Category: LGBTQ Book Reviews

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audio Review: Jack of Thorns (Inheritance #1) by Amelia Faulkner and Joel Leslie (Narrator)

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

This was an interesting, fast-paced fantasy about Laurence Riley, a young man who operates a florist shop with his psychically gifted mom and pretty much coasts along through life knowing he needs to get his act together but struggling to figure out how.  He is also psychically gifted—with visions of future events that tend to come to reality. 

Desperate for a positive change, Laurence invokes his magic abilities and calls for help from a fertility god.  What he gets is Jack—green-eyed, self-possessed, egotistical Jack, who promises Laurence all will be well and he’ll meet his dream man if he has sex as often as possible so Jack can feed on the energy.

But Laurence has broken up with his boyfriend Dan, and isn’t really interested in anyone else, so Jack’s request may be a tall order.  And then he meets meets Brambury, who turns out to be Lord Brambury, actual name Quentin, and his life takes a bizarre turn.  Attracted to one another, it seems each time sex or the potential for sex arises, Quentin causes hurricane-like winds that destroy pretty much everything around him.  It’s Laurence who figures out that Quentin is afraid of sex and that his powers of telekinesis may be much stronger than he initially suspected.   Laurence can barely see the humor in the fact that he can’t very well keep Jack supplied with offerings of sex if the object of his affections is afraid of it.

Angry with Laurence about the situation, and having been the object of Quentin’s dangerous lack of control, Jack gives him one last chance.  Laurence has to grow a plant from a special seed.  And then the nightmare situation Laurence finds himself in gets worse.  As the plant grows out of control, he finds out that it’s powers are addictive and Jack will be feeding on the life energy of the people who use it.  Laurence knows about addiction.  After all, he fights his addiction and craving for heroin every day and he can’t imagine leading others to face a similar fate. Nor can he imagine giving more power to the already powerful and evil Jack. 

His nightmares and psychic predictions are getting worse and that, coupled with the irritating push-pull of his relationship with Quentin—one in which each man is attracted to the other but Quentin can’t bring himself to follow through on—is enough to make Laurence finally reach for the drug that will solve all his worries.  Thankfully, life and Quentin intervene and a very bizarre, yet exciting, confrontation occurs that ultimately leads our guys to a place where they can at least find their HFN. 

One strong word of caution here: the prologue contains graphic depictions of drug use and overdose.  And though cravings are described in multiple locations in this story, the most graphic are in that prologue.  Those in recovery from addiction may find this a trigger.

That being said, this is an enjoyable story.  It’s quite long, over twelve hours, but full of interesting events, twists and turns, and of course, a romance.  Both characters are interesting, but I must say that Quentin wins the prize for my favorite character in quite some time.  First, because Joel Leslie’s delivery is divine, and second because the author created such an endearing and humorous character. Though upper class Brit, complete with his often voiced perceptions of American ways and 21st century culture, he’s also a sweetheart wrapped in a very emotionally damaged package. 

Joel Leslie, as usual, delivers a flawless performance, providing a host of voices for the main and secondary characters, including the women.  I truly enjoy listening to an audiobook in which I can identify characters by their voice.  It makes me feel as if I’m actually “watching” the story and brings it to life.  So kudos to my favorite narrator and to the author for an interesting, creative story. 

If you enjoy fantasy and are looking for a very entertaining way to spend your time, I highly recommend trying this one—preferably in audio so you can enjoy the terrific narration.

Sales Links:  Amazon | Audible

Audio Details:

Audible Audiobook
Listening Length: 12 hours and 23 minutes
Program Type: Audiobook
Version: Unabridged
Publisher: Amelia Faulkner
Audible.com Release Date: January 9, 2018
Whispersync for Voice: Ready
Language: English, English
ASIN: B078TL42K6

Release Blitz and Giveaway for Erin E Keller’s Elias (excerpt)

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | JMS Books
 
Length: 37,000 words approx.
 
Publisher: JMS Books
 
Blurb
 

Detective Thomas Doyle has been living a lonely, compartmentalized life ever since the death of his life partner, Aiden. He vowed never to let anybody get close to him again — the pain of losing a loved one is too much to bear. Despite his vow, Thomas is lonely, and has a number of one-night stands, sexual encounters with unnamed men he doesn’t care to remember. Then he meets Elias.


Elias Byrne knows the pain of abuse and rejection intimately. Unable to escape the clutches of his older brother, Elias dreams of someone to love, and of being loved in return. He admires Thomas, but the detective never pays him any notice. In a desperate attempt to get closer to him, Elias steals his wallet, then gives it back the next day.


