Category: MLR Press

A Mika Review: You In My Arms (The Sunset Club #1) by A.C. Katt

Rating: 2.75 stars out of 5 star

You in My Arms coverJason’s priorities are non-negotiable: take care of his sister; keep a roof over their heads; go back to school eventually. Can one club owner make it easier to uphold his priorities and maybe add him to the list? 

Jason Monroe had to leave school to be the guardian of his sister Kitty when his dad and step-mom die in a car crash. He’s working two jobs to keep them afloat, but their boat is leaking much like the roof of their old house. Jason doesn’t have time for love that is until Zach Montgomery, the owner of the Sunset Club, the premier gay club on the Jersey Shore comes calling.

I love kids, and tragedy together. You In My Arms by A.C.. Katt has both.  I honestly liked the characters. Of course we had a crude guy who didn’t do relationships, because hey, that’s what appeals to people. I knew right off the back his tune was going to change once he met the right person. I think it has the potential to be a 4 star book if the author went in with a red pen and crossed out most of the communication between the two. On my goodness, these people TALKED too damn much. It was so scatter-brained between everyone. I mean, come on, one minute one topic then the next it’s tears and run on sentences. I actually didn’t see the chemistry building up between the two so fast. One minute they were in the bar talking, the next Zach bogarts his way into Jason’s life.

I actually liked how devoted Jason was to taking care of his sister. But some things in the story? I don’t know if I believed in them well enough because its as though Jason had blinders on. Zach definitely moved fast when it came to Jason, I mean super fast. All in all, it was okay. I enjoyed the premise more than the execution.

Cover Art by: WinterHeart design. I think the design team got it backwards. Zach is supposed to be the older burnet guy, where as on the cover he looks the youngest. Jason was the 22 yr old blond and he looks middle aged to me. I think it could have been better.

Sales Links:   MLR Books       All Romance (ARe)         Amazon           Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 166 pages
Published March 19th 2015 by ManLove Romance Press
ASINB00UZIXQ58
edition languageEnglish
seriesThe Sunset Club #1

A MelanieM Review: Gavin & Morgan (Storming Love: Blizzard #5) by Nicole Dennis

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

Gavin and Morgan coverDrained from forecasting both hurricanes and twisters, Gavin Larson, a meteorologist, accepts a request to become the head forecaster for a Philadelphia television station. He goes for a trial time during winter. A calm, quiet winter where he can recharge. Until he discovers a series of potential events ready to clash.

Taking over his family’s position, Morgan Rylee Whittaker III feels the pressure to follow their lofty attitude, he can’t stay hidden in the executive suites. He jumps into the chaos. Bumping into the meteorologist, Morgan feels a thump of arousal, but listens when Gavin locates a dangerous blizzard heading up the coast.

Together, they protect and prepare Philadelphia from the incoming nor’easter. They dance around the steady beat of attraction brewing between them as the storm rages.

Gavin & Morgan by Nicole Dennis brings up the end (for me) of MLR’s Storming Love: Blizzard collection and it’s fitting that it goes out with a romance between a meteorologist and the owner of a tv station during the blizzard of the century.  Gavin Larson is an intense, “owned by his job” man.  His passion is the weather but that passion has taken him into jobs such as hurricane and then tornado forecasting that has left him burned out.  The offer of a job at a station in Philadelphia holds out the promise of less meteorological drama and some much needed down time.  After all, says his old college friend that hires him, nothing huge ever happens weather wise in Philly.  Of course, Mother Nature and a Polar Vortex have other ideas.

Also trying out a new position is Morgan Rylee Whittaker III, stepping into the manager shoes at his family media company.  When he meets Gavin, its due to the fact that Gavin sees unstable and dangerous fronts forming and wants to start alerting the community around him that a huge  snow storm is headed their way.  It doesn’t help that newcomer Gavin is the only meteorologist with this forecast or that the “on camera” old school weatherman refuses to use Gavin’s forecasts.  It’s a clash of  old established ways of doing business against the new “youngsters” at the station, even if one happens to be the son of the owner.

It’s a great storyline and one I enjoyed immensely.  Dennis makes her characters and their passions for their jobs believable and grounded in authenticity of the forecasts heard nightly on the weather forecasts.  The weather patterns and the buildup, from equipment to the various fronts forming to build the “storm of the century” felt plausible and real.  The same goes for the attraction building at the same time between the men during this stressful time.    I liked that this is no instant love sort of story, more instant attraction and respect that might grow into something larger and deeper down the line.

