Category: Loose id

A Lila Review: Prince of Land and Fire (Three Brothers Fair Book 2) by Emily Carrington

Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

prince-of-land-and-fireAgainst his will, Lord Tian has fallen for a magical land creature–a gnome. A prophecy says he must wed a land creature and become a destroyer and spy. But he can’t resist Alastair or the BDSM games they play.

Alastair is trying to spy on Tian’s mother and preserve the balance of the natural world. Needing Tian in his bed and in his heart does nothing but disrupt his plans.

But prophecies are often right–and misunderstood. When Tian and Alastair play at BDSM and love they set in motion the destruction of the status quo.

Prince of Land and Fire takes place years after Prince of Seas and follows a similar structure. By now we know about the prophecy and which element belongs to each prince. Tian is the middle triplet and is destined to marry a land creature and become destroyer and spy. Just like we learned before, things didn’t go as planned.

I really enjoyed Tian and Alastair, and how good they were together. They both longed for the perfect balance between pain and pleasure, but they had a lot to figure out before they were able to explore their relationship. The BDSM element is an integral part of the story and can be difficult to understand without the story context.

This story had potential, but some of the events took away from it. Everything Alastair endures and how he’s treated by his parents seemed too extreme for what he needed to accomplish. Tian’s mom got more over the top, and the small amount of time Tian and Alastair spent together wasn’t enough to compensate for the rest.

It was nice to see and get updates from the characters in the previous book. No matter the lower rating in this installment, I’m looking forward to the next one.

Another beautiful cover by Fiona Jayde. It makes Prince of Seas but still looks contemporary.

Sale Links: Loose Id | Amazon | ARe

Book Details:

ebook, 114 pages
Published: August 29, 2016, by Loose Id
ISBN: 9781682521915
Edition Language: English

Series:  Three Brothers Fair
Book #1: Prince of Seas
Book #2: Prince of Land and Fire

 

A VVivacious Review: The Alpha’s Revenge by Shane Keleher

 
Rating: 2.5 Stars out of 5

the-alphas-revengeJustin meets Parker one night in a bar and is instantly intrigued. Little does Justin know that that night marks the end of normalcy for him, for come tomorrow he will faced by the fact that werewolves are real and he is one of them.
 
Parker’s family is a family of hunters so he knows that the thing that attacked Justin is actually a werewolf but he finds it hard to tell Justin the truth because Justin is turning out to be more than a one night stand for him.
 
This is the first romance book I have ever read that would have been much better for me had it had less romance and more focus on the story. In hindsight this story would have worked out better if it didn’t have the romance tag attached to it because I personally could not get behind Justin and Parker. They seemed forced, it was almost as if you could feel the presence of a third entity directing the events in this story.
 
This story has two journeys one is the journey of Parker and Justin and the other is Justin’s journey as a werewolf.
 
I loved Justin’s character and I really liked how he handles the rapidly changing status quo of his life, as much of the story is from Justin’s point of view you really get to dig deep into his character. Also since you are mostly in Justin’s head it makes the werewolf aspects of this story much more interesting. The story of Justin being turned into a werewolf and how he comes to terms with his new identity is the best part of this book and I loved it.
 
In most werewolf romances that I have read werewolves are not the traditional monsters they are considered to be. So for me reading a story in which werewolves are monsters was a change and I liked how the author handled that facet of this book. Also I loved werewolf Branson, I was really impressed with his character and he was one character I wanted to know more about, also I loved the interactions between Justin and Branson. They shared an interesting dynamic that I would have loved to see explored more.
 
I didn’t really like the couple of Justin and Parker as it never made much sense to me. Their initial attraction seemed forced and the fact that I found the sex scenes in this book extremely boring didn’t help matters afterwards. I don’t know what it was about the sex scenes in this book but they just seemed so dry, they read like a laundry list of steps to be followed during the course of sex. So yeah for me this couple just didn’t work.
 
