Category: Contemporary fiction

A Stella Review: Courted by Sarah Hadley Brook

RATING 2,5 out of 5 stars

Dr. Kevin Matthews is so wrapped up in his work, he hasn’t found time for love or even casual fun in far too long.

When gorgeous new nurse Mac Winters shows up at the hospital, the attraction between him and Kevin is immediate and intense. After several weeks of flirting and heated stares, they finally spend an evening getting to know each other.

Unfortunately, just when things turn hot and heavy, Mac announces he’s abstaining from sex because he’s tired of hookups and wants something real. Then he surprises Kevin by announcing he’s going to court the doctor. Can two modern men have an old-fashioned romance – and build something true and lasting together — while taking sex out of the equation?

Courted by Sarah Hadley Brook is a sweet and quick story about Mac and Kevin and their powerful love at first sight, but as opposed to what usually happens in books (and in real life LOL), Mac wants to take some time to court Kevin before fall in bed with him cause he’s sure the doctor is the right person.

I quiet like the short, fast paced, well written,engaging. It is well done. Still, maybe it is too short, cause there was really no space for some character building. I get to know pretty much nothing about the main couple, apart their daily jobs. There aren’t important second characters. It’s a good short but you need to lower you expectations and just enjoy what you get. In my opinion it could have been so much better if the author had worked more on little details, like just a couple of informations about their pasts or families or friends.

It missed a lot to be more complete and developed. That’s why I can’t give Courted an higher rating. But if you can overlook all these lacking it is a cute story to spend some time in a carefree way.

The cover art by Written Ink Designs is siple and well done, I like it.

SALE LINKS  JMS BOOKS  |  Amazon

BOOK DETAILS

Kindle Edition, 49 pages

Published August 4th 2018 by JMS Books LLC

ASIN B07FRQG3Q7

Edition Language English

A Stella Review: Patchwork Paradise by Indra Vaughn

RATING  5  out of 5 stars

Oliver and Samuel’s relationship is fairy-tale perfect. They share a gorgeous house in Antwerp, go out with their friends every weekend, and count down the days to their dream wedding. But their happy ending is shattered one late night, and just like that, Ollie is left bereft and alone.

The months that follow are long and dark, but slowly Ollie emerges from his grief. He even braves the waters of online dating, though deep down he doesn’t believe he can find that connection again. He doesn’t think to look for love right in front of him: his bisexual friend Thomas, the gentle giant with a kind heart and sad eyes who’s wanted him all along.

When Thomas suddenly discovers he has a son who needs him, he’s ill prepared. Ollie opens up his house—Sam’s house—and lets them in. Ollie doesn’t know what scares him more: the responsibility of caring for a baby, or the way Thomas is steadily winning his heart. It will take all the courage he has to discover whether or not fairy tales can happen for real.

Indra Vaughn continues to amazed me. After the christmas story, The Winter Spirit , I was curious about this new one. I’ll be honest and say I chose to read Patchwork Paradise because from the blurb it reminded me of one of my all time favorite mm book, Second Chance by TA Webb. In fact they have some elements in common, so it was really no surprise I loved this one so much too. From the blurb I understood it had all the things I need to have in a story.

This book is an emotional story, so heartbroken because the author let me meet and briefly fall in love with Sam, and then she took him away from Ollie and me.

I began following Ollie in the great pain that losing the person he shared his life for the last ten years can give. He needed to relearn the daily habits alone and start living again.  Also Ollie had to deal with the attachment to the house he shared with his Sam and the fear of losing it by  the persons he considered his family and are now acting like strangers.

He broke my heart but knowing there was going to be so much more to come, made me fully enjoy even the very bad times. At the end Patchwork Paradise is a second chance at love story and Ollie will heal with the support of amazing friends and an unexpected new love.

