A BJ Audiobook Review: Catch a Ghost (Hell and High Water #1) by S.E. Jakes and Adam North (Narrator)

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

Everyone knows that Prophet—former Navy SEAL, former CIA spook, full-time pain in the ass—works alone and thinks only about the trouble he can cause. But his boss, Phil Butler of Extreme Escapes, LTD., has just assigned Proph not only a new partner but also a case haunted by ghosts from Proph’s past. Suddenly, he’s got to confront them both head on.

Tom Boudreaux—failed FBI agent, failed sheriff, full time believer in bad luck—is wondering why the head of a private contracting firm has hunted him down to offer him a job. Still he’s determined to succeed this time, despite being partnered with Prophet, EE, LTD’s most successful, lethal, and annoying operative, and even though the case is also resurrecting his own painful past.

Together, Prophet and Tom must find a way to take down killers in the dangerous world of underground cage matches, while fighting their own dangerous attraction. And when they find themselves caught in the crossfire, these two loners are forced to trust each other and work together to escape their ghosts . . . or pay the price.

If you enjoy alpha males and need heat in your m/m books, look no further! Grab this series right the heck now! If I had three words to describe this story, they would be “intense” and “flaming hot.”

Prophet and Tom together are like a volcano gouging out steam and flames and hot, sizzling lava. Okay, yeah, sometimes the refractory time is really short and their uh, hardiness borders on unrealistic. But there is no doubt at all about their chemistry, and both are well-realized characters with complex backstories which come strongly into play in this series. A few times the backstory on Prophet got a bit complex for me to follow easily, especially given the often fast pace of the storyline. There were a lot of people and details and twists and turns to keep track of… especially as it neared the end. This ending is left largely unsettled as far as the relationship, so its not a HEA/HFN. But it totally makes me want to read on in the series and get to know what happens with these guys.

I’d already read the book and rated it four stars, but since I’d purchased but not yet finished reading the whole series, I was intrigued when it came out on audio. The narrator was new on audible, but I decided to take a chance and see if the narration would add another dimension to this previously enjoyed story. It totally did! I adored Tom’s Cajun accent… and both men sounded pretty much as I’d imagined. I had no trouble telling the speakers apart. It’s sometimes hard for me to say whether I prefer the audio or reading experience, mostly because only rarely do I partake of a story in both formats. Overall, I enjoyed the audio and the one small part where I felt the book was a bit better had pretty much nothing to do with the narrator. Near the end, in the parts there’s a part where a lot is going on, it was even harder for me to take in and visualize when heard than when reading. Probably because in print, I can read back over a sentence here or there if there’s a need to ground myself more firmly in the details. Since I’m most often driving when listening to audio, rewind isn’t something I do.

The audiobook cover is basically the same as the book… and it’s perfect for the story. The tattoo is just as imagined and love the nipple bar! Beautiful, sexy, hot cover.

Sales Links: Riptide Publishing | Amazon | Audible | Buy It Here

Book Details:

Audible Audio, 9 pages, 8 hrs 3 mins

Adam North (Narrator)
Published December 16th 2015 by Audible Studios (first published September 7th 2013)
Original TitleCatch A Ghost
ASINB016DW5VUC
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesHell or High Water #1, Extreme Escapes, Ltd.December 16th 2015 by Audible Studios

A BJ Review: Affiliations, Aliens & Other Profitable Pursuits (Claimings #3) by Lyn Gala

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

A desire for status has brought Ondry and Liam to a human world to trade, but dealing with humans has brought up all the old pain in Liam’s heart. Even though Ondry would do anything to protect his beloved palteia, he doesn’t know how to protect Liam from himself. Worse, Ondry isn’t sure how to shield Liam from the shifting politics on the Rownt ship where the Calti Grandmothers are nothing like the ones they left behind on the planet.

With everything in their lives changing, Ondry and Liam have only each other. If Ondry can’t find a way to defend Liam from the ghosts of the past and overcome the impossibly short life span of a human, their small family might be over long before either of them is ready to let go. Ondry has always been a dominant and possessive Rownt, and with Liam in danger, those traits are necessary as he challenges the world to protect his lover.

In this third installment, the pace is slow and languid (maybe even a bit too slow at times which is why I couldn’t quite give it five stars), but it’s also full of depth and endeavors on some deeper level.

We get a dual POV with Ondry and Liam this time, which I very much enjoyed. Seeing his side of Liam’s claiming, and all that led up and went after, was fascinating. Diallo is there but not a focus this time, which I was pleased with. The story focuses more tightly back on the relationship of Ondry and Liam, how they interact with each other as well as with Rownts and humans.

