Trapped In Time by Julie Lynn Hayes

4168TrappedinTime510w-430x645Title:  Trapped In Time

Author:  Julie Lynn Hayes

Genre:  Gay/Adventure/Time travel/Steampunk

Length:  Novella (129 Pages)

Publisher:  eXtasy Books

Heat Level:  Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥ 3 Hearts

Reviewer:  Laurie

Blurb:  Life is good for Adalbert “Doll” Klein. He has his beautiful sexy Italian, Vittorio Genovese, by his side; he has his pennyfarthing and his job at the Arabesque Theatre. The only wrinkle is the presence of Myron Cornwinkle, who has designs on Vittorio, but the man has no chance. Doll owns Vittorio’s heart.

Doll sneers at Myron’s claims of being a wizard. Until the day, he goes to work and his whole world changes. Myron pulls his wand and casts a spell, and suddenly, all three of them are stuck in prehistoric ages!

Is there a way to undo what Myron has done and return to where they belong? And if Myron doesn’t clean up his act, will he survive the experience?

And is there something lurking in the jungle that might be even worse than the dinosaurs?

Purchase Link:  http://www.extasybooks.com/julie-lynn-hayes/trapped-in-time/

Review:  I will have to admit to having a hard time with this story. While a time frame was never given, it is set in the time of silent movies, but a gay relationship is accepted and then there was the magic of Myron added to the mix. Things of this nature as well as the mix of German words thrown in, for me, made it hard to read and follow the story. That said, there were several very enjoyable and even funny moments. And the characters were quirky, but overall well-rounded as people. The story itself flowed along, moving at a nice pace from start to finish.

Doll and Vitto together, are a committed pair, happy with each other, their jobs and their lives. The only problem is a co-worker of theirs that wants Vitto for himself. Doll rolls his eyes at Myron and his claim of being a wizard, until the day Myron uses his wand to zap them to a time in the land of dinosaurs. What follows is a series of Myron’s mistakes and triumphs using his magic. One of which is Myron’s zapping a monkey type creature, who turns into a more human type creature they all name Charlie. Charlie then leads them on a journey to the Professor in the hopes that he can get Doll, Vitto and Myron back home to their time.

Can Myron and the Professor get them back to the right time? Will Charlie make to the future as a human? Because staying in the time of the dinosaurs is not an option, history says so. The dinosaurs no longer exist in the time the characters live. So history will repeat itself.

The ending leads me to believe there may be another book coming that will pick up where this one ends. To say anymore would be giving spoilers.  

STAT by Stephani Hecht

18453993Title:  STAT

Series:  EMS Heat, #17

Author:  Stephani Hecht

Genre: Contemporary/Erotic Romance

Length: Novella (132 Pages)

Publisher:  eXtasy Books (September 15th, 2013)

Heat Level:  Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts

Reviewer:  Laurie

Blurb:  Wells thinks life is all work and no play, and Jaret thinks life is all one big party.  When the tow clash, an attraction develops that nobody saw coming.

Jaret may be a paramedic, but that doesn’t mean he lets the everyday horrors he sees keep him down. Every day is a reason to party, and he always loves to be the center of attention. When he finds out that his new partner is Wells, the stuffy medic in the company, Jaret is less than thrilled.

But the longer they work together, the more Jaret finds himself drawn to Wells. Wells, on the other hand, seems not to even notice that Jaret is there. Will Jaret be able to attract Wells’ attention? Or do opposites really distract?

Purchase Link:  http://www.extasybooks.com/stephani-hecht/stat/

Review:  The author does a skilful job of making the reader take a deeper look at characters in this story. Because on the surface, this story it looks like a story of opposites attracting. This story is really the case of a very shy Englishman not knowing how to relate to his fellow EMS workers. And the life of the party is covering a very caring heart that feels deeply.

When paired together, both Wells and Jaret think it’s a disaster waiting to happen, both giving it less than a shift to blow up. Both get on each other’s nerves until they get a call to rescue a very large diabetic woman, where each gets a look into the true heart and character of their new partner. Here starts the change of heart for both of them. This change in how they view each other continues when Jaret invites Wells to movie night with another co-worker Dallas. In the rash of calls that Jaret and Wells field, several are for over doses of a new drug called The Gate.

In between work and seeing each other, Jaret is dealing with his brother who is leaching off of him. Baby brother does nothing but drain Jaret’s money for clubbing every night. Wells along with everyone else sees this happening and Jaret knows he’s being used, but it’s his baby brother.

This was another fun, enjoyable read from this author. The writing flow, the characters have depth, the plot was a bit predictable but still well done.

