Category: M/M Contemporary Fiction

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Pain Slut (The Subs Club, #2) by J.A. Rock

Rating: 4.5 stars  out of 5

PainSlut_600x900Miles is a pain slut. In fact, he’s the resident authority on pain among members of the Subs Club, a group formed a few months before in “an attempt to give submissives a private place to discuss safety concerns in the kink community.” As the story opens, Miles is participating in a scene with one of his favorite sadists. The scene is explicit and uses medical props so those who are squeamish and not able to read about masochism will be able to test their tolerance early in the story. But for Miles, it’s what he wants and needs, and he’s still suffering the aftereffects (swollen testicles) when there’s an emergency at his business, and he has to go in to take care of it.

He’s dressed in loose-fitting sweats and a T-shirt and slinks in the back door because he doesn’t want anyone to see him. Of course, that’s when the customer at his custom shirt design company spots him. Miles looks up, and up, to the six foot seven inch tall, gorgeous, long-haired, blond man who smiles back at him with shiny, sharp-pointed teeth. And, yes, it turns out his customer, Drix Seger, is a vampyre—a member of a community who believe in feeding on the prana, or life force, of others. He tells Miles he’s a sadist and he likes blood play, but his real kick is in feeding on persons with a really powerful life force.

Miles has met the perfect man for him. Drix is not only a sadist, but he’s willing to train with Miles’s favorite Dom so that he can meet his need for pain. But Miles is in a quandary—he’s just been approved for adoption, and he’s fearful his lifestyle will interfere, causing the agency to turn him down. Staying involved in the Subs Club as they extend their meetings to include community outreach to college campuses and other groups, and staying involved with Drix, knowing he’s risking the adoption with this relationship have Miles’s head spinning. And the more he spins out of control, the more he needs to submit to pain.

At a deeper emotional level, Miles has never learned to share his feelings with others. He keeps them bottled up and rarely shares with his family, his friends in the Subs Club, or even with Drix. He wants to— especially now that he’s beginning to feel so much for Drix, but he can’t seem to force himself to do it. He doesn’t realize it at first, but all of his carefully erected emotional walls are starting to crumble as he learns valuable truths about himself. Can he leave the Subs Club behind? Will he be able to adopt? Can he find his HEA with a vampyre?

I really enjoyed this story for a number of reasons. The author presented sadism and masochism in a straightforward and enlightening way, giving both a definition and demonstrations. Note—this book is not for the faint of heart or those looking for mild BDSM. There’s hardcore sadism in this one.

What I most enjoyed while reading the book was meeting Miles— being treated to a glimpse of his psyche as he moved from a serious playtime pain slut who took control of his scenes to a totally wrecked and blissed-out pain slut whose heart and mind are placed totally in the hands of his sadist, his lover, his man, Drix. Add to that, his insights into his ability to be a good parent, his fears that his inability to make a decision will make him a bad parent and poor role model, and his awakening love for and dependence on Drix, and I was totally wowed.

I recommend this to all lovers of BDSM, and especially to those with an interest in sado-masochism. And if you like a story in which the MC grows and matures and realizes his self-worth over the course of the book, this one is perfect for you.

~~~~~
Cover Art by Kanaxa shows a small surgical knife against a teal blue argyle background. The background, using different colors, is being repeated throughout the series, and a different BDSM-related symbol will be displayed on the cover each time. I like the way the general look of the cover links all the stories in the series.

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | ARe | Amazon  coming soon| Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 320 pages
Published January 30th 2016 by Riptide Publishing
Original TitlePain Slut
ISBN 1626493456 (ISBN13: 9781626493452)
Edition LanguageEnglish

SeriesThe Subs Club #2

Love and Kink Returns When The Sub Club Continues with ‘Pain Slut (The Subs Club #2)’ by J.A. Rock (giveaway)

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Pain Slut (The Subs Club #2) by J.A. Rock
Published by Riptide Publishing
Cover Artist Kanaxa

Read an Excerpt/Purchase a Copy Here

Hi! I’m J.A. Rock, and right now I’m touring the internet talking about my latest release Pain Slut—Book 2 in The Subs Club series. Thanks so much to the blogs that are hosting me on this tour, and be sure to leave comments on the tour posts for a chance to win your choice of two backlist ebooks and a $10 Amazon gift card!

