Category: Samhain Press

In the Spotlight: Falling (Fall or Break #1) by Barbara Elsborg (author interview and contest)

STRW In The Spotlight Header

Falling (Fall or Break #1) by Barbara Elsborg
Samhain Publishing

Falling cover

Author Barbara Elsborg is here today to talk about her book, Falling, and the Fall or Break series.  Check out our interview below and the book details  that follow.

Contest: Enter to win a eBook from Barbara Elsborg’s library.  Leave a comment below, along with an email address where you can be contacted.  And also click on the Rafflecopter link below as well.  Contest ends midnight, April 21st (2 weeks from today):
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An Interview with Barbara Elsborg on “Falling”….

1. What prompted you to write Falling?

I hate the idea of someone being put in prison for something they didn’t do. I hate the idea of someone being accused of something they didn’t do! It made me think how awful it must be to be in prison and be constantly encouraged to admit your guilt and how hard it must be to stand against that pressure. It used to be the case that if you didn’t admit your guilt you spent more of your sentence behind bars. That’s not really true now BUT since a parole board has to agree to your early release, if you haven’t accepted your guilt it can be a reason to deny you the chance of life outside on license. I had to do a lot of research to check I had my facts right!

2. Where do you draw your inspiration?

Everywhere. Things I’m told, things I read or see. An addiction to Google! Another inspiration for Falling was when a friend told me of a young man she knew who was a teacher in Scotland – accused of abuse by a pupil. He was innocent. The accusation was withdrawn but the damage was done and he left teaching. I think in these days of political correctness, you have to be so careful what you say and do and in a way, it’s a shame. We need a better balance.

3. Falling is the first in the Fall or Break series. Will you continue with the couple in Falling or will each subsequent book feature a different set of MCs?

The next book Breaking – features Conrad – a minor character out of Falling. It’s a stand alone book but it does help to know who Conrad used to be with. Malachi and Harper have a little part in Breaking – out in July. I prefer writing books that tell the story of one couple, and end it rather than let it run to several books.

4. Or will the series chart the progression of the relationship?

So no – LOL – the series will be about different MCs!

5. Were you a prolific reader as a child?

Huge reader. I used to be trouble with the local library because I took books back to change them for new ones before they’d filed the cards for the ones I’d taken out. (that dates me!) I read very fast. 80 pages in 30 minutes of a paperback – often even quicker. I also read up to 3 books at the same time – not actually at the same time but I have 3 by the side of the bed now, all part read, plus the one on my Kindle. I read according to mood! I’m not always in the mood for romance. I like suspense and thrillers.

6. If so, what book or author made a impact on you as a child reader?

That’s really hard. I think I might pick the Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton. I loved the idea of another land up a tree!I was scared of heights though so I never climbed trees.

7. And has that impact continued into adulthood, as a reader and writer?

No. Enid Blyton was of her time. Some stories like the Magic Faraway Tree can be read now, but the others are dated. I didn’t have a favourite author. I just read anything. Once I was in my teens I was addicted to James Bond books. Then I branched out to the classics. There aren’t many genres I won’t try. The one I have the most difficulties with is hard core sci fi. It’s too technical for me.

8. Who do you consider your influences as an author today?

Impossible to say. I’ve read so much and loved so much- Adele Parks, Jennifer Crusie, Fiona Walker, Freya North – but I love thriller and suspense writers like Mark Billingham, Tom Wood, Karin Slaughter, Harlan Coben, Mo Hayder – so many. I also love regency romances – Eloisa James, Mary Balogh, Julia Quinn… too many to mention. I think any good author that you read has to have some influence if only to encourage you to write better.

9. What drives you to write? And have you always written?

What drives me? The love of telling a story, the need for a happy ending, a belief in love, an interest in what makes people tick. I have always written. I started with fan fiction as a teenager for TV shows and wrote my first novel in my early twenties. I found writing was a way to escape a not very happy time at school. I could dive into my own world, make myself the heroine and give myself a HEA.

10. What’s next for Barbara Elsborg?
I have an MM called The Demon You Know out in April. An MMF called Talking Trouble out in May. Breaking out in July and I’ve just finished writing an MM tentatively called Give Yourself Away. It’s going to be a year of many releases!! But on a personal note, I’m going to be at RT in Dallas if anyone would like to meet me!

