Category: 5 star Rating

A BJ Review: Winter (The Haunted Heart #1) by Josh Lanyon

Rating:  5 stars out of 5

Winter the Haunted Heart coverStill grieving the sudden death of his lover, antiques dealer Flynn Ambrose moves to his uncle’s old, ramshackle house on Pitch Pine Lane to catalog and sell the large inventory of arcane and oddball items that once filled his late uncle’s mysterious museum.

Flynn suffered a serious breakdown and attempted to kill himself after his lover’s unexpected death, and he’s still very depressed despite the counseling and help from his parents. He needs space and makes a deal with his parents (which I won’t share details of as too much of a spoiler) that allows him to travels to the rather secluded property to perform the inventory. Unexpectedly, he finds himself seeing a ghost in an old mirror. The only one Flynn has to turn to is Kirk, the thirteen year older, slightly grouchy but handsome playwright renting the downstairs of his house. When Kirk is also witness to the apparition, he can’t write Flynn’s problem off as easily as he had wanted to. When the ghost seems able to exit the mirror, the guys find themselves trying figure out what to do about the mirror before the ghost does them in. But getting rid of the thing isn’t as easy as it seems.

This book is bit of a step back to the scary stories of old… and it is scary folks. But then, I knew Lanyon could do horror after reading In a Dark Woods came out of nowhere and scared the heck out of me. This one is not of the gory variety where stuff is thrown in just for the ick factor either. This is tried and true, get inside your head and freak you out kind of scary. It will make you want to read with the lights on, it will make you think, and it might also make you cry.

This story has several elements I loved. First, as you’d expect from Lanyon, there’s a well-done and very interesting mystery that takes us on a compelling journey into the prejudices of the past. But it’s also the tender and heartbreaking story of a young man trying to deal with suddenly losing the man he grew up with and had thought he’d spend his entire life with to such a incredibly freak accident at entirely too young an age. Flynn’s situation is so heartrending. He’s in no way over what happened, and yet we see glimpses of his underlying strength in the way he handles the events and the manor. Then there’s Kirk, a Ranger in Afghanistan who appears to be suffering from PTSD, although we didn’t get much depth to his backstory just yet. I am so eager to learn more about both these men and follow along their journey, hopefully to each other.

Winter is an excellent mystery with wonderful character building and just a touch of heat, but if you want insta-love and lots of hot sex, this one doesn’t quite fill that bill. What we have here is more of a romance in bloom, and I found that both refreshing and perfect for book one of a series. Wait, maybe it is insta-love in a way, because it certainly did make me fall in love with both Kirk and Flynn.

I enjoyed the way the mystery plays out ties and the tantalizing little clue tidbit at the end rounds it out perfectly. Overall this is an excellent ghost story to read this October.

Cover art. Just look at that lovely, eerie, moody cover! It’s beautiful. Highly recommended read.

Sales Links:   All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here


Book Details:  

ebook, 147 pages
Published August 26th 2013 by Josh Lanyon (first published January 1st 2013)
ISBN13 9781937909482
edition language English
series The Haunted Heart #1

A Free Dreamer Review: First Contact by Alex Gabriel

Rating:  5 stars out of 5    ★★★★★

Going undercover in a gay BDSM club run by the mob isn’t Rick Delaney’s idea of a good time – but for all the wrong reasons.

First Contact coverSure, going undercover in a gay BDSM club run by the mob isn’t exactly an everyday assignment. Still, as a cop specializing in undercover work, Rick Delaney is used to tough gigs. The real issue is that Rick’s expected to go under with someone he barely knows. But Rick’s partner is suspended, and he doesn’t have a choice.

Newly transferred detective Jon Messina’s short a partner, too, except that his was murdered by the mafia. Jon may seem breezy and lighthearted, but he has a score to settle. And to do so, he’s willing to do whatever it takes.

Except that it may take more than either of them can afford. Because their cover as a dom and sub couple spins out of control the minute they set foot into mafia-controlled sex club Gomorrah. What should be mere pretense threatens to become desperately real. And if Rick can’t control his desires, he’s going to get them both killed.

If I had to describe this book with one word, it would be: HOT. This is my fifth book by Alex Gabriel and the hottest one I’ve enjoyed the most so far.

