Tag: Lisa Henry

King of Dublin by Lisa Henry and Heidi Belleau

ARC fullcoverTitle: King of Dublin

Author: Heidi Belleau & Lisa Henry

Genre: Dystopian / Post Apocalyptic (Forced/Captivity)

Length: Extended Novel (375 pages)

ISBN: 9781626490970

Publisher: Riptide Publishing (February 24th 2014)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts

Reviewer: Thommie

Blurb:Twenty years after a deadly pandemic ravaged the world, Darragh Fergus Anluan and the people of his village have carved out a hard but simple life in the Irish countryside. But with winter comes sickness, and Darragh must travel to Dublin in search of medicine. What he finds there is a ruined city ruled by a madman, where scavenging is punishable by death . . . or conscription.

Ciaran Daly came to Ireland with aid and optimism, but instead was enslaved by the so-called King of Dublin. After months of abuse from the king and his men, he has no reason to believe this newcomer will be any different. Except Ciaran finds himself increasingly drawn to Darragh, whose brutish looks mask how sweet and gentle he really is.

The tenderness Darragh feels for the king’s treasured pet is treason, but it’s hardly the only betrayal brewing in this rotten kingdom. Rebellions and rival gangs threaten the king’s power, but not nearly as much as Darragh and Ciaran—whose only hope for freedom is the fall of the king.

* This title contains the following sensitive themes: dubious consent, explicit violence, and non-consent.

Purchase Link: http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/king-dublin

Review: In this exquisitely written dystopian story we follow the path different parts of human’s society take when the world ends. In some way this story answers the question “what happens after all hell breaks loose?” and these authors give us their opinion from three different scenes.

One of the protagonists comes from a secluded village in the Irish country. The sickness that has wiped out the world reached Darragh’s village and took all the adults leaving the young children to fetch for themselves. So immediately, we have an innocent soul living in the aftermath of the apocalypse. Darragh is strong and hardened from the country life, but he is a genuinely good guy, a nice and kind soul. He is something of a miracle that pops out of nowhere in this book and literally brightens the story with his inner light.

Quite the opposite of him is Ciaran, the son of a politician raised among the powerful and educated with the expectation to follow on his father’s steps. When chaos erupted Ciaran was dragged to safety up in the North and he has been pampered his entire life. Something he detests with a vengeance. His ideology brings him in the heart of Dublin with aid for the poor and starving people, but what he gets there disillusions him from those noble notions. While the characteristically naïve guy in this story appeared to be Darragh, I think Ciaran was more and suffered it badly. From the prince to be he was stripped of all dignity and humanity, soul-drained and abused to the extreme by the monster of this story.

And that brings me to the King of Dublin, Boru. What a brilliantly written character. A mad man, a complete psycho, an insecure sick and perverse man who rose from the shitpile when chaos erupted, gained power over the unfortunate by sheer violence and suffered the headiness that comes with it. Insanity and constant fear of the shadows, seeing conspiracies everywhere, killing friends and foes in his madness. Add to that a great dose of sadism and you have a true nightmare coming alive. I adored this character for he was written in a golden pen. I really, really dislike books that focus on the “heroes” while their villains are utterly ridiculous. This book made up for so many badly written “bad guys” out there.

This story takes your breath away… literally. I picked it up and I was entranced by its beauty. Yes, of course it was dark and brutal. Yes, it made me cringe and it made me scared shitless at some points, it caused me agony from fear for the characters, it enraged and made me furious and most of the time I wanted to rip Boru’s heart and stomp on it. And good God it made me live this story with an intensity that had me panting and tearing up and taking deep breaths to cool myself. Never once did I feel the need to put it down though. From its first line, there wasn’t even a moment where I felt the storytelling drag. It kept me constantly on my toes, captive of every written word.

The best part of all for me though was the way the authors wrote the love blooming in this freaking desperation and bloodthirsty world. I loved the fact that while the attraction was there instantly, the mistrust and fear did not allow it to bloom naturally but rather in a twisted way, between lies and manipulation where pure feeling are so easy to wither and die before they are even born. This love was so beautiful because it really had to overcome many, many obstacles, not merely a psychopathic tyrant and the constant death threat hanging above the characters’ neck, it had to overcome the very difference in the characters’ personality and bitter new selves. Darragh and Ciaran had to survive this Hell, but they also had to cope and survive what they’d become ever since they stepped foot in Dublin. In the end, though Darragh is the knight in shining armor, each one of them had to save themselves on their own in order to truly get on the other side and start living the future they so often dreamed about.