The author also explores new territory by taking us off the Rownt home planet and into a huge Rownt where Ondry and Liam plan to advance his status through trade as well as eventually get in contact with a much advanced race to try and extend Liam’s lifespan to be a bit more in sync with Ondry’s.

The sex scenes were hot, and not just because of the tail sex! What I enjoyed most in this one was Ondry learning about. On a trading expedition with humans, Ondry happened to see two humans kissing. After some explanation about this tradition, Ondry, who is ever determined to give Liam everything his palteia wants/needs, proceeds to explore. Wouldn’t you know it, kissing ending up being something they could both enjoy at the same time. Yay.

As for depth, well, I loved the nuance of meanings and Ondry’s protectiveness and pride, and the further exploration of the whole concept of palteia and of value. How amazing to be valued so highly–to have someone always willing to listen. Swoon. Also saw depth because in seeing how humans are so different from aliens, this story also points out to us just how different each individual human is from each other one. Which got me to thinking how much effort we have to invest if we want to truly understand another individual. Unfortunately, in my life experience anyway, there are very few people willing to actually put in the time and effort to attempt to do so.

It’s hard for me to really envision Ondry and the Rownt. On the covers, we’ve seen purple skin and muscles and a tail. In the description, we get height and mass, talk of laying eggs and cracking out of shells (a mention of a claw caught in a shell). For some this this has evidently brought turtles to mind, but I’m not quite seeing that. While thin lips might fit with turtles, most don’t have sharp teeth. Regardless of what Ondry looks like, his other traits are enough to have won me over. Again.

There’s a twist at the end involving the introduction of a new human. I find that interesting and hope that we will get to explore the relationship between Mora and the Grandmother further.

The cover adds very little to what we’ve already been shown of the guys but does give the feel of being in space.

Sales Links: Loose Id LLC | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 186 pages
Published November 24th 2015 by Loose Id
ISBN139781682520024
Edition LanguageEnglish

Series Claimings with links to BJ’s reviews:

Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts (Claimings, #1)
Assimilation, Love, and Other Human Oddities (Claimings #2)
Affiliations, Aliens, and Other Profitable Pursuits (Claimings, #3)

A Bj Review: Souls in Bondage series (#1, 2, & 2.5) by Lex Valentine

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 (for the series overall)

I’m reviewing this series together as they are all short and fit together like a glove.

Broken Bonds (Souls in Bondage #1) – 5 stars out of 5 ★★★★★

The one thing Haven Noel wants for his Christmas birthday is for his master, Kellen, to love him. But the wonderful Christmas Eve Haven plans for his master goes awry and instead of receiving his master’s love, Haven ends up on the street without his collar. Heartbroken, Haven heads to the club where he and Kellen originally met, only to find it closed.

With a blizzard descending and nowhere to go, Haven curls up on the club doorstep, courting death. Hopeless and shattered, on the verge of losing consciousness, he makes a wish for Kellen to find happiness some day. Two angels with a vested interest in Haven and Kellen’s happiness hear his wish and conspire with Kellen’s family to save Haven’s life, bring love back to Kellen’s heart and give them both the best kinky Christmas ever.

A little bit of a Dicken’s redux, but I love retelling of fairy tales and beloved old stories! Read in one sitting! A Dicken’s classic within a D/s relationship? Heck, yeah. This well-written story captured my attention from page one and didn’t let go–I couldn’t stop reading except to wipe my leaky eyes, because it had tears rolling down my cheeks. I don’t care if it was a bit sappy, in fact, I loved that about it. The characters were perfect for me–broken boys are a big favorite. A darker sort of holiday story but with a HEA ending that was just right.

Then later, I purchased the audiobook and listened to it on a longish car trip. Warning, do not listen to this while driving… even if it is a re-read. Its even more poignant on audio! I had to keep blinking away the tears. Lovely story in both print and audio.

Book Details and Sales Links: Amazon | All Romance (ARe)

Kindle Edition, 84 pages
Published December 24th 2012 by Amazon Digital Services
ASINB00ASZC00U
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesSouls in Bondage #1

Bitter Bonds (Souls in Bondage #2) – 4 stars

Dominant Jake Conrad isn’t going to get involved in another relationship with a submissive. Burned by two former submissives, Jake vows never to collar one again. Then his best friend Ray brings him a sub like no other. Finn is damaged and bitter, although not as bitter as Jake. The white haired submissive has secrets and talents Jake never dreamed of and the lure of Finn’s need to submit calls to Jake’s soul.