There’s Rick, slightly awkward, can’t string two words together when nervous. And then there’s Jon, happy-go-lucky, friendly, confident and taller than Rick. Clearly, Rick’s going to end up the sub and Jon’s going to be the Dom. At least, that’s what I thought when I started this. Turns out I was wrong. Rick becomes the Dom and Jon the sub. And damn, that was HOT.

First, Rick is anything but thrilled to have to work with Jon. He’s already got a partner, after all and just because he’s currently suspended doesn’t mean he wants a new one. And going undercover in a gay BDSM club with a man he knows nothing about isn’t his idea of fun either.

But the moment Rick and Jon set foot into the BDSM club, it all suddenly becomes very real. Rick is incredibly attracted to Jon and has a very hard time controlling himself. UST of the kind that had me drooling and melting ensues. FINALLY a book with some serious tension between the MCs! Everything set in the club was incredibly hot, even though the two of them didn’t engage in anything particularly kinky. There’s a bit of voyeurism and some serious exhibitionism later on in the book, but otherwise it was relatively kink-free. But that was enough to create a smouldering hot atmosphere. When the sex finally did happen, I was blown away. Again, I can only say: Hot, hot, hot!

This wasn’t pure porn, though. Jon’s partner was killed by the mob and Rick’s partner is obviously in trouble as well. I really liked that the two of them actually talked to each other, something that sadly doesn’t always happen in romance.  And while the lust started burning hard and fast, the love was kept in check. No insta-love here!

I liked that the author didn’t stick to the common stereotypes. Not only Rick and Jon are unexpected in their roles, there’s also a mob prince, who is openly submissive and who seems to be very nice. I’d love to read about him and his Dom.

Now, the ending was very open, leaving almost everything unresolved. But the author did say she was working on a sequel, so I’m not going to complain too much.

“First Contact” was incredibly hot, ignored common D/s stereotypes and was generally very addicting. If I’d had the time, I would have read this in one sitting.

I can’t wait for the promised sequel!

Cover Art: The cover by Ethiriel is very simple, and yet it speaks volumes. Somehow, it’s incredibly hot, although it only shows a pair of cuffs and nothing else. Well done!

Sales Links:   All Romance (ARe) | Amazon |  Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook
Published December 29th 2014 by Smashwords Edition
(first published December 22nd 2014)
ISBN139781311120076

A Paul B Review: Shades of Power (Arcane Magic #1) by Beany Sparks

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Shades of PowerEthan White is a rarity.  He’s a male witch.  He hides his abilities from the world by working in the apothecary that he owns.  When his sister shows up asking for a love potion, Ethan puts his guards up.  Even his familiar, a black cat named Beema, does not trust Destiny.  Two weeks later, both get a premonition that something terrible is going to happen and escape through a magic tunnel underneath Ethan’s shop just before it blows up.  Knowing his sister has something to do with the attack, he makes his way to the land of faeries to take shelter.

Grayson is the alpha of a three-man wolf shifter pack.  He brings his pack to the land of faeries because of a prophecy stating that they are the key to bringing down those that are using black magic.  When he consults with the queen as to what she might know about the prophecy, a guard comes in carrying a young man who has passed out.  Grayson goes to the young man and proclaims that he is his mate.  The Queen proclaims that the fae are now involved, as the young man Ethan, is her nephew.

As Ethan and Grayson along with Grayson’s betas Adam and Russell try to figure out the mystery of the prophecy, members of the Dark Coven are mounting an attack on the fae palace in hopes of fulfilling the prophecy themselves.  Several spies are sent by Raven Darkh to kill Ethan, as she believes he is most likely the other person capable to complete the task of creating the Shades of Power.  The five members of Grayson’s pack (as Ethan and Beema are now part of it) must defend the fae palace against the forces of dark magic threatening to take it over.

This is an excellent start to a new series by Beany Sparks.  She has combined shifters and magic and added a touch of palace intrigue to spice things up.  I felt for Ethan.  First his sister seems intent on doing him harm.  Then as he begins to unravel the mystery of prophecy, he learns all is not as it seems in the fae palace.  The only thing holding him together is his familiar Beema, his mate Grayson and the two betas of Grayson’s pack.   One does have to watch out for Beema.  The cat is not all what he seems.  Ms. Sparks perfectly sets up the next book in the series with the ending of this one.  It seems that the problems with Ethan’s sister was just the opening salvo against him.