STRW Author BookSynopsis

About Falling…

Falling is easy. Landing without breaking your heart? Impossible.

Harper is no longer behind bars, but it doesn’t feel like it. Ten years serving time for a crime he didn’t commit have left him shut down, numb, and a frozen wreck over the simplest of choices.

He’s acutely aware of the dark-haired young man checking him out in the supermarket, but he’s too deep in panic mode to even meet the guy’s gaze. Afraid the slightest move will trigger a fall that will never stop.

Fresh off a long-term relationship with a controlling man, Malachi is stuck living with relatives who think he’s a waste of oxygen. The tall guy in the long, gray coat is the first bright spot he’s glimpsed in a long time…though the man’s unblinking stare at a bottle of shower gel is a touch alarming.

Hard experience tells both of them to turn away before lust turns to hopeless attraction, and inevitably to disaster. But once their sparks connect, the arc of electricity is too strong to deny. Even if the cost is too much to bear.

Warning: Contains an ex-con with disaster written all over him, a boy toy who’s trouble with a capital T, a damp old British house, compulsive meddling, and enough hot sex to cure the severe case of nervous babbling.  Read an excerpt here at Samhain.

Sales Links:  Samhain Publishing           Amazon       Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 282 pages
Published March 24th 2015 by Samhain Publishing
original titleFalling,ASINB00Q33IKYG
edition languageEnglish
url http://www.barbaraelsborg.com/book/falling/
seriesFall or Break #1

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

About Barbara Elsborg:

Barbara Elsborg lives in West Yorkshire in the north of England. She always wanted to be a spy, but having confessed to everyone without them even resorting to torture, she decided it was not for her. Vulcanology scorched her feet. A morbid fear of sharks put paid to marine biology. So instead, she spent several years successfully selling cyanide.

After dragging up two rotten, ungrateful children and frustrating her sexy, devoted, wonderful husband (who can now stop twisting her arm) she finally has time to conduct an affair with an electrifying plugged-in male, her laptop.

Her books feature quirky heroines and bad boys, and she hopes they are as much fun to read as they are to write.

Contact/follow Barbara at her blog/website:  http://www.barbaraelsborg.com/

A Mika Review: Carry the Ocean (The Roosevelt #1) by Heidi Cullinan

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Normal is just a setting on the dryer. 



carry the ocean coverHigh school graduate Jeremey Samson is looking forward to burying his head under the covers and sleeping until it’s time to leave for college. Then a tornado named Emmet Washington enters his life. The double major in math and computer science is handsome, forward, wicked smart, interested in dating Jeremey—and he’s autistic.

But Jeremey doesn’t judge him for that. He’s too busy judging himself, as are his parents, who don’t believe in things like clinical depression. When his untreated illness reaches a critical breaking point, Emmet is the white knight who rescues him and brings him along as a roommate to The Roosevelt, a quirky new assisted living facility nearby.

As Jeremey finds his feet at The Roosevelt, Emmet slowly begins to believe he can be loved for the man he is behind the autism. But before he can trust enough to fall head over heels, he must trust his own conviction that friendship is a healing force and love can overcome any obstacle.

Warning: Contains characters obsessed with trains and counting, positive representations of autism and mental illness, a very dark moment, and Elwood Blues.

It has to be something in the air with these MM NA (new adult) books. I’ve read two back to back and fell in love with characters from both books. I would never have picked up this book if it wasn’t for the cover which is beautifully done and a friends review of it. I read this book in one sitting, and I will reread it again. I found myself crying uncontrollably because Emmet was amazing. He did things or said things that just warmed my heart.

Emmet is one of the bravest guys I’ve ever read about. His explanation of things and willingness to do them just kept on exciting me. Every little step he’s taken was with precaution and determination. He didn’t allow his Autism or Brain Octopus dictate his life. I love that when he needed help he reached out to his family. I liked that he took out time for Jeremey and explained certain things to him. From that first moment of him on the page his reasoning was so well thought out. I liked that the writing kind of related to how he would speak. I loved that he knew he was different in a certain aspect but didn’t want that to be his main focus. I love his parents and his aunt. His support system is amazing. I like they he thinks of Jeremey well being constantly.