The words flew easily, it was a pleasure to read. I loved the story was focused not just on the MCs, it made easy to know the secondary ones pretty well too, even the not so likable ones. Moreover to me the timing was perfect, I think the author did great at balance everything at the right time, it’s a story with no pause, it kept me hooked from the start, still there was no rushing, the events were all very considerate of Ollie life and his grieving.

I really couldn’t find a reason to give Patchwork Paradise less than five stars. I liked all the characters, especially Ollie. I laughed and cried a lot with him. His was a beautiful journey among love, friendships, loss, hurt and love again.

Indra Vaughn wrote another success. Sweet, emotional, developed in time and characters, well written and simply complete in every detail. It’s one of that stories I don’t need to wonder what is going to happen at the end. It truly satisfied me and I’m sure my MCs are living their HEA beautifully.

The COVER ART  is new and lovely.

Sales Links:  Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 2nd edition, 205 pages
Published August 8th 2018 by Indra Ink (first published March 28th 2016)
Original Title Patchwork Paradise
ASIN B07GBHMWWP
Edition Language English
Characters Oliver “Ollie” (Patchwork Paradise), Thomas de Ridder, Milo de Ridder, Samuel Mathieu
setting
Antwerp (Belgium) 
Bouillon (Belgium) 
Belgium

A MelanieM Review: In Vino Veritas by Sydney Blackburn

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

 

Anthony Beretta inherited the family winery at the tender age of twenty-four. It’s a struggle to keep it up, but he loves it and is determined to make it work even if it kills him. That is, if a motorcyclist doesn’t kill him first. He initially judges the man, attractive as he may be, on the basis of his appearance and apparently limited vocabulary. He soon discovers he’s wrong, but by then Oscar Kennett has already judged Anthony on his appearance.

Oscar thinks Tony Beretta is uptight and snobbish, and Tony’s speech for the charity they’re working on together reinforces that, even when he finds out Tony did it just to push his buttons. His adorable curls and sexy glasses might not be enough to change his mind, but maybe there’s more to Tony than meets the eye.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story of love found among the wines and  vines.  It was not only a terrific contemporary romance but a great way to connect with an author I hadn’t read in a while, Sydney Blackburn.

Somehow, I manage to lose track of authors and I never figure out why.  Maybe its the flood of stories I get, the titles and series I keep up with. But for whatever reason, some I forget to check up on so I’m thrilled when I read books like In Vino Veritas by Sydney Blackburn and, after finishing the story) to go romping back to Sydney’s backlist to see what I have missed!

In Vino Veritas (In Wine Truth), two men collide literally and make instant snap judgements about each other based on their clothing of the moment and their conversation and language.  Initial impressions couldn’t be further from the truth but it takes wine, a winery, and a celebration to  bring the men together.

I loved both men, their personalities and the chemistry between them did it for me.  The backdrop and foundation of the witery is absolutely  perfect for a romance and the character of Tony Beretta (and his mother).  It’s necessary in order to get into his framework of overworked, obsessive, passionate man in love with his  vines, the art of wine making and the land.  We need to see Tony in his element and we do.  So eventually does Oscar.

I wish we could have had more of Oscar’s background and seen him settled at work but the focus here is Tony and his winery as well as their romance.

I loved so many elements here that I could see a sequel. I enjoyed this couple and the location that much.

If you love contemporary romance, don’t miss out on In Vino Veritas by Sydney Blackburn.  It’s one I definitely recommend!

Cover art:  Natasha Snow.  I love this cover.  Its perfection from the colors to the composition.  It caught my eye immediately.

Sales Links:  NineStar Press  |  Amazon

Book Details:

ebook
Published August 13th 2018 by NineStar Press
ISBN139781949340426
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Stella Review: Flare (North Star #3) by Posy Roberts

RATING 5 out of 5 stars

A love story and a family worth fighting for. 