In fact, Gavin and Morgan could easily have been written as a much larger story.  The men and their backgrounds were not only complicated and interesting but the present position that each found themselves in could have been made more layered by adding the background that was only hinted at.  I wanted to know more about Gavin’s past stressful jobs and the life style that brought him to Philadelphia.  Same goes for Morgan and his strained relationship with his father.

The clash of personalities of the station was also well done as was the “wear and tear” of a 24 to 48 hour non-stop working situation during a “storm of a lifetime” broadcast.  That aspect of the story was fleshed out beautifully and felt as real as any other element here.

What hurt the story?  The editing and incorrect word choices not caught by either the author or editor.  At one point in the story, Gavin is said to be ” the finest meteorologist and one of the most facetious  researchers” in the country.  Uh, no.  Facetious would be if he  “treated serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor” or was flippant about his job.  That is the opposite of Gavin. Further along, poor Gavin got the brunt of even more malapropisms when it talks about his calm “facade” when I suppose the author meant demeanor or mien.  Façade which is actually the spelling Dennis used means ” outward appearance that is maintained to conceal a less pleasant or creditable reality”, definitely not what the author intended.  I think Dennis wanted to get across that Gavin had a strong, calm presence in front of the camera in face of this dangerous storm.  But that’s not what she said. Oh, for a Funk and Wagnalls.  These inappropriate word choices had pulled me straight out of the story because I was so dumbfounded that the errors had not been caught before publication.   There’s more but I think I made the point needed.  Poor editing hurts a story, it stops the flow of the narrative and makes the reader start concentrating on structural elements rather than the plot.  This should have rated a 4 star or higher rating.  But the inaccuracies and inconsistent editing pulled it down.

I liked this story, and thought the major elements were well crafted.  Perhaps I’m too picky and the things that bothered me about the story aren’t as important to you.  Pick it up and decide for yourself.  For me, its spring and I’m looking forward to flowers, and higher temperatures while putting the snow, Polar Vortexes, and all things similar away for another season.  If you find yourself missing the cold, and snow and ice of the past months, pick up any of the six stories that form the Storming Love: Blizzard collection.  There you will find a story sure to bring those months and romance alive once more.

Cover art by Kris Jacen.  A simple cover that serves to brand the series as a collection.

Sales Links:  MLR Press          All Romance (ARe)       Amazon       Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 81 pages
Published February 22nd 2015 by ManLove Romance Press
ASINB00TXELCB0
edition languageEnglish
seriesStorming Love: Blizzard

Stories in the Storming Love: Blizzard Collection are:

A MelanieM Review: Stokes & Ford (Storming Love: Blizzard #6) by Jackie Nacht

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

Storming Love- Stokes and Ford coverFord and Stokes are about to weather two storms; the blizzard coming their way and their growing feelings for one another.

Stokes has been rooming with Ford ever since the first day of college. Although his feelings had started out as friendly, over time, they have grown deeper. He’s fallen for Ford, hard, but how the hell is Stokes going to tell Ford? When college winter break approaches, Stokes decides to take Ford up to his parent’s rental to have a fun weekend with Ford and finally let his best friend know what he feels. However, with a blizzard coming in, they will have to weather the storm outside and in their hearts.

Stokes and Ford is the last story in the Storming Love: Blizzard series and its a perfect match for all the others that came before.  In short, its sweet, short, and romantic.  Jackie Nacht’s two main characters are college roommates and best friends who also happen to harbor deep feelings, albeit hidden ones, for each other.  One of them, Stokes, decides to risk their friendship and pulls Ford away for a sking weekend that he hopes will turn into something more.  Well, the “something more’ in this case, is the snowstorm of the century and the two men get isolated in the cabin for days, giving both of them time to move forward.

Jackie Nacht does a terrific job with making the snowstorm and its effects upon Stokes and Form believable.  From the men dealing with the drifts and heavy snow on the roof, to the meals they must prepare/cook and the  ways they manage to while away the time (non sexually) in a small cabin enclosed in snow.  A little more frustrating is the dithering about when clearly both young men adore each other, from the cuddling on the bed to the constant touching.  But perhaps that’s authentic as well in two people who care so much about the other that the physical touches say what verbally they are afraid to speak.

