Blurb: Inspired by Oscar Wilde’s classic novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, Mitzi Szereto’s Wilde Passions of Dorian Gray continues where Wilde left off with the Faustian tale of a man of eternal youth and great physical beauty who lives a life of corruption, decadence and hedonism. The story begins in the bordellos of Jazz-Age Paris, moving to the opium dens of Marrakesh and the alluring anonymity of South America. In his pursuit of sensation and carnal thrills, Dorian’s desires turn increasingly extreme and he leaves behind yet more devastation and death. He ultimately settles in present-day New Orleans, joining with a group of like-minded beings known as The Night People. They inadvertently return to Dorian his humanity when he falls in love with a young woman he rescues from becoming their victim. She will be his redemption, but she will also be his final curse.
Review: This novel is downright amazing. It shows that there is someone out there that will write just like a classic author and show what they can do for the world.
The characters are downright fantastic. And I am sure there will be more to come from her. She writes the erotic versions of said books or at least the erotic continuations. I found the characters three-dimensional. The plot was thick and fantastic.
I know I will certainly be keeping an eye out for more of her novels. Well worth it.
Liam Collins is desperate for a job. Forced to jump to the big city, he can’t believe his luck when he suddenly gets an offer from a prestigious publishing company. Absolutely ecstatic, Liam doesn’t even bother reading the details. But on his first day of work, he isn’t ushered to a quaint cubicle. Instead, he’s brought to a classy high-rise and told that he’s been hired to be the face of the best-selling author, Chase Preston.
When Liam first meets Chase, he’s so captivated by the mysterious man’s imposing figure and deep-set eyes. Maybe Liam really did get lucky.
All Liam has to do is go to fan meetings and award events as a stand-in for Chase. It actually doesn’t sound bad, but Liam soon realizes that being with Chase is harder than it appears. Despite the challenges of Chase’s arrogant attitude, Liam puts up with it. What he finds difficult to put up with is Chase’s sexy body and brilliant blue eyes.
Review: Liam Collins needs a job, and he will do whatever it takes to get one. He left his small hometown and came to New York with high hopes and big dreams. It’s never directly spoken, but the impression is given that his family no longer supports him because of his sexuality. He lucks out with his latest interview when he lands the job with publishing company. Only to show up on his first day and find out the details of the job description aren’t quite what he thought they would be.
Chase Preston is sexy, arrogant and scarred. The bestselling author is a recluse and his publishing company just hired Liam to be his public persona. Liam will pretend to be Chase at press junkets, author signings and various other functions. The catch is he has to live in Chase’s swanky uptown apartment and basically give over control of his life to Eli and Landon, Chase’s publishers and baby sitters. What one won’t do for a job these days!
There are a few choice secondary characters in this story. Eli, Landon and Chase’s little brother who is just a cuter compact version of Chase. The focus of the story is Chase and Liam. Chase’s sexual advances go from uncomfortable to steamy and venture close to domineering at the end of this instalment. Although I think that Liam’s laid back nature and ability to conform to what he needs to be to ‘get the job done’ will make him a fantastic submissive, I’m not quite sure he’ll be that easily swayed.
There were a couple of times the story seemed a little choppy and didn’t flow well, but overall this was an intriguing start to a new series that I look forward to reading. Grab your copy now and get caught up before book 2 comes out!
** I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through MM Good Book Reviews **
Blurb: While working on his Master’s degree in psychology, Carson is offered an exclusive summer internship at a private research hospital. He can’t imagine a better career opportunity. But Harbor Oaks hides a dark secret. Carson soon discovers patients are being held against their will. They’re all shape shifters the government fears present a danger to society.
After meeting Tate, a shy, quiet doctor with an agenda all his own, Carson begins to question his own sanity. Carson soon realizes he’s really a subject of the scientist’s experiments, rather than an intern.
Carson knows what’s going on at Harbor Oaks is wrong, but to challenge the hospital’s policies could endanger his own life. More importantly, he could lose Tate forever.
Review: Ana has a pretty good imagination and can spin a wonderful story with it. I was amazed at this story. It caught my attention from the start and kept my attention all the way to the end. I had spent most of my day being bored till I came across this cute little story. It made my day get better, when I can lose myself into a book and can imagine what is going around me. I loved the way Carson and Tate interacted with each other. Carson takes an exclusive summer internship at a private research hospital to earn his Master’s Degree in Psychology. He finds out all of the patients are shape shifters that the government thinks is dangerous.
Tate is a doctor there with a different agenda. Carson starts asking questions and finds out he isn’t there as an intern but as a scientist experiment. Carson starts feeling things for Tate, but how can he keep him and get help for everyone there. What Tate is hiding is important for the changelings best interest. To keep them all alive and safe from those who want to hurt them.
This story has a lot of interesting surprises. I love the twist it has and can’t wait to read more. This is the only thing I really hated, that I was left without a true ending. It keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat. I can’t wait to read book two of this series because I think it will be a hit.
Blurb:Tashawn Dallison and his partner, Kendrick, are hopelessly in love. Their life together is perfect until a tragic event befalls them on the night Tashawn proposes to Kendrick.
Overcome with grief and guilt, Tashawn vows to seek revenge, and puts his own life in jeopardy when he steals a book of spells from his Aunt Zatora, a voodoo priestess.
Strange events occur when Tashawn dabbles into the supernatural to reunite with his love, but will he lose his soul in the process? How far will he go to be with the man of his dreams?
Review: Well to be truthful if this story had more to it, I might actually have been able to get into. Zombies are just not what I am into. Tashawn and Kendrick were in love, in fact Tashawn had just proposed to Kendrick. After Kendrick said yes, they decided to take a walk to spend time together. They are so sweet and tender, and I feel bad for Tashawn.
During the walk, some homophobic jerks come up to them yelling and beating them. They had stabbed Kendrick to death. Tashawn dabbles into the supernatural to bring is love back. However, it didn’t go as planned. I am not really sure what one expects when they dabble into certain things that they shouldn’t, but it will shock you.