Justice by Bailey Bradford

4906867 Title: Justice

Author:  Bailey Bradford

Genre:  Gay/Paranormal/Shifters

Length:  Novella (145 Pages)

Publisher:  Total-E-Bound Publishing (October 4th, 2013)

Heat Level:  Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts

Reviewer:  Laurie

Blurb:  Recovering from his past might cost Paul Hardy his life. 

Paul Hardy has been rescued from a human trafficking ring, but he isn’t free. The experience has left him traumatized and unable to dig himself out of his past. He’s learned things no one ever should—including that shifters exist and are every bit as vicious as the beasts they become. 

Snow leopard shifter Justice Chalmers spent ten years in the Marines before moving back to Phoenix and working hard to get his dream job. Being a cop is all he’s ever wanted. When his younger sister needs someone to drive her to their Grandma Marybeth’s place in Colorado so she can try to help a human man with her new therapy license, Justice steps up to help her out, never imagining that he’ll meet his mate. 

Justice and Paul won’t have it easy. Not only does Paul have serious issues from his ordeal, his fear of shifters makes him a leery mate. 

And someone wants to silence him permanently…

Reader Advisory: This book contains reference to past sexual abuse.

Purchase Link: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=2330

Review:  In this story, the author deals with the aftermath of sexual abuse, showing that any person can need some help at some point in their lives. While Paul wasn’t necessarily a very easy character to like, you did understand what had made him the way he became. Bailey gives you a very real and gritty look at the physical and psychological changes that a person goes through to deal with long-term abuse. I loved that she had someone there to help Paul, someone who had his or her own issues to deal with.  Life is messy but can be dealt with when you have lots of love and people who care.

Paul thinks he’s dealt with or is dealing with what has happened to him. If he’s in constant control of the sex, then he’s not a victim anymore. Except he’s not dealing with it, he’s just existing from day-to-day, taking no joy from anything left in his life. Not even the sex. Putting himself in danger for sex that he doesn’t even enjoy, and getting lax in the precautions he’s taken, he realizes that maybe he does need the help his brother, Preston says he does. When his past abuse catches up with him in the form of the wolf shifters, he escaped from, he’s in more trouble and now he knows it.

Justice is an officer of the law and a snow leopard shifter who just happens to live in Phoenix. When his sister who’s just gotten her degree in psychology is asked to help the brother of one of their long-lost relatives, well you can’t say no to family. And asked to drive her to help Paul, since because of her own drama, Justice does.

The road to love and a happy ever after is going to be long and painful for both Paul and Justice.  Paul has to work through his disengagement of feelings and need for control in sex. And he needs to deal with his fear of shifters, since Justice is one and his mate. Justice needs to stay patience and be there for Paul.

In the mix of all this is the relative who’s mated to a wolf, which Paul still has an uncontrollable fear of. Add a Shaman, who is hunting down the shifters who kidnapped and abused Paul, long-lost relatives and Grandma Marybeth, who is a feisty hoot in all of these Leopard Spot books.

This is book ten, and these do need to be read in order to understand the background and the building of the relationships.

Almost Paradise, 2nd Edition by Caitlin Ricci

18500914Title:  Almost Paradise, 2nd Edition

Author:  Caitlin Ricci

Genre:  Gay/Erotic/Paranormal/

Length:  Novella (112 Pages)

Publisher:  eXtasy Books

Heat Level:  Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts

Reviewer:  Laurie

BlurbTravis has done everything to keep his daughter safe. He’s fought a long, hard battle in the courts to gain full custody and has finally found some breathing room. But that security comes at a heavy price.

Staying in a motel and living off his quickly dwindling savings is no way to raise a toddler, so when Liam steps into his life and offers him hundreds of dollars just to watch his dogs for a weekend, it almost seems too good to be true.

But when he finds out there is more to Liam than he ever thought, he has a hard decision to make. Can he and his daughter stay and be safe or will he need to leave?

Please note: This is a re-release.

Purchase Link:  http://www.extasybooks.com/almost-paradise/

Review:  This is a warm and sweetly written story which deals with a parent, Travis, having to swallow some pride when he finally wins custody of his daughter, Hannah. However, it was at the cost of everything else in his life. Down on his luck, he runs into Liam while trying to find work.

Something about the smaller man calls to Liam. It makes him want to offer help without hurting the other man’s pride more than it’s already been. Using the excuse of an out-of-town trip for his boss, who is also his Alpha, he persuades Travis to watch Lucy and Ethel, his mastiff dogs. He figures that’s a start, but how do you tell a human that you’re a shifter?

I love how Hannah knew instinctively that Liam was a shifter, by calling him Puppy every time she saw him. And, I love how Liam became a protective de facto parent around Hannah, even before he and Travis got together. His Alpha is so not happy that Hannah can see the “puppies”; it brings back the stories of hunters who can see the wolf in them. So now, Liam gets to deal with his feeling for Travis, his need to protect Hannah while getting her to stop calling them puppies and to placate his Alpha at the same time.

