An Ali Review: A Frost of Cares by Amy Rae Durreson

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars ★★★★★

Military historian Luke Alcott leaps at the chance to live in the seventeenth-century country mansion of Eelmoor Hall, home of the Royal Military School of Medicine, after being offered a job cataloging the school’s archives. Luke believes he chose the perfect place to start a new life and put his broken past behind him. But soon after settling into the old house, he hears strange noises—like footsteps—and he begins to suffer from terrible nightmares.

The only person Luke can turn to for help is the taciturn caretaker, Jay, a veteran of the Afghanistan war who carries an old battle wound. Together they try to understand Eelmoor Hall’s history and decipher what could be causing the haunting. As the weather grows colder and snow dusts the countryside, a child goes missing. Luke needs to deal with his own demons and learn to trust in love again if he hopes to face down the angry spirit and find the missing girl.

I loved this. This was a surprising hit out of the ballpark for me. I had never read this author before. In fact I had never heard of her before. The blurb sounded interesting so off I went. This book surpassed all my expectations. I love a good gothic romance but I don’t come across them all that often in the m/m genre. This one though was perfect. The haunted manor, the ghost stories, the footsteps in the hallway, the cold spots, the breath on the back of your neck, the bad dreams, the paralyzing fear. It was all here and was creepy as can be. It was turn the lights on and look over your shoulder creepy. In addition to this there was a beautiful love story. It’s a story about forgiveness and letting go of the past and going on with the future.

The story is told in first person pov as Luke tells us, the readers, a story about how he and Jay met. He’s immediately personable and you felt drawn in right away. It was like sitting down with a good friend while they tell you a story. He tells you Jay’s comments and one liners and he’s goes along so you get a feel for Jay quickly also. A part of the story is how Luke came to let go of Danny, a love from his past. This is an important part of the story and was both touching and heartbreaking. Jay and Luke are great characters and I liked them both a lot. They had good chemistry and you can feel what makes them good together right away.

I think first person pov narration is hard to do well but again, I thought this was excellent. In the course of this story this author had me laughing, had me scared to death and had my eyes filling with tears of emotion. I felt so much for Luke and every event, every emotion, he went through. This is a must read in my opinion.

Cover art by Garrett Leigh. I liked the cover. I think it conveys the haunted, almost gloomy period Luke is going through in the story.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | ARe | Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 153 pages
Published January 27th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ASINB01AFW3XJM
Edition LanguageEnglish

An Ali Review: Second Hand (Tucker Springs #2) by Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton, Iggy Toma (Narrator)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Paul Hannon moved to Tucker Springs for his girlfriend, but she’s left him with a house he can’t afford and a pantry full of useless gadgets. All Paul wants is to get back to normal, even if he’s not sure what that is anymore. When he wanders into Tucker Pawn for a gift to win her back, he meets El Rozal, pawn shop owner and all-around cynic.

El Rozal doesn’t do relationships, especially not with clueless straight boys still pining for their ex. El may make his living dealing in castoffs, but that doesn’t apply to men. Still, when Paul starts clearing out his old life, pawning kitchen equipment he never wanted in the first place, El is drawn to Paul in spite of himself.

Paul and El have nothing in common except a past full of disappointments. There’s no reason to believe the two of them could fit, but in El’s line of work, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. When it comes to love, El and Paul may learn that secondhand doesn’t mean second best.

This was an average story. Nothing really wrong with it but nothing that made it stand out either. Paul has gone through a bad break up and while looking for a gift for his ex-girlfriend he meets Eli. The two men become friends and while Eli realizes immediately that he has feelings for Paul, Paul just cruises along cluelessly. Paul bordered on getting on my nerves with his cluelessness. At other times though I felt for him and I thought the internal discussions/fears/etc he has over his sexuality were probably pretty realistic. Eli I liked throughout the entire story. I didn’t really feel the emotional attraction between the two men. It just felt like they were friends unless they were in the bedroom. The bedroom scenes though were great. The chemistry just jumped off the pages. Unfortunately hot sex scenes isn’t enough to carry an entire book for me. I needed more relationship development. Again, I didn’t love this book but I didn’t dislike it either.