Hugo and Kevin strive to put their lives back together after tragedy, doing everything in their power to create a stable life. Hugo’s acting career is back on track, and Kevin hires a nanny to help with the kids as they discover their new normal. But when Erin’s parents seek full custody of Brooke and Finn, that stability is shattered.

With Hugo working in LA or New York, the distance from his new family gets to him. At home, the nanny’s hands-on approach leaves Hugo feeling pushed out, so he leaves his beloved apartment and eclectic neighborhood behind to move in with Kevin.

Hugo has a hard time fitting in with the suburbanites with Kevin’s passive-aggressive “friends” making Hugo feel anything but welcome. As the custody case heads to mediation, Brooke is bullied about having two dads, and Hugo realizes his mere presence might be doing more harm than good.

Hugo must decide to stay and fight for his family or leave and let them live in peace.

This is how every author should write. This is how every romance should be, real, true, filled with feelings and emotions so powerful I was often left breathless. And this is how every series should be, with amazing characters, starting from the main ones until the supportive (and not) second ones. Each single character struggling with the real life issues, like all of us do. Illnesses, love, school, work, friendhip, family, being adult or growing up, first love and second chances at love. You can find all of these in Flare and in the North Star trilogy.

Flare is the perfect conclusion for an already perfect series, I’m so sad to let the characters go on with their lives. They made me cry more than once, they made me laugh and dream. I fought for and with Kevin and Hugo for their big family. I loved them dearly.

I am with no doubt addicted to this series, I will share it everywhere and recommend it to everyone. There was no little detail I didn’t enjoy and the writing was so sublime it was a huge pleasure to read these novels. I already was a fan of Posy Roberts but right now I’m feeling more like a stalker, I can’t wait for her to release more stories to fall in love with.

The cover art by Olive Us Designs is well done, it follows the style of the series and I like its darkness.

SALE LINKS  Amazon

BOOK DETAILS

Kindle Edition, 2 edition, 382 pages

Published August 28th 2018 by Labyrinth Bound Press (first published January 12th 2014)

ASIN B07DMQPKJV

Edition Language English

A VVivacious Review: Love Spell by Mia Kerick

Rating: 3 Stars out of 5

Miss Harvest Moon, Chance César has a crush on The Harvest Moon Pumpkin Carving King, Jasper Donahue and he is going to make Jasper fall in love with him with the help of his bestie, Emily Benson, Today’s Lady Online Magazine’s Ten Scientifically Proven Ways to Make a Man Fall in Love with You and a love spell (or two) to boot!

Chance is very into following the list, though it was kind of distressing to see what Chance’s allegiance to the list was doing to Jasper and the worst part is we don’t even get Jasper’s POV so yeah, I could feel his distress across Chance’s POV. It was painfully obvious that all these tactics made Chance seem like he was running hot and cold and all the mixed signals would mess with anyone’s head. Personally, all I wanted was for Chance to be himself.

I didn’t like Emily’s character. The only thing I would have wanted from her was two things – one, to tell Chance that he needs to be honest in his dealings with Jasper because what is the point of Jasper falling in love with someone who is not even real and two, that he didn’t need to figure out if he was a boy or girl or both or neither he could be anything he wanted to be and he didn’t need a box, he could just be uniquely Chance and that could be his box if he so desired and since, she did neither, I don’t even know why she existed. She doesn’t even contribute much to the plot and felt very much like an unnecessary character. I am pretty conflicted about her, I wonder if I should excuse her on the grounds of immaturity or the fact that she is just a teenager with no life experience but somehow, I can’t absolve her even with those considerations into place. Simultaneously, I also realise that we actually don’t know anything about her which brings me back to my first point, what was her contribution to the story, it felt like she was a character because someone was ticking off a list which said a female best friend was mandatory to a YA novel featuring a gay guy.