I love that they were so much in love and the fact that they wanted to be together forever. In fact, Tashawn basically proved it to everyone. It is a little story that has bits of surprising twist to it. It did keep my attention from start to end which is always a good thing. I just couldn’t find it in me to like it very much. It came very close to creeping me out.
Blurb: No two people are exactly alike, but Elijah Crowe is very, very different.
Elijah is on the autism spectrum, so the tasks of day-to-day life most people breeze through are a challenge for him. His career suffered because he never got the hang of schmoozing, and now he wastes his talents teaching classes at the mall. His social circle is limited to his ex, his therapist, and a structured inclusion group at the Rec Center. The one bright spot in his life is the memory science of Mnemography.
Although he loves nothing better than devouring the latest research and tinkering with all the specialized equipment, he never clicked with any other experts in the field until he met Daniel Schroeder. Daniel runs a memory palace—he even writes his own mnems—and that shared interest alone would make him fascinating. But Daniel and Elijah met under unusual circumstances, where the statement, “I like you, and I think you like me,” held some surprising nuances.
Now Elijah suspects he’s gay, but the few prominent people in his life are less than supportive. Some are downright hostile. Elijah might not be neurotypical, but he’s plenty smart. Surely, there’s some way to get people to accept him for who he is. If only he could figure out how.
Review:The thing I like about the Mnevermind trilogy is that this constructed futuristic world of Mnem technology is highly believable. The characters are engaging, the plot a bit mind-bending, and the entire story thoroughly unique. Forget Me Not introduces us to the mysterious Elijah Crowe, who high tails it off at the end of The Persistence of Memory after a sexual encounter with Daniel. Jordan has done her homework. We get to look into the mind of a highly functioning genius who is on the spectrum of those living with an autism disorder. Instead of a generalized clinical description of an autistic person, we get to understand why Elijah needs to stimm, or stimulate with the touches to himself and twitches we so often turn away from when encountered. We get taken along for the ride as he starts to analyze the world around him, getting lost, and taken off track, only to remember lessons learned from his many therapy sessions as Elijah applies them to allow himself to function on a daily basis. We see how he views his relationships and how he tries to wade through basic social interaction, without the filter we have to understand basic body language and nuances of communication. It may sound like heavy reading but Price presents this material in such a smooth flowing, fascinating way, that I found myself totally engrossed. I was brought through the gamut of emotional reactions throughout the story, from Elijah’s fear when he is threatened by a coworker, to his confusion in his developing relationship with Daniel, his confusion about his own sexuality, and his heartbreak when the stress gets to be too much for Daniel and he strikes out verbally at Elijah in misunderstanding of his disorder.
I don’t want you to think this entire book is entirely about Elijah’s experience with autism spectrum disorder, because there is so much more going on. We’re brought back into the intriguing world of Mnem as Daniel, Big D, and Elijah attend a conference about new Mnem technology. Daniel, desperately seeking a way to help rid his father if his persistent memory or Mnem, gets duped for a short time into believing a new development can provide the answers. After a confrontation leads to hurt and misunderstanding between Daniel and Elijah, Eli makes the effort to bridge the distance, not only to save their growing relationship but also to help Daniel find a way to heal his father. By the end of Forget Me Not, many characters enter the stew and someone from Daniel and Big D’s past shows up to stir the pot and create even more turmoil in Daniel’s life.
Jordan Castillo Price constantly raises the bar in her writing. Her style is unique, as she paints her characters and unique worlds in shades of gray and black, dark but intriguing, with layers and depth of character that keep me hooked. The thing I like most, being a fan of m/m fiction, is that Jordan is foremost an amazing psy-fi/paranormal/mystery/suspense writer…that her main characters are also gay seems secondary. I would like to see this in the real world, that we get to judge characters/people by what they do, how they interact, how they treat those around them, not by their sexuality.
I highly recommend this trilogy, be sure to read them in order. And if you are not already familiar with Jordan Castillo Price, invest in her backlist…you won’t’ be disappointed.
Publisher: Island Tales Press (February 11th 2014)
Heat Level: Moderate to Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts
Reviewer: Tams
Blurb: Blake Davis and husband Will are delighted when Ed Fellows turns up at the hospital the night their daughter is born—even if he is covered in mud from playing rugby and drunk out of his skull. Teammate Colin is the Good Samaritan who drives him there, and when Colin takes Ed home, Colin finds himself on the receiving end of a blowjob. He has no problem with that whatsoever. He’s been in lust with Ed since Ed joined the rugby team some fourteen months ago. Only thing is, Colin’s assumed up until now that Ed is straight. Except the man sucking him off certainly didn’t seem straight….
Talk about the morning after the night before…. Ed awakens to find a nearly naked Colin asleep on his sofa. The problem is that for some reason, he can’t get Colin out of his mind. Okay, so it wasn’t the first blow-job Ed’s ever gotten from a guy—or given, for that matter—but that was a long time ago, right? And why does Ed now want more?
With friends Rick, Angelo, Blake and Will to advise him, Ed finds himself on a completely unfamiliar road, as he struggles to accept that maybe the line he is walking isn’t as straight as he’d first imagined….
Review: Ed Fellows has been Blake Davis’ best friend since school, and now he’s his right hand at the publishing company Blake runs. He’s watched his friend find love with Will, get married and start a family with the birth of their baby daughter, Sophie. As well, their co-worker and friend Rick found love with Angelo. Ed sometimes wonders if he’ll ever get his happily ever after, he’s yet to meet the right gal. Blake’s husband Will may have hit the nail on the head though when he suggested Ed try batting for his own team.
Colin plays Rugby with Ed and has been lusting after him since about five minutes after they met the first time. But Colin has resigned himself to quick glances in the shower after a match knowing full well that Ed is straight. Until he drives Ed home one drunken night and they share a mutual, oral release at Ed’s urging. Ed doesn’t want to think about the implications of what they did last night, but he can’t stop thinking about Colin. With Blake out of contact on paternity leave, Ed turns to Rick and Angelo for advice, and starts to realize that liking Colin isn’t such a bad thing after all.