This was an enjoyable story to read, well written.  Travis, Liam and Hannah are well-rounded characters and very likable. I look forward to reading more of this series and more of this author’s work.

Crossing the Line by Megan Slayer

2263Title:  Crossing the Line 

Author:  Megan Slayer

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Length:  Short (76 Pages)

Publisher:  Total-E-Bound (September 18th, 2013)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Reviewer:  Laurie

Blurb:  Opposites can attract and sometimes come together with explosive results.

Ryan Malone punts for the Dragons and likes his life as an art restorer. Love isn’t in his game plan—unless Paul Toth is involved. They’ve known each other forever but have never taken the next step. Ryan’s not sure if Paul can accept his kinky needs. All it takes is one chance to see if sparks will fly.2179

Paul’s ready and willing to snag the sexy punter. He doesn’t care what team Ryan plays for as long as he’s got Ryan at night. But Ryan’s holding something back. Can Paul unlock whatever he’s hiding before their burgeoning affair gets struck down by penalties?

Reader Advisory: This story has been previously released as part of the Out of Bounds anthology by Total-E-Bound

Purchase Link: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?P_ID=2263

Review: This is the last part of a fun little series set in the football world of the Griffons and done by this author as well as Cheryl Dragon and Stephanie Burke. One of the things I loved about this series, it gave me two of the things I love most in reading, sports and hot guys. This story was as well written as the others, and continued with the amazing cast of supporting characters.

In this story, not only do opposites attract but also opposing teammates are attracted to each other. We met Paul as part of the workings in “Making the Pass”, as he pushed Aiden and Jack together, gets his story here. He has longed for and lusted after Ryan, the punter for the Griffons worst rivals, the Dragons. Ryan has had the same feeling as Paul, but just like Paul, he doesn’t pursue a relationship because Paul is on that other team. Ryan also has a side to him that he’s not sure someone like Paul would be able to handle. He’s a dominant in bed, and love to play with toys. In fact, some of his best fantasies have been using his toys on Paul. And a past relationship has put Ryan in fear of ever leaving himself open for being hurt again.

Jack and Aiden goad Paul into finally taking the chance and going after Ryan. Ryan think he has his heart well protected and can take the hit if Paul runs when he finds out about Ryan’s kink. Surprise, Paul has a natural submissive side. Things are taken to another level when Ryan admits to his kink and Paul decides to take the chance and see if he can handle what Ryan dishes out. Ryan’s faith in his ability to read a lover and his insecurities keep him from wanting to commit fully, but Paul has no problem with saying I love you almost from the first.

Along the way Ryan is injured to the point where he can no longer play football, will that affect the way Paul feels about him? It did to his last lover, Duke. Duke was about the lime light and money that Ryan had because of his career in the NFL and put up with the kink because of that. Then when Ryan and Paul have their first scene, complete with spanking, nipple claps etc., Paul enjoys it but freaks afterwards because he did enjoy it and leaves. Ryan decides that he has to be true to himself, even if that means no Paul in his life.

I enjoyed watching the two of them work their way into the loving relationship they both wanted and needed. Paul realized he needed to give up control and Ryan helped him to understand that what happened between them was okay, because it was just between them.

This was well written, making it easy to see how the relationship worked between the two of them. The sex, while kinky and hot, was more about the trust and love working between the men. I would love the authors to visit this world again, and to write more stories about the Griffons football team.

Making the Pass by Cheryl Dragon

18365454Title:  Making the Pass 

Author:  Cheryl Dragon

Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Length:  Short (75 Pages)

Publisher:  Total-E-Bound (August 30th, 2013)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Reviewer:  Laurie

BlurbOn the field and in bed, Aiden and Jack are a perfect match. But when reality and pride interfere, will they be able to become a team.

Aiden and Jack are both hot, gay men and play weekend football for the Griffons. Their similarities end there. Jack is blue-collar and sees both the attraction to Aiden and the divide between them. His career is delivering packages to fancy offices, including the one where Aiden works. On the field, they spark and win, but it takes a friend’s nudging before Jack turns the mutual macho posturing to passionate sex.2179

The physical connection between Aiden and Jack is easy, but they’ll need extra practice for the relationship part. Aiden tries to fit in with Jack’s friends, but when Aiden invites Jack to an office party, Jack refuses. Thankfully, the rift won’t stop the game from progressing, and neither man is a quitter!

Title originally published in the Out of Bounds Anthology.

