Category: 5 star Rating

An Alisa Review: Rogue Magic by Kit Brisby

Rating:  5 stars out of 5

 

roguemagic_500x600While trapped in a stalled subway train on his morning commute, PR rep Byron Cole flirts with Levi, a young waiter with adorable curls. But Byron’s hopes for romance crash and burn when Levi saves him from a brutal explosion—with outlawed magic.

 

When Levi is imprisoned, Byron begins to question everything he’s ever believed. How can magic be evil when Levi used it to save dozens of lives? So Byron hatches a plan to save Levi that will cost him his job and probably his life. If he doesn’t pull it off, Levi will be put to death.

 

Byron discovers that he isn’t the only one questioning America’s stance on magic. And he learns that Levi is stubborn, angry, and utterly enchanting. Time is running out, though. Byron must convince Levi to trust him, to trust his own magic, and to fight against the hatred that’s forced him to hide his true nature his entire life. The more Levi opens up, the harder Byron falls. And the more they have to lose.

 

This was my first book by Kit Brisby and I wasn’t disappointed.  This story takes place in a world where those who have the ability to do magic are oppressed or imprisoned because of it.  And due to Byron’s uncle’s company many are quite afraid of what those with magic could do even though they have never seen it at work.

 

Byron has pretty much kept himself closed off after his parents’ deaths having to live in boarding schools and having an unloving uncle as his guardian.  He feels an instant connection to Levi when they meet which scares him since he has kept everyone but his best friend at arm’s length for so long.  He can’t help but keep thinking about Levi after his arrest and he starts to doubt everything he has ever been told about magic.

 

We get to see this story from a few different characters’ points of view and that goes a long way towards understanding the characters and also the world they live in.  Byron really has to prove himself to Levi and his friends through his actions for them to trust him, which he does with flying colors because when he decides to do something he goes at him 110%, even when his life is being thrown in to turmoil right along with everything else.  I loved how this author got the story across and how engaging it was.  I look forward to reading more of her books.

 

Cover art by LC Chase is wonderful; I love the visual we get of Levi and his curly hair.

 

Sales Links: Riptide Publishing | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 328 pages

Published: January 30, 2017 by Riptide Publishing

ISBN: 9781626495272

Edition Language: English

A Free Dreamer Review: Speakeasy by Suzey Ingold

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

speakeasy-by-suzey-ingoldIn the height of the Prohibition era, recent Yale graduate Heath Johnson falls for Art, the proprietor of a unique speakeasy tucked away beneath the streets of Manhattan where men are free to explore their sexuality. When Art’s sanctuary is raided, Heath is forced to choose between love and the structured life his parents planned for him.

I totally have a thing for the Prohibition era and the whole air of forbidden love and fun it brings, so I was thrilled to discover “Speakeasy”. I will say that while I find the era fascinating, my historical knowledge about is pretty much non-existent. If you want to know if this story sticks to historic facts, then I’m not the right person to ask.

Heath is a good boy. Quiet, obedient, good grades and never disputes his parents’ decisions. Of course they don’t know that he actually prefers men and has no intention of marrying the girl his mother picked for him. I really liked Heath from the very beginning. He really matures over the course of the book and finally starts living his own life.

Art was a true gentleman and I loved the way he wooed Heath. It was charming. He can easily relate to Heath’s need to keep quiet and please his parents, having a very similar background. There’s no unnecessary drama about money, since both MCs aren’t exactly poor. This way, there was more room for real plot.

The romance was rather slow burn and there was absolutely no explicit sex. Every time, Heath and Art were together, I truly felt their infatuation and got that silly grin of the newly in love myself. It was wonderful.

There were only two minor things I didn’t like so much. The HEA was a bit too easy for me, given the circumstances. And I’m not a huge fan of first person present tense POV. I decided to give this book 5 stars anyway, simply because it was such a very charming love story.

Overall, I really, really liked “Speakeasy” and I will definitely keep an eye out to other works Suzey Ingold.

The cover is absolutely gorgeous. It’s what made me take a closer look at the book in the first place.

Sales Links

Interlude Press

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Book details:

Kindle Edition, 218 pages
Published February 18th 2016 by Interlude Press
Original TitleSpeakeasy
ASINB01BN54KOM
Edition LanguageEnglish

A MelanieM Review: Blood Stained Tea (The Yakuza Path #1) by Amy Tasukada

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

blood-stained-tea-by-amy-tasukadaA bloody past haunts him. A devastating present calls him back…

Nao hides from his violent past in the Japanese mob by opening a teahouse in Japan’s cultural center, Kyoto. His past comes flooding back when he discovers a gravely injured man with a tattooed chest, a bloody knife, and a Korean business card.

Saehyun would’ve died if not for Nao’s help. He knows nothing of his savior’s connection with the local mafia, but Saehyun has his own secrets. He commands the Korean mafia, the mortal enemy of Nao’s former syndicate.

As Nao and Saehyun grow closer, so does the strength of the Korean mob. A shocking murder pulls Nao back into a past he’d all but abandoned. War is looming, and Nao must choose between protecting Saehyun or avenging the honor of his old mafia family..

The Yakuza Path: Blood Stained Tea is the first book in a series of Japanese mafia thrillers. If you like complex characters, blood-soaked violence, and twists you won’t see coming, then you’ll love Amy Tasukada’s gritty crime masterpiece.

 

This was undoubtedly one of the hardest reviews I’ve had to write in the past year, most of it is totally my fault.  I approached this story full of false assumptions. I skimmed over the blurb and immediately assumed that it was a murder/mystery romance with a Yakusa foundation along the lines of some of my favorite romances and I could not have been more wrong.  Those false expectations colored my viewpoint for two thirds of this story.  Luckily, the plot, the characters and the superb writing kept taking my assumptions and drowning them in the river in Kyoto, along with many, many bodies.

