Category: 5 star Rating

A Caryn Review: Drinker of Blood (SPECTR Series 2, #3) by Jordan L Hawk

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is the 9th book in this series (technically it’s the 3rd of SPECTR 2, but since you can’t really read SPECTR 2 without SPECTR 1, I think of it as a continuation), and the best thing about it was knowing there will be more coming!  This book concludes with more loose ends than most of the others, but it is by no means a cliffhanger.  A new character is introduced (no spoilers, but it’s gonna be good!) that I am pretty sure will be featured strongly in the upcoming installments.

For those who have not been reading this series, this review may not make much sense.  I highly recommend the entire series, and the books are all quite short – less than 100 pages – so they are quick reads.  What keeps me coming back is the uniqueness of the paranormal aspect of the main love relationship.  John is an agent for SPECTR – the government agency responsible for eliminating non-human entities, AKA demons, from our world.  His lover Caleb is possessed by a powerful vampire spirit, Grey, but the two share the body equally.  It makes for a fascinating 3 way relationship (and sex!)  I love how Grey maintains his non-human perspective, even as he learns about human emotions and society, and Drinker of Blood highlights that “otherness” even more.

This book builds upon the tensions introduced in the last two books – their boss at SPECTR, Barillo, is increasingly antagonistic and his fear and hatred of Grey/Caleb (and not a little homophobia) are becoming too much for even John to smooth over.  Caleb has joined the Paranormally Abled Support System, but has to hide Grey from them, so John and Zahira are truly the only people who know and support Caleb/Grey.  Although the love between John, Caleb, and Grey remains strong, outside influences are becoming intolerable.  Defeating the monster du jour is almost a side plot to the building strain, and inevitable crisis.  Maybe in the next book?

Finally, I love how this author incorporates some excellent secondary characters.  Zahira continues to shine in this book, and I can’t wait to see more of the new character.  Who, by the way, is going to put even more stress upon the John/Caleb/Grey relationship in the next book, I can see it coming *wink*

Cover art by the author is consistent with the rest of the series, but I still think Grey would look more menacing in his kevlar-lined elk hide coat instead of a tee shirt 🙂

Sales Links

Amazon | Amazon UK | Kobo | Smashwords

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 84 pages
Expected publication: March 17th 2017 by Widdershins Press LLC
ASINB06X942Q64
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series SPECTR:

A MelanieM Recent Release Review: Who We Are by Nicola Haken

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Since putting his life on hold ten years ago, Oliver Clayton doesn’t know who he is anymore. To his clients at the hair salon, he’s the sassy and confident stylist. To the crowds who come to watch his drag act at the club, he’s the fierce and fabulous Miss Tique. He’s popular. Talented. Out, proud, and self-assured.

He’s also a good actor.

Sebastian Day is content with life’s easy, if not a little monotonous, routine. After several failed relationships, he likes the simplicity of being alone in his truck at his job as a heavy goods driver, spending the weekends with his teenage son, and putting the world to rights with his cat, Marv. He’s not lonely. He isn’t hiding.

At least…he doesn’t think he is until he meets the mesmerising stranger with the red hair and purple lips.

Can Oliver and Sebastian help each other embrace who they are? Or will a cruel twist of fate end their journey before it’s even begun?

Who We Are is just a superb bit of storytelling, from the incredible characters to the heartrending life obstacles and things almost guaranteed to derail all our hopes, dreams and plans for happiness that get thrown in these characters way.  Haken charts it all out here and then realistically manages to give us and her characters the ending we are crying out for.  How  I adored this story.

Of course, any outstanding story has to have its foundation in its characters and that especially true with Who We Are.  But its not just Ollie Clayton and Seb Day that we get here (although they are so incredible that would it be just them, it would still be a 5 star tale). No, its all the characters that circle them with an almost gravitational pull.  From Tyler, the brother Ollie has brought up and supported since their mother died of cancer to Scott, Seb’s son, (and the other family equally great), to mothers, fathers, uncles, best friends, the author has created a community for Ollie and Seb to live within that’s so vibrant and meaningful that the reader easily loses themselves to the story and to the lives of all the people they meet within.  Each person moved me with what was going on in their lives and how they were or weren’t handling it. These were layered human beings who acted their ages, had problems and conversations that reflected that as well.  I believed in them with all my heart and needed them to move forward any way they could.

