Category: Contemporary fiction

A MelanieM Release Day Review: Yes, Professor by Renae Kaye

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

 

yes-professor-by-renae-kayeTwenty-two-year-old Avery Stewart has a crush on his neighbour. Always attracted to older men, Avery is tantalised by Mr Redding’s professorial looks and obvious obsession with perfection.

When he finally gets the courage to speak to Christopher Redding, Avery manages to get invited back that evening on the pretext of bringing a cake for Christopher’s birthday. But things don’t work out how Avery had planned, and he finds himself sent home with the cake and without any intimacy.

Christopher is everything Avery has ever desired—older, self-assured, dominant, and intelligent. Avery needs someone in his life to take charge—in and out of the bedroom. He wants Christopher to be that man. However, Avery must first convince Christopher to take a chance on him.

Renae Kaye is a “must read” author for me.  I adore her stories and The Shearing Gun is among my all-time comfort reads.  So you can image how eagerly I await each new story by her.  Yes, exactly!  With a high degree of anticipation over the type of main male character I will find and the story Kaye has decided to tell for him.  Usually she throws a quirk at her readers and its no different here.

Avery Stewart is has some of the same elements I expect from Renae Kaye.  He’s got his  own brand of quirkiness while Kaye explores yet another ray of the Rainbow sexuality (or any sexuality for that matter) – this time its that of control and older men .  Here it translates into Avery’s obsession on his older neighbor, Mr. Christopher (not Chris, thank you very much) Redding.  Avery’s unable to focus for very long on things like his  studies or goals or anything other than his object of lust, Mr. Redding.  His day is almost planned around how to meet the man next door who he watches trim his hedge row very meticulously in his very trim, neat, meticulous clothing.

I have to admit Kaye almost lost me completely within the first 5 pages of this story.

But it was Kaye so I read on.  Yes, Avery does grow on the reader.  I sympathized with him and almost with his obsession.  Which I never, ever got.  Even after meeting the man.  That’s the crux of my issue with this  story.  I never really got a feel for Christopher Redding or felt any chemistry between him and Avery.  Any real insight into Christopher Redding the man came too late for me and as a reader, that all important connection to him and to them as a couple was never made.  That loss which was so surprising in a Renae Kaye story was one that Yes, Professor never recovered from.  I won’t go into any aspects of insta-love vs obsession, although an argument could certainly made for it here.  That would take up pages.  Lets just bring it all down to super control vs super flighty.

I love the full range of the variety of types of characters Kaye has shown us in her stories.  Whether its Shawn of Shawn’s Law (love, love him) to Jay Bell of Loving Jay to the gruff Hank of The Shearing Gun and the miner Lon Taylor and young Casey of Safe in His Arms, and everything in between.  Twunks, twinks, blind men and their housekeepers.  Kaye’s imagination has ranged magically all over the place so a unfocused Avery and a dom Prof shouldn’t have been a issue but somehow it just never gelled for me.

Maybe I’m overthinking this here.  Its just I look for such high storytelling standards in her novels and I think Yes, Professor didn’t hit them in my opinion.  Others may pick it up and find it a nice  romance with D/s elements (yes, there are  those here).  I will be waiting on the next  Renae Kaye story to arrive.  She always has something different in store for the reader.  Its just that this one wasn’t for me.

Cover art is cute but that guy seems too conservative for Avery.

Sales Link

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Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 121 pages
Expected publication: February 14th 2017
Original TitleYes, Professor
ASINB01MSC4SVM
Edition LanguageEnglish

Fall in Love with ‘Jared’s Family’ by V.S. Morgan (tour and Valentine’s Day excerpt)


 Title: Jared’s Family

Series: Sequel to The Gift and Sam’s Temptation (can be read as a standalone)
Author: V.S. Morgan 
Genre: m/m, Interracial, Contemporary, Western 
Cover Designer: Tibbs Design
Release Date: February 14, 2017

After witnessing his mother’s death, a once outgoing preschooler is now a quiet shadow of himself. The little boy suffers nightmares and rarely speaks, choosing to use the basic sign language he learned in daycare. Desperate to help his little nephew, Virge Stevens takes a leave of absence from the LAPD to bring Donovan, known as D to Montana for the therapy he needs.