Ed shocks Colin by calling him and asking him to meet for a drink. He shocks the hell out of him admitting that he’s attracted to him and asking him out on a date. But Ed still has issues with anyone else knowing and he almost screws it all up before it really gets started. And as if his personal turmoil wasn’t enough to deal with, Blake’s ex fiancé shows up at the office asking for a job.
This has become one of my favourite series. I love when an author can weave together the stories and lives of multiple characters, and keep the stories flowing and cohesive. Blake and Will, Rick and Angelo aren’t the focal point of this story, but we get to see where they are in their lives right now as well. And Blake and Angelo both drop a couple of bombshells on us there at the end. I’m excited to see where this series goes after those little morsels.
This is book 3 in a series that should be read in order to fully understand and appreciate all the characters and storylines. If you are a romantic at heart but you like a little meat behind your stories and some sexy, steamy guy on guy action, give KC Wells a go!
** I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through MM Good Book Reviews **
Blurb: The village of Stamford, the quintessential chocolate box English scene, seemed an impossible dream for foster kid Toby Prentiss. Now he’s found a home among the haystacks and village fairs as the general manager for the Duck and Drake Hotel. With the fears and demons from his youth hidden away in this bucolic oasis, he’s very protective of who he lets in. Until he stumbles across shirtless carpenter Rain Engel building the hotel’s new custom-designed bar.
Working in the countryside, Rain prepared to face his biggest fear: sheep. He didn’t expect to deal with his second biggest fear: commitment. Toby’s controlled, tough guy façade coupled with his “find happiness where you can” optimism calls to Rain like nothing before. While Rain may be an exhibitionist, his romantic history forces him to hold his emotions close. As their relationship develops, secrets from their pasts drive a wedge between them: the ex-boyfriend who tore apart Rain’s trust and Toby’s history with the law. But can the secrets hiding among the quirky villagers bring them together? With missing sheep, pole dancing at the winter festival, and a crippling drought, everyone is waiting for Rain.
Toby Prentiss has been single for a long time, and he’s come to the conclusion that being alone is better than being hurt. He’s so wrapped up in his work that he doesn’t even realize his boss wants to be a little more than friends. Then he meets the charismatic and outspoken carpenter, Rain.
Rain Engel is building a bar for the Duck and Drake hotel where Toby is the manager. From the first day, that first meeting, the two have an electric chemistry that threatens to ignite and burn everything around them to the ground. They also share a very short fuse, a mutual disdain for the word trust and the inability to ask for or allow their friends to help when it’s needed. All this makes for a very explosive read.
Both men are hiding their past from the other, afraid that the truth would drive them away. But keeping their secrets is what’s driving a wedge between them, not the truth. Slowly Rain gains Toby’s trust and just as slowly, Toby peels back the layers that make Rain who he is. Chemistry is not the problem for these two. They can’t go much more than five minutes without lips on skin. Communication is what may prove to be their downfall. Or a lack there of. I said this recently for another review and I’m reminded of it again with Toby and Rain. “What we have here is a failure to communicate!”
Although I could see the ending of this story coming a mile away, Mac Nicol still did a fantastic job of painting the picture and conveying her story to the reader. There weren’t really any side characters either, except maybe the sheep. The secondary characters were as three-dimensional as Toby and Rain, and an integral part of the story. While I loved the inner workings of Toby and Rain’s relationship as it grew and unfolded, I also could have nipped one or two of them, “he slammed me against the wall while he shoved his hands….” Do NOT get me wrong, I love me some sweaty naked man on man sex, its f**king hot. But there is a thin line between wiping steam off my kindle and reading fifty shades of gay.
That being said, overall this was such a fun read. I blew through it in one setting. If you are a fan of hard luck stories, two stubborn alpha males finding their home, and LOTS of guy on guy action this is a must read for you. Oh, and pole dancing, as if the cover didn’t give that one away, it is a very erotic and well-written pole dance guys.
** I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through MM Good Book Reviews **
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Cat’s Review: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts
I love this title and cover. I also love this author and this book didn’t let me down.
Toby is hotel manager and has a rough background but has managed to make a respectable life for himself. He longs for love but after his past thinks it’s out of reach for him. Then he meets Rain Engel.
Rain is a contractor and does exceptional wood crafting. Simon the owner of the hotel has contracted him for a job to build a bar in the Fancy Duke and Drake Hotel. He is recuperating form a rough breakup that left him broken, devastated, and got him it no some trouble that makes him leery of relationships. He meets Toby the hotel manager and right away is taken with him. He thinks a good f**k-buddy wouldn’t be a bad thing while he is doing this job.
I loved that this story is in first person and both men’s views. I like being able to get into both men’s heads and feelings. I found the switchover very easy to follow. I found this story hilarious and loved how the humor breaks up and makes the angst easier. There is a lot going on in the story but I never got overwhelmed. I also loved both Rain and Toby a lot though I think I liked Toby even more since I felt I knew him more than Rain. I would have liked to have had a bit better feel of Rain and had more of his past like we did with Toby.
I thought this was an all-over good story with a touch of intrigue and super sexy. I loved the pole-dancing bits and could just see Rain on the pole. I had to go google the song Smoke and Mirrors.
I recommend this if you love a good romance, broken men finding love, good friends ,hot mansex and Pole-Dancing.
Blurb: Ryan Jenner has everything going for him. He’s the rodeo’s next big star and the endorsements keep rolling in. But Ryan has something to hide—he’s gay. In his world, Ryan knows he must be careful with his secret…until he meets his idol, the ruggedly-handsome rodeo legend Sam Carter. Unable to get a grip on his feelings, Ryan pursues Sam and is thrilled when he discovers he isn’t the only cowboy with a secret.
