Category: Contemporary fiction

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

An Alisa Review: Hunter by Dakota Storm

Rating:  2.5 stars out of 5

 

Sexy-as-sin bounty hunter Hunter Jones lives, eats, and breathes his next case. He’s always been content to live his life on the road with no attachments and no one to answer to. Love is for other people. But when he stops in a small town for a little R&R and meets up with a fellow bounty hunter to review a case, he runs into the man of his wet dreams. Hunter isn’t ready for love, but Van turns his head and heart upside down.

 

Donovan “Van” Madsen has it all: a lucrative business, a close-knit family, and a best friend. But something is missing. Van always dreamed of finding the “one,” but never thought it would happen … until Hunter.

 

The mutual attraction is instant and intense between the two men. Neither can say goodbye.

 

When trouble brews and Van is kidnapped, Hunter realizes life is too short to not take what he wants. In this action-packed romance, both men’s lives are on the line and their love might not be enough to save them.

 

Eh, this was an okay story.  Van has been hoping he would find the one and when he connects with Hunter he thinks he may have.  Hunter has always been a loner but knows there is something different about Van than anyone he has been with before.

 

We see both of the characters’ thoughts and actions.  The characters’ actions and thoughts really reminded me of shifter mate stories, which is all well and good, but didn’t really fit for me.  I understand instant attraction but their reactions to each other seemed completely extreme and I just couldn’t understand what was going through their heads and it just didn’t really work for me.

 

The cover art by Written Ink Designs is great and catches your eye.

 

Sales Links: JMS Books | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 113 pages

Published: February 11, 2017 by JMS Books

ISBN: 9781634863193

Edition Language: English

A VVivacious Review: You Had Me at Hero by Michael P. Thomas

Rating: 4 Stars out of 5
 
Mark Potts fell from a balcony while drunk that resulted in him being paralysed from the waist down, but he never gave up. Now twelve years later he works as a 911 operator, and is raising two wonderful kids with the love of his life, Starr Bradford who is a police officer.
 
When a string of words that should have never left Mark’s mouth creates a misunderstanding between Mark and Starr, it leaves Mark off kilter and wishing for a do-over. But when a 911 call results in Starr’s day taking a turn for the worse, will these two get that chance at repairing this rift in their relationship…?
 
I liked the story quite a bit even though I’m uncertain how the author pulled it off. There are a million things in this story which could have separately taken entire books to resolve but the author manages to prioritise on what issues to get in the limelight to make this story into a success.
 
This is a gay couple who come from two different ethnicities with one of them being physically-challenged, who have an age gap of seventeen years and are raising two young children to be responsible adults and both of them work highly stressful jobs. I mean the challenges these two faced in their relationship alone could have provided fodder for a series of books and at the beginning of the book I really wondered if the author had maybe picked up one too many differences to go with our main couple but by the end of the book I think it worked. It sure made for an interesting read.
 
This is an established couple romance and that trope is a particular favourite of mine and this one didn’t disappoint. Also this trope was perfect for this story because it gave us the understanding that a lot of the issues Mark and Starr faced had probably been resolved in their six plus years of being together.
 
We get glimpses into the lives of Mark and Starr and how life is like for them and how they deal with it. Also I loved to see the issues that bothered them as parents and how they worked them out. Personally I really loved Mark and Starr as a couple and even the little rift at the end that creates the misunderstanding or difference of opinions seemed in character and I liked how they dealt with it given the circumstances.
 
All in all this book makes for a nice read which leaves you with a smile on your face, even if it does leave you wondering how these two managed to work around so many cons in their relationship.
 
Cover Art by Written Ink Designs. I liked the cover.
Sales Links
Book Details:
ebook, 85 pages
Published February 18th 2017 by JMS Books
ISBN139781634863117
Edition LanguageEnglish