Though I couldn’t get behind Emily’s character I still ended up liking Chance probably because it was easy to see his foibles for what they were and somehow, it’s easy to lose perspective when your own feelings are hanging in the balance and I can somewhat excuse him especially as we see him learn the lesson he needed to learn. I really feel for Chance and being in his head it was really easy to like him because I could see where he was coming from. I really wanted to give him a hug every time he gets conflicted about his gender identity. I really connected with him even though I don’t know how many times I was shaking my head as he went along with things on the list.

I guess my best character in this book has to be Jasper. He was amazing and I loved him truly, I almost think I love him more than Chance. Getting to know Jasper was the real treat of this book and I literally can’t think of one single thing about him that I didn’t like (okay, in hindsight, I can think of one).

I had issues with the book and somehow, I really wanted to shake Chance up and tell him to forget the list and just be himself but despite the list and how much I was dreading the complications of the list the whole time it was in effect, I still found this an interesting read once I got into Chance’s head space. I feel like the ending changed things for me because during the whole list debacle I was like I am going to rate it like two stars or something but then we got to the end and we see Chance learn from his mistakes, learn that he can be himself, uniquely Chance and that significantly redeemed the book in my mind to some extent. I guess what I want to say, is that this book is not a painful read, it wasn’t ever a problem where I had to convince myself to finish the book just because I had to review it, in fact, it was the opposite. I finished it pretty quickly and there was something about this book that had me turning the pages even though I couldn’t stop myself from shaking my head at the words.

Cover Art by Natasha Snow. I love the cover, especially the background which has a kind of magical feel to it.

Sales Link  Amazon   |: Nine Star Press

Book Details:

ebook, 43,300 words

Expected Publication: 2nd edition, August 27, 2018 by Nine Star Press

ISBN: 978-1-949340-50-1

Edition Language: English

Blog Tour for The Billionaire’s Wedding by Geoffrey Knight (excerpt and giveaway)

The Billionaire's Wedding Tour Banner

THE BILLIONAIRE’S WEDDING

GEOFFREY KNIGHT

GAY ROMANTIC COMEDY

RELEASE DATE: 08.18.18

 BillionairesWedding_Cover

 

BLURB

Italy’s Amalfi Coast, overlooking the sparkling Mediterranean Sea, is the dream location for the perfect wedding, and billionaire Calvin Croft is determined to pull out all the stops to make his marriage to Matt Darcy a day that nobody will forget.

But before Matt and Cal can walk down the aisle and say ‘I do’, someone uninvited turns up out of the blue… and turns Cal’s life completely upside-down.

Will Matt ever get to marry the man of his dreams? Will Cal be able to come to terms with his past and get on with his future? Or will an unwelcome guest put their romance on the rocks forever?

You’re invited to the wedding of the year as Matt, Cal, Mrs. Mulroney, Mr. Banks, Tilly and Angus return for more hilarious antics, swooning romance and a surprise that none of them will see coming!

** Sequel to The Billionaire’s Boyfriend

AMAZON US: https://amzn.to/2wqQdKt

AMAZON UK: https://amzn.to/2NAN4OU

AMAZON CA: https://amzn.to/2Ly6XEl

The Billionaires Wedding Teaser 1

EXCERPT

From the balcony of our suite I watched the reflection of the stars twinkle on the water and the lights atop the fishing boat masts bob and sway like fireflies in the night. I stood for a long, lingering moment staring at the view while the warm sea breeze played with the hem of the hotel bathrobe I was wearing.

I could hear the shower running from inside the suite and I imagined Cal standing beneath the running water, sparkling rivulets trickling down his perfect body.

I turned from the view to face our palatial suite with its four-pillar king-sized bed, antique marble writing desk, crystal chandelier and the lavish eighteenth-century Italian sofas with satin trim. On an ornate coffee table between the sofas sat a tray containing the remains of the most delicious cheese platter I’d ever eaten. Leftover figs, crumbling, aged cheddar and gooey gorgonzola lay among the scattered ruskits and biscotti I wastoo full to finish.

In that moment there was no denying I was truly, utterly content.

