Tag: A BJ Review

A BJ Review: Gremlin’s Last Run (Guardians of the Pattern #2) by Jaye McKenna

Rating:  4.75 stars out of 5

Gremlin's Last Run coverCaptain Rhys Tyler is so sensitive to the feelings and pain of others that it’s impossible to be around them without drugs. A simple human touch can send him into a seizure. As the Captain and sole crew of the Gremlin, he hauls cargo through the emptiness of interstellar space. His ship, left to him by his deceased uncle, is all that’s allowing him to survive… and now the Gremlin is coming to the end of her useful life.

Alek McKinnon is a Federation agent whose latest mission has gone terribly wrong. He’s managed to escape after being kidnapped and used for illegal psi experimentation, but the after effects have left him psi crippled, in pain, and with very limited options available to get home and report to his superiors.

Alek stows away aboard the Gremlin and is surprised when the Captain turns out to be another psion, a powerful empath that has no idea what he is. As the two men struggle to keep themselves (and each other) alive, they form a bond much deeper than either had expected.

This story grabbed me by the throat from page one and would NOT let me go, something I cannot honestly say about very many books. The pacing is outstanding, enough so that it was hard for me to put it down.

Alek and Rhys are nuanced, real, and vividly alive. I’d already met Alek in a prior book, and I adored Rhys from the start. When faced with a stowaway, Rhys’s initial response was to either send him into space or return him to the authorities, but one look at the man’s face as he pleas for his help chances his mind. Not enough that he isn’t still careful though. When Alek discovers that Rhys is an psion and explains it to him, offering him a way to finally live a more normal life, Rhys understandably doesn’t immediately believe him, which I’d expect from his background. But as they work together to help each other, the development of the feelings and trust between them seems natural and right. I adored Rhys. He grew so much, going from being almost suicidal due to his lonely and hopeless existence, to learning to trust and love. And I adored his voice in this story.

By the way, for those who find series in which many people who know each other are gay to be unrealistic, then please read this book. Because yeah, there are a large number of gays in this particular organization, but this author tells you exactly why in a totally believable way that I just adored.

This series continues to draw me deeper and deeper into a fascinating world and the characters that populate it. I’ve read other series that concentrate on one couple in each book with nearly the entire focus being on the main couple and others just cameos, but that isn’t the case in this series. In each book, I’m getting to know new guys, but there are also the old favorites that are still growing and changing. No little snippets thrown in just as an update here. It’s a richly interwoven world where everyone we keep seeing nuances of character revealed that we didn’t see before.

For example, I enjoyed book one, but Kyn was quite an asshat at times and hard for me to love. In this book, I can see the growth in him that has come from accepting himself as he is and also from being in a stable loving relationship over the few years since the prior book. And Luka… wow, he has matured and is now a teacher who is a far cry from that frightened lost boy. Yet he’s the same in all the ways that make him uniquely him. Two of my favorite characters have yet to have their own story, and I can’t wait. One of them was a very bad boy in this book, which gave me some grief, but only intrigues me more. I adore anti-heroes and cannot wait to see the world through his eyes.

The cover shows Rhys on the Gremlin and does a good job of setting the tone of the story.

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

Book Details:
ebook, 299 pages
Published October 20th 2014 by Mythe Weaver Press (first published October 19th 2014)
ISBN139781311912886
edition languageEnglish
seriesGuardians of the Pattern #2.0

Guardians of the Pattern series

4 works, 4 primary works

Guardians of the Pattern is a science fiction series in which the line between science and magic blurs. In the galaxy-spanning Federation, psions are still fighting for basic human rights. Some worlds adopt a live-and-let-live policy, but on others, psions are hunted down and murdered because the public fears their psychic talents. When ancient weapons of mass destruction are unearthed on a planet populated by primitive nomads who still believe in magic, psions may be the Federation’s only hope for survival.

Can the people of these two very different cultures come together to prevent disaster? Or will the Federation’s hunger for power trigger a psionic chain-reaction that has the potential to threaten all of humanity?

