Category: LGBTQ Book Reviews

A MelanieM Review: Drama Luau (Nicky and Noah Mystery #4) by Joe Cosentino

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Theatre professors and spouses, Nicky Abbondanza and Noah Oliver, are on their honeymoon at a Hawaiian resort, where musclemen in grass skirts are keeling over like waterfalls. Things erupt faster than a volcano when Nicky and Noah, along with their best friends Martin and Ruben, try to stage a luau show. Nicky and Noah will need to use their drama skills to figure out who is bringing the grass curtain down on male hula dancers—before things go coconuts for the handsome couple. You will be applauding and shouting Bravo for Joe Cosentino’s fast-paced, side-splittingly funny, edge-of-your-seat entertaining fourth novel in this delightful series. Curtain up and aloha!

Those LGBT Nick and Nora Charles of the Murder set professors are back in another wonderful madcap murder mystery from Joe Cosentino in Drama Luau (Nicky and Noah Mystery #4).  Newlywed, a set of unforeseen circumstances have led to Nicky and Noah paying for their own honeymoon instead of it being a gift from both sets of parents.  Ever resourceful, Nicky found a resort that gave them a honeymoon  on a beautiful Hawaiian resort, all they have to do is direct the production of male hula dancers on stage.  It’s native dancing ala Vegas style!  What could possibly go wrong?

Well, yes, it is Nicky and Noah, so lots, including the weird murders and mysterious disappearances of the bodies of said hula dancers! Right on stage!  The antics and drama keeps piling up as two Detectives (one male, one female and neither straight) jump into the fray and find true love,  there’s a extreme right wing religious group involved along with the resort owners from hell, a “Bloody Mary” type selling all sorts of disgusting trinkets (really, why doesn’t she sing “Bali Hai”), an adorable poppet, their two close friends from the college and much more.  Yes, the amazing farce is complete!  It’s a laugh out loud romp, with bodies falling,  naughty sexcapades a sizzling, and love a happening everywhere!

As usual, there’s also plenty of heart, with the adorable poppet in need of fathers and a home.  Nicky has some soul searching to do, Noah is way ahead of him here.  Will the two become three and a family by the end of the story?  Hmmmm….that’s one storyline you need to read to find out for yourself.

This is one hilarious series with a heart and it  just keeps getting better.  I can’t imagine what uncharted territory  Cosentino has left?  Wisconsin? Trips to see the parents?  Shakes head. Just the thought leaves me shaking in my shoes.  What would Judy say?  (series reference…read the stories to get it).

I highly recommend them all and please read them in the order they were written for full blown laugh out loud reading pleasure!

Cover art is amazing.  Perfect for the story and eye catching to boot!

Sales Links:

http://myBook.to/DramaLuau

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/711186

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/drama-luau-joe-cosentino/1125994872?ean=2940154062050

Book Details:

ebook
Published May 20th 2017 by Joe Cosentino
ISBN139781370559190
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesNicky and Noah Mystery #4

Check Out the Latest Release from A.E. Via…Prophesy (The King & Alpha Series) (sneak peak excerpt and giveaway)

PROPHESY

by A.E. Via
The King & Alpha, #1
Publication Date: September 23, 2017
Genres: Adult, M/M, Romance, Paranormal

NEW RELEASE!

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/2xzAoCB
B&N: http://bit.ly/2yiklWZ
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2xlapiB
iTunes: http://apple.co/2xnUoGk
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/2wGTwzd

SYNOPSIS:

An Enemies to Lovers
Shifter, Vampire True Mates story.

Justice Volkov is the youngest Alpha Zenith to ever lead the wolf shifters. Following in his father’s large paw prints was a responsibility he met head on. Now at age thirty-three, he is alpha of the alphas. As a direct descendant of the original Siberian pack, his wolf is bigger and stronger than Justice, himself is sometimes able to control. 

