In Balance with This Life by Louise Blaydon

Title: In Balance with This Life
Series: N/A
Author: Louise Blaydon
Genre: M/M/M or More/ European/ Historical
Length: 72 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (February 17, 2016)
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥ 3 Hearts
Blurb: Irishman Jeff Riley left the Royal Flying Corps in 1918, hardened by war. He survived those harsh years with the help of his quick-witted English friend, Sean McClean, although Jeff would never want to admit it. When the Battle of Britain erupts in 1939, he’s once again drafted and forced to leave his flourishing commercial pilot career and join a new squadron. Although another war disrupts his life, he’s not disappointed to find himself reunited with Sean.

Jeff is attracted to many of the men in his new squadron of misfits. Never before has he seen such a diverse group assembled for a single cause, including Jimmy Dupont, a handsome, strong Texan who joined the Royal Air Force to help the war effort, and his constant companion Filip, a young and talented Polish airman. It’s evident from the beginning that there’s something special about the connection between Filip and Jimmy, but as time goes on, Jeff feels himself not alienated by it but drawn into it.

Jeff tries to focus on staying alive, but he’s only human, and there’s more to life than survival. There’s also loving, and Jeff can’t get by without it, especially when any day could be his last.

ISBN: 978-1-63477-056-9

Product Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7426

Reviewer: Cat

Review: I am going to be fair and admit I am not a big fan of war books. The blurb led me to think this would be interesting. And it was. Louise needs to be applauded at the detail of all the war scenes. She must have spent hours and hours in research. The scenes were lifelike, and I could almost imagine myself in these old planes fighting Germans.

The characters are interesting as well. I was hoping for more relationship and interaction among the men instead of all the war scenes. The few scenes that did focus on the men were intriguing. I just wanted more.

However, the sex was hot! I don’t know which was hottest, The first between Jimmy and Fillip long time committed lovers, the scene Jeff saw them in the shadows and watched or the scene with the three of them (that was smoking!)

If you like war stories, Historical settings, military men, action, and some smoking hot man-sex this is for you. It just wasn’t my cup of tea.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *

Triage by Louise Blaydon

Note: Triage, in this title is not used as a medical term. Instead it refers to an all male Ménage

Title: Triage

Series: N/A

Author: Louise Blaydon

Genre: m/m/m Ménage, Contemporary

Length: Novella

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (July 25, 2012)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5Hearts

Blurb: When Christian first meets Jordan and Ezra, they’re all young and lucky, thrown together in a journalist internship that cements their friendship for life. But when the internship ends, everything falls apart.

Christian has always loved Jordan, though he’s sure he doesn’t have a chance. By Jordan’s wedding, Christian has feelings for Ezra too. Then Ezra leaves on a foreign assignment, and Christian resigns himself to loneliness and concentrates on his job.

But his professional success comes with crushing personal blows. When an accident kills Jordan’s wife, Christian becomes Jordan’s only support. Months spent so close to him take their toll on Christian’s heart. Then Ezra finally comes home and Christian realizes he has to make a choice: give up on both of them and try to move on… or take a chance that’s risky, crazy—and his only shot.

Product Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3094

Reviewer: Thommie

Review: Meet Christian. A gorgeous person, smart and caring and the best friend one could ask for; always there to stand by his friends, without imposing himself and loving them unconditionally. If a bit naïve or as it was well put, by Jordan, “unobserving”. he makes out for being a man you could hug and crush out of fondness.

Meet Jordan. Hot! Tall, broad-shouldered, always joyful, he’s probably the protagonist that suffers most tragedy in our story by losing his wife only one short year after their marriage. He’d be lost without Christian, who comes to save him from drowning in sorrow by moving in with him. Although he loses most of his “happy face” by being thus victimized by fate, Jordan is by far the person they all turn to, to save the day, when odd occurs with his infectious smile.

Meet Ezra. What a snarky SOB. The sexy devil that always spices up the company by just being Ezra. A badass war-covering reporter, Ezra suffers from fate as well when his convoy gets hit and all in his vehicle dies, except him. He’s shipped back and life seems dull and awful, while Christian and Jordan try to get him back on tracks. Although Ezra was gone for five years in the Middle East, their friendship falls back to more than familiar tracks when he returns. The three of them are the best friends and perfect together.

