Hi guys, we have Anna Butler popping in with a recap of her series Taking Shield including the newest release Makepeace, we have Shorty’s review for all three books and there’s a fantastic giveaway, so enjoy the post and click that giveaway link <3 ~Pixie~
Makepeace
(Taking Shield 03)
by
Anna Butler
Returning to duty following his long recovery from the injuries he sustained during the events recounted in Heart Scarab, Shield Captain Bennet accepts a tour of duty in Fleet as flight captain on a dreadnought. The one saving grace is that it isn’t his father’s ship—bad enough that he can’t yet return to the Shield Regiment, at least he doesn’t have the added stress of commanding former lover Fleet Lieutenant Flynn, knowing the fraternisation regulations will keep them apart.
Working on the material he collected himself on T18 three years before, Bennet decodes enough Maess data to send him behind the lines to Makepeace, once a human colony but under Maess control for more than a century. The mission goes belly up, costing Albion one of her precious, irreplaceable dreadnoughts and bringing political upheaval, acrimony and the threat of public unrest in its wake. But for Bennet, the real nightmare is discovering what the Maess have in store for humanity.
Blurb: How bad could one harmless bet be? Kent Samson is about to find out. Raised in Alabama, Kent has hidden his past and now loves his life as a big time ad exec for a prestigious advertising company in New York. But when he makes a bet with his best friend, Blaine, Kent is thrown for a loop—for Kent has to make the next person to walk through the door fall in love with him.
Terry Barron is hiding out in New York. Raised in England in a wealthy family, Terry escapes to New York to avoid arranged marriages and the lifestyle he’s grown to hate. When he delivers a package to an advertising firm, he meets the unbelievably sexy Kent Samson. Suddenly, secrets and lies complicate everything and both men find themselves in uncharted waters. How will Terry feel when Kent is revealed as a betting man?
Review: Short, Sexy, and Steamy… wait for it, my three favorite colors!!
Kent Samson is the suave ad exec, David Beckham look-alike that can get, and has mind you, any woman he wants. He messed around with his best friend slash business partner, Blaine, years ago, but that’s the extent of his manlove experience. Terry Barron is a bike messenger with ratty clothes, an earring, and a purple streak in his hair. Openly gay and completely comfortable with it, he’s admittedly shocked when the womanizing Samson asks him out on a date.
What starts out as a bet leads to so much more as Kent courts Terry, in an attempt to make him fall in love with him. No one is more surprised than Kent himself is when he actually falls in love with Terry. But both men have secrets they aren’t sharing. Secrets that may well tear them apart and leave a few broken hearts along the way. All bets are off when their secrets are revealed and a crushed Terry retreats to the one place he swore he’d never go back. Can Kent convince the vibrant, charismatic young man he’s fallen in love with to forgive him?
Engaging, intriguing and downright sexy! I devoured this book in one setting. Both men grew so much over just a few short pages. They have depth and they are flawed but they are perfect for each other. Kent opens up and shows who he really is to Terry, not the ad exec he’s molded himself into. All the secondary characters in the story get ample page time and only add to the excitement of the story. The scene on the balcony on NYE is worth the read alone, passionate, and sensual and thank god, for fire works or all of New York would know what these two were doing!
Blurb: Love is a powerful force. Unparalleled, unpredictable and often unforeseen. Yet it can surface in the most dangerous of situations. Suffocation, mutilation and dismemberment aren’t the normal outside influences that bring two people together, but inside the newly refurbished Alcatraz Prison, anything can happen.
As inmates begin dying in shocking and sometimes gruesome ways, the deaths prompt Warden Jensen Black to bring in sexy parapsychologist, Brian Phipps. With the help of Brian, Jensen hopes to get to the bottom of what is killing the men he is responsible for. But what he didn’t count on is falling—and falling hard—for the smaller man with the heart of a lion. The question is: will their love survive against the ghosts of Alcatraz?
This book was previously published by Loose Id (2009) and Silver Publishing (2011)
Review:The setting for this book is 2020. Jensen Black is the Warden at the recently reopened Alcatraz, but the prison is plagued with unexplained deaths, seventeen in as many weeks. Jensen calls in parapsychologist Brian Phipps to pin down what is causing the deaths and is surprised at the sexy man he meets. Brian is called in to investigate some gruesome unexplained deaths at Alcatraz, meeting the sexy Warden is a nice surprise and they quickly fall for each other, but malevolent spirits have other plans.
