Category: Uncategorized

An Ali Review: Doll Baby by Kayleigh Sky

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
27b90-dollbaby_400x600_ebookTodd Rifkin has sworn off love and romance forever—until he loses his heart to a badly scarred rent boy and stumbles into a deadly game of cat and mouse with a brutal stalker out for revenge.

Struggling to make enough money to buy a friend’s bar and grill to fulfill a promise, Todd Rifkin vows to let nothing stand in his way. Nothing, that is, until a friend’s call for help. Bailing his friend out of trouble might cost Todd his dream. Now he is scrambling to make up the loss and reluctantly takes on the job of errand boy for his boss’ spoiled ex-lover.

Bliss Busby has no memory of the attack that scarred his face. Scared and reclusive, he has no interest in Todd’s intrusion into his life. No interest, that is, until somebody starts scattering cinnamon hearts at his door. Now Todd is the only one standing between Bliss and a mysterious stalker.

Years ago, Todd lost the love of his life in a violent twist of fate. After a night with a knife-wielding maniac, Bliss lost everything. Thrown together by circumstance, Todd and Bliss must unite to battle a hidden force from the past. As Bliss struggles to remember the assault that wrecked his life, and Todd struggles to solve the mystery of an attacker that is closer than either of them realizes, their reluctant friendship becomes a passionate and erotic love that just might have the power to heal their wounded hearts.

If they live.
This was a new author to me and unfortunately I did not click with her writing style.  Some of it is abstract and I struggled to understand what was going on in some scenes.  I found myself rereading many parts because suddenly a character would appear and I wasn’t sure when they came in or they would reach for something but I didn’t know how that item came around them.  It reminded me of the story telling style for Fight Club. I got the general gist of the story but was constantly trying to play catch up on the details and wondering how we got from place A to place B in the story.
I also struggled with the characters.  I like that she made them non-traditional but it went a little too far for me.  I actually disliked them all.  They were way too morally ambiguous for my liking.  Todd was the best of the bunch but even he was kind of gross.  I’m ok with morally bankrupt characters in other genres but I really like my romance characters to be decent people. 
Unfortunately this did not work for me and I can’t see myself recommending it.  If you like stories that are pretty outside the box though this might be one for you to try.
Cover:  I like the cover and it fits well with the beginning of the story and a major plot point.
Sales Links
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Global

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 330 pages
Published January 7th 2017 by Kiss Drunk Books
ASINB01N1W7QUO
Edition LanguageEnglish

An Alisa Review: Night of the Blue Moon by Cassandra Pierce

Rating:  3 stars out of 5

 

night-of-the-blue-moon-by-cassandra-pierceScot North is intrigued when he is invited to a New Year’s Eve celebration on a private island. But his host is a mysterious man who seems to know a little too much about him…

 

In late December, Scot North is mysteriously summoned from his London home to a private island to ring in the new year with an unknown host. As midnight and the highly anticipated Blue Moon approach, Scot grows more and more baffled as to exactly why he’s been invited…and what is the connection between this New Year’s event and the bizarre encounter he experienced in an underground club the month before?

 

This book’s blurb left just enough questions to be intrigued.  Scot has been really out of it since his encounter a month ago.  He has also been having a mysterious man following him around and every time he tries to approach the man turns and disappears.

 

It’s a long road for Scot to find the answers to his questions, but he continues to hope that his host may have those answers.  Brendan is intriguing and does really well talking in circles when they meet.  You can just sense their loneliness; Scot has been trying to find someone while Brendan has kept himself hidden away.  They have a great connection and you can see the opportunity for the future.

 

The cover art by E Connors is nice and gives a nice setting for the story.

 

Sales Links: Dark Hollows Press | Amazon | ARe

 

Book Details:

ebook, 43 pages

Published: December 2, 2016 by Dark Hollows Press

Edition Language: English

In the Spotlight: Painted On My Heart by Kindle Alexander (excerpt, playlist and giveaway)

Title: Painted On My Heart
Author: Kindle Alexander
Genre: M/M Romance
Release Date: January 2, 2017
Artist Kellus Hardin let love and loyalty cloud his past decisions, a mistake he definitely won’t make again. Now, lost and alone, he’s left to pick up the shattered pieces of his broken heart while facing the truth of his reality. 