Guardians of the Pattern Series:

  • Facing the Mirror (Guardians of the Pattern  0.5)
  • Psi Hunter (Guardians of the Pattern, #1)
  • Gremlin’s Last Run (Guardians of the Pattern #2.0)
  • Ghost in the Mythe (Guardians of the Pattern, #3.0)

 

A BJ Review: Psi Hunter (Guardians of the Pattern #1) by Jaye McKenna

Rating:  4.5 stars out of 5

PSI Hunter CoverIn what promises to be quite an epic sci-fi series, humans now travel the stars, and a rare few have psychic abilities. They are called psions. Sometimes these abilities come to the fore after/during traumatic experiences, and that’s the case for Luka, an abused, young psion with extremely powerful abilities that he has no idea how to control or live with.

There are two organizations that deal with psions. On planet Aurora, Pat Cottrell is a psi hunter working for Federation Security. He tracks down dangerous psi criminals who misuse their power. Kyn Valdari works for the Institute for Psionic Research, an organization that helps psions learn how to control their psychic abilities and keep their sanity.

Kyn and Pat were close friends until Kyn walked away three years ago after a passionate night took their relationship beyond friendship. The two haven’t spoken since. When Pat’s partner is out on leave, he is paired up with Kyn to investigate a string of murders that appear to have been committed by a psion powerful enough to kill with his mind. As they work together to locate and then help Luka, the two men find themselves struggling with feelings for each other and fighting for their lives.

The world-building in this series is outstanding and intricate in its detail and scope. In this world, there doesn’t seem to be any angst over being gay (yay!) but there is suspicion and lack of acceptance when it comes to psions. I pictured Downtown Riga as a sort of galactic ghetto slum version of Vegas, and the safe island was so idyllic that I want to visit.

The characters are complex, nuanced, and very believable. They don’t always do the right thing, and they pay the price for their bad choices. There were times when I wanted to slap some sense into a couple of them, but isn’t that how it is in real life?

In an unusual twist for a M/M romance, the person I see as the main character of the story, Luka, isn’t the one involved in the romance. This may seem strange, but trust me, it works. Luka’s story is heartbreaking, but watching how he grows throughout is a part of what I enjoyed about this book. But never fear, there is plenty enough angst and tension between Kyn and Pat to make for a very hot romance. Actually, its the strong and stable Pat who ended up being my favorite characters in this book. In addition, several of the characters I’d wanted more of after reading Facing the Mirror appear, including Miko and Cameron. I enjoyed seeing how their lives had progressed. I’m crossing fingers to see them and also Luka get their own HEA in future volumes.

There were some extremely touching, sweet moments near the end, most of them were created by Kyn. That pleased me since I’d wanted smack sense into him several times in the story. I could forgive him for the I’m-not-good-enough-for-him maneuver, but when he turned that around later and becomes self-centered (or maybe self-focused) at being deprived an assurance most never have, that threw me. I’m sort of a trust freak, and I was disappointed that Kyn didn’t trust in Pat and his love for a while there, mainly because I’d seen nothing in Pat’s behavior that would seem to warrant it. The story and characters are all kinds of amazing. I strongly recommend this series and am eager to read onward.

The cover by Cinchbug depicts Luka rather than the romantic couple in this story. Appropriate, as it really seemed to be his story. The dark tones used on the cover work well as does the creepy feel that comes from the blood flowing from his head/mind.

Sales Links:  Smashwords   –  Amazon    Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 306 pages
Published March 1st 2014 by Smashwords Edition
ISBN139781311081643
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.smashwords.com/books/view/414055
seriesGuardians of the Pattern #1.0

 

A BJ Review: Facing the Mirror (Guardians of the Pattern #0.5) by Jaye McKenna

Rating:  4.5 stars out of 5

Facing the Mirror coverSpecial Agent Cameron Asada has spent four years undercover in an attempt to bring down a large drug cartel the Sapphire Guild. The things he’s been forced to do in order to maintain his cover are weighing heavily on his soul, and Cam is beginning to have trouble facing the man he now sees in his mirror.