“His wolf howled long and hard but Justice kept it inside. It felt like a bass drum beating against his rib cage. The harsh breaths, angry snarls and the determined pacing inside him was overtaking him. All the while… his mate kept calling.”

Justice takes his role of leadership and his legacy very seriously. He has little time for romance, not to mention a true mate. His packs are his priority. With a human government trying to regulate them, an uprising of rogue shifters, and a violent team of scientists trying to experiment on them, Justice has his hands way too full. 

Chadwick ‘Wick’ Bentley is not enthusiastic when the captain of his escort tells him he has to leave his comfortable London home and go back to the States. As the Vampire King, he has no choice but to get his species back in line before they cause anymore chaos. At over two-hundred years old, Wick is no one to trifle with, but his smooth, charismatic manner makes him quite unique, despite the negative reputation vampires have. Wick has had nothing but time up to this point. He doesn’t feel the need to make issues pressing. Nothing is urgent in his life. Until he meets Justice. His beloved.

“Natural enemies can’t be mates.” Or so Justice thought. He knows his skepticism and rejection is hurting his mate, so while he fights their connection, Wick gets help from a source very close to Justice to help him win his beloved’s heart. Wick is a force all on his own, but when he’s blessed with a special gift from the Mother herself, not even Justice’s powerful wolf can prevent the prophesy from being fulfilled. 

This story DOES NOT contain/mention MPREG. 
No multiple pairings. It does not end on a cliffhanger and has an HEA. 

Warning: This book is MM paranormal: If you DO NOT like hot, alpha men shifting into large wolves, or vampires feeding from their mates, this may not be your read.

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SNEAK PEAK – EXCERPT

His animal growled and snarled inside him. Justice grunted and cursed while he fought to keep his wolf under control. What was wrong with him? What the hell was coming? He could feel it as sure as he could feel his beating heart, his racing pulse and his mighty wolf trying to get out and explore. He’d never had to reign in his animal so fiercely. Justice was finally able to open his eyes, not realizing they were squeezed shut in concentration.

“Justice! You’re forcing a lot of power, man.” Mac’s strong voice cut over the incessant presence trying to reach his mind.

Justice growled again. Something’s in my head. “Clear the room.” Justice’s voice was strained, spitting his words through clenched teeth. His wolf was clawing at him, ripping him apart, wanting out.

“Justice you’re scaring me. I can feel you fighting.”

He could hear his baby sister begging but he couldn’t focus on his siblings when he was barely keeping himself together. It had to be the Vampire King doing something to him. If Justice shifted and went crazy right here in a police headquarters, only the heavens knew what would happen to his people. “Get my family out of here.” Justice grabbed Alek’s arm in an authoritative grip. “Everyone. Out. Now.”

“We’re your betas. We won’t leave you, Justice,” Taleb snarled, looking in the same direction as Justice.

“Alek!” Justice thundered. He needed him to act for him.

“You heard your Alpha, Taleb. Warren, get them in the RV and back on the Humboldt pack lands now! Protect them with your lives,” Alek barked to the enforcers, who immediately began to shuffle Justice’s sister and his younger brothers out of the room and to the safety of their vehicle. Alek watched them down the hall until they turned out of view. His brother looked up and down the corridor before dipping back inside the room and locking the door.

“I think the Vampire King just turned the corner. Is it him doing this to you? I’ll kill him right now,” Alek growled.

“No!” Justice’s voice was sharper and stronger than he intended. He was still leaning hard against the wall farthest from the door for support, holding both clenched fists against his chest as if that alone could keep his wolf from bursting free. Justice closed his eyes and tried to center himself. He needed to breathe, relax. But with each second, the feelings intensified, an all-encompassing entity in his head.

“I can feel you too.”

“Oh shit. Was that you, Alek?” Justice grabbed his brother’s arm and yanked him to face him. “Did you just speak to me?”