Purchase Link: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=2262

Review: As a major sports lover and a football fan, I loved this book. This is another one that is part of a fun little series set in the football world of the Griffons and done by this author, as well as Stephanie Burke and Megan Slayer. In this book, Aiden and Jack, the executive and blue-collar worker, come together in the same locker room that we meet Dolton and Dean from In the Red Zone.

In this story, one of the issues dealt with is the perceived differences between blue collars versus white, studs versus geeks. Teammates, Aiden and Jack have danced around their attraction to each other for a while. Aiden sees Jack as a love them and leave them type, while thinking that Jack never sees beyond the geek in him. Jack wonders why a smart man like Aiden would or could ever be interested in him and he deals with his attraction to Aiden by pretending that it’s another teammate Aiden is attracted to. Aiden tries very hard to live up to what he thinks Jack’s world would want him to be instead of being himself.

I loved that Aiden and Jack have to work at making their relationship work. They have ups and downs, and insecurities for both that pop up along the way to love between them. Aiden’s testing of Jack when he invites him to a company function is real life. Something we’ve all done, a ‘prove to me that you love me’ type thing. The interaction and play with toys between the two as they work on taking their relationship farther is well written sex and incredibly hot to read.

What I loved was that all of the books in this series dealt with a rocky road to love, the building of relationships and hot wild sex. The cast of surrounding characters, such as coach and her red heels, are as much fun to read about as Aiden and Jack.

In the Red Zone by Stephanie Burke

18365451Title:  In the Red Zone 

Author:  Stephanie Burke

Genre:  Contemporary

Length: Short (76 Pages)

Publisher:  Total-E-Bound (August 30th, 2013)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts

Reviewer:  Laurie

Blurb: Can Dolton and Dean withstand the rain of opposition when they come together and cross the line of scrimmage?


Dolton is a strong black man, confident in what he wants in life and how to get it. The adjunct professor at Northeastern University has multiple degrees and has travelled the world, learning from the people he observes. So why is it that blond hunk Dean Majors has his mind twisted, his cock hard, and his reactions all out of whack? Dolton knows he has to have the beautiful man, and will do anything to get the longhaired god in his bed and in his life.

Dean Majors is a construction worker by trade and the heart of Team Griffon. He is not closeted gay man, but he doesn’t advertise his orientation, either. Something he is happy about when his old friend Robbie Keton joins the Griffons. Robbie’s negative attitude is something he has to distance himself from, especially when he realises he has a more than man-sized crush on the team’s uber-intelligent and exotic middle linebacker, Dolton Pride.
2179

Together the two men are a potent fire, their lust burning hot. But can it withstand the bitter rain of opposition and threats that threaten their happiness when they cross the line of scrimmage?

Title originally published in the Out of Bounds Anthology.

Purchase Link: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=2264

Review:  This is one part of a fun little series set in the football world of the Griffons and done by this author as well as Cheryl Dragon and Megan Slayer.

In this story, opposites do attract, get a bit kinky and fall in love. Dolton is a well-educated professor, a top, Dean is a stereotype hot construction worker, and self avowed pushy bottom. And while they’re both gay, neither is advertising the fact. The two of them have been eyeing each other for some time, creating fantasies for their alone time, wanting to see where a real relationship could lead. These fantasy scenes dreamed by both men were of some of the hottest written sex I’ve read.

They have to deal with playing a perceived macho man’s game as gay men, in the real world. It’s a real world that includes Dean’s homophobic friend, Robbie an ex-NFL player who seems to want to keep his glory days going by imparting his “wisdom” to his new teammates. Dean figures his best action is to just tune Robbie out now, because this Robbie isn’t the guy he knew back when. The rest of Dean’s teammates have had just about enough of Robbie too, for which Dean has some guilt since he was the one who brought Robbie onto the team. The final confrontation between Dean and Robbie grows during the course of the season and is in a lot of ways a really a sad thing to read, knowing that in real life there are people that intolerant.

The pursuit of each other was a fun thing to watch, the writing is well done. The secondary characters in this book do show up in the other stories, and are a great rounding out of the cast of teammates.

One of the funnier lines of the book was when a teammate was talking to Dolton and calls Dean the “ass of death”. There are these moments of humour; hotly written sex and the relationship between Dolton and Dean make this a great read.

At First Touch by T.A. Chase and Devon Rhodes

18054624Title:  At First Touch

Series:  International Men of Sports, Book #3

Author:  T. A. Chase and Devon Rhodes

Genre:  Gay/Multicultural/Athletes

Length:  Novella (65 pages)

Publisher:  Total-E-Bound Publishing (August 9th, 2013)

Heat Level: Hot

Heart Rating:♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts

Reviewer:  Laurie

Blurb:  Excelling at the game he loved was everything to King, until Lukas showed him at first touch how much better his life could be…
Ewansiha ‘King’ Kroenig is at the pinnacle of his professional football career, even with a problem knee. He keeps his cool and keeps his head down, and that control has served him well. King is bisexual and has been known to date beautiful women, while he also occasionally satisfies his craving for men with the team’s trainer. It’s a good life, but starting with one bizarre and personal request from his ex, Silvia, his orderly life goes spinning out of control.