The narration by Iggy Toma was just ok. Overall I did not really care for the narrator. He did a wide range of voices and did them all differently which is a plus. I didn’t like some of the voices though. This is probably a matter of taste. While it didn’t work for me it might for others. I suggest listening to a sample of the audio first.

Cover art by L.C. Chase. I like the cover. I think it is a good representation of the main characters and their story.

Sales Links: Riptide Publishing | Audible | Amazon

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audio
Published January 22nd 2016 by Audible (first published September 1st 2012)
Original TitleSecond Hand
SeriesTucker Springs #2 settingColorado (United States)

An Ali Review: The Boys of Summer by Sarah Madison

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Working for a California-based film production company, David McIntyre is the go-to man for matching the right location to the right project for the right price. On an extended trip to Hawaii, he hires Sutton’s Air Service to cart him all around to some of the most exotic locations in the South Pacific. During one of those trips, a freak tropical storm forces them to make a crash landing, leaving both men stranded without a radio and with very little in the way of food and water. Rick Sutton’s injuries make it imperative that they be rescued soon, and David finds himself calling on all his professional skills to keep both of them alive.

It takes a vivid dream about WW2 however, to make David realize that he has real feelings for Rick—more than just his natural concern that both of them get out of this mess alive. But putting his heart on the line might be the greatest risk David has ever taken—does he have the courage to make it before time runs out on both of them?

This was an interesting book. There are two stories going on in this book. The first and primary story is of David and Rick and their plane crash. The two men are stranded on an island and we watch as they get to know each other as they’re trying to stay alive. This was pretty good as far as the story but I didn’t feel a lot of chemistry between the two men. While they’re on the island David has a dream that stars him and Rick in the past, in WWII.

I liked this part of the story probably better than the main story. It was emotional and very bittersweet. My problem with the whole thing is they’re never really tied together. I thought this was going to be either a reincarnation story or a plot device that makes the two men have some great epiphany about each other and their relationship. It did neither. It was just there and then we go back to the main story. There is never some great romance, some great love between the two and even the ending is a happily for now. It was disappointing to me because it had such potential. It’s definitely not a bad read but I wasn’t wow’d either.

Cover by Reese Dante. I love the cover. I think it’s beautiful and captures the story really well.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | ARe | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages

Published December 21st 2015 by Dreamspinner Press (first published April 14th 2013)

ISBN 163476630X (ISBN13: 9781634766302)

setting Hawaii (United States)

An Ali Review: Inner Sanctum (The Stonebridge Mysteries #2) by Maggie Kavanagh

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Six months into a relationship, things have heated up between political blogger Sam Flynn and FBI Special Agent Nathan Walker. Though Sam is happy with Nathan and proud of his own sobriety, he’s anxious about what their future holds. Things are heating up in Stonebridge, Connecticut, as a series of deadly fires puts the community on edge and eventually threatens Sam’s comatose brother. As Halloween approaches, fears rise that the arsonist will strike again.

When Sam encounters the main suspect, seventeen-year-old orphan Damon Blake, he’s not sure what to do. Obstruction might land him in jail, but he is increasingly skeptical of Damon’s guilt. He takes matters into his own hands and investigates, but doing so means keeping Damon’s whereabouts a secret from Nathan and the police. Meanwhile, Nathan wonders what Sam is hiding and grapples with insecurities of his own. Sam wants to confide in Nathan, and Nathan wants to trust Sam, but they discover that negotiating new love can be as dangerous as solving crime.

I really enjoyed this second book in the Stonebridge Mystery trilogy. This story was equal parts romance and equal parts mystery. Sam gets himself involved in another case and this time he puts Nathan in to a tough spot with his job. I think these two are a great couple and I like how they communicate and work with each other. They’re not perfect but they’re also not full of angst and made up drama. The characters come across as everyday guys who love each other and are doing the best they can. I thought the mystery in this one was good. I also really liked the side characters and their roles in the story. I can’t wait to read the last book and see how things end up for Sam and Nathan.