About Pain Slut

Honestly, I’m ready to take a step back from the Subs Club. Making the kink world a safer place for subs is the sort of bandwagon I’d have boarded as an idealist in my early twenties, but now I’m a pragmatist in my late twenties. I prefer to focus on adopting and raising a child.

But unexpected factors inevitably derail my plans. Like Drix Seger—attractive and the first genuine sadist I’ve encountered. If I were not in the process of renouncing my masochistic ways and becoming the normal, responsible potential father the adoption agency wants to see, Drix and I might do well together. But he has a foolish name and belongs to a cult of vampyres, and I am quitting kink. So why does Drix’s infatuation with blood and biting make me so hot I can’t think straight? And why, when he looks at me, does he seem to see something beyond a basket case with a stick up my ass?

Can I start a new phase in my life without leaving part of myself behind? Please send help.

—Miles

About the Subs Club series

After the death of their friend Hal at the hands of an irresponsible dom, submissive friends Dave, Kamen, Miles, and Gould band together to form the Subs Club—an organization seeking to expose dangerous local doms. The club slowly evolves as romances blossom, loyalties are tested, and tensions mount in a community already struggling for unity in the wake of Hal’s death.

From domestic discipline to knife play to fashion paraphilia, and from family drama to new jobs to first loves, the members of the Subs Club explore life’s kinks inside and outside of the bedroom as they attempt to let go of the past and move forward.

This title is part of the The Subs Club Collection collection. Check out the collection discount! – See more at: http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/pain-slut

About the Author

J.A. Rock is the author of queer romance and suspense novels, including BY HIS RULES, TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME, and, with Lisa Henry, THE GOOD BOY and WHEN ALL THE WORLD SLEEPS. She holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Alabama and a BA in theater from Case Western Reserve University. J.A. also writes queer fiction and essays under the name Jill Smith. Raised in Ohio and West Virginia, she now lives in Chicago with her dog, Professor Anne Studebaker.

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Giveaway

Leave a comment for a chance to win your choice of two backlist titles from J.A. Rock and a $10 Amazon gift card. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on February 6, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. Entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

TheSubsClub_600x900PainSlut_600x900Manties in a Twist24:7 the Sub Clue

The Subs Club (The Subs Club, #1) with a link to our review, a highly rated novel at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Pain Slut (The Subs Club, #2)  our review to follow

Manties in a Twist (The Subs Club, #3) – a delicious title that’s coming soon….

24/7 (The Subs Club, #4) as is this

The Holiday Romance Fun Continues with Catherine Lievens’ ‘Benoit’s Christmas Surprise’ (excerpt and giveaway)

BenoitsSurpriseChristmasFS

Benoit’s Surprise Christmas by Catherine Lievens
 Release Date: January 20, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: AngstyG

Blurb

Belgium expat Benoit Girault has only worked in the administrative department of Toys for All in Milwaukee for a few short months, but it’s long enough for him to miss everyone back home and to fall for coworker Jake Manning—not that Jake ever notices him. Or so Benoit thinks.

Jake notices Benoit all right, but he doesn’t want to risk mixing business with pleasure, not when it could create problems in the office. So when Jake’s friend and boss, Randall, tells him to team up with Benoit to organize a Saint Nicholas party, he’s less than thrilled. But as they work together and Jake nurses Benoit through an illness, he realizes some people might be worth risking it all for.

 

Pages or Words: 50 pages
 Categories: Contemporary, M/M Romance

Excerpt

YOU WANT me to do what?”