Lukas has no problem admitting he’s gay, but with a loudly homophobic team captain, he knows better than to go there around the team. He has his whole career ahead of him and is being groomed to take over for their star player, King Kroenig. If he admires King for more than his athletic prowess, what can it hurt?

No harm, no foul…until a certain trainer who knows them both well decides to play matchmaker, then all bets are off. And once they’ve experienced that first taste, they want more. But it’s not as simple as hooking up or dating when you’re team-mates, with high profiles and little privacy. And when they each suddenly gain responsibilities they never expected, they must figure out a way to reconcile their personal lives with the expectations of others.

Purchase Link: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?P_ID=2277

Review:  Let’s start by saying that as an American when I hear football, I think of our version of it. Not the football most of the rest of the world plays. And this book is about the version the rest of the world plays. The references to the football are generic enough for non-sports people to understand most of.

I love how the authors have addressed homophobia that still exists within the world of sports, professional sports especially. King Kroenig is actually bi-sexual, always having one of the world’s most beautiful women on his arm. He keeps the need for the occasional man well hidden. He knows that most of his team just wouldn’t understand and he’s afraid of what it would do to his career if that knowledge came out. While the team’s trainer Sergio is gay, nothing is ever confirmed so the team doesn’t seem to have a real problem with it. King and Sergio have scratched each other’s itches on occasions unknown to the team. However, King has his eye on a teammate; too bad, he can’t do anything about it.

Teammate Lukas is gay; he and Sergio have also scratched a few itches between them. Therefore, Sergio reads Lukas’ lusting from afar after King. But Lukas believes the man is straight, so from afar is all it’s ever going to be. Also, he doesn’t want to deal with the ugliness that would happen if his homophobe Captain found out he was gay. So, nothing is ever going to happen unless Lukas gets a little help from his friendly know everyone’s secrets team trainer. Which Sergio is more than happy to set up for them.

Added complications arise when one of King’s ex-girlfriends want him to make a donation to expand the numbers of her family with her steady girlfriend.  Also added to the mix also it the teen kid Lukas rescue from the gay club the guys go to and takes him home. Lukas is going to let the kid stay as long as he needs to or forever he hopes.

Things become a mixed up mess between the set up of King and Lukas, a needy teenage boy, sperm donations, an ex-girlfriend and her ladylove, a gay trainer, homophobic teammates, camera phone pictures and injuries. It’s a fun mix to read and sort though. I loved the characters or most of them anyway. This was a great read, very enjoyable for me a sports fan.

Wolf Sanctuary by Ellen Cross

91VHNKbE-XL._AA1500_Title:  Wolf Sanctuary (Sanguinary Seductions)

Author:  Ellen Cross

Genre:  Gay/Paranormal

Length:  Novella (34 Pages)

Publisher:  eXtasy Books (September 1st, 2013)

Heat Level:  Moderate

Heart Rating:♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Reviewer:  Laurie

Blurb:  Pack Shaman and wolf shifter, Reece, has been mated to Sean for years. Even though their love for each other is true…there has always been something left unspoken, something missing between them. 

With Sean’s hybrid body warring between his vampiric thirst and his wolf’s need, he can’t believe it when the one thing he secretly wants yet can’t give his mate literally falls into his arms. How is he going to hold it together long enough to understand and accept the cost it brings, when all he can think about is getting five minutes alone with Reece?

Purchase Link: http://www.extasybooks.com/wolf-sanctuary/

Review:  This was a first read for me written by this author. In addition, I found her world building to be exceptionally well done. Her character building is complete with both Sean and Reese being complex and well-rounded, as are the secondary character too.

Sean and Reese have been together for years and as gay male shifters, both have giving up the dream of having cubs of their own. So they are more than surprised when Reese’s spirit guide has him driving around in the dead of night, in a storm too unsettled to sleep and not knowing what he’ll find in the rain. Sean of course has gone along for the ride, he’s not about to let his mate do this alone. They are more than surprised when they find a pregnant bear shifter alone beside the road. Tehya is a Shaman too, and her guide has brought her battered body to the ones she must find.

What fate has in store for them is their hearts desire, a bear shifter cub, an adopted daughter. But, she comes at a high cost. They will have to love her, raise her and protect her from the ones who harmed her mother. Sean and Reese are more than ready for the challenge, because their world is now complete.  