Everyone Finn has ever loved walked away from him. He fears caring for anyone when he knows the outcome will shatter his heart again. When Finn falls for Jake, he gives his lover the ultimate gift, a chance to have the dreams he set aside years before even though he knows that if Jake accepts the gift, he’ll walk out of Finn’s life forever. A slave to his love for his Dominant, the submissive finds his true strength in easing Jake’s bitterness even at the cost of his own happiness.

After book one blew me away, I had very high expectations for this story. First off, I was delighted to get a re-visit and almost a follow-up with Kellan and Haven which tied things up even more nicely. YAY.

This sweet story centers on the angels helping Jake and Finn. The BDSM elements are pretty mild, there is plenty of delicious angst, and there’s a slight paranormal slant. But this one is not at all the total heartwrencher that book one was for me. I enjoyed seeing inside the insecure Dom who thought he’d failed his other subs. I’d have liked to seen a bit more exploration of the two characters as I didn’t quite connect with them as deeply as I had with those from the first book. If you like angsty stories with BDSM and damaged guys, then this one should fit the bill nicely.

Sales Links : All Romance (ARe) | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook

Published June 10th 2013 by Winterheart Books (first published June 9th 2013)

Edition LanguageEnglish

Series Souls in Bondage #2

Subs for Lunch (Souls in Bondage #2.5) – 3 stars

Best friends Micah, Haven and Finn find a new sandwich shop called Mouthwatering Subs. When they talk the owners into selling them some T-shirts, naughtiness ensues. The three submissives invite their dominants out to their favorite club, Darkness, for a night of fun jumpstarted by the suggestive T-shirts. A worried Finn just wants Jake, his overworked dominant, to relax. Haven is looking to bring some laughter to his usually serious Dom, Kellen. And mischievous Micah has the tallest order to fill. He’s hoping for a public spanking. Will his normally possessive Dom, Nick, bare Micah’s ass in the club for all to see? It’s a night of fun and frolic for the three subs and their sexy Doms.

Although we revisit the characters from books one and two, the tone of this book is entirely different from books one and two. This one is playful and light revisit to the couples. It was cute, and the subs get a bit bratty for those who enjoy that. We get to explore the friendship that has developed between the three subs we meet in the prior books. But it ended before the talk between Micah/Nick that I’d been waiting for, darn it!! I don’t feel that it moved the storylines forward much. There are three couples in this series: Kellan/Haven, Nick/Micah and Jake/Finn. There hasn’t really been a book dedicated to Nick/Micah as MCs yet, but I hope that there will be in future.

Sales Links: Amazon | All Romance (ARe)
Book Details:

ebook, 45 pages
Published April 1st 2014 by Winterheart Books
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesSouls in Bondage #2.5

The first two covers in this series are different from the final one… I love the black and white of the first two with the red accent and they are both hot. The final one rather sticks out as different, which for me was disappointing.

A BJ Review: Something Like a Love Song by Becca Burton

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

One tragic night left Landon and Dylan’s dreams of happily ever after in apparent ruin. Forced to overcome physical and emotional trauma, the young lovers turn to a network of family and friends as they attempt to rebuild their lives. Can their one constant—their love—survive the changes both undergo on the road to recovery?

Given the premise, I knew right off that this was going to be an extremely emotional story, and I wasn’t wrong. But it was also a very fast read despite being over three hundred pages. I enjoyed the author’s writing style—it’s easy to read and flowed well for me. It never once made me question what was going on or stop to think or re-read a passage.

The two main characters, Dylan and Landon, were nuanced and well-drawn, and each of the secondary characters added to the story in their own unique way. The multiple points of view was a bit strange, but in this case I think it really did add to the story to allow us to see not only how the incident and its aftermath affected many people other than just the main characters. Those small insights into what was going on with them also gave us a chance to see the main characters through outside eyes, which I found equally enlightening and enjoyable.

It’s obvious that this author has a medical background as she took us through the process from the accident and initial trauma to recovery. Watching these guys struggle with pain, guilt, and the frustration and trials of rehabilitation was heartbreaking. It was also an uplifting testament to how love can overcome. Unlike many books that deal with hate crimes, there was basically no focus on finding the perpetrators. And after a bit of thought, I found that I actually liked that.

This story had a ton of emotion and feels, it took me from tears to laughter several times as we are shown episodes from before the incident. But it didn’t have much sex at all, and for I think it would have put it up into the five star story if I’d been able to see more of the couple’s physical relationship returning to normal. We’re only given tiny glimpses and a verbal promise, and must admit that left me wanting.

I don’t normally like when stories jump around in time, but this was an exception. The author did an excellent job of painting Landon’s old character through flashbacks and showing how his new self differed slightly even later after his recovery. So many insights can be taken away from this book, one big one that stood out for me is how the things that happen to us can change us irrevocably, make us not into different people, as we are always one self, but into a new version of ourselves. To be happy, we must embrace, accept and love ourselves in the now and avoid the tendency to compare ourselves to either our past selves or to others. And I think that’s something we can all related to, because we all go through change in our life, sometimes it’s due to happy events, sometimes trauma, and sometimes simply aging.