Either way, the story is short, and journey to love and revelation sweet and satisfying.  I enjoyed my time with Stokes and Ford and can recommend this story and the entire series.

Cover Artist: Kris Jacen does a good job in branding the series and that a perfect cover for a  collection called Storming Love: Blizzard.

Sales Links:    MLR Press         All Romance (ARe)       Amazon   Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 66 pages
Published March 1st 2015 by ManLove Romance Press
ASINB00U6FJ5AA
edition languageEnglish
seriesStorming Love: Blizzard #6

Books in the Storming Love: Blizzard series:

A Mika Review: This Other Country (More Heat Than the Sun #4) by John Wiltshire

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 

This Other CountryNikolas is the sanest, straightest, person he knows, so can anyone tell him, why he’s on a gay therapy course?

Nikolas Mikkelsen could make a very long list of unpleasant things he’s endured in his life. Then order it from ‘nearly killed me’ to ‘extremely horrific and don’t want to do again’. And what did it say about his forty-five years that being hit by a tsunami would be a considerable way down this list? But nothing, not torture, imprisonment, nor starvation has prepared him for what he now has to endure for Ben Rider’s sake-attendance on a residential, gay therapy course. At least he has a new contender for the top spot on his ‘my awful life’ list.

This Other Country starts off right where The Bridge of Silver Wings ends. Right from the start, I was worried. I mean I wasn’t use to this side of either guys. My heart was beating fast because of all the ideas that were running through my mind based on what I was reading. After a while, I was relieved. No worries from me now on, because I know John Wiltshire would never break my heart like that. I thoroughly enjoyed the circumstances pertaining to Nikolas and Ben ending up in couple’s therapy. Never worry, folks, this is the same vulnerable, difficult, and loving Nik and Ben we are used to. This installment lacked the natural disasters, and attempted assassinations but it never digressed from it’s usual level of emotions and dedicated plot.

I found myself at times sitting back and thinking of all the things that Nikolas has done over the last 8 years and I wouldn’t change a thing. This road that they have found themselves on is their destiny and journey. No matter how things turned out for the better or worst this Ben and Nikolas are the only ones that matter. This book we got a lot of “I’m not gay” responses. I didn’t know how I felt like that, and because I’m not a gay man I can’t say what I should feel like. I can say I liked how each one’s reasoning. Maybe they aren’t gay but for each other. Either way I loved that instead of the action we had to actually deal with “real life” things like how they are perceived. It was a scary reaction for both but I was confident enough that they would come out winning on some accounts.

(Spoiler Links)

I love guiltless Nikolas but damn I wanted cut throat Nikolas out in an instance involving Kate, I can’t talk about the deed but it shows the amount of growth he had by not putting her head on a spike. I was so angry and blood thirsty because of her betrayal that I expected actions to be taken. What do we know; Nikolas has turned over a new leaf.

Wiltshire continues to impress me with his growth of Ben. Just when we think Ben has lost his marbles literally he does the unexpected. I was smiling through tears at that point because it took a lot for him to do that. This goes to show that Ben is still that pure angel in my mind. While this one is somber than the last 3 it might have been the most impactful to me. The message of accepting one’s voice is bright and powerful in itself. I really do enjoy reading these books, and can’t wait to see what John Wiltshire has in store for us next.

Cover Art by Deanna Jamroz. Definitely goes hand in hand with the battling of others and yourself. I truly do like these covers.

Sales Links:  MLR Press       All Romance (ARe)     Amazon    Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook
Published November 22nd 2014 by MLR Press (first published November 21st 2014)
edition languageEnglish
seriesMore Heat Than the Sun #

More Heat Than The Sun Series in the order they were written and should be read:

A Mika Review: The Bridge of Silver Wings (More Heat Than the Sun #3) by John Wiltshire

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

The Bridge of Silver Wings coverNikolas and Ben discover that bonds aren’t forged with blood or scars but in the hearts of men strong enough to love. 

Ben discovers the truth of the adage, ‘be careful what you wish for’. Nikolas has exorcised his demons, but when they end up stranded in Russia, the monster inside needs to be let loose. Siberia in winter isn’t a place for good men. There is nothing Nikolas won’t do to keep Ben alive. 

Home again, Nikolas then faces an enemy he can’t defeat: Ben Rider himself. Discovering a new family, Ben realizes he’s been living too long in the shadows cast by Nikolas’s all-consuming love. For the first time, life apart from Nikolas is possible. Is Nikolas strong enough to let Ben go?