A Vampire Christmas by A.J. Llewellyn

VampireChristmasTitle:  A Vampire Christmas, 2nd Edition

Series:  A Vampire in Waikiki, 02               

Author:  A. J. Llewellyn

Genre:  Gay/Dark Fantasy/Vampire/The Arts/Voyeurism/Exhibitionism/Public Places

Length:  Novella (103 Pages)

Publisher:  Amber Quill Press (August 11th, 2013)

Heat Level:  Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts

Reviewer:  Laurie

Blurb:  Waikiki vampires Tem and Jimmy Thunder are happily undead and married, about to celebrate Christmas when their cat Moontime brings an unusual treasure to the door…a baby in a box. However, this is no cute, cuddly kid. It’s a demon baby with red eyes and razor sharp teeth. Jimmy, hopelessly besotted with his hot and sexy husband, sees his new life of man-on-man fun being wrecked by this snarling, spitting, forked-tongued little incubus that has apparently won Tem’s heart.

With half of Waikiki’s wacky residents coming to Christmas dinner, what’s a devoted husband to do? Jimmy calls in all kinds of favors to figure out the identity of the kid, how he got to them, and how to ensure this will be a merry–not marred–Vampire Christmas.

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

Review:  Like many of A. J’s stories, there is a wonderful blend of the history of Hawaii along with his take on vampire, his walk in the sun, food eating, shopping at malls, gay ex-porn star, cursed by a high priest, vampires.

Newly married Tem and Jimmy are having their first family Christmas together, with everyone invited. But, how do you cover up the fact that you’re a vampire, and the baby brought to your doorstep by your cat is a dead demon baby? What follows is a search for answers to how the baby was brought back from the dead, how it has to do with Jimmy’s family curse, the small pox epidemic of 1853 and Jimmy’s grandfather. Along with meeting of parents, and other assorted family members, Christmas dinner, a screaming demon baby, horror legends to frighten Hawaiian children come to life and the secrets of their family doctor.

Another humorous, fun story from A. J. I love how he writes his characters with their fun, sometimes snarky sense of humours. Their sexy, can’t keep their hands to themselves sex scenes are hot but with a real loving relationship feel to them. I love reading books by

Beach Remedy by Sasha L. Miller

17841212Title:  Beach Remedy

Series:  Paranormal Days 

Author:  Sasha L. Miller

Genre:  Paranormal

Length:  Novella (58 pages)

Publisher:  Less Than Three Press (June 12th, 2013)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts

Reviewer: Laurie

Blurb: With his cousin laid up from a broken ankle, Lee agrees to help him out and combine a beach vacation with a bit of legwork to scope out a haunted lighthouse. That his cousin agrees to pay for the vacation certainly makes a cheesy ghost tour bearable. Lee’s plan is to get the work out of the way quickly, then spend the rest of his time on sun, sand, and all the blood and sex a vampire can stand. But, the cute hotel clerk he picks out proves to be anything, but an easy snack.

Purchase Link: http://www.lessthanthreepress.com/books/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=94&products_id=483&zenid=9cos1f89i8fsd2n6f69d6ak2a7

Review:   Engaging beach read, short and kind of sweet little story about what you think you want isn’t always what you need or should have. The characters are fun and written as well-rounded people. The writing flows, the setting is clear in your mind.

Lee, a vampire, is just looking for a summer vacation of love um, bite um and leave um while helping his cousin out. And the cute guy at the hotel counter is looking like a good bet. Except Jayden doesn’t fall for Lee’s vampire glamour or enthrall. Hmm, why would that be? Well maybe because Jayden’s a Hedge witch, one of the few paranormals that are resistant to vampires. Now intrigued, he gives up his idea of love/bite and leave um to pursue Jayden.

I truly enjoyed this story and am looking forward to reading more from this author

Love at First Lick by Astrid Cooper

4024LOVEATFIRSTLICK510-430x645Title:  Love at First Lick

Series:  Monsters Ink, Book #7

Author:  Astrid Cooper

Genre:  Paranormal

Length: Novella (126 pages)

Publisher:  eXtasy Books (September 1st, 2013)

Heat: Explicit

Heart: ♥♥♥♥

Reviewer:  Laurie P

Blurb:  When a cat invades a vampire’s kitchen, there’s bound to be hubble, bubble, boil and trouble. Zefran is a witch-vampire, a duality of blood that dangerously complicates his life. He’s hired as the Monsters inK chef—on one condition that in exchange for his work, he is granted sanctuary. Zef believes that it will protect him from all trouble. How wrong can a guy be? Trouble enters his life in the form of the snow leopard shifter, Shandor, whose sexy smile and emerald eyes are firmly set on Zef. The damn cat won’t take no for an answer and Zef and Shan play a game of catch me if you can. More than whiskers twitch in the game of chasey between the two men. But, when Zef thinks he can trust a cat, Shan discovers the truth about Zef and that sets the cat among the vampires…

Product Link: http://www.extasybooks.com/love-at-first-lick/

Review:  This is book number 7 in the series, and I hadn’t read the others before this. I had no trouble following this book, so I believe that these can be read as stand alones. That said, I did enjoy this book and do want to read the rest of the series.