Here’s the thing, I know a lot of people won’t like Jeremey, but I did. I don’t think it’s fair to be frustrated with him because I don’t live with major depressive disorder or clinical anxiety. I’ve never once felt the way he had. I don’t know what it is like to feel like I’m carrying everyone’s emotions. I don’t know what it feels like to have my brain go against me. I don’t know how those dark times control everything about me. I don’t know what it feel’s like to be scared all of the time. I don’t know what it feel’s like to not have a voice. That is how Jeremey feels, and I’m okay with that. Sure I found it extremely frustrating how hard he was on himself, or him standing up for himself. I get it though and I Hate that he didn’t love himself enough back then to get help.

I think Jeremey became complacent in his life, and I would have hated to see how he would have acted if his parents for college on him. I HATED his parents; they were inexcusable by their actions. I kind of felt that way towards his sister as well, and I know I shouldn’t but no one was there for him after his panic attack.

I really enjoyed the pace and flow of the story and really liked the relationship between the two guys. The writing was really good.

Cover Art by Kanaxa. I absolutely loved this cover. It’s what drew me in at the first place. I think it’s a great visual for how these two books carry things around. I love that it’s most likely Jeremey’s reasoning for how he feels about stuff. It is really beautiful.

Sales Links:    Samhain Publishing       All Romance (ARe)       Amazon     Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook
Expected publication: April 7th 2015 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
original titleCarry the Ocean
ISBN139781978161922
edition languageEnglish
url http://www.heidicullinan.com/Carry_the_Ocean
seriesThe Roosevelt #1

A Mika Review: Jackdaw by K.J. Charles

Rating: 5 star out of 5 stars

If you stop running, you fall.

 Jackdaw coverJonah Pastern is a magician, a liar, a windwalker, a professional thief…and for six months, he was the love of police constable Ben Spenser’s life. Until his betrayal left Ben jailed, ruined, alone, and looking for revenge.

 Ben is determined to make Jonah pay. But he can’t seem to forget what they once shared, and Jonah refuses to let him. Soon Ben is entangled in Jonah’s chaotic existence all over again, and they’re running together—from the police, the justiciary, and some dangerous people with a lethal grudge against them.

 Threatened on all sides by betrayals, secrets, and the laws of the land, can they find a way to live and love before the past catches up with them?

This story is set in the world of the Charm of Magpies series.

Warning: Contains a policeman who should know better, a thief who may never learn, Victorian morals, heated encounters, and a very annoyed Stephen Day.

She is on top of her game. K.J. Charles has managed to produce another 5 star read out of herself. I applaud her, because this series & the world-building are so entertaining. I went into this story with a little anxiousness because it wasn’t Day & Crane. I am so happy I didn’t let that stop me. One thing the Magpie Series wasn’t was hurt/comfort. This was hurt/comfort to the extreme and I freaking enjoyed it from beginning to end. I read this in one sitting, and found myself laughing while crying because of her characters. 

Jonah, oh you poor baby. I really enjoyed in him the previous book and his description of the events that landed him where he was today was brilliantly written. He was so sure in this book, arrogant kind of cocky. This book he was super vulnerable and I couldn’t help but to want to save him.

Then there was sweet by the law Ben. Oh goodness I was a sucker from his first word. That first scene reuniting Ben & Jonah had me in tears. Their emotions were super strong and you saw the hurt, and betrayal Ben was talking about, but we also got glimpse of the Love Jonah had for him. 

Of course we had to have Day & Crane, plus the Merrick’s made an appearance and they didn’t disappoint. Crane does it for me, he’s like 17th century Christian Grey with a little bit more sanity and sexiness. I really enjoyed this journey of redemption, forgiveness, love, and endearment between the two guys. I wish K.J. could spend her time writing about these core group of people, I would literally read everything she has produced on the.

Cover Art by Lou Harper.  This cover was beautifully done. As usual the covers to the series are so beautifully printed. I’ve always enjoyed them. Both guys were nicely represented.