Cam finally has the opportunity to get what he’s been striving for the last four years, working for the boss himself. There Cam meets Miko, the boss’s beautiful slave whom he uses to reward his associates for jobs well done. Miko is a psion who does not speak, but he is very loud in Cam’s head when he’s hurt/used. Can Cam ignore the young psion’s pain and keep to his mission? And who is the mysterious, powerful and quirky Draven? Friend or foe?

A well-written free short that acts as a prologue or prequel to the series. This introduces many interesting characters who are key players in the Guardians of the Pattern series, which I highly recommend. When I first read this short, I hadn’t explored this author much or the rest of the series. Months later, after reading other books and finally picking up book #1 of this series, I found myself compelled to go back and read this on again. Now that I wasn’t expecting it to be a complete romance in itself, I came away with a much different feel for the story. Read alone, I rated this as a 4 star story and wrote this: “I was most intrigued by Draven and Miko and would like to learn more about them. This particular short story wasn’t actually a romance and was quite dark. But intriguing.”

After reading book one and meeting Cameron and Miko again under different circumstances, I have a better understanding and insight that lends an extra depth to the story. I re-read it specifically seeking to refresh that background, of these two.

What I hadn’t expected was how much more I noticed than on the first read… and how very, very much I need to read more about the mysterious Draven.

This isn’t a romance and it isn’t a sweet story. Its dark and there is non-con. But it is a tightly woven, intense short story with excellent characterization, mystery, action, and world-building. Rare to see a short capture all that so well. For that reason, I re-rated this to 4.5 rounded up. I love the title, too.

The cover by Cinchbug shows a man looking into a cracked mirror. The haunted stare of the man seriously creeps me out, which is the point because the man is seeing himself slowly turning into a monster.

Sales Link: Amazon Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 53 pages
Published 2013
edition languageEnglish
seriesGuardians of the Pattern

A BJ Review: In Sunshine or in Shadow (Short Stories, Volume 1) by Josh Lanyon

Rating:  4.5 stars out of 5

In Sunshine or in Shadow coverHere we have thirteen juicy short stories from Josh Lanyon written between 2007 and 2013. These may be short, but most of them pack a decent punch of sexy, sweet emotion and even scary! This is available as a paperback from Amazon or as an audiobook from Amazon/Audible.

In Plain Sight – 5 stars

Oh my, this one had the feels. Very emotional and had me on the edge of my seat. FBI agent Nash met police officer Glen during a training. They have an instant attraction and spend some times together. But Nash lives in another state and he doesn’t believe in love. Then Glen goes missing the day Nash flies home, right after he walked out of the airport from seeing him off. This is a very short little mystery that absolutely touched my heart as Nash goes back to join the hunt and refuses to give up even with Glen’s fellow officers want to. His faith in Glen, his tenacious hope and determination… oh, how I wish for more of this story.

Perfect Day – 5 stars

On a camping trip, Wyatt lets the L word slip big time during a hot and heavy session. Unfortunately, he’s well aware that his lover, Graham, is far from over his last boyfriend, Jase, and thus his declaration isn’t going to sit well. What ensues is a short, sweet and perfect little story that had me teary eyed nearly from page one. In only twenty-eight pages, this ran the gamut from breaking my heart to making it soar and came complete with all the tentative stages of hope in between! Josh Lanyon writes beautifully. Darn it all, I wish I could use words like this for just one day… now that would be my perfect day.

In a Dark Wood – 5 stars

Holy hell in a handbasket! I was not expecting this one. Do NOT read reviews and spoilers until after you’ve read this story! This starts off like a typical contemporary, good but tame and low key. I totally didn’t see what was coming until it smacked me upside the head. Because this is some scary stuff! Tim is such a messed up, broken character… I love him and totally must have more. Which is why I have already purchased book two to read on. Who knew Josh Lanyon can write horror just as good as Stephen King?