I could keep writing and talking about this book forever it seems, but I’m simply ending this here. Those of you who follow my reviews know how hard it is for a book to claim my 5 hearts, but this book, this story, the writing and the presentation, everything about King of Dublin earned each and every heart I gave it. It was a brilliant title in the Post-Apocalyptic genre and if this is one of you preferred genres, I strongly recommend this book to you. Not to be missed!

The Boy Who Belonged by Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock

the_boy_who_belonged_hiresTitle: The Boy Who Belonged

Series:  The Boy, #2

Author: Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock

Genre: Contemporary/BDSM

Length: Novel (219 pages)

Publisher: Loose Id (December 17th, 2013)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4Hearts

Blurb: Twenty-one-year-old Lane Moredock finally has a normal life. Six months after he was wrongly made a suspect in his parents’ ponzi scheme, he’s settled down with his older boyfriend, Derek, and is working and attending school. But his happiness is threatened when his mother launches a Christmastime PR campaign to help appeal her prison sentence, and asks introverted Lane to be part of it.

Derek Fields has his hands full taking Santa photos, bird-sitting his sister’s foul-mouthed macaw, and helping Lane prepare for a television interview neither of them wants him to do. As he eases Lane through his anxiety, he worries that Lane sees him as a caretaker rather than a boyfriend, and that their age difference really does matter. He and Lane compensate for the stress in their lives by taking their D/s relationship to new levels–a relationship that Lane’s mother insists he should be ashamed of.

As Christmas draws nearer, the pressure builds. Pushy elves. Snarky subs. A bad fight. A parrot in peril. How the hell is Derek going to give Lane a perfect Christmas when the Moredock legacy threatens to pull them apart before the new year?

Product Link: http://www.loose-id.com/the-boy-who-belonged.html

Reviewer:   GiGi

Review: The Boy Who Belonged is a continuation of The Boy series and should be read after The Good Boy.

We see the relationship between Lane and Derek continue and a little bit of normalcy start to settle, that is until Lane’s mother adds to the holiday stress by reinserting herself into Lane’s life. As if the poor boy hasn’t suffered enough, his mother lays on the guilt, shame, the disappointment, and the seeds of doubt that his relationship with Derek is healthy or even real. As if, I had not hated that woman enough before! Both Derek and Lane are left questioning their relationship, have their first big fight, and reexamine both their needs and demands. Both are eager yet worried about taking their D/s play further, although both seem to need it. Can Derek help Lane navigate his parents issues, and will Lane see him as a “Daddy” or the man who loves him? Both do some serious thinking about age, their D/s relationship and their future together.

This story brings the point home about family being whom you make it, rather than those you are born to. And about the importance of friends. The whole Christmas thing added another level of stress and guilt to all parties involved. Will Derek and Lane be celebrating a happy first Christmas together, or will the pressures of family, work, and relationships prove to be too much to handle?

I suggest grabbing this book and finding out!

The Good Boy by Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock

lhjr_thegoodboyTitle: The Good Boy

Series:  The Boy, #1

Author: Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock

Genre: Contemporary/BDSM

Length: Novel (348 pages)

Publisher: Loose Id (March 26th, 2013)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4Hearts

Blurb: Introverted college student Lane Moredock is in a bad place. His mother has been arrested for securities fraud, his father is on the run, and everyone, including the SEC, suspects Lane knows where the missing millions are. Lane, with no money and nowhere to live, makes a desperate deal that lands him in trouble and leaves him unwilling to trust a so-called Dom again.

Photographer Derek Fields lost money to the Moredocks, and is as sure as anyone that Lane is guilty despite his claims. A chance meeting with Lane shows him there might be something more to the young man than arrogance and privilege, and Derek wonders if Lane might be just what he’s been looking for: a sub with the potential to be a life partner.

As Lane slowly begins to open up to Derek and explore his needs as a submissive, the investigation closes tighter around him. Lane might be everything that Derek wants, but first Derek needs to trust that Lane is innocent–and Lane needs to trust Derek with the truth.