Talk about unexpected events. I could never in a billion freaking years imagine going through the things that Sir Nikolas and Ben went through. I know for sure I wouldn’t have the sanity, resilience or even strength to see the light at the end or put my faith in one person so much. We pick up book three right after the events of Conscious Decisions of the Heart, and the couple are,  literally, off on an adventure in this book. Terrified would be might one word description of the first half of the book. Who goes through things like this? It’s been a good month since reading this, and I wondering what the other people’s family thinks happened, I mean I guess the plane could make sense but where is all the freaking PTSD from that situation. I didn’t see a way for them to survive, and in all this darkness Nikolas persevered and became the dark angel with the brightest shining I’ve ever seen. Certain circumstances, he literally put his life on the line. He is such an amazing character who is so intense, and closed off but has this way about him that just draws you in. I love John Wiltshire for that, I’m all about the damaged hero and he just made my top ten list.

Wiltshire puts them in situations where they are confronted with the possibility that a tomorrow isn’t a promise to me, and in situations like these; these two guys always do something that turn my insides to mush. It might not be the healthiest or sanest ways but it’s why I love them. It was a scene in this book where Nik basically had to put his foot down and didn’t really care about Ben’s feelings. That was one of my favorite quotes ever in this entire book.

“I love you enough to hit you until you get on that thing. Do not make me do it, because this is hurting me more than you.- Nikolas”

Wiltshire takes his readers on a vivid journey and reading it is like watching it unfold right in front of you. These emotions that he seems to bring out of you are gut-wrenching, I cried off and on during the last 45%. He’s able to have two strong men with sordid past and have them fall so deeply in love with each other that no amount of distance or strife will keep them away. This book definitely became my favorite out the series so far. Second half had me not really liking Ben, but as usual he comes out victorious. I wasn’t mad for the reason most people would be, I was mad because I understand him needing to feel like he can stand on his two feet and needing the space to do it. I was mad at the circumstances surrounding certain situations, but it’s my fault really because I doubted Ben and it’s not something we made need to do. While as Nikolas is this dark angel with a vengeful way about himself; Ben is the total opposite. He’s this bright shining beacon who has the most endearing conscience around. I mean he cares for everyone’s well being. His heart is one of the reasons why many adore him, and only Nikolas has him.

Cover Art by Deana Jamoz. This cover is everything that happened in the book. Being in the darkness but fighting your way out until you reach the light. I love it.

Sales Links:   MLR Press         All Romance (ARe)      Amazon        Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 290 pages
Published August 22nd 2014 by MLR Press (first published August 21st 2014)
ISBN13MLR1020140285
edition languageEnglish
seriesMore Heat Than the Sun #3

More Heat Than The Sun Series (should be read in order to understand the relationships and events)

  • Love is a Stranger (More Heat Than the Sun #1)
  • Conscious Decisions of the Heart (More Heat Than the Sun, #2)
  • The Bridge of Silver Wings (More Heat Than the Sun, #3)
  • This Other Country (More Heat Than the Sun, #4)
  • The Bruise-Black Sky (More Heat Than the Sun, #5)

A PaulB Review: Layne, River & Damion (Storming Love: Blizzard #4) by Vicktor Alexander

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Layne River and Damion coverDamion had his heart broken six months ago when his boyfriend of ten years called things off. When he is trapped at work in a college library with a cute student and his ex, Damion must decide what to do next.

“Layne, River and Damion” is the fourth book released in the Storming Love: Blizzard series. Each book can be read as a standalone.

River Cunningham is a marketing student at Yale University. While studying at a university library during a snowstorm, his mind wanders to the janitor passing by. After taking the janitor’s pic and sending it to his best friend, the janitor teases him that River did not catch his best side in the photo he had just taken.

Damion Martin, the janitor of said photo, had his heart broken six months previously by his boyfriend of ten years, Layne. Still hurting, Damion decides the cute student might be what it takes to move on from is ex, who happens to work in the same library as Damion does.

Layne Haylse is working as a librarian at Yale. While he believes he did the best thing for Damion by breaking things off with him, Layne still longs for Damion. He knows he has hurt Damion by his actions but still wonders if there might be a chance left between them, despite the reasons for the breakup.