Jake’s boss smiled at him as if he were asking nothing much—the bastard. Randall knew exactly what he was doing, just like he knew Jake would react like he did. He hated parties, and everyone in the office knew it.

“Organize a party for the new clients.”

“Janet usually organizes the parties.”

“She’s busy with another contract. The Belgian clients are yours, Jake. It seems obvious to me that you should be the one in charge of this.”

“But I don’t know anything about the saint you’re talking about.”

“You have enough time to learn something about him and about the Belgian traditions that go with it.”

“You can’t do this to me, Randall. Please. I’m already busy with this new contract. I don’t have time to organize a party.”

“The clients were delighted when I told them there would be a party.”

Jake gaped at his boss. “You told them?”

“Of course. When Mr. Leblanc said he was bringing his wife and son along, I just knew we had to do something for the kid.”

“Someone could take him to the zoo,” Jake muttered.

“Jake, we’re a toy company. Why would we take a kid to the zoo?”

“It’s not like we actually have the toys in this office. That’s what the stores are for.”

Randall set his jaw and narrowed his eyes. He obviously wasn’t going to be swayed by Jake’s protests. But what about pleading? “Randall, I just don’t have the time to do everything on my own, especially if you want a kiddie party.”

“That’s why Benoit is going to help you.”

Buy the book

Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | All Romance (ARe)

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Meet the Author:

Catherine Lievens has always loved books. She’s not sure how she managed to marry a man who doesn’t read, but she deals with it and buys enough books for both of them. Just ask him—he frequently wonders if the books on her shelves mate with each other to produce new ones. She never told him it’s only her buying more books.

After brushing up her English to graduate in English language and translation, she decided to put it to good use and write the characters she always dreamt of. She likes writing about creatures people say don’t exist, like shifters and harpies, because her life’s too boring to write about what she knows, and she always wanted to be a cat anyway.

Where to find the author:

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, Divine Magazine, The Hat Party, Man2ManTastic, Havan Fellows, Bayou Book Junkie, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Jessie G. Books, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, BFD Book Blog, Mikky’s World of Books, MM Good Book Reviews, Alpha Book Club, A.M. Leibowitz, Kathymac Reviews, Happily Ever Chapter, Inked Rainbow Reads, Book Lovers 4Ever, Molly Lolly, Louise Lyons, Anna Butler Fiction, Velvet Panic

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: 2 copies of the e-book.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
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The Breakfast Club Series Continues with ‘Second to None’ by Felice Stevens ( excerpt and giveway)

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Second to None

The Breakfast Club, Book 3

Felice Stevens

M/M Romance

Second to None

Cover Designer: Reese Dante

Cover Photo: Stock Photo

Release Date: January 28, 2016

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1Vp6UK4

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1NyzbI5

Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1OWTwcf

Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/1PBF13e

ARe: http://bit.ly/1nPOp6U

KOBO: http://bit.ly/1nNIQGd

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1K7uhSq

 

BLURB:

Nightclub owner Marcus Feldman never met a man he didn’t love, at least for the night. Although his best friends have all found love, Marcus shuns their advice to commit to one man and settle down. His past has taught him monogamy and marriage is for fools, and Marcus is anything but a fool.

Tyler Reiss’s dream of dancing professionally is unexpectedly cut short and replaced by a different kind of love. He trades in his ballet slippers for go go boots, and spends his nights dancing at the hottest gay club in the city. Flirting with the customers for tips is easy, but resisting the dark and sexy Marcus is becoming harder to do with each passing day.

Unforeseen circumstances bring Marcus and Tyler closer and though they give in to their mutual passion, both still struggle to guard their hearts. When crises threaten, Tyler and Marcus find their strength in each other rather than falling apart. Tyler must choose to either run, or stay and fight for the life he wants, while Marcus realizes that love doesn’t mean losing himself and opens his heart, making him a better man in the end.