Oh, the issues these people faced….a myriad of them.  This story unfolds so beautifully, especially the courtship of Ollie and Seb.  The awkward flirting, the funny meetings that slowly turn into deep feelings.  The butterflies in the stomach that the reader feels as well.  Grab that box of tissues.  These two will sink deep into your heart as they do with each other.  Soulmates has never felt so true.

But life is harsh as Ollie has learned over and over.  I think Nicola Haken has taken a stark look at what happens to people, their relationships when life deals them a tough blow.  This section is just as wonderful and terrifying as everything that went before.  And for some, maybe the hardest pages to read.

But that ending…that wipe your tears, grab up the book and start from the beginning again ending….yes…simply splendid.  I see and then hear these words in my head and immediately, I start smiling and reaching for the Kindle in anticipation of a book I’m happily recommending to you all:

“Are you flirting with me?”
“Is it working?”
“Maybe”

Cover art is perfect for the character and story.

Sales Links

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 271 pages
Published March 8th 2017
ASINB06XHGDVGF

Release Blitz & Review Tour – K.C. Wells’s Step By Step

 



Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Dreamspinner


Publisher: Dreamspinner Press


Length: 85,899 words


Cover Photo: Strangeland Photography


Cover Design: Paul Richmond

Blurb

Jamie’s life is one big financial mess, and it really isn’t his fault. However, the last thing he expected to find in the library was a Good Samaritan. He might have been suspicious of Guy’s motives at first, but it soon becomes apparent that his savior is a good man who has been lucky in life and is looking to pay it forward. Guy being gay is not a problem. Jamie’s not interested… or so he thinks.

Guy is happy to help Jamie, and the two men get along fine. But when Jamie’s curiosity leads him from one thing to another, Guy finds himself looking at the younger man with new eyes. What started out as a hand up is now something completely different….



Author Bio

Born and raised in the north-west of England, K.C. WELLS always loved writing. Words were important. Full stop. However, when childhood gave way to adulthood, the writing ceased, as life got in the way. K.C. discovered erotic fiction in 2009, when the purchase of a ménage storyline led to the startling discovery that reading about men in love was damn hot. In 2012, arriving at a really low point in life led to the desperate need to do something creative. An even bigger discovery waited in the wings—writing about men in love was even hotter….

K.C. now writes full-time and is loving every minute of her new career. The laptop still has no idea of what hit it… it only knows that it wants a rest, please. And it now has to get used to the idea that where K.C goes, it goes.

And as for those men in love that she writes about? The list of stories just waiting to be written is getting longer… and longer….

K.C. loves to hear from readers.

E-mail: k.c.wells@btinternet.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KCWellsWorld
Twitter: @K_C_Wells
Website: http://www.kcwellsworld.com

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✒︎A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Highly Recommended Novel.  Read Lila’s Review here.

A Stella Review: Beneath the Stars by Lynn Charles

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

On the cusp of launching his fashion line for transmen and butch women, Sid Marneaux receives a life-altering phone call. His father, who raised his family alone, is in failing health. As he returns home, he wonders if he could lose the business he has spent most of his adult life building.

What he could not have anticipated was meeting Eddie Garner, the city’s new fire chief. After a heroic rescue, their romance sparks hot, launching into a swift affair. But Eddie is harboring his own burdens: the painful death of his best friend and the responsibility of raising her young son—their son—Adrian.

Through the wisdom of a child and the connection of mothers-now-gone, Sid, Eddie and Adrian venture and fumble to define family, career, and most importantly, love.

Oh the joy of reading Beneath the Stars! It filled my heart with so many feelings, it was  impossible not to love it. I had already appreciated Lynn Charles in Black Dust, that’s why I was curious about this new release.