Until We Meet Once More – 5 stars

I don’t usually like war stories, but I’ve come to think that Lanyon could write just about anything and manage to pull me into it. This is a second chance love story set right in the trenches of a military conflict. Army Ranger Captain Vic Black and his team are tasked with the rescue of a Navy SEAL. The man turns out to be none other than his former, and never forgotten, lover Lt. Commander Sean Kennedy. This is an edge-of-the-seat, high tension, life or death, emotional read. I completely adored this short and really wish it had been longer.

In Sunshine or In Shadow – 5 stars

This was one of the sweetest, most romantic little shorts I’ve read in a long time! Two cops—one admittedly a bit of the asshat variety at the beginning—but he manages to pull it out in the nick of time. Rick and Kier are partners that had been lovers for a short time, but when one is nearly injured on the job, the other pulls away and refuses to face his emotions. Unable to go on like that anymore, Kier makes the decision to quit the force and take a vacation before moving on with his life. A lovely little read set in Los Angeles and then Ireland. I love Josh Lanyon. Now I’m gonna go listen to Danny Boy. Again.

Just Desserts – 4 stars

I’m a sucker for broken guys, so this one drew me in despite being quite strange at some points. Starts out with Ridge as a very bitter man bound to a wheelchair and enduring constant pain after an accident caused by his drunkenly cousin. Ridge had me fascinated while at the same time quite chilled as he plots murdering his cousin. It’s all dark and dire. Then here comes Tug, his new physical therapist, like a bright ray of sunshine into his dark world. Tug manages to help him with the pain… inside and out. Loved the ending. Part of the Petit Morts series.

Heart Trouble – 3.5 stars

A young man with a family history of heart trouble goes to the doctor sure he’s suffering a heart attack. Ford is low on funds, has few friends, suffers writer’s block and isn’t even out of the closet. He’s a naïve and struggling young man when he meets Jacob. But the emergency room doctor who helps him, is calm, assured and compassionate and maybe the perfect prescription. This one is very short and sweet.

The French Have a Word for It – 3.5 stars

Set in Paris, well-written, well-paced and sweet, but a bit predictable. It’s a second chance story in which Colin and Thomas meet again after ten years apart. Colin, now an artist in Paris, was kidnapped at 14 and Thomas was the man who saved him. Thomas was Colin’s first crush. I think what I liked most about this was how Colin as an artist was woven into it—excellent use of sensory an color sprinkled in that made me feel his descriptions ringing as uniquely him.

Other People’s Weddings – 3.5 stars

A fun story about a very out of the closet wedding planner living in a small town. I enjoyed Griffin, he was a fun character with quirky clients. Lots of potential, but the ending was really very abrupt, even for a short story. Also there isn’t too much of a romance in this story, just a hint that something might come of it. Part of the Petit Morts series.

Sort of Stranger Than Fiction – 3.5 stars

Ethan and his sister own a bookstore, a family legacy. Ethan is one of only a few gay men in his small town, and when a mysterious scarred man opens a dojo next door to his shop, Ethan quickly develops a crush. But he suffers from foot in mouth disease and gets off on a bad foot. The things he said in Michael hearing seriously made me cringe for him even knowing he didn’t mean them. Then a serial killer surfaces in their small town. Overall, felt this had a lot of potential. But then the ending was super abrupt, leaving me scratching my head and wondering what just happened. Loved Michael and would have liked more about him. Part of the Petit Morts series.

Slings and Arrows – 3 stars

Carey has a secret admirer. He receives a mysterious box of chocolates a couple days before Valentine’s Day, something which begins to seriously trouble him when friends tell him about a serial killer that uses that exact MO and has been stalking their campus. The mystery didn’t work well for me and parts read very slow, unusual for a short. But I did find the ending satisfying and enjoyable. Part of the Petit Morts series.