The cover art by the author is simply stunning.  It shows our blond hair, blue-eyed Ethan staring out with Grayson’s wolf watching out behind him.  In the background a winter castle that I am sure will be featured in future books in the series.

Sales Links:  All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 117 pages
Published September 21st 2015 by Rainbow Ninja Press
edition languageEnglish
seriesArcane Magic #1

A Sammy Review: The Ultimate Team (Juxtapose City #4) by Tricia Owens

Rating: 5 stars out of 5   ★★★★★

“You’re not getting your mythical knight in shining armor,” Parker told him softly. “You’re getting a man who’s trying very hard to be good, but has never been shown how to be. You have to stick by him and show him what’s best within him, Calyx. You have to take his darkness and make it light.”

The Ultimate Team coverFollowing the events of the previous book, Starr is holed up in bad and the team is down a man. That is until the captain assigns none other than Parker to the team. But another psypath on the team, let alone a psypath that has history with Black and knows his secrets? That’s dangerous.

Between the team trying to rebuild again and new threats arising from some unexpected places, Starr and Black have to find a way to balance their secrets, half-truths, love, and duty to the team, all while remaining alive. In other words, just another day in Juxtapose City.

“You don’t need a city, a hiding place, to be happy. I can make you happy. I can take care of you.”

It has been so long since I’ve been able to read a book in this series, and I hadn’t had the time to reread the previous ones before reading this, so I was very nervous that nothing would make sense to me, but it gradually came back to me, and within a matter of pages I was lost in the story yet again.

If you’ve read the previous books (and you should read them in order), you know what a hot mess Starr and Black’s world is, not to mention their relationship that evolved from hate. Adding Parker to the team adds an uncomfortable dynamic, but the author handles it well and doesn’t have the problem go away like magic. It’s there and they have to deal with it.

Unlike the previous books, this one had much more of the romance element to it. Starr and Black spend a lot of time dealing with their flaws, particularly the mean streak of jealousy that Starr has, paired with both of their doubts. And some of it is just so painful, like how Black truly thinks he’s this horrible person, and how sometimes Starr isn’t so sure either, but still manages to love him. It straddles a moral boundary that is so intriguing and wonderful.

On top of it all, Tricia Owens manages to continue to bring the steam. We finally (no, but really) get some penetration, though it’s not quite what I was hoping for or expecting, but it’s a step forward. But it just goes to show that she’s been able to keep up the heat and fire without that.

Black, Jake, Haney and Bee had all killed in the course of their work. But looking across the aisle first at Jake and then at Haney, who immediately gave him an encouraging thumbs up―Calyx didn’t see evil in them, or cruelty. They didn’t look haunted like Black, who carried his sins as if he was half a man without them.

This book also provides some insight into Starr and Black’s pasts. We get to see a bit more of where they came from and what Black went through to get where he is now. There are still so many unanswered questions, but you have to expect that in this series and embrace them.

Not for even a second was I bored. I enjoyed each word and am so happy to get some reacquainted with a favorite couple: Starr and Black.

The cover art is nice in that it fits the rest of the series and is cohesive. Unfortunately, the model for Starr doesn’t quite work for me, but besides that it’s not bad.

Sales Link:  Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 207 pages
Published March 24th 2015

A MelanieM Review: High Stakes (Four of Clubs #4) by Parker Williams (Pulp Friction 2015 #15)

Rating:  5 stars out of 5      ★★★★★

High Stakes coverBen Nelson marvels at the resiliency of his lover, Artie Middleton. He takes everything life throws at him and comes out the other end stronger than ever. It’s with this strength in mind that Ben tosses Artie a curveball that will change both of their lives forever.

A single question from Ben’s lips has Artie rushing headlong toward his happily ever after. One that he never thought he’d have and is now being served to him on a silver platter. He has it all—friends, family, and a future. But even a gifted psychic can’t see everything, and Artie is about to get a wakeup call.

Things he thought to be true about his past aren’t as clear-cut as he believed. His history with some of the people in his life runs deeper than he realized. And he’s about to learn a previously unknown threat from his childhood has returned to rip it all away.

Artie soon finds that in this game, the stakes couldn’t be higher: the lives of everyone he loves.