Sam adores the sexy young cowboy with the dreamy blue eyes. He fantasizes about him at night, but that’s as far as it can go or he risks losing everything. Can Ryan win his first NFR buckle and Sam’s heart? Will Sam sacrifice his reputation for love? One thing is for sure, whatever the outcome, it isn’t going to be an easy ride for either of them.
Review: Ryan is on his way to stardom in the rodeo circuit. He is gay and doesn’t like hiding it but his agent Frank makes sure he does. Being gay in the big-time rodeo won’t get him the sponsors he needs. He is close to winning the big purse so he is doing what he is told. He has a chance to meet his biggest idol, Sam, and will be competing against him in the nationals, that is if he makes it. Ryan would like to do more than compete against Sam, but Sam has been married and is straight. Or does Sam have some of the same secrets Ryan has?
This was a good story. It was rather predictable though. It is a good build-up of a series. A basic guy has crush meets guy, conflict, happy ending. I liked the characters a lot. Ryan is a cocky young man with big dreams. Sam is settled in his life and tired of hiding, wanting to have his ranch, and a lover. Both men have big dreams and the guts to go for them. The storyline is interesting and I will definitely be reading anymore in the series.
If you like, rodeos, cowboys, dreamers, and a happy ending this is for you.
Blurb: It’s 1986. Ronald Reagan is in the White House, Molly Ringwald is on the cover of Time and 29-year-old Michael Gregoretti is a struggling, underpaid copywriter at a big New York ad agency. He’d rather be writing plays; instead, he’s writing awful commercials for a moisturizer formulated to conquer that dire, life-threatening condition: handruff.
Michael reluctantly accepts an assignment on a brand-new (and very secret) product – an aerosol butter – hoping it will lead to the kind of work that will land him a better job at another agency. But there’s a catch: Working on this new account will also mean working for the rigid, compulsive and quite possibly insane Gwen Hammond, who thinks that Michael, with his off-the-wall ideas and unconventional campaigns, is just too much of a rebel to work with such a conservative client.
To further complicate life, Michael meets and falls for Craig Connolly, an absolute dreamboat from the South with a voice like FM radio and a face to match. Craig claims he’d like to be in a relationship and Michael wants to believe it. The problem is, Craig is already married – to his job.
Michael survives it all with the help of his two best friends: Irene Lucca, a witty book editor with a flair for vintage clothing and an eye for the art director Michael works with, and Anthony DeLorenzo, Michael’s wise (and wisecracking) roommate and staunchest supporter.
By the time A Fool Among Fools ends, Michael has battled stuffy clients and stifling supervisors, written and produced what just might be the worst commercials in the history of advertising, found and lost love, and managed to keep himself – and the reader – laughing along the way.
Review: I’m not sure where to start. I really wanted to like this story but I just could not get into it. I like a good character driven story, but this was the year in the life of Michael. We start on his 29th birthday and end on his 30th
The story starts in 1986 but to me I felt older. There were many references to stars or names I did not recognize and it got a little confusing when I’m sure it was supposed to be funny. There is lots of wit, but some of it felt a bit dry to me. The details in the story are amazing. The author has a great eye for detail. I just felt it was a bit overboard for me, since the details were in the commercials they were doing and the day-to-day life and I never saw any advancement in the story. I read through, hoping to see Michael break free from his unhappy life and find love.
If you like, a story that centres on the life of one character down to minute daily details, sort of like a biography or something you may like this. It is not a bad story it just wasn’t for me.
Blurb: A man who hates Valentine’s Day gets a surprise smack of romance.
With horrid Valentine’s Day experiences, Preston Larkin hates the holiday with a passion to the point he prefers to be drunk and unconscious. Heading to a club, SideWays, he plans to drink and dance until the 15th. He didn’t expect a cute admirer to alter everything. Adoring Lark from afar for over a year, Colin Gabriels finds the courage to buy the man a drink, dance the night away, and take him upstairs to the private rooms. His expectations of the man isn’t matching the reality. Things falter the next morning, but Preston changes everything.
Review: I found myself wondering if this was all the author wanted to talk about. Sure, it showed the promises of a good story but I just didn’t feel like I could understand the characters. Sure, someone could be burned by the past of bad relationships but I didn’t feel like I could get to know the characters. The story didn’t seem that strong to me.
The more I read the more I felt the story getting stronger and yet by the time it was done, I felt like it had gone flat. The story had pretty much stopped when it was finally getting good. I cannot quite pinpoint what happened in the author’s mind but it just didn’t hold onto my interest.
Blurb: Vasilios Eleni has learned to make the best of life as a eunuch and valued slave in the household of a wealthy silk merchant. When he begins having dreams of a demon who steals away children and eats them alive, Vasilios’s well-ordered life begins to unravel. General Markos Özdemir has been ordered by the Emperor to investigate the kidnapping and murder of children from the capital, but he’s become frustrated with lack of progress. When he learns of Vasilios’s dreams he begins to suspect they are the key to tracking down the demon.
Vasilios and Markos work together, and soon the attraction between them flares, leading to deeper attachment. Vasilios admits to his feelings for Markos but knows they must first find a way to exorcise the child-eating demon. Their quest takes them into to desert to seek out mystics and a half-man, half-serpent monk, as well as heretics, ex-concubines, and angels. The mission remains unsolved when Vasilios is trapped in the household of a cruel man. Things go from bad to worse for Vasilios, and getting back to freedom and the new love he has with Markos could cost him his life.
A Timeless Dreams title: While reaction to same-sex relationships throughout time and across cultures has not always been positive, these stories celebrate M/M love in a manner that may address, minimize, or ignore historical stigma.
Review: Okay so, I start reading this book and I had to force myself to put it down last night and get some sleep (yeah, I do that) only to pick it up first thing in the morning. That said, when it ended I was left with the incredulous look and a though spinning in my head drilling over and over “was that it?” and turning the next page just in case I missed something. The happily for now ending and the not so satisfactory closure spoiled the entire read for me.