Cover by Maria Fanning. I liked this cover and feel it is a good representation of the story.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon |

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Book Details:

ebook, 204 pages

Published September 14th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press LLC

Original Title Inner Sanctum (The Stonebridge Mysteries, #2)

ISBN 1634764056 (ISBN13: 9781634764056)

Edition Language English

Series The Stonebridge Mysteries #2

Double Indemnity (The Stonebridge Mysteries, #1)

Inner Sanctum (The Stonebridge Mysteries, #2)

Blind Spot (The Stonebridge Mysteries, #3)

An Ali Review: Double Indemnity (The Stonebridge Mysteries, #1) by Maggie Kavanagh

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Sam Flynn dreamed of being a journalist until a car accident killed his parents and put his brother into a long-term coma. Now Sam spends his days as a landscaper toiling in the New England sun and his nights drunk in bed with the closest warm body. In his limited spare time, he writes about Stonebridge’s local crime and politics on his blog “Under the Bridge.”

Then Sam’s favorite client is found dead in her home—shortly after telling him someone has betrayed her trust. Sam can’t believe her grief-stricken husband Nathan would be a suspect, but the investigation hones in on him. Sam has always admired handsome Nathan from afar, but now he puts his libidinous feelings aside to help clear his name. However, the closer he gets to Nathan, the more he’s told to keep away from him and the investigation—by the fatherly police chief, by an officer on the case who’s hated him since school, and by Nathan himself.

Sam’s determined to expose the real reason his friend died and clear Nathan’s name—even if it’s the last thing he does. Which, considering how fast the death toll is increasing in Stonebridge… it might be.

I found this to be an enjoyable start to a new series. This story is more mystery than romance but the building of a good love story is there. It was a slow burn and it worked well with the story elements. I thought the way it all unfolded was very believable. Sam isn’t a perfect guy. He has some issues but he’s upfront and honest and I thought it made his character one I could relate to in some ways. I wasn’t sure about Nathan at first but he grew on me and I really liked him by the end of the book. There are a host of good side characters who’s presence adds to the story. I thought this was a good, solid start to a new series and I’m looking forward to the next book.

Cover by Maria Fanning. This is an average cover in my opinion. I don’t love it but I also don’t have any complaints about it.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon |

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Book Details:

ebook, 214 pages
Published January 26th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press LLC
Original TitleDouble Indemnity
ISBN 1632163780 (ISBN13: 9781632163783)
Edition LanguageEnglish

SeriesThe Stonebridge Mysteries

Double Indemnity (The Stonebridge Mysteries, #1)

Inner Sanctum (The Stonebridge Mysteries, #2)

Blind Spot (The Stonebridge Mysteries, #3)

A Ali Review: Uninvited Guest by Brian Lancaster

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Fate is conspiring against lawyer Anton Swann. First his grandmother dies, then he hits the worst traffic of his life on the way home from her funeral, keeping him from friends in London—and possibly a much longed-for sighting of his ex. And finally the detour he thought would save him time ends with the electrics failing on his car, leaving Anton to trudge through heavy rain back to an old cottage he’d passed along the way, hoping to find help.

What he finds instead is the mysterious Dr. Stephen Miller, a man fighting his own battles. Anton is invited inside to join the tail end of an all-male dinner party, but this is no chance encounter. What Anton thought was fate is actually a spirit at work making sure he ends up at the cottage—and stays there until unfinished business is resolved for both Anton and Stephen.

This was my first time reading this author so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was pleased with this story. The writing had a nice flow to it and the characters were well developed. I liked the slight paranormal twist to it. It was just the right amount in my opinion. It was a bit insta-love which in general isn’t my thing but for some reason it still worked for me. I didn’t care for some of the terminology in the sex scenes though, things like “soft, muscled boundary” and “squirting rivers of hot nectar ” didn’t work for me and made the scenes kind of awkward.

Overall though I thought this was a solid, nice story and I will definitely try more from this author in the future.

Cover art by L.C. Chase is just gorgeous.

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

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Published November 13th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press (first published November 12th 2015)
ISBN 1634767020 (ISBN13: 9781634767026)
Edition LanguageEnglish

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Series The Stonebridge Mysteries #2

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