We’ve reached book four in the latest Pulp Friction series and we all know what that means if you’ve read any of the previous series.  It’s time for some serious angst and despair.  Boy, does Parker Williams and High Stakes deliver that in, well, clubs. Can’t very well say spades can we?

Using the poker game analogy, the stakes of the games are raised up even higher still.  Within these 60 pages, Parker Williams fills in more of Artie’s history and family background, along with a connection to another character’s past.  The author uses this information not merely to inform but to scare the living bejeezus out of us with the ramifications it brings.

If any book has a purpose in a series (and this one surely does), its to show the closing in of evil around our small gang of knights gathering to do battle.  And the odds aren’t looking good.  The despair pours off the descriptions, and the angst flows even over the most joyful of scenes.  And that ending?  A shocker to the soul.  That one went beyond a mere gnashing of teeth and tearing of the hair into the “Oh Nooooooooooo!” *cue to  screams of disbelief*.

I did not see that one coming.  When you can hide something like that event in the small clues stashed away in bits and pieces throughout the tale, well, that’s wonderful storytelling.  Well done, Mr. Parker!  Still devastated but well done.

Two more books to go.   One more by Parker Williams and then the series finale written by all the authors and combined story lines.  I can’t wait to see how they are going to pull this off.  I  am totally perplexed about the whole thing.  The villains, the subplots, and just how its all going to work itself out.  Am I a happy camper?  Yes, I am.

All the stories are short, so it easy to catch up if you need to start at the beginning of a series.  There are four of them that are connected here.  I have them all listed at the bottom of the review.  Use it as a TBR list if you haven’t already.

Love paranormal romance?  Murder mysteries?  Supernatural beings?  Why not combine them all in the style of a pulp fiction series?  They have it all here.  Now I just can’t wait to see how it will all end.

I highly recommend this series and all the interconnected series its attached to.

Cover art by Laura Harner.  I’ve been ambivalent about these covers from the start.  But I really like this one.  Especially with the shadows that can be taken a number of ways.  Great job.

Sales Links:  All Romance (ARe)  | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 65 pages
Published September 13th 2015
ASINB015DBPJHE
edition languageEnglish
seriesPulp Friction 2015 #15, Four of Clubs #4
other editions (1)
High Stakes (Four of Clubs #4) (Pulp Friction 2015, #15)

 

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About Pulp Friction 2015

Lee Brazil ~ Havan Fellows ~ Parker Williams ~ Laura Harner

The Pulp Friction 2015 Altered States Collection.
Four authors.
Four Series.
Twenty books.
One supernatural finale.

Spend a year with the creatures that go bump in the night…fighting for their rights to exist and protecting the innocents of The Big Easy. A diverse group of friends trying to find their place in a world they never had to “fit” into before.

Although each series can stand alone, we believe reading the books in the order they are released will increase your enjoyment.

Round One:
Drawing Dead (Jack of Spades: 1) by Lee Brazil
Blind Stud (King of Hearts: 1) by Havan Fellows
The Devil’s Bedpost (Four of Clubs: 1) by Parker Williams
Diamonds and Dust (Ace of Diamonds: 1) by Laura Harner

Round Two:
Dead Blind (Jack of Spades: 2) by Lee Brazil
Stud Player (King of Hearts: 2) by Havan Fellow
Up the Ante (Four of Clubs: 2 ) by Parker Williams
Diamond Draw (Ace of Diamonds: 2) by Laura Harner

Round Three:

Dead Button (Jack of Spades #3) by Lee Brazil
Blind Man’s Bluff (King of Hearts #3) by Havan Fellows
The Devil’s Playground (Four of Clubs #3) by Parker Williams
Diamonds Edge (Ace of Diamonds #3) by Laura Harner

Round Four:

Dead Man’s Hand (Jack of Spades 4) by Lee Brazil
Blind Heart (King of Hearts 4) by Havan Fellows
High Stakes (Four of Clubs 4) by Parker Williams
Diamond Flush (Ace of Diamonds 4) by Laura Harner

A Stella Review: THE LAST YETI by Tully Vincent

Rating 5 stars out of 5    ★★★★★

Loss. Sometimes it’s slow and inexorable. Sometimes it happens in an instant.