A chance meeting at the library changes Virge and his nephew’s lives forever.

Jared Malone is one of five brothers, right smack damn in the middle. He is the peacemaker and the one who gets shit done. When his younger brother gets sick, Jared fills in reading to small children at the library. There he encounters a tall, dark, and handsome stranger and his cute little boy. Jared is immediately drawn to Virge but is still dealing with the betrayal of an abusive ex.

As the Malone family welcomes them to the ranch and into their lives, Virge’s instant attraction for Jared grows, but the cowboy is fifteen years younger than him. Will he be rejected?

Both men have secrets. Secrets that could destroy the connection between them. Can they overcome the odds and find happiness together?


Another blond cowboy stood in the middle, working with a horse. He had a long rope around its neck, guiding it around the ring at a quick clip. The shirtless cowboy spoke in a firm yet quiet tone. Virge nearly choked on his tongue, eyeing the golden skin and muscles on display. This was their cowboy.

The man whistled, and the horse stopped. He rubbed its shoulder, his back to them, as they reached the ring’s split-rail fence.

 


“Daddy!” D shrieked, and the horse whinnied and shied, bumping into the man as it swung around.

 


“Whoa, easy, Spike,” the cowboy soothed.

 


Virge struggled to prevent his nephew from launching out of his arms while the cowboy calmed the large, skittish animal. He’d never been near a horse and was struck by its size and power, which the other man skillfully controlled. As the cowboy turned, Virge saw a tattoo on his chest. A redwing blackbird with a rainbow-hued ribbon dangling from its beak. His heart beat a little faster seeing the colorful ink. Could he be gay? The cowboy handed the rope to a dark-haired man before pulling on a T-shirt that stretched tight over those muscles. He suppressed a disappointed sigh.

 


Nate chuckled. “You’ve got some explaining to do, bro.”

 


“Hi, I’m Jared. I remember you from the library.” He approached with a rolling gait Virge found extremely sexy and offered his hand after wiping it against his denim-clad thigh. Damn, he was built all over and tall, just an inch or two shorter than his own height.

 


Virge shook his hand, hyperaware of the firm grasp of warm, work-hardened skin. “I’m Virge, and this is Donovan. He goes by D.”

“Glad you could make it out—”

 


“Why did he call Jared daddy?” Nate interrupted.

 


“He calls all men daddy and women mommy. If he especially likes someone, he adds their first names. D doesn’t talk much, so he must like Jared.” What about this cowboy had inspired his nephew to talk?

 

 

V.S. Morgan has lived all over the US but calls Minnesota her home now. Her family includes her hubby, teen son, and a menagerie of pets.

 

She’s been writing stories since she could hold a pencil and dreams of happily-ever-afters – even for two hot men – because love knows no boundaries. V.S. writes IRMC contemporary, paranormal, and suspense m/m and m/f with heart. 

 

V.S. is a GLBT ally and a lifetime contributor of The Trevor Project.

 

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An Ali Audiobook Review: Empty Net (Scoring Chances #4) by Avon Gale and Scott R. Smith (Narrator)

Rating 4.5  out of 5 stars
empty-net-audioSpartanburg Spitfires’ goalie and captain Isaac Drake ended last season with an unexpected trip to the playoffs. He’s found a home and family with his coach and mentor, Misha Samarin, and he’s looking forward to making a serious run for the Kelly Cup. But things take an interesting turn when Isaac’s archnemesis, Laurent St. Savoy, is traded to the Spitfires. After Laurent’s despicable behavior in the playoffs last year, Isaac wants nothing to do with him – no matter how gorgeous he is. But that changes when Isaac discovers the reason for Laurent’s attitude.

Laurent St. Savoy grew up the only son of a legendary NHL goalie in a household rife with abuse, constantly treated like a disappointment on and off the ice. When a desperate attempt to escape his father’s tyranny sends him to the Spitfires, the last thing Laurent wants is to make friends. But there’s something about Isaac Drake that he can’t resist, and Laurent has an opportunity to explore his sexuality for the first time, but he’s cracking under end-of-the season pressures. When facing the playoffs and a rivalry turned personal vendetta, Isaac’s not sure he’s enough to hold Laurent—or their relationship—together.
Two of my favorite things in the world are hockey and books. When you combine them together I’m in heaven. This was the fourth book in my favorite hockey romance series. At the end of the last book there was a pretty ugly game between two rival teams and goalie Laurent St, Savoy crosses the line in a big way. The beginning of this story starts with Laurent being traded to the Spitfires and being expected to play with a bunch of guys (& coaches) who hate him. 