Pretty soon, Thomas feels a strong attraction to the fiery, arrogant, younger man. Elias intrigues him, but he resists his growing feelings because he doesn’t want to get hurt again.


When Thomas rescues Elias from his abusive brother, can he also rescue them both from the loneliness that threatens to consume them? Can Elias conquer the detective’s hardened heart and find the love he always longed for? Or will Thomas stubbornly refuse to give himself another chance at love?

 
Excerpt
 

The Black Sheep’s lights were soft; people’s shadows moving inside seemed like dark souls waiting for a body to enter. In fact, people came to this specific pub for that reason. He wasn’t the first to use the privacy given by the place to find a hot body to lose himself in. Thomas entered and looked around, a worried expression of his face. His fists clenched, arms stiff at his sides. He headed to the bar and leaned an elbow on it, observing the surrounding people, the darkest corners, the private rooms, and the dance floor, a small area that only fit a few people. The music was rhythmic but not too fast. It was kind of sensual, so different from the folk music you usually heard in most Irish pubs.


Adrian, the barman, slid a glass in his direction.


“Here you go, the usual,” he said, winking.


Thomas nodded and answered with half a smile, putting the money on the counter. He turned away for a few moments before looking back at Adrian.


“Do you know Elias?” he asked.


Adrian seemed to think for a moment. “Thin, black hair, even darker eyes, sexy as hell?”


Thomas blinked. From the description, it sounded like Elias, even if Thomas didn’t personally find him sexy as hell. That is, he couldn’t deny what he’d seen under those long locks was something magnetic, that his body seemed thin but not skinny, but …


Thomas shook his head. He was a boy. And a thief. And a stalker. And who knew what else? And he wasn’t interested in him in that way.


“I think so,” he finally replied.


Adrian smiled and gestured to a hidden corner of the tiny dance floor. There, wearing a pair of tight jeans and a white T-shirt, was Elias, dancing with a guy behind him who had one hand on his chest and the other on his belly. His eyes were closed, and he was moving his pelvis. Sexy as hell, actually. His head was reclined, leaning on the shoulder of the man behind him, and he had his hand by his side as he swayed.


Thomas picked up his drink and took a long sip. That boy owed him an explanation. Suddenly, he realized he couldn’t accuse him of anything without some kind of evidence. For a very short moment, doubt ran through his mind: had it really been Elias, or had Thomas finally lost it? Maybe when he’d been twirling under the rain like an idiot fighting his panic attack?


When he looked at the dance floor again, Elias had disappeared.


“What the fuck!” he burst out, frustrated, a second before feeling somebody touch him, a solid body pushing against his back and a voice speaking in his ear, softly enough so as not to be heard by anyone else.


“If they told me to choose who to fuck, I would choose you.”


Thomas turned suddenly and almost spilled his Guinness on himself.


There he was — Elias.


Thomas observed him for a few moments, and his brain registered different things. This time, he could see Elias’s face, even if it was barely lit. It was a very unusual face: thin, big black eyes, a sharp nose, and a large, full mouth. Elias wasn’t as thin as he first seemed. Or, yes, he was thin, but the right definition would have been slim. The stretch T-shirt highlighted his long muscles, as well as his tight jeans, which underlined the contour of his hips, molding his legs. His hair was long at the front and really, really black. His gaze in that moment was particularly intense. The corners of his mouth were turned up in half a smirk.


Thomas suddenly looked away from his lips, the taste of which he could still feel on his mouth, and took a sip of beer.


“I saw you while I was dancing. You came looking for me,” Elias continued.


It wasn’t a question. It was an assertion.


“No. I came looking for my wallet.”


Sure, he could have beaten around the bush, but this guy somehow got on his nerves, and he wasn’t in the mood for acting kindly. He waited for a question from him, even outrage. What he wasn’t expecting was Elias taking his hand, turning it over, and putting the wallet in it.


“And what does this mean?” Thomas growled. “If this is a joke, it’s not funny.”


“Isn’t that your wallet? Didn’t you come here for it? Here it is. No joke.” Elias’s expression was unperturbed.


“You stole it.”


“Had it on loan.”


“I could report you.” Better yet, I could arrest you. But he didn’t say that out loud because he didn’t want Elias to know anything else about him.


“Does it look like I’m stopping you from doing anything you want to do?”

 
Author Bio
 

Erin is Irish in her heart and soul, and she hopes she’ll move to the Emerald Island one day. She lives with her husband and their cats in a house near a wheat field.