Starting from the beginning though, I was entranced with this book. It had a Greek air on almost everything in the story and naturally, I was drawn to it. The names, the place where it’s set (The Empire), the society that oddly enough resembles so much ancient Greece, everything were intriguing and had a special allure. I did not like the religious stuff at all, but they hardly made it into my consciousness. The demon hunting, the bishops and Church politics, the monasteries and believers, they were all very well woven into the plot and place, and I believe looking at the story now that it’s finished that it would have not been as good without it anyway.
Now the main character of the story is Vasilios Eleni and he is a eunuch. This is the first time I have come across a story about eunuchs and to tell you the truth I was drawn to it in a perverse way, wanting to see where it would end and how, even as the very notion of men being castrated for fun made me cringe almost the entire read. Because yeah, owning a jewel (a eunuch made so before he hit puberty in order to maintain the androgynous features, and solely for sex) was a show of wealth and taste for the rich and powerful in this story. Can you see me cringing? But back to the story, Vasilios starts having some weird, vivid dreams about a demon devouring children right about the time children are going missing from all kinds of families regardless of the social stand. Lucky him. General Markos is in town and having business with Vasilios’ master, thus Vasilios turns to him for help, because these dreams are leaving him in quite a state of horror.
The hunting part of the story is not so much a hunt as it is a go-seek quest with Vasilios and Markos trying to find the people they need to banish the demon when the Bishop fails. Meanwhile Vasilios life changes for the worse when his master dies and he has been passed down to his master’s youngest and cruelest son. There is a show of unnecessary cruelty there and some events I truly didn’t get, because they made no sense, but they did help the story move forward.
Now romance-wise I find myself unable to produce words. The flirting between Markus and Vasilios was non-existed. We knew feelings were there, but there was not much show of anything, thus the pair not making a real connection with me. As for the inevitable intimate scenes, oh my they were more than weird because not only one of the men was missing something vital there, but also they ended up discarding BJs and penetration altogether, making the intimate scenes in the end a bit crippling. I suppose the author might have wanted to put more attention to the touchy-feely part and how love doesn’t need much for it to bloom, but in the end there was no love there either, just the possibility of one in the future, leaving me with the thought: “Was that it?” Oh wait, I already said that, but really, it was a huge WTF moment for me the end of the book.
So overall, I liked it, but it could have been better. It was highly interesting though, and the main point is that I read it so easily, so effortlessly and had a nice time doing so. Recommended for fans of the genre.
Blurb:Valentine’s Day has always been one major suckfest for Andrew. He knows he is cursed and has resorted to avoiding everything even remotely related to the stupid “holiday.” Against his better judgment, Andrew lets his best friend talk him into attending a themed party one Valentine’s Day evening. Andrew spends the whole night cautiously waiting for his bad luck to kick in, nervous to see what disastrous situation he might find himself in. While at the party, Andrew meets Evan and is immediately attracted to him, but Andrew worries it will end in another Valentine’s debacle if he tries anything.
Can Evan convince Andrew he’s worth the risk or will this really be one more Valentine’s disaster?
Review: I have always loved a funny story, one that will keep me laughing. This has the laughing down pat but it also has just a touch of seriousness. Kyle will get your attention with his stories every time.
Andrew has always thought that Valentine’s Day sucked so much that he thinks he is cursed. Being set up by his best friend ends up with him meeting Evan. At first, he is against the hookup but then the sheets are set on fire. Talk about hot and passionate, these sexy men have it going on. Now if he could just get over the feeling of being cursed.
I loved this story but wished it were longer in length. It was a cute way to get someone who hated the holiday’s to find a way to love it once more.
Blurb:“Time and distance have a way of sneaking up on feelings thought long buried. “ “The Bar Next Door, Book 2” Five years ago, Eli held the hand of his dying lover and made a promise he never intended to keep. Find someone new to love? Be happy? Fat chance. Eli s happiness died that day. He s doing well to put one foot in front of the other, much less risk his heart again.
The only thorn in his side is Asa, part-time waiter at The Bar Next Door, who can’t seem to take a hint.
After years of carrying more responsibility on his broad, cowboy shoulders than most people twice his age, Asa knows what he wants when he sees it. Eli. Shadows haunt the gorgeous older bartender, who also happens to be one of Asa’s bosses, but Asa doesn’t t care about potential complications. He only wants to banish Eli s ghosts and bring Eli back to life.
Persistence, a little impatience, and Asa’s very wicked mouth goes to work on Eli’s grumpy, prickly defenses. But Asa may have to block the door to love with his foot or his heart before Eli slams it in his face.
Warning: Beware of stubborn cowboys, sticky bar floors and hot sexy showers, eavesdropping cooks and well-meaning friends, Irish whiskey, and a young man who doesn’t t understand the word no.
Review: This is book two of the Bar Next Door series. I did feel this one stands alone pretty well.
Eli is still pining over the death of his lover and does not intend to keep the promise he made on Thad’s deathbed, to find someone else to love. He can’t imagine loving anyone else, until the cute new waiter Asa showed up.
I really liked this story much better than the first, though I would have liked more on the first lover and the death but we did get enough here in tidbits to get the feel of the situation. This story has a lot of sadness and I will say I nearly cried a couple of times. I love stories that make me cry! I absolutely loved Eli and Asa. We also get a little more on Abe the cook and we did get some more of Danny and Mal and even their fathers. This was a sweet, sad, but very good story.
If you like, cowboys, college students, Bartenders, sad stories, happy endings, sweet loving ManSex and sticky floors this one is for you!
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (17th February 2014)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 3 ½ Hearts
Reviewer: Pixie
Blurb: Thompson and Caroline Gray were living their dream until Caroline’s untimely death just two years after they’d bought the Thundercloud Marina. When Caroline died, she left Thompson alone and emotionally disconnected—until Thompson’s longtime friend and towboat owner Hank Charming tows Garner Holt, a recently retired psychiatrist, and his boat into the marina for repair. Thompson and Hank are both drawn to the sailboat captain, but for very different reasons.