Arik Layne exudes power, confidence, and determination. But when an encounter with the guarded artist shakes him to the core and alters all his future goals, he finds more than just his heart on the line. 

For Kellus, opening himself to love isn’t an option. 
All Arik wants is to make the artist his. 
Can love create a masterpiece when it’s painted on your heart?

https://player.vimeo.com/video/196896699

Painted on My Heart by Kindle Alexander from Bibliophile Productions on Vimeo.

“Arik and Kellus captivated me and kept me glued to my kindle.” – 5 Star Shh Mom’s Reading

“Another fabulous book that will steal a piece of your heart. Loved Arik and Kellus.” – 5 Star Becca the Bibliophile

Chapter 1

The shrill ring of his phone should have startled him awake, but Kellus Hardin was just too damn tired to do much more than roll in the direction of the irritating sound and throw a hand out to half-ass search around his mattress for the device. When he came up empty handed, he managed to turn the other way and do the same. By the time his exhausted sleep-hazed brain identified the phone wasn’t anywhere around him, he heard the chirp indicating a voice mail. He cracked an eyelid and lifted his head enough to look over at the alarm clock. Four thirty in the morning. Seriously? Nothing good could come from a call that time of night. He collapsed back to the bed with an annoyed groan. He’d been asleep less than an hour after working the fifteen before on the pieces he had due for the art gallery opening.
“Fuck,” he growled out, turning over again. He tucked a soft pillow into his side and decided he’d deal with that call in the morning. His exhausted state gave a solid thumbs-up on the plan, and he easily drifted back to sleep. What had to be a mere second later, the ringing started again. Stupid cell phone.
Kellus threw the covers away from his body and darted off the bed, angrier than he’d been in a very long time. He was fucking tired—tired of his fucked-up life and tired of this motherfucker who wouldn’t leave him the fuck alone.
Fuck!
With a vengeance, he zeroed in on the location of the noise. He marched to his laundry basket by the bedroom door and began tearing through the clothes to find the stupid phone, no doubt still inside his paint-spattered coveralls where he’d dropped it not fifty-three minutes ago before he’d finally managed to crawl into bed.
Palming the device, he glared at the caller ID. John. Of course. Who else would call in the middle of the fucking night?
“What?” he shouted as he connected the call.
“Come get him.” A deep masculine voice with a Spanish accent had him pulling the phone from his ear to look down at the screen in confusion.
Wait. Great. Even fucking better—John’s dealer.
“No,” he said firmly as he stood tall and fisted his free hand at his side. His chest bowed in defiance as if the guy on the other end of the phone were right there in his darkened bedroom. “You give him that shit, you deal with him.”
The harsh laugh on the other end of the line held what might have been genuine amusement. “I deal with him and it won’t end well.” The line went dead. Kellus shoved his fingers through his hair to help push the long strands out of his eyes.
“Fuck!” he bellowed to the empty room, spinning in a complete circle, gripping his phone in his hand and punching his fist through the air. Thank God he was alone, because if anybody had witnessed that little outburst he’d have been carted off to the nearest mental facility. He was just so fucking sick and tired of being sick and tired.
Breath heaving as anger and dread coursed through his veins, Kellus stood there, staring absently at his bed. The fatigue of the day settled heavy on his shoulders. He had responsibilities. He couldn’t take on more of John’s bullshit. He jammed the heels of his palms against his tired eyes and released an exhausted sigh. After so many hours holding a brush for the fine details of his painting, his hands cramped with the movement, and the muscles in his neck and back protested the long hours he’d put in today. He needed sleep. More than the fifty-three minutes he’d gotten.
“I’m not fucking doing this again. I warned him the last time. I made it clear. No more!” Kellus sliced the hand still holding his cell through the air with finality. With that decision made, he stalked across the room and tossed his phone on the nightstand. He climbed back in his bed, whipping the covers over his exhausted body.
He hadn’t heard from John in six days.
Six glorious, productive, happy days.
Staring up at the ceiling, unable to get his mind to shut off, he told himself he’d made the right decision. John needed to stay away. Kellus forced his eyelids closed. At this point, he’d still get a few good hours sleep before he had to start his day. The longer he lay there, the more guilt crept in.
It always did.