She has been writing for years, but admits she is a very undisciplined writer. The problem is that handling a couple of jobs makes it almost impossible to write every day. She loves letting her mind wander through the real world. She likes to write contemporary M/M romance because she loves love. And men. 



For more information, please visit erinekeller.com.

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A MelanieM Review:Drama Castle (Nicky and Noah Mystery #7) by Joe Cosentino

Rating: 3 Stars out of 5

Theatre professor Nicky Abbondanza is directing a historical film at a castle in Scotland, co-starring his spouse, theatre professor Noah Oliver, and their son Taavi. When historical accuracy disappears along with hunky men in kilts, Nicky and Noah will once again need to use their drama skills to figure out who is pitching residents of Conall Castle off the drawbridge and into the moat, before Nicky and Noah land in the dungeon. You will be applauding and shouting Bravo for Joe Cosentino’s fast-paced, side-splittingly funny, edge-of-your-seat entertaining seventh novel in this delightful series. Take your seats. The curtain is going up on steep cliffs, ancient turrets, stormy seas, misty moors, manly men, malfunctioning kilts, and murder!

Drama Castle is the seventh Nicky and Noah mystery by Joe Cosentino and I have to admit, probably my least favorite.  By traveling to Scotland and entering a castle/hotel situated over the cliffs and misty moors this jaunty crew lost its dramatic over the top edge that makes it so much fun!  It got bogged down by too many unpleasant characters, who admittedly ended up dead, but they still spent a lot of time on the page.

We got a lot of who married who, who was have affairs with who, who had kids with who but none of it carried the usual spark and sparkle. Where oh where was the pizazz?  The dancing numbers?  Oh wait this  was an historical film so that was out.  Nicky felt out of his element for most of the story, even calling his brother, a choreographer on Broadway to complain, who said they should beat it home.  And we got it.

This group needs to be home or one a cruise line, or NYC, or somewhere that can launch a drag queen murder or four, a gun that might shoot glitter or a speargun.  Something way over the top.  Nary a ghost appeared here.  What happened was sort of, well, conventional. That’s not a word I normally use in a Nicky and Noah novel.

Thank goodness for Martin and Ruben, the delightfully snarky older married couple that accompanied Nicky and Noah from the college almost every mystery.  They are truly the highlight here for me.

“Come on, Martin” Ruben grabbed his arm. “I want to be first on line at the buffet, so I can eat and go to bed at a decent hour.”

 Martin followed his husband. “I miss the old days when I danced until dawn and then wrote of my suitors in my diary.”

“Nostalgic for the hieroglyphics, Martin?” said Ruben.

Their affectionate grumbling, and snarking at each other were the gems that continued to pull me through the story when it threatened to bog  down yet   again.  That along with Noah’s parents.

A couple more things.  Taavi has been their son for a while now, so I wish the “adopted”  would get dropped except as part of the beginning exposition.  Using another adopted child name as a continued “laugh/jib element” by calling them Dung?  Didn’t strike me as funny so much as borderline racist which I’m sure was not Cosentino’s intent.  And finally for someone who has traveled as widely as this author has, I was taken aback to see in one of the opening the sentences the comparison of a character’s golden hair to heather.  Heather is many colors, from purple to a whitish pink.  But not yellow or gold.  The author might have been thinking of gorse, a common golden flower found in the highlands.  Definitely not heather.

That’s just the way the entire book went, just off enough in places that you were left wondering why you didn’t enjoy it more.

For a true pizazzy, high kick, go all out mystery, pick up any of the previous stories in this series.  I would leave this one to Scotland.

Cover art is in the style of the series.

Sales Link:  Amazon preorder

Book Details:

ebook
Expected publication: February 1st 2019 by Joe Cosentino
ISBN 139780463812563
Series Nicky and Noah Mystery #7

A MelanieM Review: Suspicion (Diversion Book 7) by Eden Winters

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

 

Lucky “Simon Harrison” Lucklighter left behind his criminal past to become one of the best agents in the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau. He’s found a committed partner in fellow agent Bo Schollenberger and built a life.

Now, enemies within the SNB and a friend’s betrayal leave him nowhere to turn—not even to his mentor.

His boss’s life, the future of the SNB, and Lucky’s career depend on him. With the help of his lover, an old enemy turned ally, and a man Lucky thought he’d seen the last of, he must stand and fight for what he believes in.

Even if he has to step outside the law.