Critic’s Choice – 3 stars

Cris is a movie critic hired to work on a commentary on a classic horror film alongside the cheating ex that he broke up with six months prior. It’s clear pretty quickly that Cris is also not over Rey. The process of the job they were doing was quite interesting, and I enjoyed the old horror movie feel of the parts where the car breaks down on the dark road and the creepy gothic mansion. The romance was sweet, but having the sweet shop appear where it did was a bit weird. Overall an enjoyable read. Part of the Petit Morts series.

A Limited Engagement – 2.5 stars

This one was by far my least favorite in this anthology. Still excellent writing, as always from this author, but the beginning confused me—because one main character strangling the other? Excuse me! Then blackmail as a means to win love/attention? Despite all that and it did have a sweet ending. Go figure.

Amazon eBook Sales Link for A Limited Engagement.

The cover was sexy, although in general black and white covers aren’t my favorite. I like a bit of color to make it pop.

Paperback Sales Link:  Amazon     Buy It Here

Paperback, 348 pages, also available as a audiobook
Published June 6th 2013 by Just Joshin
ISBN 1937909476 (ISBN13: 9781937909475)
edition languageEnglish

A BJ Review: Rorschach Blots by RoughDraftHero aka R. D. Hero

Rating:  5 stars out of 5

Rorschat Blasts coverSev won’t go back to the swim team. Sev won’t accept his best friend’s girlfriend. He will sit behind the art classroom and smoke his joint.

He definitely won’t analyze why he wants to spank his teacher.

Sev is a rather lackadaisical eighteen year-old high school senior. He’s hiding out in the art room smoking on campus when he happens to see his art teacher, Mr. Duarte (Caleb), spanking himself after hours. The sight really gets to him, sparks an inner dominance inside him, and he becomes fascinated and a bit obsessed with Caleb. Caleb is ten years older than Sev, but Sev doesn’t let that stop him from aggressively pursuing the man, finding out more about him, and trying to meet his needs.

This story of has flaws when it comes to things like typos and grammar mistakes, but I think that sort of adds to its charm in a way. Make it feel as if it really is written by that lazy high school senior, you know! It all felt so real and true to life. And when you look beyond that, the plot is well developed, the pacing just right, and the story deep and complex.

It had me totally engaged, and I found it nearly impossible to put down. I found it only because I was specifically searching for books about an older sub and younger Dom. If it hadn’t been recommended to me, I’d never had picked it up based on the cover and the much less than descriptive blurb. But I was very glad that I did.

Sev had plenty of awkward moments in this, because he’s totally inexperienced and discovering his dominant tendencies at the same time as he is also coming to accept his sexual preference. Even still, he has this certainty about what he wants that I loved. And he totally goes after it.

The way the characters and their relationship developed seemed just right, not rushed or too easy or overly dramatic. The emotions were believable and heartfelt, and the author did a nice job of painting for me the need to submit and/or dominate. The sexual tension was very much there and kept me reading into the night.

Both of these characters had issues, they both made mistakes, said the wrong thing A LOT, and danced around all over the place as they discovered themselves and each other. Sev’s youth caused a nervous awkwardness some of the time, but it was juxtaposed to periods of strength and insight that charmed me. Caleb’s had his neediness, brattiness and his co-dependence with John to worth through. But him and Sev’s back and forth dance around each other was perfect.

When I saw that -fin- after the last chapter, I wanted to scream NO!! It can’t end there. Then came an epilogue that was thoroughly satisfying and had me wanting to do a happy dance. I won’t spoil it, but I thought the ending was just exactly right.

I’ve never read anything quite like this and I’m so glad it was recommended to me. Its available on Smashwords, Kobo, and ARe, but not Amazon. Its free or name you own price, so you have nothing to lose. Give it a try.

The cover is a bit on the plain side, like the blurb. But look past that and read this story. I highly recommend it.