This is a great paranormal story but sadly lacks in the romance stakes. Jensen has been plagued with horrific deaths at Alcatraz, but the deaths are even worse because of their unexplained nature. That’s where Brian comes in; Brian is a parapsychologist who discovers that Alcatraz is haunted by more than just one evil spirit. Jensen and Brian have an instant attraction and they waste no time acting on it and they rapidly fall for each other. Laying the spirits to rest is harder than Brian hoped for and Brian and Jensen uncover a terrible secret that is over fifty years old, both men along with Jensen’s friend Fisher have to risk their lives laying old ghosts to rest.
The paranormal aspect of this story is brilliant. The reopening of the world’s most notorious prison and its subsequent horrific hauntings is awesome, the mystery and secrets that have been hidden for so long is a brilliant twist, and two men finding love during the stressful dangerous time is great. The murders are gruesome and chilling, more so because of the circumstances surrounding them, the long forgotten secret is one that surprises and I have to say brilliantly thought of.
The one thing that let this story down was the rushed relationship between Brian and Jensen, they are hot together, they seem a great match but they fall in love much too quickly. Within a very short space of time, when they don’t really know each other and in a very high-tension time, they declare their love for each other and it was just wrong. It felt rushed and it was dissatisfying. If we had seen them, together when they weren’t in danger or in a hospital bed, but in a more natural setting then it might have worked better.
I recommend this is you love horrific hauntings, evil spirits, a secret that is over fifty years old, hot men, hot sex, a great story line and a happy ending.
Blurb: Star Irish rugby player, Conor Murphy, lives and breathes rugby. He spends his weekends playing rugby, drinking beer, and singing songs with his teammates. There is only one thing he loves more than rugby, and that is hot rugby players. But after the final whistle sounds, the real competition begins: the hunt for the hottest men.
Conor’s muscular body and roguish good looks ensure he can have his pick of the sexiest players. But what happens when this alpha male meets his match on and off the field? Who will come out on top when he meets the horniest rugby players from the USA? Can two alpha males have the night of their lives?
Review: Heh. this was a fun read and erotic as it all gets. The blurb says it all people, we have rugby players out on man-hunt. Get the picture, big, tough, aggressive men high on testosterone and out on the prowl.
The read starts with Conor getting ready for the final night and the author gives us the pleasure of his lovely, but battered body. Nothing is left undetailed; we get the image live in our head of a sexy as hell Irish rugby player with cuts and bruises and gashes all over a mean muscled body. Damn it, but it was hot.
And right when he’s out of the door and into the club, we get a flashback of the game itself, and God but it’s just a prelude to what is about to happen once Conor starts hooking up and it’s going to be a big, nasty and dirty fight. The game’s description was a new one for me. I had an idea of what rugby was about, but involuntarily, I got dragged right in the heart of it from this slightly short read. It’s terrifying and has me wanting to see lots and lots of rugby games and wondering what the hell I’ve been doing all this time. Just as the game ends, we know who the protagonists are going to be.
Conor’s got his sight set on Tonio and they are mirror images of each other; the hardest you give, the hardest you take. It was like that on the field, and it is like that on the bed, too.
It’s porn. Its pure unadulterated, downright dirty, nasty, no holds barred sex. Coarse language and rough mannerisms. It’s what I love to call Man on Man sex. Yes, with a capital M. You don’t get to see flowers and satin sheets here. No soap smells and delicate handling. Forget all that. If you can stomach the eroticism of a sweaty man going on another man using his own saliva as lube and feeding from his body in the most primal and carnal way, then you will love this short story. Otherwise, I advise you stay well away from it.
For me it was one hot, passionate and utterly intense read. But, I’m known to love dirty fun, and rough and tough erotica.
Blurb: Jason Holt was a young man when he lost everything; his family, his boyfriend, and his safety. He’s been on the run since, hiding from an evil man bent on revenge. Las Vegas was supposed to just be another pit stop in his travels but when he learns the very man he’s hiding from is in Sin City Jason decides it’s time to stop hiding.
Private detective Quinn Reynolds lost the man he loved several years ago and since then he has been hiding from life. He can’t move on and is obsessed with making the man responsible for his lover’s death pay for the crime.
When Jason comes to Quinn for help, Quinn finds a reason to move on. The dangerous situation around them quickly escalates and together they face an unimaginable evil. Can they survive the darkness and make it through to the light on the other side?