Well… They are perfect together indeed. The story follows the path they take that eventually leads them to see, really see just how perfect they really are together.

I really, really liked this book for numerous reasons. First of all, I love a good triage. Call me kinky and you’d probably be right about it, but there is nothing hotter on my book than that. Going on, Ms. Louise Blaydon has a brilliant sense of humor that she managed to pour all around the book. It is so good and the final scene where the boys decide to give it a “try” was so funny I couldn’t stop laughing for a good 15 min. Not to mention the sex scenes being incredibly hot. Nothing soapy or awfully gentle and all that, just pure, primal, lusting sex that had me into it, but good. The protagonists were each and every one of them different and attractive in their own ways. I liked them all, having a soft spot for Christian for some reason. I think he was the one that was torn the most and his incredulity in the end was adorable.

I recommend this book to anyone really. this was a great read, fast, easy and highly entertaining. When the book ended I didn’t feel sorry it did, instead I was left with a great feeling that everything went as it was supposed to and content because it was really worth my time.

The Time of the Singing by Louise Blaydon

Note: I am invoking my right to distance myself from the drunken rants of any and all of my reviewers. In the event that you take offense to any or everything that you read below, please limit your comments to her inbox. Thank you, Portia.♥

Title: The Time of the Singing

Author: Louise Blaydon

Genre: Contemporary

Length: Novel (195pgs)

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (11^th November 2011)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥3 ½Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: Raised by devout parents, Israfel Vacek is a teenager before he realizes he may be turning into someone his parents would shun. When he confesses his fears to his brother, Michael suggests Raf might be able to save himself if he joins the clergy.

Though Raf is well-suited to the clerical life, enjoying the piety of his parishioners, his homosexual desires don’t go away. Still, Raf is able to repress them, until one young churchman decides he wants Raf for himself. Nate Mulligan is a bundle of contradictions, a devout believer who insists their love can’t be wrong, and Raf finds himself powerless to resist.

At first, Raf puts his guilt out of his mind, but when a misunderstanding brings his relationship with Nate to Michael’s attention, Raf realizes he has to make a choice: give up Nate to serve the Church and save his relationship with his family… or find his own path to grace and save himself.

Purchase Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2591

Review: Okay, so this story has me heavily conflicted. Mainly, because I hate religion based books. Yes, I know I should show some compassion for the deluded fools who read a story book and believe it’s written by God. (No offence meant) So I got 3 sheets to the wind (drunk) and cracked the book open.

Raf has always known that he was gay, but because of his religion believes it to be a sin. When he confesses to his brother, his brother tells him not to be stupid and the second time gets help from the local church to help Raf out. They advise him that it is his ‘Trial’ and to enter the clergy and serve God. He finds it hard after he takes over a new parish and one of the churchmen sets out to seduce him. Nate is a determined young man when he sets his mind to it and he wants Father Raf. Nate doesn’t believe everything in the Bible and sets out to show Raf that.

Now, some people have said stuff about Nate’s age ‘cuz he is 17, but in my Country the legal age is 16 so it didn’t bother me in the least. Some people have said stuff because of the age gap of 12 years, but well my hubby is 10 years older than me so doesn’t bother me in the least. Some people have said stuff about a clergyman abusing his position but from what I read the poor bloke didn’t stand a chance against Nate. Nate was a force of nature that got what he wanted no matter what.

This was a well written story that tried to come across as a soul-searching, life-changing, smack in the head by God epiphany but didn’t quite pull it off. Now don’t get me wrong, it came close, but the writing style was a bit too choppy and bland and stilted to pull it off. We see a lot of Raf in this; including his early struggles with his sexuality and the ‘support’ that he got from the church as well as his internal struggle about his attraction for Nate, Nate’s age and his responsibilities to the church and his family. But what we don’t get much of is anything about Nate, we don’t get Nate’s struggles or fears or doubts, we don’t find out how or why he has so much confidence or conviction, we don’t really know much about him other than the bits and pieces that were thrown at us by way of Raf.

Tag: Louise Blaydon

In Balance with This Life by Louise Blaydon

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Triage by Louise Blaydon

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The Time of the Singing by Louise Blaydon

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