh is an aspiring photographer whose daily job is that of a real estate agent. He is not happy with his life. He thinks his boss hates him. And his boyfriend recently broke up with him. The day Josh met Callum started pretty badly. His boss sent him out on the field to take pictures of some real estate, the road to his destination is flooded, and he ends up crashing his boss’s car and having to walk through the woods to get to his appointment. But all his misfortune simply disappears when Josh sees Callum for the first time.
Callum is a very special, tenderhearted young man. An accident from his childhood prevents him from speaking, and doctors can’t figure out what’s causing it. Callum seems very otherworldly. In fact, I think he’s the character that gives his and Josh’s relationship that otherworldly quality. Callum is like an animal whisperer. His easy relationship with wild animals is what captivates Josh to start with.
Callum also lives very modestly in a cottage with no electricity, no shower, and no stove. That part I had trouble accepting, because I doubt that someone would choose to live that way in this day and age, when they have better conditions offered.
Callum and Josh’s relationship progresses slowly because no matter how attracted Josh is to Callum, Callum’s sexuality is not immediately common knowledge. It wasn’t until the second half of the book that we find out more about Callum. This book has dual POVs, both Callum and Josh’s. The first half of the book is entirely from Josh’s POV, while in the second half we get to know who Callum really is.
While this book is beautiful and the guys are adorable, some things prevented me from loving it. I believe I know where the culprit lays. The storytelling seemed almost poetic in its description. The characters’ voice is loud and clear considering the story is told in 1st person POV, but I couldn’t help but feel like they were reciting a poem in the way they were expressing themselves.
Also, the reason for Callum’s accident as a child is not only confusing, but hard to understand. I can’t say much about it without spoiling the story, but I definitely didn’t understand why the events that took place had frightened Callum so much. I honestly didn’t think it was that big of a deal and was definitely expecting something much, much worse, considering the nature of his nightmares.
Overall this was a pretty good book that I liked and enjoyed.
Recommended!
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *
Title: The Losing Game
Title: Dormant Heart