Since high school, Hank has secretly carried a torch for Thompson, even though Thompson remained committed to Caroline, even after her death. Hank is totally caught off guard when his initial attraction to Garner makes him realize this stranger might be the one to help him move on with his life. Thompson establishes a platonic friendship with Garner and starts to see the psychiatrist as his only lifeline to sanity. Life improves until Thompson sees Hank and Garner together, and old feelings Thompson thought were long buried begin to resurface. Garner quickly identifies the unresolved feelings between Hank and Thompson and decides to tap his professional skills and work behind the scenes to help Thompson and Hank see what has been right in front of them all along.
Review: Thompson Gray’s life came to a grinding halt when his wife unexpectedly died, four years later he is still unable to move on with his life, unable to let go of the feelings of guilt that he couldn’t protect her. But then Garner Holt sails into his life and manages to get Thompson to see a way through his stagnant life. Hank ‘Prince’ Charming has carried a torch for Thompson since their school day’s but stifled the feelings, best friends through thick and thin Hank tried to support Thompson after his wife’s death but was pushed away. When Hank tows Garner into Thompson’s Marina, Garner is the catalyst that brings the two friends together again and Thompson and Hank discover that they can have more than just friendship between them.
Hmmm, what an interesting story. It’s a story that really made me think about what the characters had gone through and to see it from all angles…. It didn’t stop me thinking that Thompson has a martyr complex or that he was taken advantage of for his white knight complex though. So down to the characters, we have Garner, who is the catalyst for Thompson to start living his life again. Garner is a retired psychiatrist who is sailing the coast just relaxing when he drops into the lives of Hank and Thompson. We have Hank who was pushed out of Thompson’s life. Hank is a towboat owner who gave up on ever getting his old friend back, until Garner works miracles. And finally we have Thompson, a man who has weathered a great burden and can’t work past the guilt of failure, until a new friendship develops. Now all three men are great characters and they play off each other really well, and while there is an interest between Hank and Garner, the real romantic relationship is between Hank and Thompson.
The storyline is a really good one, two men who were best friends driven apart by the guilt that one of them wallows in and it takes a stranger to bring them back together. It is also a story that has darker undertones to it, the reason why Thompson feels such guilt, and the secret that he has kept for so many years. Garner’s role is a unique one because while he is interested in both men he settles for the role of friend and confidant; helping both men to move forward and helping, them to bring to fruition a relationship that would have emerged years before if circumstances had been different. Hank and Thompson’s relationship is one of discovery and acceptance, accepting the love that has always been there and finding happiness with the help of their new friend.
The writing is rich in detail, bringing to your mind’s eye the surroundings, characters, and for some the details may be too much but everyone has their own taste. The characters are well written and quite likable, but Thompson’s situation had me shaking my head as I thought of all the ways that he could have helped without tying his life in knots and that is where his white knight complex comes in, a decision made when he was 14 that he takes to heart and sticks to no matter what it does to him personally *sigh* and then the guilt that plagues him even though there was nothing he could have done to change what happened. I did enjoy the story but I just have a hard time of it when people wallow in their own pain while causing pain to others around them, I can understand it I just don’t like it.
I recommend this to those who love overcoming the past, moving forward with your life, accepting the friendship, love and support offered, discovering yourself and embarking on a loving relationship.
Blurb: Once they were a couple. Now—they’re far from it.
Just out of prison, Craig heads to Denver. At the same time, Adam, on tour with a Broadway show, arrives there. Also heading to Denver are two men bent on finding Craig for their own nefarious reasons.
When Craig and Adam accidentally meet sparks fly, but not of the good kind. Then Craig finds his mentor murdered and believes he’s the reason why. He calls on Adam, the only man he can trust for help. Can they work together, and possibly re-kindle their love? Or will Adam walk away again?
Review: Craig has just gotten out of prison. At fifty, he would like to start new life but being a thief is all he knows. The life he still dreams about is a past he can never recover. Adam is almost fifty and an Actor. He likes his life on the road and staying busy, this keeps his mind off of the one man he always loved but couldn’t change.
I truly loved the fact that these were older characters and very different men, not your run of the mill characters. The main character, Craig is a criminal. A convicted thief. Yet he is very likeable. The story has a touch of mystery and some romance.
I will say the story moves fast. It is long enough to let you really get into the story and yet short enough you can read this in one sitting. I also love this cover!
If you like unusual characters, older characters, actors, thieves, mystery and a good, clean, M/M romance, this is for you
Blurb: Shadow Juke, post-apocalyptic gunslinger, mercenary, cold-blooded killer…red-hot lover. Forced to take on a rescue mission he never wanted, Shad must retrieve Harc, the lover of the ethereal witch the White Whisper, from the perilous Scarlet Fires Oasis. There the powerful wizard Capricorn holds the witch’s beautiful lover captive. Too bad for Shad that he himself has fallen in love with the man.
Shad is thrown down among the slaves of Capricorn’s brutal temple, only to fall in with a gathering rebellion. There, he’s forced into sexual gladiatorial games by an old nemesis.
The world of After the Hell is fraught with sex, danger, monsters, mutants, black magic, radioactive wastes, and even a porn-obsessed mad scientist. Throughout, Shadow Juke must fight his way against impossible odds. Yet if he succeeds in rescuing Harc, he may have to give up the man he loves…
Review: Nuclear war a hundred years ago still affects the last remnants of humanity on Earth. The Hell had woken magic in this world and supernatural now walks side by side with natural. Civilization as we know it no longer exists. There are wizards and witches, and there are mere mortals trying to survive yet another day. And among them, there are… others as well.