“What? No? I am speaking to you now. Justice, goddamnit! You’re pushing too much energy.” Alek released a pained grunt. His brother looked like he wanted to break the window behind them and just get them the hell out of there. He’d never seen Justice behave this way, so out of control, and wasn’t sure what he was about to be faced with, but knew he may have to fight it alone because Justice was in a complete state of disorder.

It was an accented, smooth voice. “Something. Someone just said—” Then he smelled it. That faint, delicious scent that appeared last night was back, only it wasn’t diluted by nature’s elements. This time it was full strength, concentrated, and like nothing he’d ever smelled before. Impressive and so damn compelling. Justice’s thick cock pushed against his loose jeans and his wolf howled inside him, fighting to break free. His animal was so strong. Justice gritted his teeth together and hung on. Oh, Mother… please. Can’t… it just can’t. Justice heard footsteps right outside the door and his body began to shake from effort.

“Justice,” Alek warned. “You gotta tell me what’s going on, brother, so I can help you.”

How the hell was he supposed to explain this?

Justice saw the knob jiggle for a second before it was completely ripped from the door. Neither he nor Alek flinched at the show of strength. They had strength of their own. Justice thought dozens of vampires would storm the room, but only two walked in and Justice knew exactly which one was in his head. The Vampire King. The sexy, beautiful one. But how?

ABOUT A.E. VIA

A.E. Via has been a best-selling author in the beautiful gay romance genre for four years now, but she’s no stranger to MM. She’s been an avid reader of LGBTQ Romance for over fifteen years before she picked up her laptop to place her own kiss on this genre. She’s also the founder and owner of Via Star Wings Books, having published a couple great new up and coming MM authors.

A.E. has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Virginia Wesleyan College that she used to start her own paralegal firm after she graduated in 2008. She spent five years preparing and filing bankruptcy petitions for struggling blue collar workers who couldn’t afford to file with a lawyer. It was a rewarding and satisfying career… but another path called to her. Writing.

A.E.’s writing embodies everything from hopelessly romantic to adventure, to scandalous. Stories that often include intriguing edges and twists that take readers to new, thought-provoking depths.

Now that she’s gotten over her 10 books published hump, she’s kind of known now for her hardcore, play rough and love hard, bad boy, alphas. However, she does like to push herself to step out of her comfort zone, exploring with different tropes, but she won’t push herself into a whole other genre. She’s head over heels for MM romance and has tons of more hot stories to tell.

Be sure to visit Adrienne on her social media pages and subscribe to her newsletter to never miss another release date! Go to A.E. Via’s official website http://authoraevia.com  for more detailed information on how to contact her, follow her, or a sneak peak on upcoming work, free reads, VSWB submissions, and where she’ll appear next.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Newsletter | Amazon Author Profile

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A MelanieM Audiobook Review: Mahu by Neil S. Plakcy and Joel Leslie (Narrator)

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Mahu — a generally negative Hawaiian term for homosexuals — introduces a unique character to detective fiction. Kimo Kanapa’aka is a handsome, mixed-race surfer living in Honolulu, a police detective confronting his homosexuality in an atmosphere of macho bravado within the police force. A man of intelligence, strength, honesty, resourcefulness, and intense dedication to the people of Hawaii, Kimo is a hard-boiled hero you will never forget. Fast-paced, intricately plotted, thoroughly enjoyable, this is a sexy, surprisingly moving mystery about discovering oneself as much as catching a killer.

I have been singing the praises of Neil S. Plakcy’s Mahu series for a long time now.  One of my favorite series, I’ve been following the life of Kimo Kanapa’aka, a gay police detective in Honolulu, Hawaii for ten books now, the last being Ghost Ship (Mahu, #10).  By Ghost Ship, Kimo has settled down with his husband Mike, a foster son, and sharing parenting of twins with a lesbian couple.  It’s been quite a journey for Kimo and family, a remarkable one the reader has been on with him every arduous step of the way.  And it all started with Mahu, first published in January 2005.