Images of his best friend came to mind. Happier times. Memories of his and John’s younger days and all the trouble they’d managed to get into. Those thoughts actually calmed his breathing. His mind drifted to the summer of their senior year. He hadn’t thought about that time in so long. He and John had gone to the lake with some friends. A healthy, glowing, handsome John had teased him unmercifully until he had finally agreed to skinny dip…
“Fuck!” Kellus whipped off the covers and rose, angry and worried.
He couldn’t leave John in that place.
Kellus stopped dead center in his bedroom, fuming; he was so pissed at himself, at his own indecision, at John. What the fuck was wrong with him? John had destroyed both their lives, shit on him over and over with absolutely no regard for his feelings whatsoever. He’d lost everything because of John. He swore he’d never do this again.
But he couldn’t leave John there.
Not there.
Dejected, Kellus ran a frustrated hand over his face, sighed, then went for his closet to dress.
~~~
Topping out at max speed, Arik Layne flew down the Dallas North Tollway. Being the only one on the highway might have been the only benefit of flying home in the middle of the night from his Escape Del Mar property.
God, he was past exhausted.
Less than five minutes later, Arik parked and wearily made his way through the private entrance of his downtown Dallas high-rise, shrugging out of his hand-tailored suit jacket before he reached the elevator. At the elevator, he tossed the garment over his arm and entered his exclusive security code into the wall-mounted keypad, effectively locking the car for his personal use. The doors opened immediately. The technology didn’t require him to do anything more than step inside before the doors closed and the overhead floor-indicator light displayed each passing floor, a soft ding sounding repeatedly as he traveled non-stop up the forty or so floors to his penthouse. Arik rested against the back wall, forcing a finger into the knot of his necktie to loosen its tight hold. He then removed each cuff link at his wrist and absently dropped them into his slacks pockets. The more he removed now, the faster he could hit his perfect Vera Wang mattress and shut his tired eyes.
The entire building was quiet. Another benefit to relocating to this area. Well, sort of. Dallas as a whole was quieter than any place he’d ever lived. He walked the few steps to his front door, pulling out his wallet to wave in front of the security pad when the doors didn’t unlock at his arrival. Strangely, the key card inside his wallet didn’t trigger the lock to release. Arik let out a yawn as he entered his code into the attached keypad. He’d have to remember to check his card in the morning.
The overhead lights automatically lit as he entered his front door, and the motion sensors continued lighting his way the deeper he ventured inside his home. Arik absently tossed his suit jacket on a chair in the living room, never straying from the direct path to his bedroom. He pulled his shirttails from his slacks, his level of sheer exhaustion rising with each step he took. Honestly, that had to be the only reason he didn’t register the glow of lights coming from underneath the closed door until he’d already turned the handle.    
“What the fuck?” His heart almost leaped out of his chest when he stepped inside his bedroom to find someone sprawled across his bed in what probably qualified as a seductive pose. Recognition took another second to seep in.
“Surprise!” A small pop sounded and confetti flew into the air, scattering across his bed.
Arik’s brows snapped together. Oh hell no. He loved that bed.
“What the hell are you doing?” Arik asked as he moved farther inside the room. He registered the slight look of indignation and the flip of that long, black, silky hair before Boy Toy’s face morphed again into a pleasant smile.
“I came to surprise you.” BT wiggled his sexy ass and gave a cheeky little smile.
Even as tired and annoyed as he was, Arik experienced a stir below his belt. He was human after all, and this particular BT was especially skilled. He stopped at his dresser, reached inside his front slacks pockets and casually tossed the contents on the small tray. He didn’t like surprises of any kind, and BT, short for boy toy number one hundred and—hell, he’d lost count of the willing men he’d bedded—had just shocked the hell out of him.
This one was way too pretty and so deliciously tempting that for a split second he almost gave in…almost.
No, he had to stay firm. This was utter bullshit. He couldn’t have random BTs breaking into his home, surprising him at every turn, desecrating his perfect bed with confetti.
“How did you get in here?” he asked, leaning against the dresser, casually crossing his arms over his chest.
“I’ve been planning this since you left me last week. I swiped your card from your wallet when you were in the shower.” Boy Toy lost the erotic pose, probably too much strain for his delicate body.
“I guess I need to keep a closer eye on my wallet in the future.” Arik shoved away from the dresser and headed toward his closet.