Review: Jason has been on the run for years, ever since he lost everything that ever meant anything to him. Having settled in Las Vegas for the last couple of months, he is surprised to learn that the very man (Damos) who wants him dead is in Vegas under another name. But, Jason is sick of running and decides that his running days are over. Quinn is a private detective who lost his lover the year before, now he hides from life taking pleasure in being a thorn in the side of the man responsible for his lover’s death. Quinn takes Jason’s case with no clear plans on what to do, but Damos forces them to act.
Paranormal meets private investigator and crime boss, a great combination that gives us an interesting story. Quinn is still not over the loss of his lover, Liam, so when his spitting image walks through his door, he knows that whatever the case is, he will take it. Jason just wants a peaceful life without having to look over his shoulder. He will do anything to have a fresh start. But, he makes new discoveries when Quinn takes him to the ranch. Quinn and Jason both have to discover just what it is they want from each other as they grow closer. They face dangers untold when someone betrays them. But, getting to the bottom of what they feel for each other is nearly as difficult.
I really enjoyed this story and as usual because I rarely read the blurbs or the genre assigned (what can I say, I love surprises). I got the delightful twist halfway through the book that added a dark thrill to the main storyline. The story is wonderfully written with the unsureness of both MC’s feelings. does Jason really want Quinn or does he want him because he feels he has to? With Quinn we have to wonder if he really and truly wants Jason for himself or because he looks so much like Liam? Both these questions are answered quite plainly late on and thankfully Quinn is much more sensible than Jason. He makes Jason wait before giving in to sex (hot passionate sex).
The paranormal twist is great. I really enjoyed discovering, along with Jason, the paranormal world and the evil that hides there. The way that the storyline twists the crime boss and the paranormal world together was really well done and the way that surprises came out was good. I can’t help but want more from Quinn and Jason now that everything has been revealed. Imagine the cases they could work together.
I have to recommend this to those that love difficult beginnings, finding new love, paranormal twists, hot sex, great characters and a great storyline.
Blurb: In the frontier town of Belkin’s Pass, as a vampire quietly feeds on the local saloon girls and their customers, a tragedy teaches resident Josh Stanton he has the ability to raise the dead. Knowing he is now a wanted man, Josh flees into the arid plains of Venom Valley. Pursued by Dex, the town deputy and Josh’s best friend, the two realize their friendship is truly something deeper, and Dex has to decide if he’s a man of the law, or a man in love. The vampire, drawn by Josh’s power, circles ever closer, gathering his forces against them.
Review: Josh knows he has to run. Nobody would ever believe the real reason why he put bullets in two people… they came back from the dead. Dex investigates when a young girl says she saw a murder, what he finds disturbs him and he doesn’t want to believe that Josh would ever do such a thing. Meanwhile, strange things begin to happen in town at the saloon and Dex begins to wonder if there is a connection. Dex has to find Josh before anyone else in town does, leading Dex and Josh to admit their feelings are more than friendship. But, danger lurks as a town wants justice and a mysterious vampire wants Josh.
This is a great start to what looks to be an action filled series with a dark vampire and a mysterious power. Josh has a strange power, one that scares him to death. When he is near a dead body he begins to heat up and the body will begin to move. Shooting the dead is a problem when you can’t tell the truth and justice in a wild west town can be swift and brutal. The only thing now that Josh can regret is losing his best friend, Dex, the man he has secret longings for. Dex wants to protect his friend, Josh, but there is no way that the town will listen to reason. so Dex has a choice to make between duty and love. Dex and Josh face a greater threat though, when a mysterious man who calls himself a vampire decides that he wants Josh.
I really enjoyed this story with its paranormal aspects. It starts with a hint of danger that twists into a mysterious power, and next we have secret forbidden longings and a danger that lurks in the shadows. Josh and Dex have a heart to heart, where Josh shares the astounding truth and they share a magical night together, before reality comes calling and they are both hunted in the night. The story has shifting perspectives and Josh, Dex and Glory are the ones who give us clear insight into what is happening. Josh and Dex are to be expected, but it is Glory who first gave us a glimpse of the vampire and Glory has a secret of her own as well. One that I think we will see more of as the series continues.
This story is really well written. The scenes are described brilliantly, the images of dead people shambling towards you with wolves just waiting to pounce was vivid. Josh and Dex’s relationship beginning was really hot and quite sweet. The action and danger are great and the storyline is really intriguing, as we discover that there is a lot more to Venom Valley than just a few rattlers and wolves. I have to admit the ending left me wanting more.
I have to recommend this to those who love deputies, cowboys, mysterious goings on, discovering love with your best friend, hot sex, a vampire with dark deeds on his mind and an ending that makes you want the next book now.