 

TEASERS

StNTeaser2

 

EXCERPT

“This wasn’t a permanent arrangement; you knew that.” Tyler leaned against the wall. “I can’t impose on you any longer. I’m sure you want your bedroom and your life back.”

“I didn’t mind it last night.” He walked over to Tyler and placed a hand on his neck, stroking him. This he could do. He had no qualms about seducing Tyler to stay with him. The troubling reason why he wanted him there so badly, Marcus pushed to the side for now. Instead, he pulled Tyler close, settling their hips in line, and his cock thickened in his pants. “I’d tell you if I did. Please, come with me to brunch, and we can talk.”

Doubt clouded Tyler’s eyes. “I don’t belong there. Those are your friends, the people you’re closest with.”

“I had my dick inside you twice last night, Tyler. How much closer could we get?”

It took Marcus many minutes of deep, persuasive kisses to rid Tyler of his confusion. When he pulled away though, the ground under his feet reeled, and Marcus needed a moment to compose himself.

They remained standing close; Tyler’s hands rested on his shoulders while he clasped Tyler around his hips. He nuzzled Tyler’s ear, then pleaded with him.

“Come on; you have to help me out here. They’re all coupled up, and the last thing I want is to listen to them be all disgustingly loving and happy.”

An amused glint lit Taylor’s eyes. “And you hate that, huh?”

“Bet that sweet ass of yours I do.” He gave Tyler’s ass a squeeze for effect, and the light in Tyler’s eyes smoldered.

“If you want me to come, you’d better get your hands off my ass.”

Marcus’s lips curved up in a grin as he popped open the button of Tyler’s jeans and drew them down.

“I definitely want you to come; in every way possible,” he said, and sank to his knees, uncaring of how late he might be to meet Zach and Julian.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Felice Stevens has always been a romantic at heart. While life is tough, she believes there is a happy ending for everyone. She started reading traditional historical romances as a teenager, then life and law school got in the way. It wasn’t until she picked up a copy of Bertrice Small and became swept away to Queen Elizabeth’s court that her interest in romance novels was renewed.

But somewhere along the way, her reading shifted to stories of men falling in love. Once she picked up her first gay romance, she became so enamored of the character-driven stories and the overwhelming emotion there was no turning back.

Felice lives in New York City with her husband and two children. Her day begins with a lot of caffeine and ends with a glass or two of red wine. Although she practices law, she daydreams of a time when she can sit by a beach and write beautiful stories of men falling in love. Although there is bound to be some angst along the way, a Happily Ever After is always guaranteed.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Twitter:https://twitter.com/FeliceStevens1

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/felicestevens/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8432880.Felice_Stevens

Instagram: https://instagram.com/FeliceStevens

Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/felicestevensauthor?ref=hl

Newsletter: http://felicestevens.us8.list-manage2.com/subscribe?u=d43061d90bf2256eb322ed69f&id=586ac8fa57

 

The Breakfast Club Series

Beyond the Surface, Book 1

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1MPImrX

Amazon UK http://amzn.to/1S1zUpD

ARe: http://bit.ly/1PMdRUF

Betting on Forever, Book 2

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1Px4utJ

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1X3tWG7

All Romance: http://bit.ly/1MykS7o

GIVEAWAY

Must be 18 years of age to enter.

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Its Release Day for Louise Lyons’ ‘Favorite Toy’ (excerpt and giveaway)

Favorite Toy cover


 Release Date: January 31, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Louise Lyons
Cover Artist: Simon Searle

Blurb

Determined to stay single, Dean Simpson and his best friend Ryan have been playing a game, where each man chooses a potential hook-up for the other, usually someone nothing like their usual type. But with Ryan now off the market, Dean agrees to one final round of the game and allows his friend to choose his toy for the evening.