This was a fun story about vampires, witches, cat shifters. Zef is hiding, but whom or what is the question that needs to be answered. Shandor is a snow leopard shifter, a tattoo artist and older than Zef, who is still looking for his mate. Zef is working as a chef for Bas and his Monsters inK crew. When they leave to take care of some business, after Bas has given Sanctuary to Zef, he and the business is left in the care of Shandor. This gives Shandor the chance to capture his mate, now if only Zef would realize that they are life-mated. I loved watching his gentle and controlled pursuit of his skittish mate. And Zef total clueless-ness of Shandor’s pursuit.

At the ceremony to formally add Zef to the Monsters inK crew, as well as celebrate his birthday, Shandor informs all that Zef is his mate was well. When Zef dad shows up wanting Zef back in his coven as his heir, the Monster’s inK crew takes care of their. And with some help from the king of Vampires too.

This was a great story that I enjoyed thoroughly. 

Mr. Average by Parker Williams

18398356Title:  Mr. Average

Author:  Parker Williams

Genre:  Contemporary

Length:  Novella (49 pages)

Publisher:  MLR Press (August 29th, 2013)

Heat Level:  Mild

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Reviewer:  Laurie

Blurb:  Lucas Manetti has had sex with some very hot men, so why is it can’t get one average man out of his mind? 

Lucas doesn’t want attachments. He thinks life is much easier that way. Watching the way his mom suffered when his father was dying taught him that. Nevertheless, deep down, Lucas likes the idea of someone taking care of him, of coming home to the same person every night. Yeah, what Lucas really wants is love. So why is he settling for random quick sex in seedy bathrooms? Kyle has been taking care of Lucas’ car forever. So for Lucas, it’s a logical step to think of Kyle taking care of him. And he has so much, that he can offer Kyle—whether Kyle wants it or not. So imagine Lucas’ surprise when Kyle isn’t particularly enamoured of Lucas’ ‘proposition’. Lucas thought his money would buy him anything. Then he realizes…boy, did he get it wrong. He’s so busy reeling from the shock that he almost misses what—or who—has been waiting for him all this time.

Purchase Link: http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?book=PW_MRAVG

Review:  The characters in this story are written as real people. Lucas to the point, that at the start of this story I wasn’t sure I liked him at all. He’s a snob pure and simple. Yet when you read about his mom, you start to understand his attitude. He’s of the opinion that his money can buy him if not love, at least caring. And he has the perfect choice for the man to be grateful for Lucas’attention and money. Kyle, his mechanic. Kyle takes care of his car and with his money, Kyle should be grateful for the chance to take care of Lucas. But, Kyle isn’t grateful, and his husband isn’t grateful.  And Lucas is devastated.  Going to his favourite bar, John the bartender takes care of him, even when he doesn’t want the help.  John is just an average guy, so will Lucas see beyond that to the caring person John is?

This was a wonderful story that flows, well written, easy to read with engaging characters. I enjoyed it immensely.

Full Moon Dating: Aiden and Ben by Julia Talbot

81rrDC+43XL._SL1500_Title:  Full Moon Dating:  Aiden and Ben

Author:  Julia Talbot

Genre: Paranormal/ Were-Wolf

Length: Short (34 pages)

Publisher:  Torquere Press, Inc.(August 20th, 2013)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥/♥♥ 3 Hearts

Reviewer:  Laurie

Blurb:  When Aiden goes to Wyoming on the dime of the Full Moon Dating service, he doesn’t really think he and country wolf Ben will be right for each other. He just wants some time off from city life. 

Ben knows better right away. He and Aiden are meant to be together, despite Aiden’s city ways and cluelessness about being a werewolf. Can he convince Aiden to stay with him, or will Ben and Full Moon Dating have to write this one off as a mistake?

Purchase Link: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=78_85&products_id=3965

Review: Quirky little story about an unusual dating service for the paranormal and one of their pairings. There a small side plot of intuition versus technology in which one would pair couples better.

Not using the normal process for pairing, Full Moon Dating sends city boy Aiden to Wyoming to meet Ben. Ben knows from the first meeting that Aiden was his, his mate. But, Aiden grew up in the city and isn’t in tune with his wolf, doesn’t understand or know what his wolf’s life should be about. Ben needs to take over and teach Aiden all he needs to know.