Overall, this story left me feeling warm and hopeful. I highly recommend it.

I adore creative drawn covers, and this one is definitely that. It caught my attention and fits the story well.

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

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 308 pages
Published November 19th 2015 by Interlude Press
ASINB0181CFAXK
edition languageEnglish

A BJ Review: Y Negative by Kelly Haworth

Rating: 1.5 stars out of 5

In the last surviving cities of a ruined world, the concept of “woman” has been forgotten to history. Those unfortunate enough to lack a Y chromosome live as second-class citizens in a world dominated by mascs.

Ember is Y negative. He is scorned, bullied, abused by every masc he encounters, at work and at the gym. Not even his Y negative roommate cuts him any slack. He wants so desperately to be accepted as a masc that he’d rather buy black market testosterone than food. Something’s gotta give—he needs a change in his life, but has no idea how to find it.

Jess is a masc with a passion for studying the recovery of their devastated world. His boyfriend is pressuring him for more commitment, and his father expects him to take over the family business. He can’t wait to get away from civilization for his seasonal research out in the wild.

When Jess offers Ember a job, their lives collide in the isolated wasteland, and their initial attraction turns into a relationship that horrifies those around them. Soon their struggle to stay together and to be who they are turns into a fight for their lives.

This is going to be a hard review to write, but maybe that is fitting since the story itself was hard for me to read. It became clear as I got further into the book that this was not a story for me. For one thing, when I read a story, I need to feel a connection to at least one of the characters in order to fully engage with it. I didn’t feel that here. Didn’t feel any sort of chemistry between the characters.

The writing style didn’t work for me either, it actually seemed to distance me rather than draw me in. At various parts of the book, I despised pretty much every character, and that is saying something as I’m an easy-going sort of person.

At a few parts I just sat there staring at my kindle with my mouth open. Really. For example, a scene where Jess and Ember are first intimate, Jess’ appalling reaction at seeing him, his lack of caring even when he had to have known how he’d hurt Ember since he’d screamed out his pain and we know from a prior scene the walls are thin… then just telling him an hour later to get out there to work. OMG. No. Especially when Ember was right back to wanting him as if it didn’t happen a few pages later.

And try as I might, this story left me confused, frustrated, and alternately pissed off with various characters. Perhaps if there had been some sort of backstory in the book to explain why women were no longer thought of as women but as Y negatives and well, to explain so much more. Because I was confused.

After finishing the book, I read an article by the author that was published on this site a while back. Perhaps I should have read it before the book, it might have helped a little. But considering that math and science aren’t my thing, it still had my eyes crossing a bit. However, I recommend it prior to reading the story.

Overall, the premise is interesting, but the delivery of it didn’t work well for me personally.

The cover art by Jay Aheer made me look at this story, its dark and haunting and interesting.

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

Book Details:

ebook, 317 pages
Published November 16th 2015 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN 1626493332 (ISBN13: 9781626493339)
edition languageEnglish
url
other editions (2)
Y Negative
Y Negative

A BJ Review: Assimilation, Love, and Other Human Oddities (Claimings #2) by Lyn Gala

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Ondry and Liam have settled into a good life, but their trading is still tied up with humans, and humans are always messy. When political changes at the human base lead Ondry to attempt a difficult trade, the pair find themselves entangled in human affairs. Liam wants to help the people he left and the worlds being torn apart. He also wants to serve Ondry with not only the pleasures of the nest but also by bringing human profits.

Ondry has no hope of understanding human psychology in general, he only knows that he will hold onto his palteia with the last breath in his body, and he’d like to keep his status and his wealth too. Unfortunately, new humans bring new conflicts and he is not sure how to protect Liam. He does know one thing that humans seem to constantly forget—that the peaceful Rownt are predators and when their families are threatened, Rownt become deadly killers. Liam is his family, and Ondry will protect him with his last breath… assuming that he can recognize the dangers in time to do so.

I adored book one of this series which means I had very high expectations. While I didn’t quite love this as much as my five starred book one*, I did thoroughly enjoy it. This series rocks.

The world created for us by the author is simply amazing, I already thought that in book one but it gets even more complex and nuances in book two! I hardly thought that possible. The writing itself is superb. And Liam and Ondry some of the most memorable characters I’ve read recently. I adore reading of how they care for each other so very deeply despite huge differences both physically and culturally. How their love deepens and grows roots… shows so beautifully how love can overcome obstacles.