Sales Links:  *Free on Smashwords

Book Details:
Words: 54,380 complete
ebook, 163 pages
Published February 13th 2013 by Smashwords (first published January 1st 2012)
edition languageEnglish

A BJ Review: Human Choices (Guardians of the Leythe #2.0) by Jaye McKenna

Rating:  4.5 stars out of 5

Human Choices coverKhy has been held prisoner for years, drugged, bound with a collar around his neck that keeps him from using his leythe energy, and forced to serve Master Rikard. Treated like a slave during the day and enduring agony at night as his power is ripped from him for Rikard’s nefarious use, Khy has little memory of any other life. Until one day his master is called away on urgent business, and Khy is left alone. When the drugs wear off, he makes a break for freedom while he can.

He meets Jaedin, a former ranger who is still mourning the loss of his beloved Talon five years after his death, in the town of Rosefire. When Jaedin steps in to help Khy, he finds himself haunted by voices and in an attempt to rid himself of them, sets off in search of Khy thinking he has cursed him.

This was written from a photo and prompt for the Love’s Landscapes series of DRitC. The author did an absolutely amazing job with incorporating the prompt and the photo so truly perfectly into the story that was written. I initially read this story (which is second in a series) before having read the first book. I enjoyed it then, but this past week I went back and read it after reading book one, and it came to life much fuller and more completely since I now had a background on Varien and Tor.

The world building in this series is excellent, and all of the characters are well drawn. I cared about them and what would happen to them immediately. Plenty of angst (this author’s guys tend to go through the wringer a bit, which I love!) Totally rooting for Khy to have a HEA although the whole thing with Jaedin near the start did piss me off while at the same time I found it interesting. This story is tagged as non-con, but its a different take on the non-con trope. Almost a reversal. I won’t spoil that by explaining, but give it a read and see.

So back to the world building. There are so many elements of this series that I find pretty damn cool about its world, well, I mean in addition to the magic and the hot long-haired guys, of course.

* The Fireskye, made me think of the Northern Lights (which have always fascinated me)! Only even more cool. 

* The Black? Is it death? Hell? Both? Something else. 

* The leythe itself and how it runs through what is turning into quite a complex history.

I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting Tor and Ash from book one. And while I loved the new guys (especially Jaedin), I am still most drawn to Ashnavayarian, I hope he continues to appear in this series as I find him quite fascinating as he grows and changes—which he’s done a lot of from book one to this story! And I loved the little bits of him and Tor’s continuing relationship that peek through in this near the end.

An engrossing fantasy with magic, angst, and a fascinating world. I highly recommend this, but must say I think you might enjoy it even more if you read Human Frailties, Human Strengths first. I know I did.

The cover by Cinchbug is nicely representative of the story.

Sales Links:  Free here at Goodreads M/M Romance Group

Book Details:

ebook, 141 pages
Published June 7th 2014 by M/M Romance Group @ Goodreads
edition languageEnglish
series: Guardians of the Leythe #2.0, Love’s Landscapes, Don’t Read in the Closet Events , more
characters: Jaedin (Human Choices), Khy (Human Choices), Ashnavayarian “Ash/Varian”, Tor MacAran

A BJ Review: Manbot by Scarlet Blackwell

Rating:  4.25 stars out of 5

If a robot is programmed to obey your every need, wouldn’t you take advantage? 



Manbot cover 2In a future where most families can afford to own their own robot (either a manbot or fembot), that question would definitely come up for those who live a lonely, solitary lifestyle. Especially since the robots are quite lovely and designed to obey their owner’s every command. So if you had one, what would you do? Really?

Gray Benedict is lonely teacher who owns Kavan, a six-foot-three gorgeous manbot just ready to do his bidding. When his friend Mitchell mentions that he’s been getting it on with his own manbot, George, Gray can’t help but begin to look at Kavin in a different light. Unlike his friend, Mitchell the letch, Gray has scruples and a heart. He’s concerned about taking advantage and maybe even damaging Kavan. It becomes clear that Kavan is eager to serve, but Gray is a nice guy and rather than order his robot around, he finds himself falling for his ever more humanlike manbot.