When Aiden panics after waking up in wolf form, Ben has to hunt him down and reassure Aiden that it’s a normal part of their life. Something that Aiden should have learned in puberty, but with so few wolves in Dallas, his parents limited his time in wolf skin.

In some ways, this story could have benefited from a long length. A longer building of the relationship between Aiden and Ben would have been nice. Over all this was an enjoyable story.

Italian Weddings and Funerals, 2nd Edition by A.J. Llewellyn

18400547Title:  Italian Weddings and Funerals, 2nd Edition

Series:  Italian Stallions, Book #1

Author:  A. J. Llewellyn

Genre:  Paranormal/Vampires

Length: Novella (116 pages)

Publisher:  Silver Publishing (August 31st, 2013)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥/♥ 4 out of 5 Hearts

Reviewer:  Laurie

Blurb: There’s nothing like rediscovering ‘the one that got away’ even if it does take five hundred years…

Luca Dell’Oro has developed an unusual but successful even planning business. His specialty is Italian Weddings and Funerals, which is also the name of his highly sought-after Mendocino, California, business. He accepts an unusual assignment to fly to Rome, Italy, to cater a funeral for an Italian opera singer. Nothing goes right from the minute he accepts the assignment. Cookware goes missing and his most trusted employees mysteriously can’t go with him, leaving him with a motley crew for a staff.

Luca is stunned to find the grieving widower happens to be a man Luca met and lost to the deceased woman—in sixteenth century Italy. Luca has good reasons for still being around. He’s a vampire and all his recipes and magical ingredients have been carefully cultivated over the years. But just who the hell…or what the hell…is Franco Savelli and does he want Luca—or does he want to kill him?

CONTENT ADVISORY:  This is a re-release and re-edited title

Purchase Link: https://spsilverpublishing.com/italian-weddings-and-funerals-ebook-p-58911.html

Review: A very different take on the vampire tale. It is well written, easy to read and just a fun story from beginning to end.

This Vampire is five hundred years old, running his own business, bedding movie stars and general happy with his life. Then Luca gets the call that changes everything. He’s been hired to do an Italian funeral for a much loved opera singer. And the name of the man hiring him is all too familiar. But how could that be? This guy was the love of his life way back in the day, sixteenth century to be precise. And this love had left him to marry…a woman.

This funeral was going to be a trial for Luca, but the trouble starts well before he and his crew leave the States. Most of his crew can’t go for a variety of reasons, cookware goes missing and then Luca finds out that it is the same man he loved and lost so long ago. So is he going to get another chance at this man? Can Luca get past Franco wanting to appear as straight man and for Luc to have been the ‘bit on the side’ or as in those days they were called a courtesan? Can Luca survive driving in Italy, in one of the funnier scenes in the book?

Love Rivals by Shayla Mist

Love RivalTitle:  Love Rivals

Author:  Shayla Mist

Genre: Contemporary

Length:  Novella (100 pages)

Publisher:   Less Than Three Press (July 10th, 2013)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts

Reviewer: Laurie

Blurb: Aiden has a crush on Shawn, but there are two problems in the way of the happily ever after he knows they’re meant to have. The first is Shawn’s new boyfriend, Noah. The second is Jordan, Shawn’s best friend and Aiden’s long-standing rival for his affections. So how’s a man to overcome such obstacles? 

Not by accidentally sleeping with his rival. And not by going on the camping trip from hell, where Aiden swiftly loses track of what it is he really wants.

Purchase Link: http://www.lessthanthreepress.com/books/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=486

Review: Enemy to friends, self-introspection and seeing those around you as they really are and growing up a bit. All of these are a part of Aiden’s story.

Aiden is a bit self-absorbed and wants who he wants, when he wants and doesn’t seem to care that’s it’s for all of the wrong reasons. I didn’t always like who Aiden was while reading this story. But he does redeem himself in the end.

Aiden want Shawn, not to keep, but just to have for a few hot encounters and mostly to keep Shawn away from his best friend, who he hates with a passion. Shawn’s best friend, Jordon wants Shawn and tries to keep Aiden at bay by always being there with Shawn. And Shawn doesn’t want either. Shawn has very different ideas of who should be with whom. As evidenced by what happens at Aiden’s birthday party.

So when Shawn invites Aiden, mister city boy, to go camping with him, his date Noah and Jordon, well he’s not giving Jordon a clear, clean shot at snagging Shawn. And he has to get Noah out of the picture too. So of course he’s going. And there starts the misadventures in the wilderness. Through those misadventures, Aiden starts the growing up process, learning about himself, how other see him and starts to see these guys as they truly are.

This story was a fun, fast and well written read, and the character are engaging, if not always likable. I would love the author to write some more of these guys’ story.