Make no mistake.  This is a brutal story.  These characters are not some criminals with heinous crimes that occur off the page.  There is torture, extreme violence that happens at once.  They are in many respects, psychopaths (especially one). Tasukada does not look away from how they got to this point in their lives, the reality of both the Korean mafia and the Yakuza in Japan.  Not for the soldiers at the basest level living in the worst possible conditions, gun fodder in the many battles or the people in the neighborhoods who become expendable in the gang fight for territory.

I know, some of you might be wondering. Why read this?  Because its engrossing, compelling.  I couldn’t put it down.  Its human drama on both an intimate and huge scale.  The author brings in both the ancient City of Kyoto and its past, the tea culture of Japan and so much more effortlessly folded into not only a psychological drama  but a gritty crime masterpiece as it says above.  Yes it deserves that in every sense that The Godfather deserves it as well.  And this is merely the first story, the first step forward.  What a gut cruncher, a heartbreaker and mindtwister Blood Stained Tea turns out to be.  Shocking really.

And it all starts with confused Nao, hiding in his Tea shop, looking for the perfect oolong tea and never finding it.

This story is still haunting me.   And yes, I need that second story.  I need to read it even as I’m cringing in expectation over what I will find there. Blood Stained Tea (The Yakuza Path #1) by Amy Tasukada will top my list of Best Books of 2017.  It may be the top book of 2017.  Its that good.  Don’t go looking for love and romance.  It won’t be found in the blood stained tea. What you will find is a complex, human drama that will surprise you at every turn, make you run through the range of our emotions and emerge still hopelessly connected to this world and characters. Yes I think masterpiece is the word that belongs here.

The cover is perfect as it highlights an important element in the story.

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK 

 

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 319 pages
Published November 28th 2016 by Macarons & Tea Publishing
ISBN139780997865318
Edition LanguageEnglish

Love a Terrific Crime Novel? Check out Blood Stained Tea (The Yakuza Path #1) by Amy Tasukada (giveaway)

Blood Stained Tea – Amy Tasukada

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK 

Length: 85,000 words

Blurb

Nao hides from his violent past in the Japanese mob by opening a teahouse in Japan’s cultural center, Kyoto. His past comes flooding back when he discovers a gravely injured man with a tattooed chest, a bloody knife, and a Korean business card.

Saehyun would’ve died if not for Nao’s help. He knows nothing of his savior’s connection with the local mafia, but Saehyun has his own secrets. He commands the Korean mafia, the mortal enemy of Nao’s former syndicate.

As Nao and Saehyun grow closer, so does the strength of the Korean mob. A shocking murder pulls Nao back into a past he’d all but abandoned. War is looming, and Nao must choose between protecting Saehyun or avenging the honor of his old mafia family..

The Yakuza Path: Blood Stained Teais the first book in a series of Japanese mafia thrillers. If you like complex characters, blood-soaked violence, and twists you won’t see coming, then you’ll love Amy Tasukada’s gritty crime masterpiece.

Author Bio

Amy Tasukada lives in a catless home in North Texas. (She enjoys cats but can’t quite make that kind of commitment yet.) As an only child her day dreams kept her entertained, and at age ten she started to put them to paper. Since then her love of writing hasn’t cease. When she’s not chasing after stray cats, she can be found drinking hot tea and filming Japanese street fashion hauls on her Youtube channel.

 

https://www.amytasukada.com/

 Giveaway

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A Stella Review: Do Not Disturb: 3 Short Stories of Erotic Romance by Chris Scully

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

do-not-disturbChris Scully is one of my favourite authors. I often come back to her stories when I need to warm my heart. I was very enthusiastic to have Do Not Disturb on my hands and I can honestly say it was so much better than what I was expecting. I usually am not a fan of anthologies or collections of short stories, too many times it happens they don’t satisfy me or are too short to be complete. That wasn’t the case for this new release.

In Watch Me, I met Win, who has started working at the Benton Hotel six months ago. Taking care of his father during the day and working at night, is not easy at all. Especially when days at home are really bad. Lucas works the early shift and it is pretty clear he is interested in Win but every attempt Lucas does at starting something is shot down by Win, unconsciously at first until Lucas, pure sensuality as he is, plans to lure Win to him.

For many and different reasons I could emphatize with both main characters and I was so eager for them to find a happy ending. I couldn’t put the Kindle down for a moment. I loved how I was able to know a lot about them, even in so few pages.

Watch Me was the more “complete” short, I met the characters, I saw the interest, the chemistry, the courtship, the sex, the help. A very well done story.

The second short, Wedded, was the shortest and hottest one. At first it could seem just one little scenes where two strangers meet in a bar, fall in bed together and have (let me tell you) hot sex. But it wasn’t just this and although I can’t spoiler more I want to say it was hot and sweet.  I adored it.

Wanted, the third story, was longer and very very good. I was able to actually know the MCs, Evan and Graham, really well, during a chat, a bath, some hot moments. With great dialogues and the promise of HEA,  the author showed me two beautiful souls, both of them survivors in a different way, both of them in need of someone to love and care for. Wanted was an emotional story and I deeply loved it.

I feel I can recommend Do Not Disturb by Chris Scully, to me it was a winner. A collection of three hot shorts, full of feelings and well depicted characters. I couldn’t ask for more.

The cover art by the same author is pretty simple but it couldn’t have been more fitting.

Sales Link

c60a7-waxcreative-amazon-kindle

Book Details:

ebook, 99 pages
Published January 12th 2017 by Chris Scully
ASINB01NCROTM5
Edition LanguageEnglish