I loved everything in this novel. Let’s start with the characters. Eddie and Sid are simply beautiful people and together they are awesome. Both of them are real, their stories are real, messy, sad, like ours are. I soon emphasized with them and their struggle, I wanted to hug them from the start till the ending. Then there is Adrian, a force of nature, a little boy who has just lost his mum, a great woman. He simply took my heart. He is probably too smart for his age but his cuteness was the icing on the cake for reader like me who love books with children in the plot. And all the secondary characters are well done too, all of them positive, all of them well depicted.

The romance part was balanced with all the rest that was happening in Eddie and Sid’s lives when they met and knew something was going to be born between them. In a story like this, the author did a great work with a story believable and a brilliant writing that made the reading fly easily and dialogues engaging. In a way this was not an easy book to read, it’s too close to some themes I particularly care for, events I went through, losses I had. And so I cried a lot. But the tears were neutralized by certain emotions and laughs.

Beneath The Stars is a winner, the story is strong and solid, I want to highly recommend it. The author has quickly became one of my favorites.

The cover art by CB Messer is simply beautiful, this artist is a guarantee of very well done and most of all fitting covers.

Sales Links

Interlude Press

BOOK DETAILS

Published February 16th 2017 by Interlude Press

Kindle Edition, 300 pages

ASIN B01MS46RO7

Edition Language English

Release Day Blitz: Shaper by Christine Danse (giveaway)

Title:  Shaper

Series: The Mi’hani Wards, Book 1

Author: Christine Danse

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: March 13

Heat Level: 2 – Fade to Black Sex

Pairing: Female/Female

Length: 14100

Genre:

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Synopsis

Nameless and without an identity, she wakes on the streets of Shapertown, an abandoned city that defies the laws of physics. She’s fleeing a threat she can’t remember. One woman holds the key to unlocking her memories and the dangerous truth: She is the threat.

Excerpt

Shaper
Christine Danse © 2017
All Rights Reserved

I didn’t dream.

I existed in a black space where for a time I almost had a family and friends, school, the everyday pleasures of domestic life. I drifted close to the shores of memory but didn’t make landfall.

The sound of voices pulled me out again, a man and a woman. They drew me out to sea and up into the sky, into my skin.

I came to on my side under the warmth of covers. Home, in my bed.

But no, not my bed. Not my room. No room I recognized.

Instinct told me to kick to my feet and bolt, but like a small animal, I felt safe under cover.

I scanned the contents of the small room. White dresser, table against the side with two chairs, one door. No more than that.

I made another pass with my eyes just to be sure, but there was only the one door, so only one way out. The voices came from just on the other side of it, so I wouldn’t be slipping out unseen. I would have to wait this out. I had no choice. It had nothing to do with the fact that the pillow was soft under my head, the blankets a bank of clouds atop me. A comfort like home, which I hadn’t known for…

For a long time. The feeling didn’t quite come with a memory, but a strong sense of hard surfaces and shivering sleep.

“I realize,” the woman was saying. She spoke in a hushed tone, but I could just get her words.

The man responded in a low rumble I couldn’t make out.

“I know that,” she said. “But you must understand the position this puts me in.”

Something about her voice made me uneasy. Maybe her tone. There was an edge to it, a wariness and also a weariness.

“I’m retired,” she said at last, flatly.

Nothing after that. They might have moved off, leaving me, forgetting me. But I didn’t move, just lay with the blanket pulled up to my eyes and held still, waiting for something, because something always came.

The rattle of the doorknob warned me just before the door opened. The man entered first. Tall, with dark brooding eyes and a presence like a storm cloud compacted into a man’s shape. But it was the woman at his elbow who scared me. Thin, with straight brown hair and luminescent blue eyes. Beautiful but tired, mouth in a line like it had never known a smile.

I sat up and clutched the blanket, never mind that I was clothed. I pushed back my curls.

