A Stella Recent Release Review: Five Dares by Eli Easton

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Andy Tyler has been the class daredevil since middle school. Over the years, he’s convinced his best friend, Jake Masterson, to perform some dangerous-looking stunts with him. But the dare they attempt on the night of their college graduation goes sideways. The firecrackers explode too soon and both of them end up with badly burned palms.

But hey, nothing gets the “terrible two-o” down for long, and they recuperate in style at Andy’s family cottage in Cape Cod . As the weeks go by, both Andy and Jake grow frustrated over the inability to use their hands for all sorts of daily activities—including getting off. So Andy begins a new series of dares that don’t just cross the friendship line, they obliterate it.

But what might be mere sexual relief to Andy is serious business to Jake, who only recently got over years of secret pining for his straight best friend. Inevitably, the burns heal, summer ends, and hearts are broken. To fix things, Andy will have to face the greatest dare of all.

Eli Easton writes is a success, her name has simply become a guarantee of great quality to me, there is really no space for boring or shallow stories.

I love the kind of books like Five Dares, because I adore the friends to lovers trope  and Andy and Jack were perfect, friends so close, so devoted to each other. They were great as just friends and then amazing as lovers. They were hot together when sex was just a sort of experiment (for Andy) and then when they realised that something big was happening all the past years fell into the right perspective. Although Jack was already in love with his best friend, not once I had doubts this was used against him, not even when Andy knew Jack’s feelings.
I want to recommend Five Dares, I found it very well done. The reading flew easily thanks to a perfect writing that makes the reader able to be right there with the characters and fall in love with their lives. I liked how the chapters are grouped into the five dares. And the double POV is exactly what I prefer to understand the MCs minds.
I’m deeply satisfied with this new release by Eli Easton.
Cover art by Natasha Snow is amazing and perfect.
Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | Amazon
 
Book Details:
ebook, 245 pages
Published October 2nd 2017 by Riptide Publishing
Original Title Five Dares
ISBN139781626496507
Edition LanguageEnglish
setting Cape Cod, Massachusetts (United States)
Massachusetts (United States)
California (United States)

In Our Spotlight: Five Dares by Eli Easton (Riptide Publishing Tour and Giveaway)

Five Dares by Eli Easton
Riptide Publishing
Cover art by Natasha Snow

Read an Excerpt/Buy it Here at Riptide Publishing

 

Love contemporary Romance?  Check out the latest from Eli Easton and Riptide Publishing and don’t forget to enter the contest too!

About Five Dares

Andy Tyler has been the class daredevil since middle school. Over the years, he’s convinced his best friend, Jake Masterson, to perform some dangerous-looking stunts with him. But the dare they attempt on the night of their college graduation goes sideways. The firecrackers explode too soon and both of them end up with badly burned palms.

But hey, nothing gets the “terrible two-o” down for long, and they recuperate in style at Andy’s family cottage in Cape Cod. As the weeks go by, both Andy and Jake grow frustrated over the inability to use their hands for all sorts of daily activities—including getting off. So Andy begins a new series of dares that don’t just cross the friendship line, they obliterate it.

But what might be mere sexual relief to Andy is serious business to Jake, who only recently got over years of secret pining for his straight best friend. Inevitably, the burns heal, summer ends, and hearts are broken. To fix things, Andy will have to face the greatest dare of all.

Now available from Riptide Publishing! 

About Eli Easton

Having been, at various times and under different names, a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, a game designer, an author of paranormal thrillers, a fan-fiction writer, an organic farmer, and a profound sleeper, Eli Easton is happy these days writing love stories.

As an avid reader of such, she is tinkled pink when an author manages to combine literary merit, vast stores of humor, melting hotness, and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, with her husband, three bulldogs, two cows, a cat, and a potbellied pig. She enjoys reading in all genres and, when she can be pried away from her iPad, hiking and biking.

Eli Easton has published 24 books in m/m romance since 2013. She won the Rainbow Award for Best Contemporary Romance in 2014 (The Mating of Michael) and in 2016 (A Second Harvest). Her Howl at the Moon series of humorous dog shifter romances have become fan favorites and placed in the Rainbow Awards and the Goodreads M/M Group Reader’s Choice awards. She is best known for romances with humor and a lot of heart.