This is an enjoyable and well-written novella. Kavan is equipped with software that allows him to learn from his experiences as well as his manuals. As Gray gets closer and opens up to him emotionally as well as physically, Kavan becomes more and more human. He blossoms and its so fun to follow along this process. The way Kavan so much wanted to be a real man for Gray made me think of Pinnochio wanting to be a real boy. I loved it. And Gray was so sweet in his concerns that he’d damage Kavan. He was considerate of him at all times, never treating him as an object or something he owned except when his scumwad friend Mitchel gets him to agree to loan Kavan to him for an hour.

The bond between Gray and Kavan grows on both sides, because despite being a robot, it soon becomes obvious from Kavan’s actions that he is not just obeying his owner anymore. Its interesting to see the relationship of Mitchell and George juxtaposed to that of Gray and Kavan because it shows so vividly the two sides of a coin. How some humans treat anything or anyone they believe to be lesser than them (animals, other races, religions, etc.) with cruelty. The story explores a little of what makes someone human and worthy of love and respect.

The sex scenes are hot and so fun, the way Kavan’s operating system fritzes out when he’s overcome with pleasure/orgasm is just adorable.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the main reasons I didn’t give it five stars is not what was there, but what I wish had been! I’d have loved it if this were longer with more in-depth world building, because I think it had so much more that could have been explored such as the friendship of the two manbots and the relationship of George/Mitchell. The process of Kavan’s developing emotions would have come across much more if we could have been given more than the small snippets of his POV snippets near the end. I’d have loved to get a peek into the doors of the Tuesday programmer meetings and explore more on how and why the bots were able to develop feelings. And finally, I totally wanted to follow along with the couple a bit on their journey. A sweet HFN ending that left me hopeful but nervous for them and definitely wanting more. I would LOVE it if this book had a sequel.

Cover art bu Unknown. Beautiful cover! Love how it gives the feel of what’s inside Kavan, the little city at the bottom marking it as urban, and the warm vs cool colors.

Sales Links: Totally Bound Publishing –  All Romance (ARe) – Amazon Buy It Here

Book Details:

CONTENT ADVISORY: This titles has a HFN ending. (less)
ebook, 82 pages
Published November 21st 2014 by Totally Bound (first published August 3rd 2012)
ISBN139781784302931
edition languageEnglish

A BJ Review: Human Frailties, Human Strengths (Guardians of the Leythe #1.0) by Jaye McKenna

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Human Frailties Human Strengths coverAshnavayarian was a powerful, god-like being of the leythe, the place from which magical energies emanate. But Ash has been a bad boy. His thoughtless, selfish meddling and manipulating has led to a war and disturbances within the leythe. Ash needs to be taken down a peg or two, so the goddess Jhara punishes him by forcing him to live in human form with most of his power stripped from him. She hopes he’ll learn that using other creatures for his own amusement isn’t right and that some of the things he considers human frailties (like compassion and love) are just what he needs to learn. Of course, that doesn’t go over well with Ash, and he’s determined to thwart Jhara by any means necessary and break his exile. Jhara throws Ash another curveball when she leythe-bonds him to Toryn MacAran, a human!

Tor has never fit in and always harbored a painful emptiness inside, like something is missing. When a strange encounter at a bookstore one night ends up landing him at the feet of the handsome Ash, he may have found the answer. Ash’s touch takes his emptiness and pain away and makes him feel compete.

Both main characters are well developed and interesting in their own right, but when they come together, oh boy! The chemistry goes off the charts. I adored the interaction between these two. An emotional rollercoaster.

Ash is a self-centered, full of himself ass at the beginning of this story, but he’s so damn fun. Tor is the broken boy that I always adore. And I do adore him… except that by the end, I’m so in love with Ash that even Tor’s delicious brokenness cannot compare. These guys go through hell and back in this story, but the growth of the characters throughout is such a treat to read.