“I’m beginning to think you’re not happy that I’m here. You know I’d look good on your arm for the opening of Escape Dallas.” BT hopped up from the bed and trailed after him, following him into the closet.
“Are these your things?” he asked, nodding toward the garment bag hanging in his closet with luggage settled beneath. Arik’s things had been pushed aside and replaced with BT’s, as if the guy planned to stay awhile. First the bed, now the closet. He didn’t allow anyone to breach his private space. That crossed every line he had.
Fuck, he’d known when he first saw this guy he’d be trouble. The gorgeous ones always were. Arik shook his head.
“Yes, I put them next to yours. I arrived late and didn’t have time to unpack.”
Arik abandoned his silk tie on the built-in dresser and began to grab BT’s things. The level of pissed off coursing through him now superseded any desire he might have mustered.
“You can’t ever do this again. I told you from the beginning,” Arik said, shoving the garment bag toward BT as he went for the two suitcases, then he tossed the strap of one over his shoulder and grabbed the other by the handgrip. How long had he even planned to stay that he needed all this?
“Be careful with that. It’s got my mink inside!” BT carefully draped the bag over his arm, allowing Arik to take him by his other arm and forcefully guide him from the closet.
“Why in the hell would you bring a fur coat to Texas?” Arik kept his grip tight, even when BT tried to worm his way out.
“Why would I leave home without… What are you doing?” BT actually held on to the doorframe to keep Arik from removing him from the bedroom.
“You’re going to the guest room, BT. We’ll talk—”
A solid outraged screech cut him off.
“Stop calling me that! I hate that. I have a name.” The guy went into full-on diva mode right there in the middle of his hall.
“You’ve known the deal from the beginning. I don’t like these kinds of surprises. I was very clear,” Arik said. When he realized it might take two hands to deposit BT into the guest bedroom, he went for that door, pushed it open wide, and tossed the suitcase in his hand across the room. For a second there, he’d thought the guy planned to go back to Arik’s bedroom which would have turned things pretty shitty real quick. Luckily, BT came toward him with a very calm, patient look on his face.
“If you would just go with it, we could have a very special relationship,” BT said, placing a delicate hand on Arik’s dress shirt, letting his fingers trail down Arik’s chest as he took a step closer. “I’m good at attending events with you. I look good on your arm. Besides, I’m tired of modeling. It takes up so much of my time. And if we came to some sort of arrangement, with all my extra free time, I could take care of you any way you saw fit.”
“Not gonna happen.”
BT’s words couldn’t have been better deterrent for giving in and indulging in a quick hook-up. Arik preferred his fun with no strings attached. Not that he had anything against the whole finding Mr. Right concept. But the boy toy currently groping his ass was not anywhere close to his idea of relationship material. Arik stopped the hand at his waistband and shrugged the case off his shoulder, dumping it right inside the guest bedroom door. He left the gorgeous but clearly crazy man standing there as he headed back toward his bedroom.
“I need to leave here by eight in the morning. Be ready.’’
“Seriously? You’re just leaving? I stretched myself to be ready for you.”
Arik looked back to see BT stomp his foot for good measure, his now flaccid dick swinging in the process. BT was certainly beautifully put together, tall, lean, chiseled abs, a perfect body that Arik knew from past experience could bring a lot of pleasure.
No, Arik. That was how he’d gotten in this situation in the first place. Stop. No. Walk away.
“Goodnight, BT. Don’t come back to my room,” he said at the door.
“Stop calling me BT! I’m not just your boy toy! My name is Steffan.”
Steffan—yeah, he remembered that now. Steffan twirled around and stalked into the guest bedroom, that long hair floating out around him. The door slammed shut in his wake.
Arik closed his door and reached down to twist the lock when he heard something crashing against the guest room door. Arik chuckled at that one and quickly opened his door again.
“Be ready by eight in the morning. I won’t be happy if you make me late,” he yelled before closing and relocking the door.

He staggered to the bed. His bed. Even with taking the time to rid the bedspread of the confetti and change the pillowcases where that overly strong cologne lingered, he’d still, hopefully, get at least a couple hours’ sleep.

Best Selling Author Kindle Alexander is an innovative writer, and a genre-crosser who writes classic fantasy, romance, suspense, and erotica in both the male/male and male/female genres. It’s always a surprise to see what’s coming next!

I live in the suburbs of Dallas where it’s true, the only thing bigger than an over active imagination, may be women’s hair!