Also the fact that we only get Parker’s POV a few times in the beginning made me feel a little distanced from his character. Since the story actually involves both of Parker’s older brothers’, Colin and Max, as well the fact that we don’t get to see their relationship from Parker’s POV kind of hinders the story. I for one really wanted to understand his relationship with his brothers better because that particular aspect of this story is like a bag of worms just threatening the well-being of this story.
 
Overall I feel this book would have worked out better as an adventure-verging-on-a-thriller story then it did as the romance it was forced to be.
 
Cover Art by Ginny Glass. I liked the cover, it sets the tone for the book quite well.
Sales Links
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Book Details:
Kindle Edition, 181 pages
Published September 8th 2016 by Loose Id LLC (first published February 2nd 2014)
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Edition LanguageEnglish

A Free Dreamer Review: Faire Secrets (The Faire Folk #4) by Madeleine Ribbon

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

faire-secrets-by-madeleine-ribbonZion’s life is falling apart. His home burned down, his obnoxious ex-boyfriend is scheduled to get out of jail, the managers of the magical Renaissance Faire expect him to do a month’s worth of work in days, he hasn’t seen his sick sister in nine months, and he’s discovered a hidden room filled with secrets in the rubble of his library.

Usually, spending a few hours practicing rope bondage would be enough to clear Zion’s head, but not this time. This time there’s too much going wrong, and none of his problems are going away. In fact, life is throwing him yet another curve ball in the form of a handsome architect named Vin—the same Vin who spent all of last year trying to climb into Zion’s pants. Zion resisted then, but he’s not so sure he can do it again. He’s not so sure he even wants to.

Zion’s mountain of problems just keeps growing, and it’s only a matter of time until he gets buried beneath them.

First of all, I haven’t read the previous books in this series. I read the blurb for “Faire Secrets”, which is book four, and thought it sounded interesting. I went back and glanced over the blurbs of the previous books. Since this couple didn’t show up in any of them, I figured it should work as a standalone. Unfortunately it doesn’t. That’s totally my own fault and has nothing to do with the quality of the book/series. So I’m going to try to keep my rating as fair as possible and not punish the author for my own mistake.

The world of the Faire seems very intriguing. It looks like a lot of world building has happened in previous books and I really like the little that still happened in this book. The author has obviously put a lot of thought into her world and shows a great love for little details, which make the place even more alive and real.

Zion is an interesting man. I can’t help but relate to his work as a librarian, since I work with books as well. I always love to read about characters who truly appreciate books. Unfortunately for Zion, his world is currently in the middle of falling apart. Everything’s a mess. Usually, a bit of rope bondage helps him calm down, but that’s not enough this time. While Zion likes to be put into elaborate bondage and loves the feel of rope on his skin, he’s not into any other BDSM things. He’s neither a submissive, nor a masochist. He’s just kinky. I really liked that about him.

The sex scenes were very hot. Vin and Zion are very versatile and open to new things. The scenes were a good mix of explicit and non-explicit. Not every single time the two of them had sex was described in elaborate detail. Instead, the author chose to only show us the times when the sex was important to the plot and the relationship.

I liked that Vin was so open from the beginning. He told Zion that he wasn’t good at the guessing game and thus needed to be told explicitly what he was supposed to do or not do. I hate it when MCs don’t talk to each other and just assume things all the time!

I especially loved reading about Zion’s work with the ancient texts he found. I think those were my favourite scenes by far.

There isn’t much to complain about. The plot wasn’t exactly full of breathless suspense, but I still felt well entertained. I just wasn’t fully invested in the story all the time, which was probably a result of my lacking knowledge of previous events.

I’m sure I would have liked “Faire Secrets” even better if I had read the previous instalments. It has definitely made me curious about them and I want to read the first three parts now.

The cover by Fiona Jade is a bit generic. I think it could have done without the shirtless man. A greater focus on the books and scrolls might have worked better.