“You’re awake,” the man said. He drew out a chair and sat. The woman stood leaning back against the doorframe with her arms crossed, seemingly impassive, but our awareness of each other pulled like a taut string.

“I’m Nero,” the man said. “And this is Natalia.”

After that came a pause. They seemed to be waiting for something. I looked between them, fingers curled around the top edge of the blanket. My gaze caught the woman’s and snagged.

He prompted: “Can you tell us your name?”

I opened my mouth and— “No.” I felt an instant pulse in the air, like a throb of hostility from them, and added, “I don’t know.”

The man’s eyes flickered. The woman shifted from one leg to the other and propped the foot against the wall.

“I don’t know,” I said again. “I don’t know my name.” The edge of panic crept into my voice.

They exchanged a glance.

The man asked me more questions. It was a terror and a relief not to have the answers. They could get nothing out of me. I could betray no one.

He seemed to get the same idea. He stood and exchanged a conversation with the woman that consisted of a look, a subtle glance in my direction, a scowl, and a tight nod. Then the man told me that Natalia would make me comfortable.

“I’m comfortable here,” I said. At that moment, I would have rather been huddled in the corner of that crumbling building like a dog behind the dresser.

The woman, Natalia, dredged up a smile that didn’t quite make it to her eyes but also wasn’t unkind, and held a hand up, gently beckoning. I couldn’t decline.

Purchase

NineStar Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords

Meet the Author

Christine lives with her writing partner in the wilds of urban Oregon, where they raise weeds, worms, and eyebrows.

Website | Twitter | eMail

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An Ali Review: We Three Kings by AF Henley

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Chicago 1982 is a goldmine for the construction industry, and Eric and his two business partners are thriving. Once nothing more than orphans in a Catholic boys’ home, they’ve overcome poverty and abuse to obtain success. Now living the lives they once only dreamed of, they’re sure of one thing: they will never look back.

Then the past returns, by way of a cheap polyester suit and a smile Eric has never forgotten—and all the dark memories come crashing back. Lucky for him, Jimmy has no idea who Eric is, or who Eric used to be…
This is a beautifully written story about forgiveness and redemption.  Eric and his two best friends, Mark and Devin, have overcome the abuse they suffered at the hands of the church run orphanage they grew up in.  They are now successful businessmen and they try to live their lives in a way that is positive and helpful to others.  Eric’s past behaviors though still haunt him and the walls he’s built come crashing down when he interviews Jimmy for a job at their company.  Eric sees hiring Jimmy as a way to fix past wrongs. Unfortunately the longer Eric is not honest with Jimmy, the harder time he has with the truths about himself.
This story is told from Eric’s point of view and I found him to be a fantastic narrator.  He begins each chapter with memories from his past.  I was worried about this part of the story going in because I saw that movie Sleepers and I remember it being pretty hard to watch.  Fortunately the author doesn’t make these scenes graphic.  Despite that you still get the feel for the terror these boys went through in every creak in the hallway or dark shadow that passes their door.  I was on pins and needles for everyone of those flashbacks.
Despite his lack of honestly with Jimmy, Eric finds himself attracted to the man and begins a romantic relationship.  Eric is slowly unraveling and while he knows his decisions are bad, he can’t seem to stop himself.  Throughout he does a bunch of soul searching and he’s stuck on his anger at himself for both the past and the present.
While part of the story is about Jimmy and Eric falling for each other, Jimmy is almost a side character.  He has a strong role and a place of importance but really this story is Eric’s.  I thought the connection between the two men was touching.  Eric’s two friends have smaller roles but they play a major part in the end of the story.  By far though, my favorite side character was Meryl, a homeless man that Eric talks to every day.  This was so well done.  So creative and thought provoking. I don’t want to say more about this because I don’t want to spoil anything but I loved these interactions. He and Eric are characters that will stick in my head for a long time to come.
In the end, yes, this is a romance, but it’s also a story about letting go of your past, of your fear, you anger and/or self-loathing and starting afresh.
There are a few authors I wish got more attention and this is one of them.  I’ve loved everything I’ve read of hers and I would have everyone I know read this if I could (and after this go read her Wolf series).
Cover by Aisha Akeju:  I liked the cover.  It was nicely done but did not stand out in any special way to me.
Sales Links
Book Details:
ebook
Published March 1st 2017 by Less Than Three Press
ISBN139781620049600
Edition LanguageEnglish