There we meet a vastly different Kimo, one trying to figure out his sexuality, a supposed “straight” detective within the Honolulu Police Department back when they had Palm Pilots, VHS tapes, where being out or even homosexual definitely wasn’t something you expected to be accepted for with the family, let alone within a Police Department.

So Plakcy gives us a complicated, decent, torn man who at his mid thirties is trying to figure out who he really is.  And puts Kimo in the midst of a murder at the worst time of his life.  I remember reading this story and feeling every bit of the pain and anguish that Kimo was going through.  But listening to it?  A hundred times more real and immediate.  The suspense of Kimo being found out during the investigation becomes palpable when listening to the narration by Joel Leslie, whose acting is superb.

One of the huge strengths of the Mahu series and the Plakcy narrative is that the author’s marvelous use of the local Hawaiian colloquialisms, sinking the characters into the culture via the vernacular of the mixed races that is Hawaii.  The familiarity of the island topography along with the religions and politics lay a  authentic foundation for Kimo and his family and all the strong relationship dynamics that play out in this story and the series.  It does so in the books and here in the audio version.

I have to admit the first hurdle any narrator has to overcome (even the wonderful Joel Leslie) is my mental image of Kimo Kanapa’aka.  He was a complete person in my head, including a voice that didn’t sound like the one Leslie assigned to him.  That took some getting used to. Once that hurdle was surmounted, I was able to completely lose myself back into a story I had loved so much and now got to enjoy again.  Leslie did an outstanding job the the huge cast of characters and all polyglot of voices he had to produce.  From the Chinese (elderly and young) to the Japanese to the Islanders (Polynesian  etc), the Hawaiians have a name it seems for every racial mixture.  And perhaps even a different tonality.  Joel Leslie does them all justice!

I hope that all of the Mahu series make it into audio version, I can’t wait to listen to them all.  This was a wonderful way to revisit the beginning of the series.  If you are new to Mahu, why not start here?  If you’re a fan of the series, I think you’ll find this a delightful way to revisit an old friend.  Either way this is a audiobook I highly recommend!

Cover art is wonderful.  Artwork is both primitive and colorful.  Love it.

Sales Links: MLR Press | Amazon

Audiobook Details:

Listening Length: 11 hours

Audible Audio
Published August 8th 2017 by MLR Press (first published August 1st 2005)
Original TitleMahu
ASINB074KLGCMT
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesMahu #1 settingHawaii (United States)

This book is part of The Mahu series

Release Blitz Tour – Amy Tasukada – Would It Be Ok To Love You (giveaway)

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Length: 41,000 words
 
Series
 
Would It Be Okay To Love You (Book #1)
Would It Be Okay To Love You: Year One (Book #2) Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Blurb
 

A robot fanboy. An erotic voice actor. When love comes calling, will they shed their armor?

Sato’s only long-term relationship is the one he shares with his Gundam collectibles. He dreams about the kind of unconditional love his parents enjoy. If only he could break out of his shell, he might find his special someone…

Outgoing playboy Aoi has sworn off relationships. He knows they only distract him from his budding voice acting career. He’s earned a few loyal fans, and if he keeps at it, he may even earn enough to never worry about being evicted again…

When Sato meets Aoi at the local anime store, there’s definitely a spark. But even as they tread carefully, their commitment issues and Aoi’s troubled past soon muck things up before they can start. In order for Sato and Aoi to have their happily-ever-after, they’ll both have to take a leap of faith… and hope to be caught.

Would It Be Okay to Love You? is the first book in a gay romance series set in Japan. If you like original characters, nerd culture, and simmering chemistry, then you’ll love Amy Tasukada’s charming multicultural love story.

Author Bio

Amy Tasukada lives in North Texas with a calico cat called O’Hara. As an only child her day dreams kept her entertained, and at age ten she started to put them to paper. Since then her love of writing hasn’t cease. She can be found drinking hot tea and filming Japanese street fashion hauls on her Youtube channel.