Connect with Eli:

Website: www.elieaston.com

Facebook

Twitter: @EliEaston

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Five Dares, one lucky winner will receive a $20 Riptide gift card! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on October 7, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

 

 

A Stella Review: How To Save A Life (Howl at the Moon #4) by Eli Easton

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Howl At The Moon by Eli Easton is one of my favourite series in the mm world . And it gets better with every new installment the author releases.
It’s really unavoidable to fall in love with each new character introduced and add to this, meeting all the “old” characters you loved in the previous books, that’s what makes the series a winner to me.
In How To Save A Life I learned to love Rev and the cute Sammy, two very different souls. Rev comes from money but walked away from his successful life in the family business when he realised how dirty his father’s affairs were. And then he starts a new life as the owner of a dog refugee in Arizona, until he meets first Milo and his friends (in book #3) and later a scared chocolate Labrador in a kennel. And piece by piece he understands he is missing something important. So he tracks down the dog and finds himself in the mysterious Mad Creek, the same town Milo lives in. And here he will see the same scared eyes of the cute Labrador in the hot Sammy. . From that moment Rev life will change again and it will collide with new people, a new unexpected love for someone who is new to human life and the desire to help a whole community.
It was a joy to read How To Save a Life, an engaging and well written story, full of love for dogs. There wasn’t a little detail I didn’t like. Highly recommended but I suggest to read the series in order to better enjoy the lovely world Eli Easton has created.
Cover art by Reese Dante is adorable and matches that of the rest of the series.
Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book Details:
ebook, 238 pages
Published August 28th 2017 by Eli Easton
Original TitleHow To Save A Life
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series Howl at the Moon #4

Review Tour for Eli Easton’s How To Save A Life (Howl at The Moon #4)

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK 
 
Length: 80,000 words
 
Cover Design: Reese Dante
 
Howl At The Moon Series
 
How To Howl At The Moon (Book #1) Amazon US | Amazon UK
How To Walk Like A Man (Book #2) Amazon US | Amazon UK
How To Wish Upon A Star (Book #3) Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Blurb


Rav Miller looked into the terrified, intelligent eyes of the chocolate Labrador on death row, and knew he’d do anything to save him. When the dog, Sammy, escapes and heads to Mad Creek, Rav follows. Mad Creek. The town had become legendary in Rav’s mind after he’d met that bizarre group last year. Rav dismissed his crazy suspicions back then, but when he arrives in Mad Creek, he knows it’s true. Dog shifters exist, and apparently they all live in the California mountains. It’s enough to blow a bad boy’s mind.

Sammy has something in common with Rav—neither one of them trusts people. After Sammy’s abuse as a dog, he particularly dislikes tough-looking men like Rav. But when Sammy gets a chance to work with rescued dogs at the new Mad Creek shelter, his deep compulsion to help others overcomes his fear. Rav and Sammy bond over saving strays. If they can each find the courage to let someone else in, they might find their way to love.

Sheriff Lance Beaufort doesn’t like humans moving into Mad Creek, especially not the tattooed and defiant Rav. When Rav starts a rescue shelter, the town thinks he’s wonderful! But Lance isn’t fooled. He doesn’t buy Rav’s innocent act for one second. How much does Rav know about the quickened? What is his game? And why did he have to show up now, when Lance and the other town leaders are overwhelmed by all the new quickened pouring in?

Rav knows how to save a life. But can he save an entire town? Can he rescue Mad Creek?

 

Read Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 5-star Rating Review here.

August 30 – OMG Reads, RJ Scott
September 4 – Hoards Jumble
September 8 – V’s Reads
Author Bio


Eli Easton has been at various times and under different names a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, a game designer, the author of paranormal mysteries, a fan fiction writer, an organic farmer, and a long-distance walker. She began writing m/m romance in 2013 and has published 27 books since then. She hopes to write many more.

As an avid reader of such, she is tickled pink when an author manages to combine literary merit, vast stores of humor, melting hotness, and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, two bulldogs, several cows, and a cat. All of them (except for the husband) are female, hence explaining the naked men that have taken up residence in her latest fiction writing.



Website: www.elieaston.com
Twitter: @EliEaston
Email: eli@elieaston.com

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An Ali Audiobook Review: A Second Harvest (Men of Lancaster County #1) by Eli Easton and narrator Will Tulin

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
David Fisher has lived by the rules all his life. Born to a Mennonite family, he obeyed his father and took over the family farm, married, and had two children. Now with both his kids in college and his wife deceased, he runs his farm alone and without joy, counting off the days of a life half-lived.

Christie Landon, graphic designer, Manhattanite, and fierce gay party boy, needs a change. Now thirty, he figures it’s time to grow up and think about his future. When his best friend overdoses, Christie resolves to take a break from the city. He heads to a small house in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to rest, recoup, and reflect.

But life in the country is boring despite glimpses of the hunky silver fox next door. When Christie’s creativity latches on to cooking, he decides to approach his widower neighbor with a plan to share meals and grocery expenses. David agrees, and soon the odd couple finds they really enjoy spending time together.