Sales Links

Loose Id LLC

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Book details:

ebook, 257 pages

Published May 17th 2016 by Loose Id

Series: Part 4 of the Faire Folk series – add to your Goodreads shelf here:

  1. Faire Fugitive
  2. Faire Protector
  3. Faire Diviner
  4. Faire Secrets

Its Release Date for Bread, Salt & Wine by Dev Bentham (excerpt and giveaway)

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Title: Bread, Salt and Wine
Author: Dev Bentham
Series: Tarnished Souls #4
This can be read as a standalone
Release Date: September 13th 2016
Genre: MM Contemporary Romance

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BLURB

Some wounds never heal. George Zajac grew up in a religious family with a father who beat “the swish” out of him. At thirty-eight he’s a troubled man. Escaping his miserable life as a banker in New York, he moves across the country to start again in Los Angeles as the catering chef for a prestigious French Restaurant. Kenny Marks, a writer who’s currently waiting tables, is everything George cannot be—flamboyant, proud and sexually confident. Enthralled by Kenny, and against his own better judgment, George agrees to a date. Sparks fly. The sex is amazing. But even after the two get close, George is crippled by humiliating sexual hang-ups. Still haunted by his childhood, he lingers in the closet and can’t commit to a relationship with Kenny.

Love is the great healer, but is it enough? George’s emotional scars could drive Kenny away, and with him, George’s last chance at happiness.

**Bread, Salt and Wine was previously published by Loose ID in June 2013, but is being re-released with a fabulous new cover, designed by Jordan Castillo Price.**

Goodreads

Buy Links: Amazon

Find the rest of the Tarnished Souls series here: Goodreads

EXCERPT

It was after midnight by the time we got everything cleaned up and stowed away back at the restaurant. I got change for the five one-hundred-dollar bills the financial manager had pressed into my palm as we left, and doled out fifty dollars to each of the four waiters, the busboy/dishwasher, and the bartender. I stuffed one into my pocket and the others into an envelope to give the kitchen crew.

The group started toward the staff locker room, and the kitchen emptied out. Except the cute one, Kenny.

He waved his money at me. “And the momma? Was she pleased?”

I shrugged. “She says she’ll call if she needs catering. We’ll see.” He watched me expectantly until I added, “Thanks for pointing her out.”

“No problem. Glad to be of service.” He shifted his weight onto one hip and looked at me from under his eyelashes. “Chef sometimes forgets to schedule me. Maybe you could put in a good word.”

I nodded. He smiled and turned to leave, throwing a “good night” over his shoulder as he sauntered out the door. I stayed behind to check on the preparations for the next event, Sunday brunch for a hundred. I reviewed the work schedule and was surprised by the pang of disappointment I felt when Kenny Marks’s name wasn’t on the list.

Giveaway: 5 lucky winners will receive an ebook copy of Bread, Salt and Wine!!

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About the Author

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I write contemporary gay romance. My characters are flawed and damaged adult men who may not even know they’re looking for true love, but when they meet their bershert, their true love, their lives are transformed. My stories are set in the real world where gay men have gay friends, families who do or don’t accept them, personal histories they’re not necessarily proud of and a myriad of experiences that have made them who they are.

I live in Northern Wisconsin with my Boston Terrier and Chicago spouse. I’ve published short stories, poetry, newspaper articles and academic papers and have worked in nearly every profession from restaurants to retail to open-water diving and now write m/m romance out of my fascination with love, courage and gender.

Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads

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Jump Into the Past with Gryffon Hall by Alexis Duran (author guest post, excerpt and giveaway)

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Title: Gryffon Hall

Author: Alexis Duran

Release Date: August 30th 2016

Genre: MM Romance, Fantasy

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Why Fantasy? by Alexis Duran

I’ve always loved fantasy; reading it, writing it, and breathing it.  I grew up immersed in traditional fairy tales, from Mother Goose, the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christen Anderson, and The Thousand and One Arabian Nights to a really scary collection of traditional German tales in a big book from my grandmother.  I can still picture the illustrations from that book as if I’d just seen them yesterday. These were the stuff my dreams (and a few nightmares) were made of.  Those dark forests and remote castles were also my refuge when my parents’ marriage disintegrated and—much like a character in one those tales—I was thrust into a suddenly unfamiliar new world where all the rules had changed. While other books I read quickly faded from memory, those tales of magic and myth remained most vivid in my imagination. 