Sales Links: Samhain Publishing    All Romance (ARe)       Amazon        Buy It here

Book Details:

ebook, 239 pages
Expected publication: February 17th 2015 by Samhain Publishing
ISBN 161922576X (ISBN13: 9781619225763)

A MelanieM Review: The Truth as He Knows It (Perspectives #1) by A.M. Arthur

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Lies are the chains that keep you weighed down at rock bottom.

The Truth As He Knows It coverNoel Carlson is now living as a police officer in the town of Stratton, Pennsylvania.  The scars he carries, on body and in mind, are not the only reminders of the gay bashing in college.  It also left his first love and best friend Tristan institutionalized with brain damage. And Noel his only visitor.  Weekly visits to Tristan and some of the comments Noel has overheard at work have kept him firmly in the closet, even to his partner.  Then an official call to an apartment building on a nuisance violation changes all that.

The loud noises from an out of control female bachelor party brings Off. Noel Carlson and his partner face to face with a tied up, dazed male stripper. Since the stripper had violated no laws, Noel lets him go.  Later Noel finds that he can’t forget the gorgeous man in the thong with the butterfly tattoo.

Shane Joseph has had a terrible life and it has left him with overwhelming debts to repay, especially to the brother who sacrificed nearly everything for him. His two jobs, in a deli and as a stripper, leave him no time for a social life.  But when his last job brings a gorgeous cop to his rescue, Shane thinks his might be missing out on something.  Another encounter at the deli reinforces that impression, especially when it seems that Noel wants more than sex and a quick hookup.  Soon a shaky bond is formed and Shane and Noel start to hope that they might even have a future together.

But Shane has huge secrets that he is hiding from everyone, including his brother.  And past history has taught him that lying brings less pain than telling the truth.  But now those lies are piling up and threatening to drown Shane.  Shane wants to come clean to those he loves, including Noel.  But when the revelations are done, will Shane still have anyone to come home to?

Whew!  What an emotionally wrenching read.  A. M. Arthur certainly knows how to build a story complete with strong, vulnerable characters you grow to care about.  A carryover from Arthur’s Cost of Repairs (book and series), the reverberations of the events and gay bashing continue to spread through the storyline here.  The Truth As He Knows It is the first in Arthur’s new Perspectives series that will feature characters from the Cost of Repairs books and new characters such as Shane.  But honestly, as well written as this story is, I’m not sure I’m going to continue on.

As I stated before this author creates believable, viable human beings for her stories.  The settings, locations, and events that occur translate as authentic and real.  For example, the beaten-up old trailer and disreputable, grungy trailer park where Shane and his brother Jason, reside, is so vividly described that the reader will have no problem visualizing such a desperately poor and hard scrabble sort of existence both brothers have been living.  That aura of desperation and near poverty coats Jason and Shane, leaving them both with a grayness that can’t be washed off.  That’s marvelous writing.  And it continues with Noel and Tristan’s relationship, and carries over into all the interchanges and dialog between every main character here.  So why wouldn’t I want to continue? Why? Because of the unrelenting angst and pain these characters go through.

These characters have been abused, raped, imprisoned, beaten, left brain damaged, scarred, impoverished, victimized in almost every way and it’s not just in the past.  Its past, present, (and if I read the clues right), it continues well into their future…books that is.  The pain and abuse rains down on these people like a 40 year flood that’s just getting started.  Just when you think there’s a possibility of something positive happening or a hopeful turn of events,  the author beats the crap out of that bead of light with a steel baseball bat.  It’s not just the characters that are left reeling, but the reader as well.

I can take angst if it is balanced out with scenes that leave the characters and the reader feeling happy or hopeful or even satisfied that all the time spent reading that story was worthwhile.  And for me, that just didn’t happen.  I felt as beaten up as the characters when it was all over.  And the hints and clues laid down by A.M. Arthur for Tristan’s story made me feel worse.