So why did I enjoyed the first in the series better than this second installment. I think it’s just personal preference because I truly dislike politics, strategy and war/mind games. So those parts read a little slow for me personally.

Don’t get me wrong though, the plot in this story is intricate and brilliantly executed. I adored the way we are shown how Liam adapts to his new homeworld and culture, and the way we see humanity in a light that at times made me favor the Rownt. The romance is there, it grows deeper and more trusting than in book one. But despite there being some D/s elements, neither kink nor sex is at the forefront in this book/series… which may explain why there is no longer a tail on the cover… perhaps the author wanted to avoid folks thinking of this as tentacle porn which it so very much is NOT. And I like the cover just as well without the tail.

I can hardly wait for the next book in this unique and highly recommended series.

Book Cover – see comments above.

Sales Links: Loose id LLC | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 225 pages

Published September 23rd 2014 by Loose-ID

original title Assimilation, Love, and Other Human Oddities

ISBN13 9781623005870

edition language English

url http://lyngala.wordpress.com/2014/06/27/the-claimings-sequel/

series Claimings

*Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts (Claimings, #1) – BJ Review
Assimilation, Love, and Other Human Oddities (Claimings #2)

A BJ Review: The Sacrifice and Other Stories by Kim Fielding

Rating: 5 stars out of 5 ★★★★★

A sickly man seeks recovery in a seaside cottage.
A temple slave tends a man due to be sacrificed.
A soldier releases a genie.

In seven fantasy short stories and novellas, men find passion with other men in the most unexpected places, and even the gravest circumstances may open the door to hope and love.

This anthology includes two brand-new short stories. In “The Sacrifice,” Rylo is a temple slave tasked with comforting a man who is scheduled to be killed in the morning. In “Chasing Away Cold,” Daku builds an ice sculpture of the god Jarli in order to ensure the end of winter. The collection also includes three novellas and two additional short stories, gathered for the first time in a single volume. “Treasure” introduces Jules, a young man who travels to the quirky seaside town of Urchin Cove to regain his health—and finds an unexpected treasure washed up on the beach. Xolani, a soldier in “Three Wishes,” picks up a small glass bottle and unleashes a surprise. Another soldier, Volos in “Guarded,” will risk everything to save Prince Berhanu. In the sequel, “Mato’s Tale,” an unassuming innkeeper gets a chance for adventure. And in “The Downs,” Enitan is unjustly banished and comes to discover that the demons he must face aren’t the ones he expected.

Join Kim Fielding on journeys through imagined worlds where magic is commonplace and romance lies just around the next bend. All royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontiers.

The Sacrifice – 5 stars

New for this anthology, and oh boy, does it ever kick this anthology off right! This is a lovely dark little gem of just the sort that originally brought this author to my attention. Rylo is a temple slave sold by his own parents. He’s chosen to give comfort to a soldier who’s scheduled to be sacrificed the following morning. The story grabbed me from the first paragraph and reeled me in. I loved it for several reasons. First off, I’m a sucker for long-haired, broken, or scarred guys and it delivered gave me that! Not only that, but in such a short number of pages, the author made me care deeply for both of these guys. I adored the dynamic between these two, the switch up between them given their sizes and role in the story. A most excellent short story that despite a very satisfying ending, still left me wanting more of these two. I will cross my fingers.

Treasure – 4.5 stars

This was previously released and written for the DRitC event in 2013. It’d been on my TBR list for a while, but I’d not gotten to it until now. I’m glad I finally did. Sickly, book-loving Julian comes to the small town of Urchin Cover for a holiday, sent by his family who hopes the sea air will improve his health. He finds that, but also so much more when a storm washes handsome Kit Archer up on his private beach. This one is like a romantic swashbuckling fairy tale adventure! There’s dragons, pirates, imps, sprites, and magic. There’s hurt/comfort, sweet that will make your teeth ache, hot sexy bits, suspense and action. It has al that and more. It didn’t drag me in quite as fast as the previous story, and there is a much slower build between the two MC, which some may actually prefer. Overall, a heartwarming story that left me feeling good.

Three Wishes – 5 stars

After soldier Xolani accidently kicks an old bottle on patrol, picks it up and rubs it to remove the dirt, a genie emerges with three wishes to grant. But wishes granted do come with a price. I won’t reveal much more about this story, as you really should experience it for yourself. It’s quite short, but it’s perfect, too. Touching and sweet and full of hope… an exquisite little story.

