Tag: M/M book review

Moral Authority by Jacob Z. Flores

Jacob Z. Flores Moral authorityTitle: Moral Authority

Series: N/A

Author: Jacob Z. Flores

Genre: MM / Dystopian / Thriller-Horror

Length: Super Novel (373pgs)

Publisher: Wilde City Press (22nd May 2013)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 4.5 Hearts

Reviewer: Thommie

Blurb: Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are prescribed ideals in America of 2050. The Moral Authority, the nation’s newest branch of government, has virtually eliminated crime, poverty, and most social ills, but it also rules the land with a tyrannical fist, championing ignorance and brandishing fear.

Mark Bryan is a gay man whose existence brands him an outlaw; Isaac Montoya is a charming stranger, who entices Mark to defy moral law; and Samuel Pleasant runs the Moral Authority and plans to punish moral offenders and a rebellious uprising—no matter the cost.

Will liberty and justice return for all?

Product Link: http://www.wildecity.com/books/gay-mainstream/moral-authority/#.UcRyT_k3Bro

Review: I love it when I get my hands on a book which is so well written it has the ability to evoke a number of emotions from me. I’m also know to love book that have a somewhat realistic approach and ending, and I’m not shy to the ones that have a tragic ending either.

Moral Authority is one such book. It attacks your soul with the first line that goes through you like a bullet and continues to do so through the duration of the story. As impossible as it seemed at the time, this story starts with the very end scene, it tells you point blank there is no happy ending here and it makes it clear as day that this is going to be heartbreaking. With its very prologue it dares you to continue reading and I warn you this is not a light read or a fun one.

In this dystopian world America has come a long way from what it is today in only a matter of half century. In this New America morality is praised and savored and guarded by all means. Moral Authority is a new branch that guards everyone’s life, integrity and morals. Crime as we know it has vanished, diversity too, gangs, murders, stealing, hustling, everything that threatens our lives today have come to an end. Immorality is the crime and everything is dealt with an iron fist. Seems perfect, or it should be, but we all know what happens when extremism reigns.

Individuality is lost and people are turned into one similar mass, clones of each other. Happiness is no longer pursued rather the illusion of it is supposedly a given. The Moral Police dictates how people should live their life and freedom has lost its true meaning. Among all things that are lost to humans is also their right to their sexuality. The Gay/Lesbians/Bisexuals of America has either fled when things changed or went underground. The ones still living among their peers live in fear, always looking behind their shoulder. Undercover police has a new meaning and baits for homosexuals are in each and every corner. Homosexuality is a crime and has a special kind of Hell on Earth, the cruelty of which can’t be comprehended.

I’m not going to dwell on the specifics of the plot and the story. I’m simply going to point out that this story has it all, depression, desperation, love, hope, heartbreak and loss, tortures and cruelty in every form and a most realistic approach that if we look closely in our past and especially countries that has suffered from Dictators, we will see how very similar the events that happen in this story are to events Humanity has already suffered and could suffer if we are not careful of our Human Rights. You can see how similar Chancellor Pleasant is to Hitler, how very similar the gay camps in the books are to the Jew camps the Nazi had. How very similar the life in this “utopian” America is to the countries plagued by Communism or strong Religion. Coming from one such country I couldn’t help but relate to most of the story, to how homosexuals are treaded in such societies, to the horrors of the camps and the despair that comes from not being able to live your life freely. It was gut-wrenching to read and awakened many memories of the past and tales I was told from my elders.

In the end this is a very carefully and brilliantly written book that one should not miss. Strongly recommended.

One Night

Title: One Night

Author: R.J. Scott

Genre: Contemporary

Length:  Novel 158pgs

Publisher: Silver Publishing

Heat Level: Hot

Heart Rating:  ♥♥♥♥♥4 1/2

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb:  Liam Wade is facing the biggest change in his life since marrying his best friend, Janelle, and adopting her daughter. Janelle has long since passed on, losing the battle to live a few days after her daughter is born, leaving Liam a father, in need of finding a mother for his daughter Emma. He’s rich, successful, and Leigh is the perfect, approved, wife for him. Before he settles down to give his daughter the best family he can, he wants one week away, to think. Just to make sure that he can leave half of himself hidden and marry without love, because Liam has one big problem in all of this — he’s gay.

Micah Adamson is the owner of a vineyard in Rochester NY, and has yet to find the partner he knows is out there for him. He believes in love and wants forever, and one day he knows he will find his ‘forever’ man. He attends a wine festival in Santa Monica, seven nights in a beautiful hotel on the beach.

Micah wants to show that love between two men includes affection, understanding, and can be forever. Will he make Liam see sense?

Review: Micah is a workaholic who is bullied into taking a vacation/conference by his well-meaning family. Liam is taking a week for himself to be himself and to find himself away from the influence of his family.

Liam is positive that the only type of relationship that can happen between two men is hot, hard sex. He really does believe that he will never get the type of relationship that he craves and the security and family that his daughter needs with a man. Micah is tired of men who either want his money or think monogamy is over-rated.

I thought this story was incredibly touching as a father tries to do what is best for his daughter. You can feel his need to do right by his daughter; to give her the best upbringing that he can, even if it means that he sacrifices his own happiness. You feel incredibly sad for both these men as all they want is to be loved for themselves, not what they have or their name. The confrontation between Liam and his dad was good, very good and I was impressed that it was realistic without screaming matches or punches being thrown. I loved the ending because it’s not, ‘they throw their arms around each other and declare undying love for each other’, It’s a we’ll see how this goes but I hope it lasts forever.

It’s not a happy ever after… but it’s a beginning.