There are other elements that some readers will have issues with like the constant lying and the out of relationship sex, neither of which bothered me. A. M. Arthur lays out a rational and logical reason for both of those things happening, including an abusive background for Shane that makes his bad decisions seem realistic if sad.  No, it’s that I want more in a romance, more love, more hope, less constant  sorrow.  So, I am leaving this story and series right here.  Not all readers will feel the same.  Others will have a higher tolerance for hurt/comfort or near constant angst then I do, and they will adore this story and most like the series too.  Plus its just that well written that you shouldn’t be surprised to find the tears flowing as certain scenes unfold. So…what’s left to say.

I’m not giving any recommendations one way or the other.  Instead, you know what type of reader you are so I will leave the decision up to you.  I have read and loved A.M. Arthur’s stories in the past, including some in the Cost of Repairs series like Foundation of Trust.  Arthur is a terrific writer. I will continue to pick up and read Arthur’s new books as they arrive (mostly).  I will let you all into what I discover!

Cover artist: ?  I loved that cover, intimate and sexy.  Too bad I have no idea who created it.

Sales Links:  Samhain Publishing      All Romance (ARe)         Amazon   Buy it here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 289 pages
Expected publication: February 10th 2015 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
ASINB00ODW2IEM
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://amarthur.blogspot.com.au/
seriesPerspectives #1

On Tour with A.M Arthur’s The Truth As He Knows It (book tour and contest)

AMBanner300x250

Book Name: The Truth As He Knows It
Author Name: A.M. Arthur
Release Date: February 10, 2015
Goodreads Link

Author Bio:

A.M. Arthur was born and raised in the same kind of small town that she likes to write about, a stone’s throw from both beach resorts and generational farmland. She’s been creating stories in her head since she was a child and scribbling them down nearly as long, in a losing battle to make the fictional voices stop. She credits an early fascination with male friendships (bromance hadn’t been coined yet back then) with her later discovery of and subsequent love affair with m/m romance stories.

When not exorcising the voices in her head, she toils away in a retail job that tests her patience and gives her lots of story fodder. She can also be found in her kitchen, pretending she’s an amateur chef and trying to not poison herself or others with her cuisine experiments.

Where to find A.M. Arthur:

Contact her at am_arthur@yahoo.com with your cooking tips (or book comments). You can also find her online (http://amarthur.blogspot.com/), as well as on Twitter (http://twitter.com/am_arthur), Tumblr (http://www.tumblr.com/blog/am-arthur), and Facebook (A.m. Arthur). A.M. Arthur’s work is available from Samhain Publishing, Carina Press, Dreamspinner Press, and Musa Publishing.

Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Cover Artist: Lyn Taylor

Sales Links:  Samhain   Amazon

Blurb:

Perspectives, Book 1TruthAsHeKnowsIt-The300

Officer Noel Carlson isn’t out to anyone in small-town Stratton, Pennsylvania, only to distant friends and family, so a relationship is out of the question. That doesn’t stop him from wanting one, though.

When a night-shift call brings him face to thonged butt with a hired stripper whose girl-party gig went terribly wrong, Noel takes pity on the guy and lets him go. But he can’t get the encounter out of his mind.

Shane has big-time debts to repay, especially to the brother who sacrificed nearly everything for him. His two jobs, in a deli and as a stripper, leave him no time for a social life. But a non-date of hot sex and takeout food with Noel? He can squeeze that in.

The bond they form is stronger than either expected or wanted. Especially since the step Shane’s about to take to put his brother—and his soul—back in the black isn’t quite legal. And he never calculated just how much his determination to make things right will cost him in the end.
Categories: Contemporary, M/M Romance

Excerpt:

“I want to see you again,” Shane said.

Noel grinned, flashing those dimples. “I’d like that too. My work schedule is pretty weird, though. I’m first shift, which is eleven at night to seven in the morning, five days, starting tomorrow.”

Shane worked that one around. It gave them daytime hours, and evenings on Wednesday and Thursday. He worked at the deli tomorrow, and Saturday was off the table. Probably Sunday too, for good measure. “When do you sleep?”

“Usually when I first get home, from about eight to two or three. Sometimes longer, depending on the night.”

“So you’re usually free dinnertime until like ten?”

“Pretty much.” Noel cracked an unexpected yawn. “Sorry, my schedule is a little off after spending the day with Tristan. I try to keep similar sleep times on my days off so I don’t get too screwed up.”