Usually, I try for funny. Humor is a major part of my life – I love to laugh, and it seems to be the thing I do in most situations – regardless of the situation, but jokes are a tricky deal… I don’t want to offend anyone and jokes tend to offend. So instead I’m going to tell you about Kindle.

I tragically lost my sixteen year old daughter to a drunk driver. She had just been at home, it was early in the night and I heard the accident happen. I’ll never forget that moment. The sirens were immediate and something inside me just knew. I left my house, drove straight to the accident on nothing more than instinct. I got to be there when my little girl died – weirdly, I consider that a true gift from above. She didn’t have to be alone.

That time in my life was terrible. It’s everything you think it would be times about a billion. I love that kid. I loved being her mother and I loved watching her grow into this incredibly beautiful person, both inside and out. She was such a gift to me. To have it all ripped away so suddenly broke me.

Her name was Kindle. Honest to goodness – it was her name and she died a few weeks before Amazon released their brand new Kindle ereader. She had no idea it was coming out and she would have finally gotten her name on something! Try finding a ruler with the name Kindle on it.. It never happened.

Through the course of that crippling event I was lucky enough to begin to write with a dear friend in the fan fiction world of Facebook. She got me through those dark days with her unwavering support and friendship. There wasn’t a time she wasn’t there for me. Sometimes together and sometimes by myself, we built a world where Kindle lives and stands for peace, love and harmony. It’s its own kind of support group. I know without question I wouldn’t be here today without her.

Find out more by visiting http://www.kindlealexander.com or email me at kindle@kindlealexander.com
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A MelanieM Review: Wild Bells by Charlie Cochrane

 

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

wild-bellsWild Bells, two historical novellas.

The Shade on a Fine Day:
Curate William Church may set the hearts of the parish’s young ladies aflame, but he doesn’t want their affection or presents, no matter how much they want to give them to him. He has his sights set elsewhere, for a love he’s not allowed to indulge. One night, eight for dinner at the Canon’s table means the potential arrival of a ghost. But what message will the spirit bring and which of the young men around the table is it for?

The Angel in the Window:
Two officers, one ship, one common enemy.
Alexander Porterfield may be one of the rising stars of the British navy, but his relationship with his first lieutenant, Tom Anderson, makes him vulnerable. To blackmail, to anxieties about exposure—and to losing Tom, either in battle or to another ship. When danger comes more from the English than the French, where should a man turn?

Charlie Cochrane is one of our top m/m historical fiction authors.  Her stories center us and her characters in their era and cultures effortlessly, plunging us into the niceties of teas, obligation,and  respectability. A place of insular cultures and a society where loving a man and sodomy will get you and your lover hanged. In Wild Bells, Cochrane offers us up two stories.  Each beautifully written, a treasure of romance, and love found within the strictures of the laws and ways of that time period.

The Shade on a Fine Day sees the journey of one young curate to what it is he really wants and the courage to reach out and ask for it.  For the author, she always keeps in mind what is plausible and what is not within that time frame and sensibilities.  When her story plays out, as it does gently, sweetly and with love, you can see it happening and you believe in it.  I loved this story.

The Angel in the Window is a friends to lovers story that is anything but simple.  Layered and deep, the story of Alexander and Tom’s relationship is colored by the fear of discovery.  That even the hint of something less than reputable could lose them their reputations,their Commissions, their standings, even their lives.  Its the law of the land and its followed strictly.  How Alexander and Tom work through this is another Cochrane hallmark and its one that had made me a fan since I first discovered her through her Cambridge Fellows Mysteries.

This is a wonderful two story treasure.  Its perfect for the holidays but really any time of the year.   Pick up it and revel in the lovely writing and romances of Charlie Cochrane.

Cover art is simple yet effective.

Sales Links

7104e-waxcreative-amazon-kindleBook Details:

Kindle Edition, 131 pages
Published December 1st 2016
Original TitleThe Shade on a Fine Day and The Angel in the Window
ASINB01NA785ID
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Stella Release Day Review: Lunch with the Do-Nothings at the Tammy Dinette by Killian B. Brewer

RATING 5 out of 5 stars