Laurent is aware is behavior was deplorable but he has some serious issues and desperation made him act like he did. Issac Drake wants to ignore Laurent all season and just play the game but as team captain that’s kind of hard to do. When circumstances bring Laurent’s issues to Issac’s attention he finds he can’t turn his back on his new teammate. 

Issac and Laurent become friends and Issac slowly convinces his other teammates and coaches to give Laurent a second chance. Much of the story is about Laurent learning to deal with his issues and stand up for himself. Over the course of the story the two young men fall in love and develop a relationship.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s my second favorite of the series. It tackles some pretty serious issues in a well thought out manner. The progression of Issac and Laurent’s relationship was realistic and I really loved them together. In addition to their relationship there were also some very touching moments between Issac and his coach/mentor Misha. Those ended up being some of my favorite scenes in the entire book.

As usual this author writes great hockey scenes and it’s apparent that she not only knows the rules and regulations of the game but her love for it jumps off every page at you. As a fellow hockey lover that means a lot to me. There’s nothing as exciting as the big games and/or the big wins in sports stories. 
The three previous books in the series can be read as standalones and technically this one could too but I think you would get more out of this story if you read the previous book first. There is a lot of back story on Issac and his coaches that you should know. 
This story was narrated by Scott R. Smith.  I thought he did a good job with both of the MC’s as well as all of the side characters.  I find that this narrator is consistently good with his books.

Again, I love this series and this was another great installment. This is a definite recommend from me and may be one of my most enjoyed audiobooks of the year. 
Cover Artist: Aaron Anderson:  I really like this cover.  It’s a great cover for a story about two goalies. 
Sales Links:
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Audiobook Details:
6 hrs 38 mins
Audible Audio, 7 pages
Published January 10th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press (first published September 2nd 2016)
Original TitleEmpty Net
ASINB01N31AV7C
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesScoring Chances #4

A VVivacious Review: The Start of Something New (Daniel and Ryan #2 ) by Tamryn Eradani

Rating: 3 Stars out of 5
 
the-start-of-something-newAfter spending a great night together, Daniel is looking forward to the possibility of turning this into a long term arrangement. But he is apprehensive of Ryan’s behaviour towards him at work because Daniel likes to keep his work and personal life completely separated. As things settle Daniel and Ryan discuss the possibility of more scenes and their personal likes and dislikes.
 
If this story wasn’t part of a series I would have probably given it four stars. Unfortunately this is the second in a series and it feels like a reiteration of events in the first story and thus, the three stars.
 
This story offers very little in the form of new material, it just establishes things that we have already learnt in the first book. All new information that was offered in this book feels like it could be of use later in the series but it doesn’t help further the plot in this one.
 
I like the main characters of this series, Daniel and Ryan. Daniel being the eccentric control-freak he is and Ryan who feels like a cute, loveable geek with his messy table that drives Daniel insane. These two characters have a lot of chemistry and I really want to see their relationship progress.
 
While this story offers everything its predecessor does, the one thing this story lacks is growth. Neither does the story progress, nor is there much in the way of character development. This story picks up right where the previous one ends and I felt like this story should have marked a milestone in Daniel and Ryan’s relationship but it wasn’t so. Truthfully you really can’t expect much since this story is actually just a continuation of their first scene, so while realistically I can appreciate that these events depict these characters as they should be I still can’t help looking for that something extra.
 
I will definitely continue this series because as far as I can tell from the excerpt of the next book, it looks like the milestone I was looking for in this book might be present in the next one.
 