Shane stood, surprised. “How long have you been awake?”

“About thirty hours.”

“Shit, why didn’t you tell me that?”

“Because I wanted to do this tonight. I’ve been thinking about you all week, and I’m glad I saw you at Mineo’s today. Really glad.”

“Me too.” Shane draped his arms around Noel’s waist. “And since this has been a fantastic night, I’m going to go before you pass out from exhaustion.”

“Do you want to get together tomorrow?”

He considered it for about two seconds. “My weekend’s pretty booked with work and stuff. Monday? We could maybe go out for real this time?”

“Sounds good. I’ll call you when I get up Monday and we can hammer out the details.”

“Okay.”

Shane collected his clothes and dressed, taking his time because Noel was watching. The opposite of a striptease, and Shane kind of loved the novelty of it. He meant his good-night kiss to be soft, quick, but Noel held him tight and devoured his mouth until Shane was breathless and half-hard. God, he could kiss Noel for hours and not get tired of it. But he saw the fatigue in Noel’s eyes, and it was time to leave.

“See you soon,” Shane said. “And thanks for dinner.”

“You’re welcome, cowboy.”

Shane strolled back to his car with a bounce in his step, positive he’d never be able to hear the word “cowboy” again without thinking of Noel Carlson.


Pages or Words: 83,000 words, 255 pages

AMBadgeTour Dates/Tour Stops:

10-Feb

Prism Book Alliance

All I Want and More Books

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

11-Feb

Amanda C. Stone

Hearts on Fire

12-Feb

Joyfully Jay

13-Feb

My Fiction Nook

Because Two Men Are Better Than One

16-Feb

Love Bytes

17-Feb

Cathy Brockman Romances

Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves

18-Feb

Book Reviews and More by Kathy

BFD Book Blog

19-Feb

Carly’s Book Reviews

Bayou Book Junkie

20-Feb

Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews

23-Feb

Molly Lolly

24-Feb

Cate Ashwood

25-Feb

Queer Town Abbey

3 Chicks After Dark

26-Feb

Velvet Panic

Smoocher’s Voice

27-Feb

Jade Crystal

Parker Williams

2-Mar

Charley Descoteaux

MM Good Book Reviews

Inked Rainbow Reads

Wake Up Your Wild Side

As The Pages Turn 

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A MelanieM Review: No Boundaries (Phoenix, Inc. #1) by S.E. Jakes

Rating: 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4 stars out of 5

When your past closes in, running isn’t always an option.

No BoundariesCole Jacobs left behind his old life on the streets to make a name for himself rebuilding high-end vintage cars and bikes.  That life had almost cost him his soul, even now Cole’s not sure that he can heal the damage done by selling himself to stay alive.  He’s just happy to be out of the lifestyle and have a job he does well and enjoys.  But Cole’s feeling of safety and contentment is short lived when he’s slipped a piece of paper at work that threatens him and all he has worked for.

A stalker has come to town looking for Cole and now he has found him.  And Cole doesn’t know where to turn for help.

Ex soldier, ex CIA agent Marcus Lowry now works for Phoenix, Inc. Investigations.  The owners are ex agents like himself and the cases are normally quick and easy. Plus they don’t give him the nightmares his days as a CIA operative did. Until Marcus is given Cole’s case and Cole as a client.  Cole pushes many of his issues of trust and betrayal as well as raising feelings of attraction and possibly love that Marcus has tamped down.

Cole sees in Marcus the same type of man that used to buy him on the street and the clashes of temperaments and emotions come quick and fast, as fast as their lust for each other.

Then the first attempt on Cole’s life almost kills them both and its time for all the secrets to come out and issues to be dealt with if Marcus is to stop a killer as well trained as himself.

I love SE Jakes and her pantheon of hardcore, damaged, sometimes lethal men.  No Boundaries is the first in her new series, Phoenix, Inc, a private investigative service run by three lovers, Styx, Law and Paulo whose story is told in SE Jakes’ Men of Honor series.