lunch-with-the-do-nothings-at-the-tammy-dinetteWhen Marcus Sumter, a short order cook with dreams of being a chef, inherits a house in small town Marathon, Georgia, he leaves his big city life behind. Marcus intends to sell the house to finance his dreams, but a group of lovable busybodies called the Do Nothings, a new job at the local diner, the Tammy Dinette, and a handsome mechanic named Hank cause Marcus to rethink his plans. Will he return to the life he knew, or will he finally put down roots?

Marcus Sumter is used to move around a lot, he grew up in the diners (a lot of them) where his mother worked as a waitress, and there, while doing his homework or napping on a booth while waiting for his mum to finish his shift, he learned how to cook the cheesiest and greasiest food, the best comfort food ever. Now he is on the road trying to reach Marathon, when he has a car accident and wakes up in the emergency room of the town hospital, with no car or phone, his only hope and way of transportation is a crazy woman, Helen, who talks and talks and talks. Marcus is actually in Marathon cause his grandmother just died and left him everything she owned and a house, “so that maybe, just once in his life, that poor boy can have a real home”. The grandmother Marcus has never met. Maybe the only person who loved him more than anything else in the world. More than alcohol or men.

Marcus needs to stay in town just to sell the house and then he will be on the road again. Of course what he wants means nothing when he has the Do Nothing girls beside him to take decisions  in his place. And then he ends working as a cook at Tammy dinette. Just to save same money and pay gorgeous mechanic Hank the repairs of his car and go away, right? But it seems the Do Nothings have other plans for Marcus.

I knew I was going to give this book 5 stars since from the first couple of chapters. Although Lunch with the Do-Nothings at the Tammy Dinette is just the second novel published by Killian B. Brewer, I have to confess I’m deeply in love with  this author’s writing and characters. Each person he puts in a story is always a main character even if in the story they are just a secondary one. Each character is well depicted so the reader is able to know them as well as the MCs. There are a lot of secondary characters, all the Do Nothings ladies, Priss, Inez, Helen, then there’s Skeet, I adored him, he was flirty, joyous and I would so love to read his own story. I have to say I’m not a huge fan of Hank, I simply didn’t like him, he seemed to me a little judgmental sometimes, he wasn’t great at listening and he wasn’t available to Marcus needs or wishes, he just wanted things to be done in his way.

It was really a pleasure to read this novel. It was quick and easy. The dialogues were so great, hilarious, yes they were a lot and long but so well done, I, not once, got lost in them. I followed the characters’ voices and found myself in a world so different from mine nonetheless I so wished I could live in Marathon and have all the Do Nothings as my neighbours.

The stunning combination of characters and dialogues is in my opinion one of the unique traits of Killian’s writing. I found the same style in his first story, The Rules Of Ever After (https://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords.com/2015/10/17/a-stella-ya-review-the-rules-of-ever-after-by-killian-b-brewer/). And I can’t honestly have enough of it. I’m already eagerly awaiting a new story.

I highly want to recommend Killian B Brewer works.

The cover art by CB Messer is awesome, this artist couldn’t have represent this book with a better cover. Well done.

Sales Links

Interlude Press | Amazon

BOOK DETAILS

Ebook 232 pages

Publication Date: January 12th 2017 by Interlude Press

ISBN: 978-1-945053-28-3

Edition Language English

A MelanieM Recent Release Review: Perfect Catch by N.R. Walker

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

perfect-catchCalvin Lynch and Troy Hoffman have been best mates since they were fourteen years old. They’re both hard-working tradesmen, both love weekends away fishing, both gay, but have never been single at the same time. Until now.

What is supposed to be a weekend away fishing with a group of mates, changes at the last minute when friends bail out in an attempt to give Cal and Troy some alone time.

With more than just hooks on the line, can these two see what’s been right in front of them the whole time?

The Perfect Catch is a short story about falling for your best friend hook, line, and sinker.

A 20K short story which was part of the It Was Always You anthology.

I missed out on this anthology somehow but I thrilled that I got to read NR Walker’s Perfect Catch as a standalone.  This is as close to perfect a ‘friends to lovers’ story can be in a short format.  The author gives us Calvin and Troy’s background as tight mates from their teens, their circle of friends, who by the way have long recognized how much these men have loved each other, and the deep, abiding bond that exists between Cal and Troy.   One weekend of camping and fishing, something the men have always done together, brings out all the hidden feelings, all the longing, all the revelations in a way that I can only call the NR Walker way.  Its superb, heartwarming, and delightful.