Sure, there had been other times in my life when I could remember being happy, but not like this.

I was standing on a balcony overlooking the Mediterranean, full to the brim with fine wine and cheese, listening to the shower run and knowing at any moment it would stop and the love of my life—the man I was about to marry—would step out of the bathroom wearing a hotel robe… or perhaps just a towel… or perhaps nothing at all, before crossing the room and kissing me on the lips.

If this was a dream, I would have done anything to never wake up from it.

The shower stopped.

My heart fluttered with anticipation.

I saw Cal’s shadow moving about the bathroom.

And then he appeared in the doorway.

Yes, he was naked.

Sort of.

On his head he had a towel wrapped around his hair like a woman from a 1950s beauty salon.

On his feet he paraded two ridiculously fluffy white slippers that looked like stuffed rabbits, compliments of the hotel.

“What do you think?” he said with a grin, gesturing at the slippers as he stood there completely naked between his forehead and his ankles.

I had to smile.

Then I had to laugh.

“You don’t like them?” he asked, feigning offense.

I shook my head. “You know something. Even when you strive to be imperfect, you do it perfectly.”

“I don’t even know what that sentence means.”

“I’m not entirely sure I do, either.”

“Then why don’t you stop being a writer and start making your way over to the bed, my future Signor Croft-Darcy.”

“That’s future Signor Darcy-Croft to you, thank you very much. We’ve had this chat.”

“Just so long as our names are side-by-side that’s all I care about. I want the world to know you’re mine.” He kicked off the slippers and pulled off the head towel and strutted confidently over to me, standing before me on the balcony naked and unafraid who might see.

“Aren’t you worried the paparazzi might be watching through a telescopic lens?

He pretended to be offended once again. “What are you saying? That someone needs a telescopic lens to see my cock?”

“Good Lord, no,” I grinned, reaching down for his flaccid dick before I began stroking it. “Although right now it’s seems to be a little short of its full potential.”

“That can be rectified,” Cal said, taking hold of the fluffy cords on my robe and pulling me back into the suite toward the bed.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Geoffrey Knight is the author of more than 30 gay fiction novels, novellas and short stories, ranging in genre from gay adventure, gay romance, gay suspense and gay comedies. He is the recipient of two Rainbow Awards including Best Mystery Winner and Best Overall Gay Fiction Runner-up. His work has been featured in several anthologies including Best Gay Erotica 2013, and he appeared as Guest of Honor at the inaugural Rainbow Con in Florida, 2014.

Geoffrey has worked in advertising, politics and journalism, but nothing is as fun as telling stories. He lives with his partner, their baby daughter, two dogs and two cats in a rambling old house in North Queensland, Australia, where the paint is fraying and life is good.

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Review Tour – Flare (North Star Trilogy #3) by Posy Roberts (excerpt and giveaway)

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Cover Design: Olive Us Designs
 
North Star Trilogy
 
Book #1 – Spark – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #2 – Fusion – Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Blurb
 

After tremendous loss, Hugo and Kevin seek stability for themselves and the kids. They never expected family and friends to toss obstacles in the way of their happily ever after.


Love and family to fight for.


Hugo and Kevin strive to put their lives back together after tragedy, doing everything in their power to create a stable life. Hugo’s acting career is back on track, and Kevin hires a nanny to help with the kids as they discover their new normal. But when Erin’s parents seek full custody of Brooke and Finn, that stability is shattered.


With Hugo working in LA or New York, the distance from his new family gets to him. At home, the nanny’s hands-on approach leaves Hugo feeling pushed out, so he leaves his beloved apartment and eclectic neighborhood behind to move in with Kevin.


Hugo has a hard time fitting in with the suburbanites with Kevin’s passive-aggressive “friends” making Hugo feel anything but welcome. As the custody case heads to mediation, Brooke is bullied about having two dads, and Hugo realizes his mere presence might be doing more harm than good.