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A MelanieM Recent Review: Night Drop (A Pinx Video Mystery #1) by Marshall Thornton

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

It’s 1992 and Los Angeles is burning. Noah Valentine, the owner of Pinx Video in Silver Lake, notices the fires have taken their toll on fellow shopkeeper Guy Peterson’s camera shop. After the riots end, he decides to stop by Guy’s to pick up his overdue videos, only to find Guy’s family dividing up his belongings. He died in the camera store fire—or did he? Noah and his charmingly meddlesome downstairs neighbors begin to suspect something else might have happened to Guy Peterson. Something truly sinister.

The first in a new series from Lambda Award-winner Marshall Thornton, Night Drop strikes a lighter tone than the Boystown Mysteries, while bringing Silver Lake of the early 1990s to life.

I remember the Rodney King beating and the riots that followed in Los Angeles.  Here in the Washington, DC metro area we had our own race riots of the 90’s…the Mount Pleasant riots of 1991.  Still both events are in the distant past.  Yet Marshall Thornton brings it vividly to life in his novel Night Drop, the first in his new series Pinx Video Mysteries set in the 1990’s.

Thornton’s main character, Noah Valentine, is the owner of Pinx Video, that relic of the past, consigned to history by new technology.  Ah, VHS tapes, Blockbuster, and late returns!  We meet Noah in his store with his employees wondering if his store will survive the riots currently taking place.  The author seamlessly folds in all the elements and details of the era (old gadgets, movies, topics) into his story without making it a history lesson or info dump.  I lived it and loved the references, noting them yet they never took my attention away from the drama that was Noah’s life and the riots occurring in L.A.  Oh, and the murder too.

Yes, this is a murder mystery and a terrific one wrapped up within the tumultuous emotional times of the 90’s.  Race riots, gay rights, so much more and Thornton captures it all.  Noah starts off as one man who hesitates to get involved because of his own issues and then slowly he inserts himself into the investigation of a murder that no one seems to want solved in a hurry, if at all.  Noah is a man already full of loss and pain, although at first we only are aware of part of the story.  His long term lover, partner at this time in history, has died and they were estranged at the time of his death.  That estrangement has cost Noah his home, their shared friends and more, leaving him with only the video store and his apartment in the Hills.  You are able to emphasize with Noah, seeing a man in stasis, then fall in love with him as he comes back to life the more he investigates.

The characterizations here are superb.  Layered, believable and in some cases, haunting.  These are people who having staying power, whether it’s Noah’s friends in the apartment units around him (love them) or the Detective on the case that Noah makes a connection with.  I was invested in them all emotionally, needing to know what happened to each and everyone.  The verdict is still out on some and I hope to see many of them in the next story.

Then there’s the murder or should I say murders and the wild, twisty case to the revelation that follows!  It was both believable and grounded in the times, yet the suspense kept me riveted to the story!

Yet the tour de force here for me is the overall picture Marshall Thornton paints.  The bigotry and hate of the era, the closeted vs The Castro, the fear vs the bravery, the search for love vs the bittersweetness of the times.  Oh that ending, that was a punch to the heart.  And yet again the author balanced our hopes for Noah against our knowledge of the times, knowing that this is only the first of the series.  We can always strive for the best for Noah can’t we?

I highly recommend Night Drop (A Pinx Video Mystery #1) by Marshall Thornton.  It’s beautifully written, the story is timely given our current political climate, and the characters memorable and deeply moving.  I can’t wait to see where the author takes this series next.

Cover art is amazing, it all has the elements of the 90’s front and center.  I love it.