Told from Calvin’s pov, we get the sense of old friends working effortlessly as they prepare for their camping trip, the Ute packed, gear stowed as it has hundreds of times.  Yet this trip? New thoughts are churning in Cal’s head, and perhaps, Troy’s too.  Put there by their friends who deliberately backed out of coming with them and their own desires.

Slowly, bit by bit, over the trip, as they fish, eat, and watch each other, the sexual tension and knowledge that things are changing builds.  Its delicious, we want it to never end and we want it to stop immediately.  Because we have fallen in love with these men and we want them to be happy.

Oh, those sex scenes are hot when they finally happen.  Fans self.

Only the ending kept this from being 5 stars.  It was either too long or not long enough.  I still can’t decide.  Probably not long enough.  It is N.R. Walker after all.  I can never get enough of her stories or couples.

If you  missed out on the anthology, or this story,   grab it up immediately.  This is one you definitely won’t want to miss!  I’m on my way to rereading it once more.

Cover art is perfect for the story and couple

Sales Links

65a2f-waxcreative-amazon-kindle

 

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 63 pages
Published January 10th 2017
Original TitlePerfect Catch
Edition LanguageEnglish

An Ali Review: Bullet (Blue Boy #1) by Garrett Leigh

 Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
bullet-by-garrett-leighLevi Ramone entered the gay porn market for one reason, and one reason only–he needed the cash to pay his momma’s spiraling gambling debts.

Seven years later, he’s a veteran with a reputation as one of Blue Boy Studio’s most ruthless tops, and when his boss suggests it’s time for a change, he finds himself staring down the barrel of a gun. Figuratively speaking, at least.

Enter Sonny Valentine, a go-go dancer at Blue’s sister club, Silver’s. Levi has secretly admired Sonny from afar for years, but there’s one problem–he can’t stand Sonny and the feeling is entirely mutual. When Levi learns Sonny is to play the third part in a scene he considers his worst nightmare, he figures things can’t get any worse.

But when preparations for the scene from hell collide with tragic events in his personal life, he finds his fast growing, red hot attraction to Sonny the one thing left between him and a bullet.
This was a re-read for me. This was one of the first books in m/m romance genre that I read. I enjoyed this a lot but not quite as much the second time around.  The story is mostly about Levi and the struggles he is going through.  I thought he was a very interesting character and one I’d like to spend more time with.  The writing is super engaging and the story telling sucked me right in (even though I knew what was going to happen). While I don’t really know first hand, this felt like is was a pretty realistic portrayal of the porn industry.
My only issue with this story is how short it is.  We get this great story about Levi’s life and there is an incredible amount of chemistry and attraction between Levi and Sonny.  Finally they get together and the story ends.  Literally.  There’s no epilogue to let us see them once they are together. Having read the next two books in the series I know that we will see more of them in future books but it’s still barely a happy for now.
Despite my above complaint, I still really enjoyed this and I have enjoyed the other books in the series also.  I am glad to see another book will be coming and I think now is the perfect time for readers to start this series if they haven’t already.
Cover by Garrett Leigh:  I love this new cover.  I think it is just gorgeous and it captures the dark, broody character that Levi is.
Sales Link
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Book Details:
Kindle Edition, 105 pages
Published December 22nd 2016 (first published November 1st 2013)
Original TitleBullet
ASINB01NCP4JM1
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesBlue Boy #1

In the Spotlight: Bonnie Dee on The Mighty Have Fallen (guest blog, exclusive excerpt)

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The Mighty Have Fallen by Bonnie Dee
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Bree Archer

Here are the links for The Mighty Have Fallen. Bonnie Dee doesn’t have one for Itunes yet.

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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Bonnie Dee here today as she shares a little about herself and her upcoming release, The Mighty Have Fallen.  Welcome, Bonnie.