No Boundaries introduces us to Marcus Lowry, a new agent and ex CIA op.  Marcus is a bundle of issues, including PSTD.  He has nightmares over his last tour, his usually spot on ability to detect those lying to him or cons isn’t working and the stress is burning him out.  So his bosses figure what he needs is to take on Cole Jacobs, another damaged man, as a client, who just might kickstart Marcus back to life.

Law, Styx and Paulo know Cole as the mechanic who fixes their bikes and cars but Styx also recognizes in Cole someone who carries the same pain and scars as two of them.  Jakes writes damaged men especially well.  It doesn’t seem to matter what age her characters are or what injury has been done to them, each of them (whether its 24 years old Cole or seasoned vet 35 year old Marcus)  comes off as a real, albeit troubled, person.

Law, Styx, and Paulo also come across as fully realized, although it certainly helps to know their backstory as I do.  For this series to completely work as a standalone series (outside of the Men of Honor, Hell or High Water and other interrelated series), more of their history needs to be included for the reader coming in without any prior knowledge.

Cole and Marcus’ shift into a relationship is hot, fast, and always on shaky ground.  Each man has so many secrets and issues that make a firm foundation for any relationship close to impossible or believable.  Both spend an inordinate amount of time either running or wanting to run away as much as they want to run towards each other.  Their heated arguments go hand in hand (snicker) with their sexual hookups.   I bought into their relationship completely…up until the end.  That was the only segment that didn’t feel real considering everything that went before.

The only other issue I had here, outside of the unrealistic ending, was what happened with the stalker.  I loved the tension and suspense that SE Jakes brought to the whole stalking situation.  She easily made her case that this person posed a deadly threat to them all, and she kept us on our toes as we waited for the stalker to make the next move, one that was always unanticipated.  Until the end.  Then the story rushes to a quick resolution and then onward to an ending that felt more tacked on then part of the story I just read.  Had this ended more as a HFN, that would have been more in character than the HEA it seemed to be. Some readers will be overjoyed at this ending and wondering what I am going on about, but these damaged men can’t be smoothed out that easily and remain authentic, at least to me.

Those issues aside, this is one hot, sexy story.  And its full of hardcore, experienced men who have had more than their share of pain, regret, and loss.  When they find the one or ones that fulfill them, you can help but get on board and share in the joy, love, and yes, lots of hot sex.   I can’t wait for the next book in the series and see what happens next.  I do know that it will be explosive, sexy and full of compelling men.  That’ll keep me coming back for more and more and more.

Cover Artist Angelique Anderson.  The cover is hot, although that torso is more in keeping with Marcus then Cole.

Sales Links:  Samhain Publishing    All Romance (ARe)    Amazon   Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 187 pages
Published November 4th 2014 by Samhain Publishing
original titleNo Boundaries
edition languageEnglish
url http://www.sejakes.com/books/no-boundaries/
seriesPhoenix, Inc. #1
charactersCloe Jacobs, Marcus Lowry

A MelanieM Review: A Minor Inconvenience by Sarah Granger

Rating: 4.75 (rounded up to 5) stars out of 5

Duty, honor, propriety…all fall in the face of love. 

A Minor Inconvenience coverAs Lord Wellington wages war against Napoleon, Captain Hugh Fanshawe, third son of Lord Fanshawe, returns from the Peninsular War permanently injured.  His leg torn apart by a French musket ball, Hugh is reduced to quiet, lonely days compiling paperwork at Horse Guards headquarters, the one place he can still make a difference.

From the battlefields to his office, now Hugh’s life is only interrupted by his mother and sister’s social schedule as he accompanies them to functions and galas.  Hugh’s only solace is that his mother no longer tries to fix his up with “suitable girls” with large dowries, thanks to his injuries.  Then Hugh’s restricted, lonely life is upended with the arrival of Colonel Theo Lindsay.

Theo is everything Hugh is not—a man of physical perfection and easy yet distinguished address. Surprisingly to Hugh, Theo appears to be interested in befriending him. Theo turns out to be a pivotal person in Hugh’s life.  An embarrassing turn of events reveals their fondness for the company of men, and soon, a friendship forms that quickly turns into something sexual and deep.