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book Details:

ebook, 201 pages
Published September 15th 2017 by Kenmore Books
Original TitleNight Drop
ISBN139781386704850
SeriesA Pinx Video Mystery #1

An Ali Review: Manic Pixie Dream Boy (The Underdogs #1) by K.A. Merikan

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
—. You can’t hide the cracks under the spotlight .—

Dusk. Leader of The Underdogs. Destined for greatness. Lives in the now.
Abe. AKA Lolly. Iridescent. Unicorn.

All Dusk wants out of life is for his band to become world famous. He also wants to have a lot of fun along the way. And to get his rocks off. When he wants something, he goes for it, consequences be damned.

So when he sees a gorgeous pink-haired guy who is the human equivalent of tattooed cotton candy, he can’t help but have a taste. But it’s when Lolly ends up on their tour bus that Dusk knows their meeting was destiny. 

Abe is the kind of guy who goes with the flow. He was hitchhiking anyway, so why not spend the week with a hot piece of rocker beefcake, getting smothered by his sexy long hair? And why not play the part of the supportive cutie while he’s at it? It’s not like he’d be sticking around for long anyway.

All plans hit a wall when photos of Abe and Dusk emerge online, suddenly pushing the band into the spotlight. To take advantage of the sudden popularity, the band offers Abe money for staying.
Which means money for being in a fake relationship with Dusk.

Which isn’t even fake.

Or is it?
This was an entertaining start to a new series about a group of up and coming rock stars.  The band is on tour and have made a stop at a convenience store where Dusk meets Abe.  It is instant and explosive attraction between the two men and one thing leads to another and the next thing Abe knows he’s on the tour bus with the band and headed to California. As the two men spend more time together the attraction continues to grow.  Things become a struggle though as the pressure of being in the media is combined with them barely knowing each other.  They each have to decide if they can work  through their issues.
I thought both MC’s were fun and entertaining.  The writing in this book was unique and a bit different from the other books I’ve read by these authors.  One of my favorite things about this author duo is you never really know what you’re going to get and their plots and MC’s are quirky and different.  In addition to Dusk and Abe, we also get to know the other guys in the band and they are super interesting side characters.  My interest in them was built up and I can’t wait to get to their stories.
This book had a bit of everything.  It had good characters and an interesting plot, some funny scenes, some sweet scenes and some smoking hot ones.  I enjoyed this and am looking forward to the next in this series.  Definitely something fans of these authors should check out.

Cover Design: Natasha Snow. I love this cover.  It is very eye catching and it is a great representation of the plot.  There is a lot of talk in the book about colors as sensations and I think this cover captures that vibe perfectly.

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book Details:
Kindle Edition, 143 pages
Published September 10th 2017 by Acerbi & Villani ltd
ASINB075469B7Y
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesThe Underdogs #1
CharactersDusk Hill, Abe ( aka “Lolly”)

Review Tour for Night Drop (A Pinx Video Mystery #1) by Marshall Thornton (giveaway)

 

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Length: 55,000 words
 
Blurb


It’s 1992 and Los Angeles is burning. Noah Valentine, the owner of Pinx Video in Silver Lake, notices the fires have taken their toll on fellow shopkeeper Guy Peterson’s camera shop. After the riots end, he decides to stop by Guy’s apartment to pick up his overdue videos, only to find Guy’s family dividing up his belongings. He died in the camera store fire—or did he? Noah and his downstairs neighbors begin to suspect something else might have happened to Guy Peterson. Something truly sinister.

The first in a new series from Lambda Award-winner Marshall Thornton, Night Drop strikes a lighter tone than the Boystown Mysteries, while bringing Silver Lake of the early 1990s to life.

Read Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 5 star review here.

September 15 – Gay Book Reviews
 
Author Bio



Marshall Thornton is known for the Lambda Award-winning Boystown Mysteries. His comedic novels include The Ghost Slept Over, My Favorite Uncle and the Lambda Finalist for Gay Romance, Femme. Marshall holds an MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA and has had plays produced in both Chicago and Los Angeles and stories published in The James White Review and Frontier Magazine.

 

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