Guarded – 5 stars

This was previously released and written for the DRitC event in 2014. I’d already read it when it came out, but re-read to refresh my memory since it’s been over a year. Originally rated it as 4.5 stars but I enjoyed it even more the second time around so I’m bumping that up. This is another dark one, and those are my favorite kind it seems. Prince Berhanu shuns guard Volos because of his Kozari blood, but its Volos who comes for him when he captured by the enemy. This story has some brutal parts, and those who have rape triggers should beware. A story with so many of the elements I love: long-hair, hurt/comfort, UST, hot sex, sweet bits, a harsh past, and much more. The prince’s ordeal was hard to read but this story show love’s healing power.

Mato’s Tale – 3.5 stars

This is the sequel to Guarded in which we get to see more of Mato, the lonely but brave innkeeper that assisted Vollos and Berhanu. This was released as a freebie some time ago but I hadn’t yet got around to reading it. While I didn’t really connect very much to the couple in this, I was glad to see Mato and his mother both find their someone special and for Mato get his adventure. Also pleased to find out that Volos and Berhanu were to wed. All around a bunch of lovely HEAs.

The Downs – 4 stars

A dark fairy tale set in a fascinating dystopian world where those convicted of a crime are taken from the city, across the Reach and pitched over a cliff into the Downs where they are told they are being given to the demons for their pleasure.

Entian, a criminal who has been wrongly judged wakes to find himself in the tender care of a scarred giant named Rig. Both of the main characters were intriguing, and their backstories are very developed for a story of this length.This story had many elements I enjoy: dark, dystopian, hurt/comfort, scarred/broken characters, and a sweet love story. This one isn’t only a romance, but a fable-like tale of betrayal, second chances, and vengeance. Little truths sneak out from its pages.

Chasing Away Cold – 5 stars

New in this anthology. Daku creates an ice sculpture of the god Jarli which his tribe will sacrifice in order to ensure the end of winter. Oh my, what a perfect little parable. Had the tears falling down my cheeks as I read. Am I an emotional sap? Maybe, when reading Kim Fielding. Sigh. What’s the magic more powerful than Gods… love, courage… and what this says to me, hope. This is a perfect little gem of a story, and just the right ending for this anthology.

If I figure out the exact stars for this anthology based on the numbers, it comes to something around 4.57. But I’m giving it a big, firm five stars, because very rarely have I ever enjoyed an anthology so completely. Each story is a gem for different reasons, but together they are an impeccable whole.

COVER: I really admire drawn covers done specifically for a story, and this cover captures the feeling of the first story, The Sacrifice, perfectly. Love the dark in the background to the portrayal of Rylo with his attire and tattoo, and long hair, which always, always grabs my attention. But also that outstretched hand that invites the sacrifice in for his last night of pleasure but at the same time invites us readers in to join them. Worked for me!

Sales Links: Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 404 pages
Expected publication: November 27th 2015
ASINB0180W71RY
edition languageEnglish404 pages

Published November 27th 2015 by Kim Fielding

A BJ Review: Chrysalis Corporation (Chrysalis Corporation #1) by T.A. Venedicktov

Rating: 3.25 stars out of 5

Together, they can change the rules of the galaxy and the definition of humanity.

When Damion Hawk is offered an opportunity to escape the destitute life of a miner on Mars and become an elite Alpha Fighter pilot, he jumps at the chance. Within the Chrysalis Corporation, Damion must learn to work with his Core—a man with computerized implants, no human emotions—and no rights. But unlike other Fighters, Damion can’t treat Core 47 as a tool. He sees 47 as more than a machine, and he’ll take deadly risks to help 47 find the humanity inside him.

Fighters and Cores are designed to work together and enhance each other’s strengths in defense of their employer. Damion and 47 will need each other’s support as suspicions about the all-powerful Chrysalis Corporation arise. Someone wants Damion and 47 gone, and they need to find out who and why while hiding 47’s growing emotions and the love forming between them. If they can succeed, they might save not only themselves, but all Cores enslaved by the Corporation.

The fundamental storyline we’re presented with in this book is extremely intriguing as are the various characters for the most part. I adored 47 and felt absolutely awful for the life he’s been handed at the same time as I admired his steadfast determination to make something of it. Some things 47 said during this story got to me in a major way. So I’ll begin this review by saying that the writers definitely achieved the single most important thing I hope for in any story I read—to make me connect to a character. On the other side of that coin, being that I admired 47 so much, I found that the way others treated him, even Damion towards the end, thoroughly angered me.