But there’s a mighty war still being fought, and a suspicion of a French spy at work in the Horse Guards.  The search for the spy’s identity and the subsequent revelations will have drastic consequences on all involved, not the least of which is Hugh’s heart!

What an amazing story!  I am so fond of M/M historical romances but accompanying that love of historical fiction is a critical eye towards the locations, settings, and cultural references of the times.  Too often that’s where a novelist goes astray, with dates, people and events not thoroughly researched.  But not here!  No, Sarah Granger has done a fabulous job of bringing the tumultuous times of the Peninsula War (1807 to 1814) to life in every way.  Through the eyes of Hugh (our narrator) we overhear the correspondence to and from Wellington as the war wages overseas and the incompetence and politics interfering with Wellington’s progress (or lack of) at home.  There are recounted clashes and tortured remembrances of bloody campaigns in Spain, and every scene, every bit of dialog feels believable and authentic.

But Granger doesn’t stop there with pulling us into the life of the English ton and upper society.  Hugh’s young sister, Sophie is fond of milliners, mantua-makers and such and is often found regaling Hugh with the descriptions of her latest gowns even as Hugh’s eyes glaze over.  I adored Sophie and her relationship with Hugh is telling, tender and happily contributes to our portrait of the man.

There are the uniforms of the 52nd Foot, the 95th Rifles and Horse Guards, the dress of the men in formal and informal occasions, the barouches, curricles, and phaeton’s and other horse drawn carriages of the times.  There’s the mention that Hugh’s valet wishes his master would have his coats made at Weston instead of patronizing Scott, an inferior tailor. And when Hugh’s not paying attention, the valet manages to tie Hugh’s neckcloth in the Mathematical style.  I could go on and go, the references accurately framing out the author’s time period for her story and giving A Minor Inconvenience a solid historical  foundation and universe upon which her characters and plot stand quite easily.

However, wonderful an author’s world building translates, it still needs great characters to breathe life into the story.  Hugh and Theo are marvelous characters believable in their ages, experiences and background.  But no matter how much I adored Theo, its Hugh that’s this story’s emotional center.  Hugh sees himself as a stolid, good sort of fellow. Not up to the gloriousness of his brothers and sister.  The oldest George is now Lord Fanshawe, intelligent, responsible and grave in his duties.  The second brother is James, a god in appearance, brave without fault, charismatic and an officer close to Wellington. Then there is Sophie, gorgeous, huge hearted, Sophie who looks like their mother, who made a brilliant marriage because she was and still is a well-known beauty.  And then there’s Hugh, whose eyes and hair color are not a match for his mother or siblings.  He’s serious, hurting over the loss of his career and disability and hiding his “unnatural” love of men. Hugh loves to fade into the background where he thinks he belongs. Trust me, Hugh will grab at your heart with all his awkwardness and serious demeanor.  I adored Hugh, even more so when fitted into his family’s framework ( I love his family as well).  Every character here is a marvel and necessary component to this story.

There is a mystery, well not so much of a mystery as I had the spy’s identity figured out.  This part of the story is the only place that I felt needs a little more construction and layers to it.  We build up to a reveal that never quite comes off as explosive or as dramatic as it could have been.  That said, this part also caused me to bawl like a baby over the pain it causes a a main character and the events that follow.  And yes, I love, loved the ending.  It was funny, believable and a HFN as it had to be while the war was still being waged.

I would love to see a return to this couple and England after the war.  What  happens to Lindsay and Hugh?  Does Sophie ever marry her rose-growing lord?  I need to know and hope there’s a sequel to follow.

A Minor Inconvenience is what is said when referring to the damage done to Hugh’s leg.  It’s just a “minor incovenience” , to all but Hugh who has to live with it.  How I love this story and I highly recommend it to all, not just the lovers of m/m historical romance but romance period.  I am going to search out more stories by Sarah Granger.  I’ll let you know what I find!

Cover Artist ?  I’m not sure who the cover artist is but they did a terrific job with the different uniforms and backdrop.

Sales Links:  Samhain Publishing   All Romance (ARe)   Amazon   Buy it here

Book Details:

ebook, 264 pages
Published January 14th 2014 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
ISBN 161921766X (ISBN13: 9781619217669)