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I’m glad to be here at Scattered Thoughts blog to share a little about myself and my upcoming release. I’m Bonnie Dee. Some readers of this blog might know me as half of the writing team of Devon and Dee. Alone and with my co-author, I’ve written a number of gay historical romance novels. The pattern of those stories, although set in different locations and time periods, were becoming too familiar so I decided to take a break and write a contemporary. The mode of speech is quite different. I had to correct myself when I’d slip into the cadence and formality of an earlier time. Writing in modern parlance was a really nice change of pace.

Although I have written a couple of contemporaries in the past, The Mighty Have Fallen is my first one in quite a while. It was particularly rewarding because Dreamspinner Press included my story in the launch of their new Perchance to Dream line, which is written from a UK perspective. My UK editor helped me with expressions, customs and general Britifying of the manuscript, particularly Jack’s heavy East End accent.

Of course the sorts of difficulties historically faced by gay men were much more immediate and dire than the problems posed in modern romances. The possibility of jail time and social disgrace add a heightened element of danger to historicals. Still, I gave my protagonist Trevor plenty to overcome as he loses his sight, fame, money and lover all at once and has to discover his will to go on.

The perfect counterpart to this devastated and justifiably moody man is Jack Burrows, a hard-working East Ender with an easy-going temperament. When the two men become flat mates, Jack prods Trevor out of his gloom and back into life by suggesting his days on the stage don’t have to be over. As Trevor prepares to perform a one-night-only act at a local drag club, the men grow closer, moving from lust to love.

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More about The Mighty Have Fallen

Theatre headliner Trevor Rowland is at the peak of his career when disaster strikes. In one fell swoop, he loses his eyesight, his fame, and his boyfriend, who absconds with most of his money. Trevor must take on a flatmate, hardworking East Ender Jack Burrows, to afford the rent. Anger and bitterness have taken up residence in his heart—but Jack shines light into the shadowy corners with his relentlessly sunny disposition.

Jack introduces Trevor to a local drag club and convinces him he can enjoy the stage again. Trevor’s defences slowly come down as Jack becomes much more than a barely tolerated roommate.

But will Trevor’s fragile trust be destroyed when it appears he’s been manipulated yet again by a man he’s come to care for? Will he reclaim his life or crawl back into a shell of defeat? Trevor must learn to trust not only a man, but himself, once more.

 

Here’s an exclusive excerpt from The Mighty Have Fallen.

While his body responded to Jack’s masterful kisses and touches, part of Trevor’s brain kept replaying his words: I’ve wanted to do this for a while now. That meant during the little over a month they’d roomed together, Jack had watched Trevor. He’d thought about him, maybe fantasized touching or kissing him, without ever letting on.

Imagining Jack silently watching and desiring him felt good, but it was also rather disconcerting. He could no longer read the visual cues that would have told him of Jack’s attraction. Heated looks and body language weren’t signalled through a voice.

The taxi ride ended and Jack pulled away, leaving Trevor’s lips bruised and his brain whirling. Jack paid and tipped the driver, who thanked him in a foreign accent Trevor couldn’t identify, and they got out of the car. He wondered if the driver had been disgusted by their canoodling, but he supposed the man had witnessed lovers who’d gone much further.

Slammin’ in the back seat. A phrase from some song he couldn’t recall played in Trevor’s head.

Jack grabbed his hand, dragged him into the flat, and shut the door behind them. What had started on the pavement and carried on feverishly in the back of the taxi came to a frantic, fumbling head there.

“Should we—?”

Jack cut off his words with a kiss and clasped the back of Trevor’s neck, holding him steady while he devoured his mouth. Trevor dropped his cane with a clatter on the hall floor. After backing him against the door, Jack pinned him there, chest to chest, groin to groin, erection rubbing against erection, only a little denim and cotton between them. When their clothes came off, there would be warm, satin flesh to stroke and slide against. No use pretending they’d stop at a little kissing and then go to their separate rooms.

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About the Author

You can learn more about me, Bonnie Dee, and my back list of many romance books at http://bonniedee.com. Find me on FB at Bonnie Dee Author or Bonnie Dee. My Twitter handle is @Bonnie_Dee. I’m not the most active social media person but I turn up occasionally. Most importantly, please take a moment to sign up for my newsletter to learn of upcoming releases. Newsletter signup form