The first half of the book kept me entertained, but as the pages slipped by, I began to have quite a few quibbles. First off, while the Fighter/Core team’s purpose is to fly their ships and defend against enemies/rebels, they really do very little of that… at least not on page. There’s a couple simulation runs, then later a reference to some off-page flights. Only at the very end do we get to see action, see the two working together in a space fight. For the length of the book and it’s set up, I’d expected more. But this book dealt more with relationships between the characters, and to be honest, it rather devolved into more sex than I felt the story warranted. Now, believe me I like the sexy bits, but I was left wanting more than that from the story, more sci-fi or action or something. Another quibble stemmed from the frequent debate/bickering between the characters, after a while that started to get wearisome.

But the single thing that bugged me the most was Damion’s treatment of 47. The Corporation creates the Cores from infants and controls their entire lives. We’re told the Cores are expensive and time-consuming to create and thus are valuable. Yet they’re not treated as if they have value but as if they are extremely disposable. The Corporation and even many of the Fighters, treat Cores as tools, not as human. Cores have no say over their own body or life–ever. It’s really very heartbreaking. Then comes Damion, and yes, he’s a better Fighter for 47 than those he’s been assigned to in the past. Yet he’s not very considerate, caring, or even smart in the things he does and says to 47. It bothered me that he (and his Fighter friend Juni) had so little concern about how what they chose to do would ultimately affect their Cores.

Given that Cores are programmed to obey their Fighters, while Damion may not have thought he was ordering 47 around, in essence, he was all along. I tried to mark this treatment and lack of empathy down to youth. However, it reached a point where Damion’s treatment of 47 really started to get to me. In the second half, he came across to me as rather selfish, inconsiderate, and unfeeling. I could see that he was frustrated, but still! He just seemed to make very little attempt to understand what 47 was going through when the Core was obviously being pulled apart inside. I didn’t feel the consideration/concern from Damion enough, which bothered me and kept me from really liking or feeling connected to him.

From a writing perspective: there were times the POVs slipped, times when the way the dialogue was handed confused me because it didn’t flow smoothly and had me sometimes looking back to try and figure out what the speaker was responding to again, and there was quite a bit of redundancy and repetition. In my opinion, the story would’ve benefitted by being tightened up, especially since it ended up quite lengthy at 350 pages.

Being that this book is from DSP, I wasn’t expecting a traditional HEA/HFN ending, however, neither was I prepared for the abrupt cliffhanger, to-be-continued ending. Do be prepared for that when you pick this story up! If you’re the type who hates waiting for the rest of a story, perhaps read this together with the rest when available.

For me, while I’m not a fan of cliffies, I will be coming back for the next book. And hoping with fingers crossed.

The cover by Anne Cain is as intriguing as the blurb, both did their job of draw me to the story admirably. But one thing that bugged me just a tiny bit is the cityscape at bottom when mostly the story revolves around spaceships.

Sales Links: DSP Publications | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 350 pages

Published November 17th 2015 by DSP Publications

ISBN13 9781634761727

edition language English

series Chrysalis Corporation #1

A BJ Review: Heart (Spotless #4) by Bailey Bradford

Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

Rolly has waited ten years to claim his mate. Now the wait is over, and he’s coming home. When he first met Erdwin, the boy was still a child. Rolly felt nothing but compassion for him back then, but Erdwin came of age five years ago, and Rolly’s stayed out of his life in order to give Erdwin time to experience life.

Erdwin never fit right in his skin. He didn’t like what he saw in the mirror. It didn’t match how he felt inside. As a shifter, he was stuck with the body he had. Surgery wasn’t an option for him. But Erdwin found a way to accept himself—by embracing the part of herself that felt like her true nature. She struggled with it, but with her family’s support, she became Edie, the young lady she was meant to be. She stopped worrying about her parts, and concentrated on her heart.

When Rolly, a powerful shaman, moves back home to the pack, Edie is transfixed. He makes her nervous—and arouses her. But what would a man like him think of a woman liker her? Edie’s about to find out, and she will have to be stronger than ever to help fight off a threat to her pack, to her mate, and to her family.

I chose this book because of the trans* element among shifters and the kinky tags, hoping that although it was part of a series that I would still be able to enjoy it as a standalone. I based this hope on the fact the main characters did not appear to be love interests in any of the prior books. However, I could tell very early on that my experience of the story would have been different had I read the other books. It was obvious that I’d missed a lot of the background story by skipping ahead. That that was my bad and has no doubt tainted my view of the story. Please understand that before reading my review.

This is my first story by the author, so I had no idea of what to expect. The first third of this book read slow and a bit tedious for me. Erdwin, now Edie, was prim and proper, hesitant and insecure, wanting acceptance but scared to show her true self to get it. Rolly was strong, self-sacrificing and noble. Neither were capturing my attention when apart, so it took me a while to get into the story. Once the two characters were finally united, both of them changed dramatically. Like almost a one-eighty.