Suspicion picks up after the events in Reunion, the sixth book in Eden Winters’ fabulously entertaining and complex Diversion series.  There Lucky “Simon Harrison” Lucklighter had quite the reunion with his father as well as old lover.  Bo Schollenberger too had his emotional travails and sorrows that almost broke him and them.  Now with Lucky recovered, the focus shifts back to their shared office and enemies at the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau’s Department of Diversion Prevention and Control.  And that  also means danger for Walter, Lucky’s boss, mentor, and unspoken “father” stand-in.

Through six books, we have been through incredible growth with these characters.  Emotional and great personal development as they matured and endured great upheavals in every sector of their lives.  Near death experiences, addiction, great loves lost and reunited, unbelievable angst, and yes, betrayal, laughter and joy.  This is quite the saga.

At this point, Lucky and Bo have settled into an established relationship, out at work as a couple,live in nephews, pets and all.  It’s been hard won, and we’ve been with them every step of the way.  Lucky and Bo, along with all the supporting cast of characters either from their work or from outside (Lucky’s sister, people from their pasts…) are all so well constructed.  Flawed, vivid, ornery at times, and all so real that you often forget they don’t exist outside this series.  They feel that authentic as do their situations and everyday complex realities of the pharmaceutical business.

Winters plot is tightly laid out,  dense layers threaded through with both an overall series arc as well as a singular storyline plot makes for a complex, adventurous tale.  A monkey box puzzle sort of feel at times, not sure if it’s going to be scary or fun or both. So many twists and turns for us and our main characters to fight through, one hurdle, one barrier or more at a time.  At its heart is Lucky, scrabbling with everything in him for the people he loves, Bo, Walter, his extended family, trying to figure out who to trust while coming out ahead.

How I love this man and the man he loves.

Eden Winters has said she has two more books  planned for this  series.  That both distresses me because it means the end is in sight for this series I love and that it not over yet. Something to celebrate.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting both Lucky and Bo, please don’t start here.  Do these great characters and their series justice by starting at the beginning.  I’ve listed them all for you below.  Watch that first inauspicious meeting, then that wild  ride of a road to romance, love and a settled relationship you will find here.  It’s one hell of a rocky road and should be read in the order they were written.  Don’t miss a book.  I highly recommend them all, including this one, Suspicion (Diversion Book 7) by Eden Winters.  

It’s one of my favorites this year!

Cover art: LC Chase.  It’s always hard for me to really get into these headless torso covers.  They are overdone these days, especially those with a gun.  I’d at least like to a Lucky the Cat or another element special to this story or series included.

Sales Links: Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 281 pages
Expected publication: January 5th 2019 by Rocky Ridge Books
ASINB07LDYVBTV
Edition Language English
Series Diversion – add to Goodreads here.

Diversion

Collusion

Corruption

Manipulation

Redemption

Reunion

Suspicion

A Caryn Review: Trysts and Burning Embers (Lijun #2) By Freddy MacKay & Angel Martinez

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

I have to say, this series is growing on me, and though I still have issues with some of the writing, the pacing, and am still getting bogged down in the unfamiliar Japanese elements of the book, I am now in that happy/unhappy limbo of being so completely immersed in a story that when I reached the end of the book I just wanted to get to the next one NOW!!  The ending of this one was incredibly sweet and satisfying – even though the forces trying to bring down the Bastille clan are just as strong and mysterious as ever…

At the end of Fireworks and Stolen Kisses, Haru and Tally were married, and had become parents of 3 orphaned opossum lijun children.  They were just starting to understand and trust each other, Haru was gaining the respect of the Bastille clan, and was coming to understand the American culture as Tally was learning how Haru’s traditionalist upbringing informed his actions and thoughts.  Tally was cautiously hopeful that he was breaking through Haru’s walls, and all he needed was time and patience and his em’halafi would grow to love him as Tally loved Haru.

Time, unfortunately, was something they were not to have.

Although most of the elements that set up the conflict in this book were introduced in the first of the series, there were some new ones that were a little jarring.  There were extremely dark elements of Haru’s past introduced (although not exactly explicitly, so there is still a little revelation that may come later) that I truly did not pick up on in the last book, so I wonder if the authors created them after the first book was written.  The plot also took a decidedly violent turn that I did not expect, and though it was shocking, from that point on I could hardly set the book down – prior to that point, it was moving really slowly, to the point that I might have DNF’ed it had I not committed to the review.