When I became a serious, adult-type writer, under the pressure of serious, adult-type professors, I tried my hand at non-magical, adult-type storytelling, intent on writing about “real life”. What I didn’t realize was that I’d abandoned my authentic self by trying to follow the rules put down by people who didn’t “get” fantasy and belittled it because the stories weren’t “real” (kind of forgetting that all fiction is fantasy to a certain degree).  It was only when I allowed myself to indulge in my literary passion for fantastical worlds and characters that I rediscovered my true voice and an artistic perspective that happens to like viewing all the twists and turns of reality through a magical lens.

Why am I so drawn to Magic? What can I say? With magic there’s no limit on the imagination, nothing is impossible, the stakes are enormous and the rewards, well, fantastic. It’s fun and frightening at the same time.  Yes, it’s an escape, but it’s also a way of magnifying and exposing the deepest of human depths. What reveals our humanity more than facing the inhuman and being challenged by powers that seem so much greater than ourselves?

In the case of Gryffon Hall I revisited those old fairy tales for inspiration. Frolicking in that world was a definite delight.  The plot is loosely based on Beauty and the Beast, and I had a wild time recasting the story as a gay romance, dragging in creatures from all over the realm of fairy, and generally wreaking havoc with a beloved classic.  I hope to do it again soon with an m/m version of Snow White. Stay tuned!

BLURB

Born the useless fourth son of the Lord of Glimmerveen, Wryler dreams of getting married and escaping the rustic confines of his father’s castle. A wealthy merchant’s son seems to hold the key to Wryler’s safe if somewhat dreary future. However, the arrival of a mysterious stranger on the eve of Wryler’s betrothal sends his plans into disarray and Wryler finds himself traded off in marriage to one of the most notorious rogues in the land.

Is Lord Aeric Rouchet the scoundrel he appears to be, or is he something much worse? Separated from his family and thrust into a strange and dangerous new life at the foreboding Gryffon Hall, Wryler must unravel the secret of his husband’s shadowed life and defeat the curse which threatens not only his growing affection for the barbarian in his bed, but the lives of everyone the Lord of Gryffon Hall is sworn to protect.

Buy Links: Amazon | Loose ID | ARe

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31722038-gryffon-hall?ac=1&from_search=true

EXCERPT

Wryler squinted up at a velvet sky recently cleared of clouds. It would be a good night for peering through his telescope, if only the stars would stop swarming about so.

“Lovely night after so much rain.”

Wryler lowered his chin and stood up straight. The voice came from the shadows toward the stables, followed by the sloshing of boots through puddles. With a few more strides Aeric Rouchet emerged from the gloom, that damnable grin on his face.

“Yes. Quite,” Wryler said, “The dining hall got so hot.”

“It did, didn’t it?” Rouchet kept walking, and Wryler feared the man might plow straight into him. He braced himself for impact, but Rouchet stopped a few inches shy of contact. “The fresh air is bracing, but it hasn’t done much to cool the flush in your cheeks.”

“It’s a curse. The blushing,” Wryler said, and damn if his blood didn’t flame even hotter.

“I find it quite becoming.” Rouchet rested his palm against the wall next to Wryler’s head and leaned in. “Is it only the quest for fresh air that keeps you from your comfy bed, Sir Wryler?”

“Yes. What else would it…would I…?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I noticed the young Mr. Arsburry giving you the eye all night.”

“Him?” Wryler snorted. “There’s nothing going on between us, I assure you.”

“Glad to hear it. I thought perhaps you were looking for company.”

“I weren’t. I wasn’t.” Accursed wine!