Edie went from shy virgin to on fire aggressor within minutes, which was quite jarring. But I wrote it off as a shifter mates thing and read on. Then Rolly nearly right off mentions enjoying pain and the BDSM elements jumped in out of seemingly nowhere (may have been mentioned in another story, not sure?). The fisting scene also seemed to come out of nowhere and was unsettling to me. Because, well, the guy had been abstaining for fifteen years and this happened after he’d only with someone again just a few times. I had to remind myself again that they were shifters in order to accept that and move on.

The dynamic between the couple was not the usual and that part was refreshing. Rolly was older, larger, more experienced, a super powerful shaman and a wolf, yet he mostly a submissive bottom who enjoyed pain. Edie was smaller, MTF and she morphs from being very unsure of herself and just wanting to be accepted for who she is into a person secure with her physical equipment and willing and eager to take control. Once they’re together, it’s Rolly who often came across as insecure and in need of assurance from Edie. While I did find the dynamic of the relationship refreshing; the changes in did still came across as abrupt for me.

Besides the relationship, there is a more complex plot revolving around mysterious events that threaten the pack. As the story wore on, there were so many characters that I couldn’t always keep them straight, but again that was likely partly due to trying to read the story out of order.

I found the dialogue often felt stilted to me, or well, not natural sounding anyway. And the transitions from scene to scene didn’t always read smooth, in fact, sometimes they were quite abrupt. For example, most of the sex scenes are either interrupted or immediately followed by sudden crisis.

Overall, I recommend reading this book in order within the series rather than as a first book as I did. I firmly believe that had I done that, how I perceived the book would be somewhat different. So I can only rate based on what I read, but it will probably not be the same as the book experienced read in order.

The cover is quite lovely and drags my eyes to it. Definite eye candy. However, given that the trans* element among shifters is so unique and what drew me to the story, I think it could have been even better if it showed Erwdin/Edie.

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

Book Details:

ebook, 154 pages
Published August 18th 2015 by Pride Publishing
ISBN139781784307257
edition languageEnglish

seriesSpotless #4

A BJ Review: Just a Bit Wrong (Straight Boys #4) by Alessandra Hazard

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Zach Hardaway is one of the best physiotherapists in Europe. Tristan DuVal is a young soccer star with a groin injury and adopted brother to Gabriel from book three of the series.

Zach and Tristan despise each other from the moment they meet. As far as Zach is concerned, Tristan is a rich, spoiled brat who is too used to getting his own way. As far as Tristan is concerned, Zach is a bossy, presumptuous jerk.

Tristan hates Zach. He does. The problem is, he also wants to shove Zach against the nearest wall and climb him like a tree.

Zach is in an open relationship with a woman, but they are engaged to be married and plan to become monogamous once they tie the knot. He’s straight. Except that he can’t seem to keep his mind or hands off his infuriating new patient.

This well-written series hasn’t disappointed me yet! This is actually book five, if you count Straight Boy (book 0.5) and I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of them. The series deals with straight guys who discover and come to terms with their sexuality a bit later, usually with some bits of trauma along the way.

Like Gabriel in the past book, Tristan Duval’s one messed up guy. I must admit that I abhorred him in book three. While Gabriel was a bit co-dependent and obsessive/possessive of Jared, Tristan is the opposite. He never has relationships, just sex. And it’s all tied up with defense mechanisms he created to deal with rejection and loss in his early childhood. He is a brat, but despite that it didn’t take too long for the author to dispel my former dislike once she let’s us inside the façade he’s created, and I was soon rooting for Tristan to find happiness.

Due to their combined hectic, traveling lifestyles, Zach and his longtime friend/lover Donna have been in an open relationship, but having decided it’s time to start a family they’ve made plans to tie the know and the wedding invitations have been sent. He gives in his desire for Tristan just to get it out of his system before the wedding… except that once he starts, he cannot stop coming back for more.

This installment of the series adds in a bit of BDSM twist with some spanking action. Tristan and Gabe together are hot! Yes, folks… like the rest of the series, this book is sexy (hate me/take me) and angsty. Tristan and Zach both fought their feelings and budding relationship tooth and nail, which resulted in some funny and sweet moments.

Enjoyable ending in which Tristan began to open up but has not truly yet changed. I would love to have seen a bit more development between him and Gabe’s relationship, but perhaps in the next book. The seeds that were planted for book five have me chomping at the bit and hoping to see Tristan and Gabe both continue in their growth and maturing. There certainly seems to be the set up for it, and I hope we will get to find out very soon.

Cover was changed from the time I purchased it. Originally a white background showing a guy with bright aqua eyes, now a darker cover in which the eyes color doesn’t show. I preferred the first actually.

Sales Links: Amazon | Buy It Here