Product Link: http://www.loose-id.com/the-good-boy.html

Reviewer:   GiGi

Review: Reminiscent of the Bernie Madoff investment scandal of 2008, The Good Boy follows the plight of the pyramid scheme suspects’ heir apparent through the loss of his family, friends and lifestyle, the abuse at the hands of his idol, and resulting suicide of his abuser, Landon has lost it all. Wanting the world to see him for who he is, professing his innocence, and willing to do anything to start new, to survive, Lane is at his worst when he runs into Derek.

Derek Fields is angry at what Lane’s parents have taken from him, and he doesn’t believe the son’s completely innocent, he views him as part of his problem, so when he sees the little rich boy at a party he’s hired to photograph, he feels not sympathy but anger and vengeance toward Lane. Even when he realizes that maybe Lane is in over his head with Acton, he takes a photo rather than stepping up to help, and walks away. That guilt will haunt him through the trials to come, the fact that he could have saved Lane from harm.

We see Lane go through terrible abuse at the hands of what he thought would be his Dom, Acton, the wealthy real estate tycoon who also lost so much to Lane’s parents. Luckily, he escapes with his life, but may never trust again, and does not understand his need for control and submission, blames himself for the pain that was inflicted.

When Derek and Lane run into each other again, Derek’s guilt and attraction make him pay close attention to the suffering submissive boy in front of him. He sees not a weak privileged boy, but a survivor, someone who needs his help, and he takes care of Lane’s wounds, and attempts to guide and protect him from the media, his parents, and himself. But is it love or guilt leading Derek’s choices? Can Lane even allow himself to be put in a submissive role again? Is he really ready for such things? There is definitely a psychological drama to this story. We see different aspects of BDSM from Domestic Discipline, to simple bondage, brats and Doms.

There is so much growth, so many hurdles between Derek and Lane, and that to me makes this an interesting and worthwhile read. To see how they handle those roadblocks and grow to be what each other needs most. I enjoy reading the BDSM genre and this book brought something new, and something a little scary, both sides fighting anger, blame, and guilt before their relationship even got off the ground. I was worried that was too much baggage to add to the give and take, and trust of a D/s relationship but Henry and Rock make it work! A recommended read!

The Naughty Boy by Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock

17878369Title: The Naughty Boy

Series:  The Boy, # 1.5

Author: Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock

Genre: Contemporary/BDSM

Length: Novella (45 pages)

Publisher: Loose Id (May 2nd 2013)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4Hearts

Blurb: Brin and his Dom, Ferg, have enjoyed a fun, sexy domestic discipline relationship for years. Brin knows his role–flamboyant, fabulous brat–and Ferg knows it’s his job to play the big bad Dom, giving Brin the punishment he desperately craves. When Brin is tasked with dressing his new friend Lane Moredock for a date with Brin’s ex, Derek, he’s excited–fashion is what he knows best, and Lane is going to look stunning. But what should be a fun afternoon takes a serious turn when Brin sees that Lane has been injured, and Lane’s reluctance to tell Brin the truth about it makes Brin start to question who he is, why things didn’t work with Derek, and what people really think of him. Is he just a flittery, glittery fashion fairy? Or does he mean something more to the people he loves? And can he find a way to bring these doubts up with Ferg–or is Ferg going to have to Top his way to the bottom of this?

Product Link: http://www.loose-id.com/the-naughty-boy.html#product_tabs_description

Reviewer:   GiGi

Review: An interesting story from Ferg, the ultimate brat’s point of view. I actually recommend reading The Boy Who Belonged first, because then you understand where all characters are in the story arch.

This story gave me new insight into Brin’s character, because I truly felt he was quite a flake, but there is a much deeper soul, more than his bratty reputation, a truly concerned friend and lover. We see how important Brin becomes to Lane, not only a great friend but to his healing and understanding of himself as well. The two become close, and compare notes and swap secrets regarding each other’s relationships. Brin has the inside scoop for Lane because he is Derek’s ex-boyfriend and ex-sub. Once Lane realizes there is no need for jealousy, the two form a strong bond. This is also largely about Brin realizing his own value, to others and to Ferg.

A little lighter fare than The Good Boy, but a valuable piece for sure!