As the snowstorm intensifies, the power goes out in the library. This brings the three characters together to survive during the blackout. While Damion and Layne talk about the reasons for the breakup, Damion still has interest in River. The three must figure out how to move forward once the lights come back on.

I liked how the author established the back story between Layne and Damion. The reason for the break up between Layne and Damion also laid the groundwork for the reason behind the ménage pairing that would come about later. I also liked how the author left open the possibility of a future story with the characters with his happy for now ending. The one complaint I have with the book is that only these three characters are stuck at a library at Yale University during the blackout and snowstorm. If the storm was intensified that suddenly, wouldn’t more students and employees be there?

The cover art by Kris Jacen mimics the other books in the Blizzard series. However, with this book there are three silhouettes instead of two, to reflect the three characters in the story.

Sales Links:    MLR Press        All Romance (ARe)     Amazon          Buy It Here

Book details:
Kindle Edition, 54 pages
Published February 15th 2015 by ManLove Romance Press
ASINB00TOKGUEM
edition languageEnglish
seriesStorming Love: Blizzard #4

Series: Storming Love Blizzard
Jens & Eliot by Sara York (Storming Love: Blizzard #1)
Kimo & Mike by Neil Plakcy (Storming Love: Blizzard #2)
Seth & Casey by R.J. Scott (Storming Love: Blizzard #3)
Layne, River & Damion by Vicktor Alexander (Storming Love: Blizzard #4)
Gavin & Morgan by Nicole Dennis (Storming Love: Blizzard # 5)

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: All in the Details by A.K.M. Miles

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

All In The Details coverAs this sweet romance opens we meet Beau Garner , a 31 year old man who has put his OCD into making a profit by running an event organizing company called Details. “It’s all in the details” claims Beau over and over again throughout the book. (Though meant to be humorous, it falls short after a while.) A last minute detail takes him to a rural convenience store to buy balloons, and besides being nearly sideswiped by a speeding vehicle roaring out of the parking lot as he enters, he’s also blindsided by finding a gun under a display case and then finding himself at the mercy of the police who’ve been called to “disarm” him. He only grabbed the gun when he heard two young children debating whether or not to pick it up, and as he tells the officers, “Do I look like the type of man who would have a gun?”, he catches the eye of the young good-looking cop.

Nash Tyler is a 31 year old cop in this rural town. He’s gay, and though his captain is aware, it’s not the type of thing he advertises to the rest of his co-workers. He’s a good cop, however, and he gives the cute guy with the gun a break and listens to his full story at the store, rather than haul him to the station as his homophobic partner wants to do. Since the situation is easily resolved, Beau is released but not before he notices Nash’s blushes as he hands Beau his card in case Beau needs to get in touch with him.

This is a sweet, slow-building romance that’s very family focused. Beau lives with Alberta, his grandmother’s friend and companion, a black woman who would prefer not to live with her own family and who cares for Beau as if he were her own child. The main excitement and undercurrent to the story is an apparent stalker who is randomly harassing Beau. That starts with phone calls then goes to being shot at with rock salt as he and Nash are soaking in his hot tub, to having faggot painted on his car then escalating to acts which could result in injury or death. Readers know who the likely stalker is from the beginning, but the action doesn’t culminate until the end of the book.

Another odd thing that happens, which is totally non-reality based, is that Beau helps a young woman at the airport as she’s trying to decide what to do about her fatherless infant, and she ends up leaving the infant in the restroom with a note turning him over to Beau. He then gets through the foster process and is given the baby that night—a baby that he will ultimately adopt as his and Nash’s at some point in the future. Most of the second half of the story was about the baby and integrating the baby into their lives as he and Nash became closer romantically, and their stalker became increasingly more dangerous.

There was little in this story to make it outstanding for me in any way, yet it was well-written and was a sweet romance so I’d recommend it to those who are looking for something simple and family-oriented with not a lot of sex but a lot of love.

Cover Art by Winterheart Design features two men representing the characters. The cop is superimposed over the cute guy who depicts Beau in such a way that it’s evident the cover was cropped together and looks amateurish. It’s not as appealing as one that would have blended the two characters without the overlap like the cover used in the previous edition.

Sales Links:    MLR Press           All Romance (ARe)       Amazon          <a href=”Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 206 pages
Published January 29th 2015 by ManLove Romance
(first published April 27th 2013 by Silver Press)
ASINB00SXN3PNA
edition languageEnglish