Casper Mancuso is about as far from Dean’s type as he can get. Casper is pretty, flamboyant, and attention-seeking, but sexy with it. Dean decides one night can’t hurt, but when Casper makes it clear his aim is the same as Dean’s – to have one bit of fun and then move on – Dean finds himself surprisingly disappointed.

With both men keen to avoid a relationship at all costs, it seems there can be no chance for anything between them. And yet the pair are drawn to each other and despite some hurtful comments and a very public argument, they just can’t stay away from each other. Eventually Dean is forced to admit that the very antithesis of what he usually likes is exactly what he’s been waiting for.

 

Pages or Words: 35,600 words
 Categories: Contemporary, M/M Romance

Excerpt

My heart sank as one of the other trainers from the gym caught up to me. “Wait up, Dean. I’ll go with you.”

I glanced at Mark and nodded. “Okay.”

“Where are you headed?”

“Not sure yet. I just wanted some fresh air. Maybe Subway.” It was the first thing that came into my head, although I really didn’t fancy a sandwich.

“I could go for that. Meatball marinara. Mmm.”

“I like the tuna.”

“I always have cheese and slather it in ranch dressing, and get a cookie.” Casper’s words made me smile and I wondered if he’d be having Subway today. Shit.

“Are we eating in, or taking it back to work?” Mark pushed open the door and walked inside.

“Um, maybe sit outside here?” I followed him to the counter, lining up behind a family ordering an early lunch. Most of the tables both inside and outside were empty and I stared up at the menu board as I waited, even though I knew I’d order tuna. Mark bought a foot-long meatball marinara with cheese and salad and I requested a six inch with cheese, salad, and ranch dressing. As we sat down at a table outside the window, I looked around and caught sight of Casper, just yards away and heading right for us. Automatically I ducked my head and unwrapped my sandwich, hoping he wouldn’t see me. My heart thumped wildly and my dry mouth made me wish I’d ordered a drink.

“Are you okay?” Mark raised his eyebrows.

“Yeah.”

Casper entered Subway, apparently not having noticed me. I’d kick myself if I didn’t speak to him. I might not get another chance. The fact that he’d happened to turn up at this exact moment, when he could have gone anywhere, or not even taken a break at this time, was too much of a coincidence for me to throw away. Hesitating, I debated going into the shop to speak to him, or waiting for him to come out where Mark might hear. While I thought about it, Casper got his sandwich and came out again and then I had no choice. I jumped up quickly, scraping my chair noisily on the pavement, and his eyes immediately met mine. He halted, half in and half out of the door, then shuffled forward to get out of the way of someone trying to enter.

Mark looked up at me and frowned. “Dean?”

“I’ll be back in a minute.” I moved away from the table toward Casper, aware that only about six feet separated us from Mark. “Can I speak to you for a minute?”

“What about?” His eyes narrowed.

“I wanted to say sorry. I─”

“Don’t bother. Like we both said, it was a hook up.” His voice was much too clear and I glanced anxiously at Mark, who stared back at me with wide eyes.

“Casper…shh. Can we just…?”

“Don’t shush me!” Clutching his wrapped sandwich fiercely in one hand, he planted the other hand on his hip and glared. “I don’t know why you even bothered speaking to me! You slept with me for a bet, and we all know what your real type is. Don’t think I didn’t see you with that blond guy on Friday.”

“Fuck.” Grabbing his arm, I tugged him a few steps along the street until he wrenched free. “Thanks a fucking bunch. You just outed me to one of my workmates.”

“Oh!” His scowl vanished and his cheeks flushed. “Shit. I didn’t know. I’m sorry, Dean.”

“Forget it. Like you said, I shouldn’t have bothered.” Mortified, I turned away and went back to the table. Mark’s expression said it all. I didn’t need to hear anything he might have to say, but I listened anyway. Casper had already disappeared.