I liked this post-apocalyptic world. I’d hate to live in such a desolate Earth where pain and suffering is a given, but it gave the read a tang of desperation that went hand in hand with the wastelands the story takes place. The Hell as it’s called in this book is the ultimate crash down of our society, humans releasing nuclear weapons and literally wiping out Earth’s bio system and life. What remained were a 10% perhaps of world’s population? The numbers are vague but we get the idea. As the Hell shattered the entire planet, it managed to open new possibilities. Magic became a given and few lucky humans got powers beyond imagination. As always with power came arrogance and cruelty. Also new creatures are introduced in this book as well as mutants. In this setting, we meet Shad.
Time… there is never enough time. Shadow Juke’s always running out of it, the only way to keep a few paces ahead taking a job. He’s a gunslinger after all and good at it. This time his mission is more complex and though they always are, Shad finds himself inexplicably attracted to his objective.
So yes, there is the instant love thing I usually dislike, however in this book it becomes almost impossible for instant love not to exist when it comes to Harc, the abducted lover of the White Whisper and Shad’s mission. Harc is one hell of a character; he’s astonishingly beautiful and almost magical himself. He’s a mystery, an unknown entity, and he manages to imprint on Shad’s head from the moment he sees his hologram from the witch. The chemistry among Shad a Harc though, while almost making it, failed. Somehow, there was a loss of connection, at least for me, and the couple just didn’t achieve to draw me in their love-web.
While trying to rescue Harc from Capricorn Shad gets captured himself by the great wizard. I think the time he spend as a slave in that temple was the strongest emotionally part of this book.
A juice that turns you into a mindless slave… Authority is an illusion. It remains strong as long as the effect of that illusion doesn’t wean. If it does, it shatters like a toy under a strong boot.
I loved the author’s way of thinking and explanations about the Slave Temple. That was something that intrigued me and I’d have loved a bit more time and story behind that Temple. The way the plot moved from the Temple on was also a powerful emotional punch. It gave way feelings of satisfaction marred with sadness and melancholy. I didn’t know what to feel for Capricorn and the White Whisper in the end, but again I think those feeling would have been way stronger if both those characters had a bit more spotlight in the book. They were too strong to be left in the shadows like that.
Is the victim really a victim..?
The book eventually ends with surprising elements and shocking answers to many questions. Harc gives us what we want to know and a bit more. However the end itself is not a happily ever after one. After all this story is set in a whipped out world and Shad is still bartering for time for in the end there is only one question still hammering its way inside your head:
Could he beat out Death..?
Overall, I found this book good enough and enjoyable, but I think that you should really be in the mood for this type of book to really appreciate it. So if you love post-apocalyptic dystopian books with hot guys and a strong erotic blend in it I’d totally suggest this to you.
Blurb: Detective Jamison Landry knew his job was never going to be easy. He’s dealt with the worst criminals imaginable and believes in his work and the community he serves. But he’s never met someone quite like Mal before.
The mysterious man, rescued from a basement in which he was chained by cultists, keeps Jamison guessing, both confuses and excites him, and Jamison isn’t sure how he feels about that. Plus, things turn from unusual to downright strange when people start insisting Mal isn’t quite human. And Jamison’s creepy dreams of crows and graveyards don’t make things any better for him.
Will Mal stay around long enough for Jamison to figure out his secrets, even learn his full name, or will this stranger leave him aching for more?
Review: Usually I can find the words for anything there is that needs to be said, but this book just takes that away from me. Sort of that is. This story is about one sexy demon named Mal and a human named Jamison. It is told with such humor that most of the time I was laughing and the rest of the time, I was bewildered. It has the perfect amount of danger, excitement, adventure, and humor that it was absolutely perfect.
Jamison is a human with a good soul. He however feels like he is losing his mind. He saves Mal from a group of the craziest cult members he has ever seen, saying that Mal is a demon and should be held prisoner. The only glitch is the fact that they were right. Mal is a powerful demon from hell, who decides the punishment for those who have committed the worst sins. He decides who goes to hell and who goes to heaven. He is quite old, however when he is around Jamison he acts like a child. He confuses the hell out of Jamison, to the point that Jamison can’t decide whether to let him stay or leave. Mal protects Jamison with every bit of power in him, to the point hell no longer wants him. Jamison is a loving, caring, loyal police officer set to protect those who needed protection. Mal on the other hand is kind of crazy, bloodthirsty. However, he is falling in love with a human. There is a lot of talk about sex, with just a bit of passion and fire added in.
This story was a surprise to say the least. I wasn’t sure at first whether it would make it in my list of best stories ever, but it actually ranked up there in the top ten. You have two very sexy men wanting each other to the point of losing their minds, excitement going on all around you, words of passion and anger in this story. Jamison has the ability to overcome the fear of the unknown and see something good in a demon. Caitlin has such a gift in the way she tells a story, the worlds she creates, and such wonderful characters that she has made my top ten favorite authors. I absolutely loved this story and really can’t wait to read more of Caitlin’s books. If you love sexy men, great plots, story line, and action you really need to check this book out. It is hot.
Blurb: King Kavan, ruler of the kingdom of Decius, wants to kill all vampires in the land. What he hasn’t reckoned on is his second-in-command running off with one of the winged creatures or that he would fall in love with the beautiful Harben. Keeping Harben locked in his tower, with orders to maim the vampire’s wings should he escape, isn’t conducive to receiving Harben’s love in turn, but what happens when Kavan’s forbidden feelings are tested? Would he save Harben’s life at the expense of his own?
Review: As far as paranormal love stories, this one ranks up pretty high on the want list. It is a very bizarre story, with two human’s and two vampires. Hatred and love come hand in hand. It is a bit hard to get into and actually understand however, it is a good story nonetheless.