A VVivacious Release Day Review: Shaper by Christine Danse

Rating: 5 Stars out of 5
 
I woke up running through the abandoned streets of Shapertown. I didn’t know who I was, where I had come from or even who I was running from. It was like I had come into this world running with the nebulous command of “Run” ringing through my brain. I hid myself only to be found by a pair of brown boots with red laces and I didn’t know if I should run or not. After all, where do you run when you have nowhere to go?
 
This book is… Wow! It tells the story of a planet at the centre of the universe where reality itself is in a constant flux. In this world exist a group of people know as Shapers that can change the very matrix of reality with their thoughts. They are varied, each with specific abilities and the government seeks to control them leading to a rebellion and it is in these dangerous times that our story begins.
 
I loved the premise of this story. It is like the perfect mix of plausible married to boundless imagination and the story is beautifully written. I loved our main character for someone who has no idea who she is she is very balanced individual and I found myself engrossed in her story from the very beginning.
 
This book is a story first and foremost and that is the deepest compliment I can give it. This story is amazing. Some stories really amaze me with the extent of imagination and this was one of them. I am truly mystified by the planet of Mi’hani and the life that exists on it. I am very hopeful for the books that are to follow in this series because if the first book is any indication this is going to be one hell of a ride.
 
Our second main character is Natalia who is lethal in every way. I mean she has some mad skills but for once it was refreshing to meet an assassin, a killer who wasn’t jaded who felt the burden of the path she has led but tried to keep living with it instead of arresting her emotions, while still being a bloody fantastic person to read about. I loved the character of Natalia and I am very excited to see where her relationship with Lark is going to go.
 
This story is a gateway to a bigger picture and I can’t wait for the books that will enlighten that path.
 
Cover Art by Natasha Snow. I loved the colour especially its mix of the shades of blue and green that seem to sum up the universe. All in all it is a fabulous cover.
Sales Links
Book Details:
ebook, 45 pages
Expected publication: March 13th 2017 by NineStar Press
ISBN139781945952715
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Paul B Review: The Chain of Their Sins (Taking Shield #4) by Anna Butler

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I have really enjoyed the Taking Shield series.  Each book draws me in further into Shield Captain Bennet’s world.  While Albion is fighting its hundred year war against the Maess, and struggling to hold on, Bennet tries to live his life as best as he can.  But sometimes the horrors of war interfere with his plans.

During his last year of rotation out of his mandated three years out of Shield, Bennet is assigned to the Gyrfalcon, his father’s ship.  That only would cause headaches for Bennet.  But his assignment as Flight Captain of the ship would mean he is now in the line of command of Flynn, his lover from the ship.  As a result, he must now spend the next year  (10 months or 400 days in Albion terms) being able to look but not touch when it comes to Flynn.  Add in the fact that Flynn has probably had a fling with his sister and his father suspects that he and Flynn are more than just friends makes life even more difficult for him.

As if the romantic entanglements aren’t enough to make Bennet irritable, the fallout from the Makepeace continues to haunt him.  The president is on the verge of being ousted from office, either through impeachment or the next election.  Some members of the intelligence committee believe that while his theories might be correct, there is no proof that the Maess are getting help.  The man behind the political scenes wants to groom Bennet for a political career, much to Bennet’s chagrin.  And the topping of the cake is the treatment of the rescued humans from Makepeace are being kept on a former penal colony with his partner Felix leading the scientific team seeing what the Maess have actually done to them.  Bennet is counting down the days until he can return to his form of normalcy and back in the Shield fold.