“But now?” Rouchet placed a finger under Wryler’s chin and lifted it slightly. His looming presence enveloped Wryler in warmth and the smell of leather. Rouchet blocked out the sky, the stars replaced by his gleaming eyes. Wryler shrank back against the wall. He wasn’t being held in place, but he might as well have been. He couldn’t move and didn’t much want to.

Rouchet swooped in for a kiss, his wine-moistened lips covering and consuming Wryler’s. He was surprisingly gentle, this barbarian, his tongue easing into Wryler’s mouth slowly but firmly.

What’s happening? What’s going on here, exactly? Men other than Lennox had kissed Wryler. Large, rough men. Stable hands. Traveling knights. Many had attempted to steal more than a kiss, and while pleasant, Wryler wasn’t often tempted for more. But now, now he sensed Rouchet hesitating, waiting for a sign from Wryler, for permission to unleash the lust he obviously held back.

This really isn’t acceptable behavior. But Rouchet would soon be gone, and they’d never see each other again. What harm could come of a little kiss?

Wryler responded, pushing back with his tongue, his body arching against Rouchet’s.

Rouchet growled and plunged in harder, driving Wryler against the wall. A cascade of tiny explosions fired beneath Wryler’s skin, and he was instantly and embarrassingly hard. It had never been like this with Lennox. Wryler always required coaxing and coercing. Now he felt as if he could be the one in charge, tearing at Rouchet’s clothing and demanding to taste every inch of the lord’s enormous body.

Wryler kept his hands by his sides and balled into fists, not trusting himself to touch Rouchet with more than lips.

Rouchet had no such restraint and ran one large hand down Wryler’s back all the way to his buttocks, which he squeezed hard. Wryler gasped, and Rouchet seized him with both hands and pulled him in tight, crushing Wryler’s poor swollen cock against his unyielding thigh. The pressure felt too good. Wryler wanted to climb Rouchet, to mount this monster of a man and ride him like….like… Words fled him as he cried out for this unexpected delight.

Rouchet broke out of the kiss but kept his mouth close to Wryler’s ear.

“My dear Wryler, thank you for your answer, but I fear if I keep at it I won’t be able to stop.”

“Wait. Why?”

“You’re drunk, and although appearances may suggest otherwise, I am nothing if not a gentleman.”

“I am not!” Wryler insisted, weaving as Rouchet released him.

“Sweetly, deliciously drunk.” Rouchet ran a finger along Wryler’s jaw, then stepped back and bowed. “A good night to you, Sir Wryler, and may you arrive safely at your rooms. I’d escort you, but I’m afraid I’m more the monster in the shadows this night than the knight by your side.” He sighed deeply. “No, I’m afraid I’m more likely to sling you over my shoulder and carry you to my bed than see you safely tucked away in your own.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Wryler said. “Not much anyway.”

“You’re too kind.” Rouchet bowed again. “Sleep well.” He turned and stalked off into the night, vanishing as suddenly as he’d appeared.

For a moment, Wryler wondered if he’d dreamed the entire thing. His body certainly didn’t think so.

 

Giveaway: Win a ebook copy of To Catch a Threeve by Alexis Duran and a $10 Loose ID gift card

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About the Author

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Alexis Duran bio

Alexis Duran was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. At the University of Oregon, her fascination with people and relationships led her to major in Sociology, but her main love has always been creative writing.  She’s worked in museums, finance, film production and for several performing arts organizations. Her favorite job so far has been inventorying the collection of a haunted Victorian Mansion.  She is the author of the Masters and Mages and Edge of Night m/m fantasy series as well as several stand-alone romances.  Her fiction has won several awards including the Rupert Hughes Award from the Maui Writers Conference and First Runner Up from Love Romances Cafe. She lives with one dog and four and a half cats.  She is always working on the next novel and has several new ideas brewing at all times.

You can connect with Alexis at www.alexisduranblog.com, http://twitter.com/AlexisSDuran. http://www.facebook.com/alexis.duran.18294 and https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8332457.Alexis_Duran

Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter

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