Buy the book

Amazon UK | Amazon US  | Smashwords | All Romance Ebooks  | Barnes & Noble

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Meet the Author

Louise Lyons comes from a family of writers. Her mother has a number of poems published in poetry anthologies, her aunt wrote poems for the church, and her grandmother sparked her inspiration with tales of fantasy. Louise first ventured into writing short stories at the grand old age of 8, mostly about little girls and ponies. She branched into romance in her teens, and MM romance a few years later, but none of her work saw the light of day until she discovered FanFiction in her late 20s.

Posting stories based on some of her favorite movies, provoked a surprisingly positive response from readers. This gave Louise the confidence to submit some of her work to publishers, and made her take her writing “hobby” more seriously.

Louise lives in the UK, about an hour north of London, with a mad Dobermann, and a collection of tropical fish and tarantulas. She works in the insurance industry by day, and spends every spare minute writing. She is a keen horse-rider, and loves to run long-distance. Some of her best writing inspiration comes to her, when her feet are pounding the open road. She often races into the house afterward, and grabs pen and paper to make notes.

Louise has always been a bit of a tomboy, and one of her other great loves is cars and motorcycles. Her car and bike are her pride and joy, and she loves to exhibit the car at shows, and take off for long days out on the bike, with no one for company but herself.

Where to find the author:

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, Open Skye Book Reviews, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Caraway Carter, Gay Media Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews, Bayou Book Junkie, BFD Book Blog, The Jena Wade, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Foxylutely Book Reviews, Three Books Over The Rainbow, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Jessie G. Books, Happily Ever Chapter, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Making It Happen, Multitasking Mommas, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Charley Descoteaux, 3 Chicks After Dark, Unquietly Me, Molly Lolly, Divine Magazine, Nephy Hart, Elin Gregory, Mikky’s World of Books, V’s Reads, Alpha Book Club, Velvet Panic

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: An e-book from Louise’s backlist.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
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A MelanieM Review: Danny’s Dragon (Tao of Love #1) by Sedonia Guillone

Rating:     3.75 stars out of 5

Danny's DragonA rugged, muscular cop.

A sexy computer genius.

Secret desires.

Brought together by a crime committed on a cold dark night.

From the moment they meet, their lives can never be the same again…

Wild and rugged Dave Pearce is haunted by the demons of his past. He’s done his best to make a life for himself after the devastation of his lover’s suicide years earlier, but the trauma has left its mark on his soul.

Danny Wong is what Dave considers a “nerdy Bruce Lee.” Handsome, refined, out of his league.

But that doesn’t matter.

Dave believes himself to be dangerous for any man who would love him. So he stays back in the shadows, letting the desire he harbors for the hot grad student remain unrequited.

Danny has demons of his own. Duty-bound to his family’s goals for him, he remains shy and closeted, contenting himself with his secret fantasies about the sexy Irish cop who patrols the campus building where Danny does his graduate work.

Until one freezing winter night…

Leaving the building, fate steps in and their paths cross in a new…deeper way. Neither man can turn back. Danny and Dave must face the demons rearing their heads with full force, or lose their chance at an epic love…

Years  ago I found Sedonia Guillone and read as many books of hers as I could find at the time.  Whether it was the Yakuzas of her White Tigers series or the Samurai in her historic m/m Flying Fish (Sword and Silk Trilogy 1), her stories, steeped in Japanese culture and lore, always enraptured me as did the complicated men and their romances.   Then recently, I was asked to be a part of a tour for a new book of hers and I was thrilled to see a novel of hers back in release.  Turns out there are several.  Long story short, I found Danny’s Dragon, the first story that Guillone wrote in 2006 in the m/m genre.  I wondered how it would hold up against the stories I remembered and the recent book just released.

The answer is surprisingly well.

Each chapter starts with a quotation from The Way of Life According to Lao Tzu, an important focus or thread that runs through the story.  Danny uses the poems as a way to center his life and as a shelter from his mother, someone we might call a “Tiger mom”, controlling, cold, who sees only one path for Danny, hers.  His father, who Danny loves, is sick and while not standing up for Danny directly, does so by redirection and other methods of bending but not yielding, a family trait he has passed on to his son.  Each new quotation points towards a new path to growth for David and Danny, if one or both choose to take it.