Cover Art by Natasha Snow. I like the cover. It is pretty similar to that of the first book. I can’t help comparing the two covers and I feel like the green background of the first book offered a better contrast than the purple background of this one.
Sales Links
65a2f-waxcreative-amazon-kindle
Book Details:
ebook, 26 pages
Expected publication: February 13th 2017 by NineStar Press
ISBN139781945952593
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesDaniel and Ryan #2

In the Spotlight: The Start of Something New (Daniel & Ryan, Book 2) by Tamryn Eradani (excerpt and giveaway)

Title:  The Start of Something New

Series: Daniel & Ryan, Book 2

Author: Tamryn Eradani

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: February 13th

Heat Level: 5 – Erotica

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 13100

Genre: Erotica, BDSM, businessmen, contemporary, friends to lovers

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Synopsis

After a successful first scene together, Daniel and Ryan explore the possibility of continuing their relationship. Negotiating likes and dislikes in BDSM play is one thing, but can Daniel, who likes to keep his life ordered and free of mess, loosen up enough to let the relaxed and uninhibited Ryan deeper into his life?

Excerpt

The Start of Something New
Tamryn Eradani © 2017
All Rights Reserved

 

Daniel wakes up to the first chime of his alarm, and he gets it turned off and his feet swung over the side of his bed before he realizes something isn’t quite right. The mattress is too soft to be his, and the walls are the wrong color. There’s a half glass of orange juice on the bedside table, and that’s what gets last night trickling back to him in bits and pieces.

He’s in Ryan’s apartment. Ryan-from-work’s apartment.

At least he’s not in Ryan-from-work’s bed.

Daniel eases out of the guest bed, glad that he’s not in yesterday’s work clothes, but he frowns when he sees them strewn haphazardly on the floor. He picks up his slacks and shakes them out, even though getting rid of wrinkles isn’t that easy. He’s going to have to take them to the dry cleaner.

He has his overnight bag from the car so he changes into his running clothes. Ryan’s bedroom door is closed, and Daniel doesn’t hear any signs that he’s awake, so Daniel doesn’t feel bad for going for a run. He does leave a note saying where he’s gone in case Ryan wakes up and is alarmed to find either his houseguest or his keys missing.

When Daniel comes back from his run there are still no signs that Ryan’s awake so Daniel takes him time in the shower. It’s more difficult to luxuriate in the shower than in a bath, but Daniel makes do, lathering up with the soap from his toiletry bag until he smells like sandalwood rather than sweat.

His cock, half-hard since he woke up this morning, takes interest in in the smooth slide of skin against skin as he washes his calves and then his thighs. His scene with Ryan ended last night. Daniel’s body is fully his again. If he wanted to knock out a quick one, or even take his time, he could.

He doesn’t want to, though.

Either he and Ryan will do something before Daniel leaves this morning or he’s going to go home and think about last night. In either case, it’s too early for anything.

He finishes his shower and changes into the pajamas from his overnight bag for lack of anything else better to wear. Then he goes to make breakfast.

It figures that it’s the brewing coffee that finally lures Ryan from his room.

He stumbles into the kitchen, covering a yawn with one hand and scratching his belly with the other. His hair is sleep tousled and his cheeks are pink from being under all his blankets. Daniel has a hard time reconciling this image with the man that put Daniel on his knees last night.

“Breakfast?” Ryan asks, coming over to peer over Daniel’s shoulder. “What’s wrong with the eggs?”

“I took out the yolks,” Daniel says. “Healthier for you that way.”

He moves the eggs to one unused burner to cool and Ryan takes that as his cue to wrap an arm around Daniel’s waist and pulls him in for a brief hug. Well, a hug and—

“Did you just sniff my hair?” Daniel asks.

“Did you bring your own shampoo?” Ryan counters.

“It was in my bag.” Daniel leans back into Ryan’s embrace, then adds, “If you want me to smell like you then you need to get better shampoo.”

Ryan’s arm tightens briefly across Daniel’s waist, and Daniel allows himself a brief, triumphant smile.

Purchase

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

Meet the Author

Tamryn studied English and Creative Writing in school but has been writing since she could first hold a pencil. Recently, she’s turned her focus towards writing erotica. She enjoys writing stories where sex comes first, then feelings, because doing things out of order can be fun.

Tamryn has spent the past few months writing the Daniel and Ryan series with a lovely view of mountains out her window, and she’s now searching for a new mountain range to serve as her backdrop as she begins her next project.

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