I think what engaged me so much in this book was the focus on how Tally and Haru continued to function in the limbo of excruciating waiting after the initial tragedy and violence.  It was truly heart-wrenching.  In so many action novels, the characters are moving so quickly from one event to the next that they never have the chance to react and absorb what just happened.  Tally had spent his entire life learning to temper the extremely threatening power of his Uktena (snake) nature with restraint in order to fulfill his role as leader of the clan in a way that fostered trust and cooperation.  Violence had become anathema to him, so his reaction was as much bewilderment as it was grief.  Watching Tally find the balance between violence and restraint in response to the threats to his family was also fascinating to read.  At the end of the book, I might have been a little frustrated with Haru, but Tally was my hero.

The cast of characters is still quite large, but seemed a little more comprehensible in this book than they did the first.  I felt like I finally had them all straight, which was a definite improvement over the first book!  And though the players and the setting are much more defined than they were at the end of the first book, there is still a wide scope of possibility for the next one.  Which I am anxiously looking forward to reading now!  Overall, a slow start, but well worth the time to read this second installment of an epic series.

Cover art by Emmy@studioenp uses the same models from the first book of the series, but the poses have a deeper meaning this time.  The models are still excellent representations of Tally and Haru.

Sales Links: Pride Publishing | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 1, 444 pages
Published November 20th 2018 by Pride Publishing
Original Title Trysts and Burning Embers (Lijun, #2)
ISBN 139781786516978
Edition Language English
Series Lijun #2

An Alisa Release Day Review: Gabriel and the Devil by Robert P. Rowe

Rating:  3 stars out of 5

Flirting with the devil can lead to a helluva good time.

Gabriel is a regular angel. The former altar boy plans to graduate from college, become an accountant, get a good job, find a wife, and live a faithful Catholic life.

But one Halloween night, the devil pops in out of nowhere, challenges everything he believes, and heats up Gabriel’s lonely life.

Marcello is full of the devil. He’s lusted after Gabriel forever, but what he really wants is Gabriel’s eternal soul. Still, his mischievous sense of humor, along with his tricks and jokes, leads to a misunderstanding that could condemn him to hell on Earth. Only the truth will let these souls find true love and happiness.

Okay, the blurb for this book was interesting and I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I had trouble with the beginning of the book and the whole devil/angel thing as it was actually more of a joke but Gabriel wasn’t able to see it.  Once I pushed myself through the first quarter of the book I started to see the bits of the real Marcello though Gabriel still seemed blind to it.

I felt bad for Gabriel as he continued to beat himself up over how he was feeling about Marcello and what not.  I wish that we would have been able to see Marcello and Gabriel in the real relationship they ended up in once Marcello told Gabriel the whole truth and the time it took Gabriel to come to terms with it.  I assumed some things about Marcello but never learned the truth til almost the very end of the book which made it hard to connect with him. While the story was okay for me and the writing wasn’t bad I just don’t feel that this type of book was really for me.

The cover art by Tiferet Design is nice though the picture of Marcello is of a much older man than he is.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 104 pages

Published: January 4, 2019 by Dreamspinner Press

ISBN-13: 978-1-64080-445-6

Edition Language: English

An Alisa Review: Best Christmas Ever by Terry O’Reilly

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Bowing to his parents’ homophobic demands, Professor Henry Rodimacher always chose Christmas with his family over spending it with his partner. However, when Jeremy became terminally ill, Henry defied his family and stayed home for Jeremy’s final Christmas.

After Jeremy passes, Henry decides it’s time to mend fences, so despite a raging snowstorm, he starts the long drive home. Before he gets very far, though, he’s alarmed to see a hitchhiker out in the weather, Henry offers the man a ride, and is surprised the hitchhiker is Jimmy Wilks, a former student of his.

The heavy snow eventually forces Henry and Jimmy to leave the highway and take refuge in an abandoned log cabin. As the two hunker down to wait out the storm, they give into their mutual attraction and celebrate a wonderful Christmas together.

Can their newfound love survive once the snow thaws? Will history repeat itself with Henry going back home alone, or will the magic of their best Christmas ever live on into the New Year and beyond?

I really liked the bulk of this story.  It starts with Henry being very shy and uncertain of himself because of his past relationship and family.  Jeremy seems to know what he wants but isn’t quite ready to say it out loud.

I liked how they interacted once they were on the same page and really did have a great little Christmas together, though everything just worked out great from their feelings to the owner of the cabin being fine with everything, not very realistic.  Most of this is told from Henry’s point of view so I feel a little more connected to him and was very glad for him to realize his parents’ restrictions are too much for them to ask.  There was a big flash of doubt for Terry near the end which didn’t seem like him but it was quickly resolved.

The cover art by Written Ink Designs is a nice picture for the story.

Sales Links: JMS Books | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 68 pages

Published: December 15, 2018 by JMS Books

ISBN: 9781634868334

Edition Language: English