I have to admit, that for some readers, they might find the philosophy behind the Tao a bit obtuse at times (or like Dave sometimes just going “huh?”) but the quotations as well as the format grows on you as does the relationship between these two unlikely men.  Dave Pearce does have a haunted past, part of which is very much alive in his abusive drunk of a father.  But even more differently is their approach to life.  One has been taught to battle it out with his fists, the other to give and bend, seeing other paths.  How that disparity in outlook is handled fascinated me because I found it believable, even as Dave was giving voice to his frustrations and inability to understand Danny’s actions and perspective at the time (I got that perfectly).  But the beauty of the quotations and philosophy is such an integral part of their relationship and story that I found myself looking for more quotations after the story was done.  I’ll share a few of what I found at the end.

There are a few issues here, I have a hard time with insta love, although I could see these two men needing each other and fitting together perfectly.  I just wished it had been more of a HFN, it seemed to resolve a little too smoothly considering all their issues.  But for a first m/m  novel, the rough edges are much smoother than some I’ve seen and that storyline and all the surrounding elements (which come to be a trademark of hers) pulled me in and kept me glued to the story until it was completed.

It was also fascinating to see the love/relationships of abused, haunted men and Japanese themes get their start in an author’s career, to be able to trace back the men of ‘Acts of Passion’ and ‘Flying Fish’ back to ‘Danny’s Dragon’, their foundation couple in a narrative manner.  Its a great start.

I highly recommend this author and yes, this story.  Seek out her other books, especially if you are a fan of Japanese culture, the Yakuza or Samurai in love.   I am a fan of all three and will be revisiting those stories and the new ones coming out.

 

Cover Art by: Jay Aheer: Covers by Design.  Jay Aheer did a great job with the design.  Danny’s Dragon is an important part of the story, the tattoo and the face are terrific elements.  Great job.

Sales Links:  Wayward Ink Publishing | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

Published August 7th 2015 by Wayward Ink Publishing (first published July 2006)
Original TitleTao of Love 1 : Danny’s Dragon

SeriesTao of Love #1
CharactersDanny Wong, Dave Pearce settingCambridge, Massachusetts (United States)
Massachusetts (United States)
each book in the series is a standalone.

Lao Tzu poemLao Tzu

Cover Reveal for US (Him #2) by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

Profile portrait of businessman working on laptop in black suit at studio

Us (Him #2)
by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

Expected publication: March 8th 2016

Can your favorite hockey players finish their first season together undefeated?

Five months in, NHL forward Ryan Wesley is having a record-breaking rookie season. He’s living his dream of playing pro hockey and coming home every night to the man he loves–Jamie Canning, his longtime best friend turned boyfriend. There’s just one problem: the most important relationship of his life is one he needs to keep hidden, or else face a media storm that will eclipse his success on the ice.

Jamie loves Wes. He really, truly does. But hiding sucks. It’s not the life Jamie envisioned for himself, and the strain of keeping their secret is taking its toll. It doesn’t help that his new job isn’t going as smoothly as he’d hoped, but he knows he can power through it as long as he has Wes. At least apartment 10B is their retreat, where they can always be themselves.

Or can they? When Wes’s noisiest teammate moves in upstairs, the threads of their carefully woven lie begin to unravel. With the outside world determined to take its best shot at them, can Wes and Jamie develop major-league relationship skills on the fly?

Warning: contains sexual situations, a vibrating chair, long-distance sexytimes, and proof that hockey players look hot in any shade of green.

A Stella Review: Farm Fresh (Naked Organics #1) by Posy Roberts

RATING  4 out of 5 stars

Farm FreshJude Garrity visits the farmers market every Saturday. As an environmental engineering student, he’s curious about living off the grid and sustainable agriculture.