King Kavan hates vampires with a passion. He comes off cold and evil. He captured Harben to torture and eventually kills him, however something amazing happens. He starts to see the compassion that Harben has, the fact that he is gentle and kind. The king starts to fall in love with Harben. As does his truth seeker Lucius. Lucius falls in love with Eachan after capturing him for his king and tortures him. All Harben ask for is true freedom, with many chances to escape he stays for Kavan. Kavan sleeps with about anyone in the castle. However, it takes him a bit of time to realize that there is more to his life than the cruelty and pain he gives to those around him. He would give up his life to save this vampire from death, protect him with all that he has. They have all found love, now they just have to survive. The sex is hot, sensuous, and full of passion. It will set the sheets on fire.
Scarlet has a wonderful gift of telling stories. She gives you characters that you want to hate but end up loving. I have always loved to lose myself in a good romance. She gives me that chance when I read this story. I wanted to hate Kavan, but in the end, I wanted him to be with Harben. To realize love will win over every other choice. I love the paranormal world especially with sexy men to fantasies about, however this book was missing quite a bit for me to really love it. It just came off a bit wrong. Don’t get me wrong it is a good book with a wonderful world to live in, well despite the hunters trying to kill the vampires.
Blurb: Meet Christien James and Julien Cabrera. Unspoken attraction is what brought them together. Distance and family is what keeps them apart. Now, for an unbridled lust and longing that may never be quenched Christien finds himself doing unspeakable things in the name of, Lucian Cabrera, Julien’s father. These acts will test the very boundaries of his sanity, and for Christien, the darkness of his twisted deeds threatens to turn him into a monster that no one can stop. It’s in this darkness that Christien indulges in the rapturous pleasures of heat and hot, torrid passion. His name is Jack Carmichael. With Jack, Christien discovers the true meaning of love and desire. For Jack, Christien will drop all the walls and barriers of his life and heart and reveal who he really is. There’s only one catch… Jack is dead.
Review: Some day’s when things get rough, I pick up a book and lose myself in it. J.E. has a gift of storytelling that boggles the mind. I have always loved a story with twist and turns, with lots of danger, anger, and excitement. This story was a bit hard to get into at first but once you start you just can’t stop. It was also very sad.
Christien is a lost young man beaten and sad, until he gets mixed up with Julien. Julien is the son of wealthy crime family. They are both killers but one has a soul where the other does not. Christien had fallen for Julien, but over time, he let that go. Married a woman whom he had gotten pregnant only for that to end when she realized he didn’t love her. For you see Christien was actually gay, he could pass for bi but in truth was not. He hid himself so that Julien’s family would not find out. Julien is difficult and you really don’t hear that much about him throughout the book, but only in the beginning and the end. The more you read about Christien you just want to smack him upside the head, but you see the truth of how lost he truly is. He has been doing so much twisted stuff that he was beginning to turn into a monster unless he is given the chance to change. Christien and Julien are attracted to each other, but their families kept them apart. Then there is Jack who is the best one could be, well if one is a ghost or spirit. Jack had also worked for Julien’s family but he stole from them and died for it. Christien had loved Jack only to end up killing him. Love triangles are never simple, and this one has a catch you’ll have to read to believe. The sex that you read about is hot and full of passion but it leaves something out.
It is a really good book, just not something I really could see myself reading more than once. There is a lot of evil throughout the story, full of amazing twists and turns. It has lots of danger, excitement, and criminal activities. I felt that it was missing something, I just don’t know what. It came off, as real life criminal activity to me, just wasn’t my cup of tea. I felt more like crying then anything with the story. It has such a serious and sad tune to it. It shows what happens when those two roads appear before you and you take the wrong turn. I just wished there something more to it, something it was missing I just don’t know what exactly. I really didn’t care much for this story. It was well written and did have an amazing plot and story line that will shock you. It left me hanging wandering about the next book to hit this series.
Blurb: On the night of the summer solstice, Obadai Bashim encounters Jules Sterling, a young engineering sage. Jules is on the run from a ripper, an assassin of the Theocracy who has already killed his master. Open atrocities by rippers are unusual in County Isleshire, where freedom and acceptance reign over prejudice.
However, political instability between the Five Kingdoms and the Divine Theocracy has set the theocrats on a mission to crown religious doctrine over science, and the Sage’s Guild is number one on their eradication list. If Obadai helps, he’ll have a price on his head too, but he can’t abandon Jules.
Escaping the ripper’s clutches is not enough. Jules has a mission of his own: to repair a faulty airship inn about to crash into the fortified township of Dunbruth. Luckily, Obadai has a few magickal secrets up his sleeve.
Review: A druid and an engineer. You think they have anything common with each other? Nope. Nothing at all. Yet they seem to balance each other well.
In a world where evolution is fought heavily by religion and science is being slowly killed, every magical being not blessed by the Church along with every scientist and inventor are being hunted and sentenced to die on the spot. His master already dead, Jules tries to run from his ripper while continuing to offer his services and repairing/preventing terrible accidents. He cannot do it by himself and he seeks help from the one person he feels he can trust with his life.
Obadai is not a warrior and his magick is not aggressive, yet he cannot refuse to help the young sage. He has the seed of Earth in him – a reason for the Church to hunt him down – and even that doesn’t kill the seed of love sparking to life once he get to know the young man. Together the run from the evil chasing them, they try to run from the ugly clutches of war.
A Steampunk marrying fantasy is the best description I can give this novella, and while it was fast and had a tension riding it, I found it also a bit too complex for its length and disorienting, as the entire world is built from scratch with not much to relate, names are a bit heavy in the eyes and even the days had different names, making it a real work trying to understand the world while simultaneously following the plot. However, the plot is quite simple once you get the handle of the name, places, society structure, and politics. Young man needs help. The rebel strives to give it to him. Together they attempt to get shelter away from the oppressive clutches of the Church.
There is a bit of action, there is a bit of romance (tame in its sweetness), and there is quite the new world opening right in front of your eyes. It ended too fast for the complexity of the background, but the fact that this is a series gives hope that we’ll see the structure of this world and the possibilities hidden with unveil in future installments.
Overall, I liked it and recommend it to fans of the genre.
Title: The Wilde Passions of Dorian Gray