Bennet has become a favorite character of mine.  He is trying the best he can for the war effort in a variety of ways.  While he could have taken a desk job at the Strategic unit doing analysis of data for the war, he is out there sometimes behind enemy lines doing what he feels needs to be done.  What really gets to Bennet’s soul is the consequences of those actions that sometimes are unknown to him until two or three years later.  This goes for not only the militaristic side of his life but the personal.  Flynn notes that he and Bennet have spent sixty-four days out of the past five years (2000 days) together.  Yet somehow Bennet keeps going on.  As his year on the Gyrfalcon is finishing, he must once again go home, away from Flynn, and deal with the ramifications of the fallout from Makepeace with the new president.  I wait impatiently for the next book in this saga.

Cover art again is terrific. Lush and dark, just perfect.

Sales Link

Book Details

EBook, 283 pages

Edition Language:  English

Published:  February 13, 2016 by Glass Hat Press

ASIN:  B01MZ9QQYQ

Series:  Taking Shield

Gyrfalcon (Taking Shield #1)

Heart Scarab (Taking Shield #2)

Makepeace (Taking Shield #3)

The Chains of Their Sins (Taking Shield #4)

A Free Dreamer Review: Misfits (Urban Soul #1) by Garrett Leigh

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

misfits-by-garrett-leighRestaurant owner Tom Fearnes has loved his partner Cass for as long as he can remember, but their work often keeps them apart. When he meets a striking young man named Jake on the vibrant streets of Camden Town, their heady first encounter takes an unexpected turn.

Jake Thompson can hardly believe his luck when he wakes up in Tom’s bed. Tom is gorgeous, kind, and . . . taken. Tom’s explanation of his open relationship leaves Jake cold, but Tom is too tempting, and when hard times force Jake to accept Tom’s helping hand, he finds himself between two men who’ve lost their way.

Cass Pearson is a troubled soul. He loves Tom with all he has, but some days it feels like he hasn’t much to give. Jake seems like the perfect solution. Cass risks everything to push Jake and Tom together, but Jake resists, wary, until the darkness of Cass’s past comes to call. Then Jake finds himself the last man standing, and it’s time to dig deep and shine a light for the men he’s grown to love.

“Misfits” was my second book by this author. I read “Slide” ages ago and quite liked it. But “Misfits” was simply brilliant.

I was hooked from the very beginning. Something about the writing sucked me in, so I just couldn’t put it down. Luckily, RL didn’t interfere too much and I got to stay up really late and then stay in bed till afternoon the following day. Just so I could finish this book.

I liked how differently Tom and Cass deal with Jake’s TS (Tourette’s). Tom politely ignores it, while Cass openly talks about it with Jake. My knowledge of TS is rather limited, so I’m not sure how accurate the descriptions in this book were. But for what it’s worth, it felt authentic.

“Misfits” is hardly the first M/M book that deals with some sort of illness/disability, but unlike most, the TS isn’t the focus point of the story. It plays a big part, of course, but it’s not what the whole story is about. I really liked that it was very much just a part of Jake’s character.

I totally have a thing for ménages and I really liked the set-up for this one. Jake wasn’t immediately a-okay with Tom and Cass’ open relationship. I liked how pissed he got when he found out that Tom already had a boyfriend. The build-up to the eventual three-way relationship took a good long while.

I loved all three protagonists, and how different they are. Cass is a bit rough and prickly, but not overly so, while Tom is more refined and definitely posher. And Jake somehow fits perfectly in the middle of those two. They worked great together.

One thing I absolutely loved about this book was the feel of the setting. It had a very strong sense of place. I lived in a small town close to London for a while, so it all felt very familiar to me.

All in all, “Misfits” was simply brilliant. It’s highly addicting, with a very strong sense of place and incredibly funny at times. And it’s smoking hot, of course. Read it, you’ll love it!

The cover by G.D. Leigh is a bit generic, tbh. It’s nice to look at, but nothing special.

Buy Links: Riptide | Amazon US | Amazon UK | KOBO | B&N | Smashwords

Book details:

ebook, 277 pages

Published March 16th 2015 by Riptide Publishing