And one particular farmer.

Hudson Oliva has worked hard to support his commune, where queer people live without fear of harm or retribution. When Jude asks pointed questions about living there, Hudson realizes he needs to be honest about his home. Few people know what the farm is actually about, but Jude is insistent.

Jude moves to Kaleidoscope Gardens, however his sexual hang-ups make it hard to adjust. He’s an uptight virgin living among people who have sex freely and with multiple partners. When Jude finally loosens up, Hudson is flooded with emotions. Falling for Jude wasn’t part of Hudson’s life plan. But when vindictive rumors about the commune begin to spread, love might be all he has left.

I have to say I am usually not very comfortable with sex outside the relationship of my MCs and I was a little dubious when I read the blurb of Fresh Farm, but I lately discovered Posy Roberts and fell in love with her writing. So I wanted to give her new release a try.

I knew I couldn’t be so strict with this story, since the first pages where I met Hudson, one of MCs, enjoying a threesome. He lives in a commune and share his home (and his bed) with Leo and Charlie, he deeply loves both of them, but he is still looking for that one man who Hudson will fall in love with. The commune is also a farm and while selling its products at the local market, Hudson meets Jude, a (too) young engineering student.

Jude grew up with the idea of sex to be shared only between married couples as a way to procreate, he is still hunted by memories of his past and it’s really hard to let go and just live his new life. Years of verbal abuse left him shameful of sexual experiences. His moving to the commune will help Jude to finally overcome his limits and maybe fall in love.

The writing was really good, each sentence flew easily to me and I could feel every emotion the characters felt. I have to admit Farm Fresh left me craving for more. I’m not sure how the author will develop the series, if the next book will have still Jude and Hudson as MCs, or if there will be a new couple. I’m curious, because I really enjoyed the second characters too and I hope they will have their HEA too. There so much to explore!

Farm Fresh was a light  and peaceful story to me, maybe purposely made like that, but each character is beautifully layered with so many details and feelings. There is a lot going in the commune and the people that live it. Kaleidoscope Gardens is yes, a commune and. a place of love, so expect a lot of sex, in the open too, but always between people who love each other, and that was probably why the book conquered me.It’s different and it could possibly have gone in another way but I think the author did an awesome job.

Highly recommended!

If you subscribe to Posy Roberts newsletter (here http://posyroberts.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=2e20821fdd21e275853ae86c3&id=f3028766bc) you get Naked Origins-Hudson for free.

Hudson Oliva didn’t expect the world to end with the new millennium, but his life did change forever on that New Year’s Eve. After his religious parents walk in on him with Zac in his bed, Hudson is sent to conversion therapy. The parents he returns home to after being cured aren’t the same people he’s known his entire life. They’re cold and withdrawn.

In order to survive, Hudson becomes an expert at lying while working hard to be the perfect son, yet his parents remain emotionally distant. He’s sure the pray-away-the-gay camp broke something inside him along with tearing his family apart. When his parents discover Hudson has continued seeing Zac for years, they demand he go back to the camp. Hudson has no choice but to run. Somehow he has to find a safe place, but he has to get out of Florida first.

GR LINK https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28759395-naked-origins-hudson?ac=1&from_search=1

I read Hudson short after Farm Fresh and it was really great to know more about him and his young years spent lying to his parents, the bad things he went through and his first meeting with Leo when, exhausted, he stumbled into Kaleidoscope Gardens, his salvation.

COVER ART by Natasha Snow. She is one of the most famous cover artist in the genre (and not only) and I like her style a lot. To me this cover reflects the story because it’s luminous and peaceful just as I pictured the commune.

Sales Links:  Amazon |

BOOK DETAILS

Published January 28th 2016 by Labyrinth Bound Press
Kindle Edition, 204 pages
ASIN B01A2PHDPW
Edition Language English

Naked Organics series #1