This is a complex fantasy that takes place on another world separate from the earth (from which Tor came). The world building is quite intricate and yet so smoothly woven that it never felt cumbersome as some fantasies do for me. Fast-paced, lots of wit, smoking hot sex, angst, sexy long-haired men (my fav!), and some freaky bad guys to hate from Lucano in the first section on to some of his horrible creations in the second.

And then there’s Carrik Tarn, a very interesting and pivotal secondary character. I won’t say much about him for fear of it being a spoiler, but I’d really like to know more of his background. Maybe that will come out in a sequel. Oh, and there’s this one scene where I just wanted to kick him in the nuts so bad I could taste it. Except, well, that would have been impossible even if I were there at the time.

So much happens in this book, much more than I’d expect for the number of pages. It has the depth of a much longer read–almost like an epic. I read the first half, Human Frailties, about a year ago as a freebie. Since I’d enjoyed the first half of the story quite a lot, I really have no idea why I waited so long to read the full story. But very glad I finally did because the second half took the tale into awesome territory. The second half made me fall in love.

So if you’ve read Human Frailties and never went on to read the rest, don’t wait! It only gets better.

Ash and Tor need a sequel, and actually, I’m pretty sure there is one currently in the works. I can’t wait. And one last thing–I have to mention how much I love the name Ashnavayarian and all its interesting variants!

The cover by Cinchbug depicts both characters just as I’d pictured them along with the other important elements of the story. The dark, mysterious mood is perfect.

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

Book Details:

ebook, Smashwords, 272 pages
Published September 30th 2013 by Jaye McKenna, via Smashwords
ISBN139781301308873
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.smashwords.com/books/view/363010
seriesGuardians of the Leythe #1.0

A BJ Review: A Perfect Game by Reno MacLeod and Jaye Valentine

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

A Perfect Game coverChristopher “Kit” Pennington is a twenty-six year old rich guy with dreams of becoming a professional baseball player. He has loads of talent and drive when it comes to baseball, but not so much for formal education. He’s been barely getting by in his studies at the private school he attends. But when handsome Liam Dalton replaces one of Kit’s regular professors, higher learning suddenly becomes more interesting.

I’m not a big sports fan, but I very much enjoyed this book about a younger Dom and an older sub. Kit is a naughty, potty-mouth, brat at the beginning. He’s floundering in his studies even while he excels at his sport, until he meets the right teacher who can change that.

The relationship is a bit on the insta-love side, but it worked for me due to Kit’s personality. Once Kit saw what he wanted, he was very much the aggressor, pursuing Liam for all he was worth. Kit didn’t have the smooth control and power of an experienced Dom, which I rather liked in someone so young.

Up until the book hit about 70%, I was finding it to be an enjoyable but middle-of-the-road read. I questioned exactly what drew Liam to Kit enough for him to risk his career and would have liked to see more of Liam’s background revealed as I think it could have helped with that. Plus, there are a few editing errors to be found.

Then all of a sudden, the book turned a major corner for me and soared straight into the better-than-average zone.

Kit seemed to come into himself once he was out from under his father’s thumb and secure in his relationship with Liam. Liam also blossomed. The way Kit cherished Liam, the way he was so observant and attentive and earned his trust. And the vows Kit said when he put Liam’s collar on! How I’d love for someone to say that sort of thing to me… especially the last sentence. *sigh*


I promise to love you and protect you with my life and never let any harm befall you. I promise I’ll never put you in a position where you are humiliated or feel embarrassed and I will never, ever cause you any reason for distrust.

Even Kit’s grumpy father was changed by seeing how much these two two cared for and brought out the best in each other. And the end hit it out of the park. If only there’d been more of a buildup of sexual tension, this could have been a five star for me despite its imperfections.

The cover didn’t particularly appeal to me since its very much baseball focused, and I’m not into sports. If I’d gone by the cover rather than the blurb, I wouldn’t have picked this up.

Sales Links:      Amazon   Buy It Here


Book Details:  

ebook, 150 pages
Published November 30th 2009 by Noble Romance Publishing (first published 2009)
ISBN1605920673 (ISBN13: 9781605920672)
edition language English