Hugo must decide to stay and fight for his family or leave and let them live in peace.


Excerpt


Rude Awakening

A sharp knock followed by the doorbell clanging woke Kevin and Hugo. They yanked on last night’s discarded clothes and headed downstairs, Lulu trailing behind, her tail wagging a mile a minute.

When Kevin opened the door, a man he didn’t recognize gave him a nod. “Are you Kevin Magnus?”

“Yes.”

Hugo struggled to scoop Lulu into his arms; she was desperate to meet this stranger.

The man handed Kevin a manila envelope. “You’ve been served.”

“What the hell?” Hugo asked as he shut the door.

“I don’t know. Let’s see.” Kevin opened the envelope and pulled out papers. “Notice of Motion and Motion for Change of Custody,” he read, not believing his eyes. He flipped through the pages, scanning to see what this was really about.

“Erin’s parents are trying to get custody of my kids. No way in hell is that happening. No way in hell.”

 

Read Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 5 Star Review here.
Author Bio


Posy Roberts started reading romance when she was young, sneaking peeks at adult books long before she should’ve. Textbooks eventually replaced the novels, and for years she existed without reading for fun. When she finally picked up a romance two decades later, it was like slipping on a soft hoodie . . . that didn’t quite fit like it used to. She wanted something more.


She wanted to read about men falling in love with each other. She wanted to explore beyond the happily ever after and see characters navigate the unpredictability of life. So Posy sat down at her keyboard to write the books she wanted to read.


Her stories have been USA Today’s Happily Ever After Must-Reads and Rainbow Award finalists. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with her family and friends and doing anything possible to get out of grocery shopping and cooking.

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In the Spotlight: Polished (Polished #1) by Alyssa Turner

MMF Menage full of real emotion and characters you’ll know.

Read it and get lost in their story…Listen and find yourself in the center of it!

Start with Book One, Polished.

It seemed like they had everything, but they didn’t have Jack.

Without question Spencer Hartley burns hot for his girlfriend, Rory, but his other desires are hidden down deep. He might blow things up for a living and climb mountains for kicks, but the scariest thing in his life is the truth about his sexuality.

Jack Rothman works hard and plays dirty. After long, demanding days in his family’s engineering firm, he indulges in the pleasures of silk restraints and fine wine. Lots of hot meaningless sex helps him forget that he’s suffocating, with no one to give him a reason to breathe.

When a catastrophic accident traps Spencer in a flooded subway tunnel with Jack, they need each other to survive. But something strong stirs down there in the darkness, and it’s more than their desperation to live. There’s a spark between them that’s impossible to ignore.

Rory Campbell would love to give Spencer the one thing he doesn’t have, the freedom to explore his secret desires. But how does that fit into her picture-perfect relationship? When Jack invites the couple to his sprawling Hamptons beach house, Rory realizes that she has secret desires of her own—the kind only Jack’s Dominant hand across her bare bottom can satisfy..

**SAMPLE Polished in Duet Audio: http://bit.ly/PolishedAudioPreview
**LISTEN to Polished: http://bit.ly/PolishedAudiobook
**READ Polished: https://amzn.to/2MmIRxN

About the Author:

Alyssa Turner‘s books address a woman’s desire to really have it all–including the things she’s not supposed to want. Her stories often deal with challenging circumstances and are explicit and emotional, because erotic romance should leave you with lingering images and a thoughtful smile. She knows her way around a menage romance and doesn’t spare the tough stuff along the way. If you want to make a few new friends, get to know the characters in her books. She hopes their triumphs and struggles will stick with you.

Links:

Mailing List: http://alyssaturnerwrites.com/p/loading.html

Website: http://alyssaturnerwrites.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/imagine.alyssa

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/alyssa–turner

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/AlyssaTurner

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alyturn

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/alyturn/

Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/alyssaturner

You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/user/0alyssaturner0