The Last Yeti coverJrake is a yeti-shifter who has lost contact with others of his ancient species. Emerging from years of self-imposed isolation, he’s desperate to find proof that he’s not alone in a world full of the humans he hates.

Rohn Sheldon lost everything that mattered to him in a devastating moment of inattention. Gone are his lover, his right arm, and his career. His belief in himself is at an all time low as he struggles to find his place in a world he’s no longer sure he wants to belong to.

Two men, one facing cataclysm, the other fighting his way back from it. Can they find hope in each other?

This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group’s “Love is an Open Road” event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.

Dear Author,
Yetis are made to wander the wilderness mostly alone, and only meet up occasionally. For three long years I have searched the earth and, finally, I have accepted it: I am the last of my kind. I do not belong in the world of people or technology, but the only other choice is dying of loneliness. I have managed to create a life on the edge of society, terrified to come close, terrified of being recognized as the monster only little children believe in. Lately I have realized staying in the wilds may have been a less desolate life.

Can you maybe find me someone to be alone with together?

Photo Description:
A well-built man with dark facial hair stares into the camera, eyes piercing and expression uncompromising. He wears primitively constructed fur clothing that leaves much of his muscular, veiny arms and toned torso bared to the weather. Although his skin is damp from the snow, he seems unaffected by the cold.

This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.

The Last Yeti by Tully Vincent is already on my “favorite shelf” because it was one of the few books I really felt lately. I was very curious about this story when it came out in the Love is an Open Road event on the MM group on Goodreads. For different reasons: first of all I had never read about a yeti shifter before so I was intrigued by this new world and how would have been shown by the author. Then, have you seen the cover? It alone deserves all the stars. I can anticipate to you that the story exceeded my expectations, not only from the writing part but especially in the emotional side. In fact I was caught in the story from the start, but what surprise me more was the pull I felt from both MCs, I was soon there in their lives and empathize with them. I felt them hurting and loving. In my opinion the author made an amazing work at characterizing Rohn and Jrake and leaving nothing unexplored.

Rohn is still mourning the loss of his life partner, Evan, dead two years ago in the same accident that took his right arm and his painter career too.  Still recovering from an alcohol abuse, Rohn thinks to be a failure to everyone, to his dad who wants him to be his business’ heir. To Evan for letting him die in the accident. Now that he can’t draw anymore without his right arm, he’s a failure to himself too. Tired of feeling helpless and to be always babysitted, he has come to Alaska to show his dad and himself too that he can take care of himself.

Jrake is a yeti shifter. Desperate in his researches of another yeti, he is almost resigned to the fate of being the last yeti in the world when he smell another of his kind just in Alaska, his home country, but he cant find it. His coldness versus the human world led him to live a life mainly in his preferred form, the yeti one, alone and far away from the humans. When he first met Rohn I admit it was a little hard to watch him to be so indifferent at the beginning, before he saves Rohn from dying in the iced river, even if he should have let him go and die since Rohn saw him as a yeti. Jrake is tired of being alone but he is so used to push his human side aside, it’s not easy to thrust and let him find a closeness with the man who came into his world unexpected.

The story is heartbroken, sweet and emotional. It is detailed and never once shallow about Jrake and his yeti world. Everything is well explained, I followed him in his hunting, fishing  and shifting. I particularly liked The Last Yeti is not the usual shifter story about destined mates I’m used to read, on the contrary, Jrake isn’t really looking, not even hoping, for a partner.

The writing style is my favorite, with two different POV, the use of the third person past. It made the reading quick and the words flew easily and there was never a pause in the story. Behind their meeting and spending time together there is a lot going on around the MCs.

Moreover I liked the story a lot cause I was able to see every little thing in my head. There are some parts that are so evocative. Plus, the sex scenes are hot and sexy just as I like them to be. I loved the ending part but I loved more to know that there is a WIP sequel already. I can’t wait to see them together and to know how they will be able to live their lives as a couple, I’m hungry for more. Well done!

Cover art by Tully Vincent*. It’s perfect in every detail, it was eyecatching to me.

Book Details:

ebook, 201 pages
Published August 26th 2015 by MMRomanceGroup.com
Edition Language English
DOWNLOAD LINK (free) http://www.mmromancegroup.com/the-last-yeti-by-tully-vincent/

Note:  Tully Vincent is also our reviewer BJ for purposes of clarification.