Christie challenges the boundaries of David’s closed world and brings out feelings he buried long ago. If he can break free of the past, he might find a second chance at happiness.
This was a really lovely stories about second chances and the fact that you’re never too old to reinvent yourself.  These two men, who on the surface had nothing in common, actually found they had a lot of the same hopes and dreams.  What starts as a friendship turns in to a really sweet romance.  I really liked both of their characters and I found their romance to be realistic and believable. I loved watching the two of them fall in love.
While I liked Christie a lot, David is who stole the story for me.  I could totally relate to him as I grew up in a similar environment and I know first hand how stifling and oppressing it can be.  The scenes of him with his National Geographic magazines, always dreaming of other things, made my heart hurt for him.  I was so happy for him when he made up his mind to break free and make huge changes in his life.
The writing was engaging and drew me in from the very first chapter.  As I’ve said, really enjoyed both of the MC’s and I found their romance to be super sweet and touching. I didn’t have any complaints about the book and I went through the entire audio in one day as I cleaned and did yard work.
The book was narrated by Will Tulin and I liked him a lot.  He is a new to me narrator but one I will definitely listen to again.  He get a great job on both of the MC’s as well as all of the side characters.  I think his narration really added to the overall story and I would recommend this.
Cover by Bree Archer:  The cover was done by Bree Archer and I like it a lot.  I think it is eye catching and really beautiful.  It is also a great representation of the story.
Audiobook Details:
Listening Time: 7 hrs 40 min
Audiobook
Published June 7th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press LLC (first published July 1st 2016)
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesMen of Lancaster County #1

An Ali Audiobook Review: Snowblind by Eli Easton and Narrator: John Solo

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Snow, steam, and secrets.

The latest snowstorm carries something unexpected to the doorstep of Hutch’s secluded Alaskan cabin: a stranger named Jude, the most beautiful man Hutch has ever seen. Jude says he’s in the area for a ski trip and that he fled a domineering lover, thinking he could make it into town. But Hutch is a suspicious SOB and treats his unwanted guest warily. The problem is Jude isn’t just gorgeous, he’s funny and smart and flirtatious.

Two gay men snowed in for three days—things happen. Really good things. By the time the storm clears, Hutch finds himself a little too attached to Jude Devereaux, San Francisco-based male model. But is Jude what he claims to be? Or is he entangled in the secrets Hutch moved to Alaska to escape?
I went into this thinking it was going to be a sweet story because it was part of the Dreamspun Desires series.  It started off in that vein and for the first third or so of the book it was what I was expecting.  Two guys trapped in a cabin together and while they wait out the storm they start to fall for each other all while getting down and dirty.
Then it had a big twist that I didn’t see coming.  It took the story in a whole new way and I thought that was a great thing.  I don’t want to say more about that because it would be a big spoiler but it made the story turn into a fast paced adventure as well as a romance.  The guys get their hea but not before the author takes us on a wild ride.
I loved both Jude and Hutch’s characters and their chemistry was great.  It jumped off of the pages.  They were very different personalities but they really fit together well.  The epilogue in particular was heart warming and I loved seeing the happiness they finally found.
This was narrated by John Solo and I thought he did a very good job on both of the MC’s as well as all of the side characters.  He was easy to listen to and I never had a hard time figuring out which MC was talking.
I really enjoyed this story and definitely recommend it.  It was also a well done narration so if you listen to audios, I think you will enjoy it.
Cover by Bree Archer:  This style of cover overall would not be my number one preferences but I think it’s really well done with the theme that the publisher has going on.  It’s also a good representation of Hutch and the overall plot.
Sales Links
Audiobook Details:
Listening Time: 5 hrs 39 min
Audiobook
Published April 5th 2017 (first published March 1st 2017)
Original TitleSnowblind
Edition Language English
settingAlaska (United States)

A MelanieM Release Day Review: Snowblind (Dreamspun Desires #29) by Eli Easton

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

snowblind-by-eli-eastonSnow, steam, and secrets.

The latest snowstorm carries something unexpected to the doorstep of Hutch’s secluded Alaskan cabin: a stranger named Jude, the most beautiful man Hutch has ever seen. Jude says he’s in the area for a ski trip and that he fled a domineering lover, thinking he could make it into town. But Hutch is a suspicious SOB and treats his unwanted guest warily. The problem is Jude isn’t just gorgeous, he’s funny and smart and flirtatious.

Two gay men snowed in for three days—things happen. Really good things. By the time the storm clears, Hutch finds himself a little too attached to Jude Devereaux, San Francisco-based male model. But is Jude what he claims to be? Or is he entangled in the secrets Hutch moved to Alaska to escape?

I have certain expectations of a Dreamspun Desires title. Romance, a plot from those serial romances of decades ago given a M/M twist and updated, plus a little light hearted “something or other”.  I usually get all that, sometimes I get less, often I get more in terms of great characters and plot.  Then there’s the times the author gives me a story I just sink right into.  Men who are troubled, wounded in some way, irresistible, and so magnetic I can’t pull myself away from their story.  Eli Easton gave me all that in Snowblind.

I didn’t expect the darkness I found. Huh.   Yes, there are parts of this story that are dark and sobering.  Didn’t expect that from a Dreamspun Desires title.  Nor can I tell you how they factor into the story because its so much of the wonderful  twists and turns you will find inside this marvelous novel.  That blurb?  Ha! So had me fooled.  It will you too.  The rich and inventive tale that lies behind that thin facade of a synopsis is suspenseful and character driven and oh so incredible. Usually, the blurb lately has been spelling out the entire story.  I don’t know when I’ve been so surprised by a story.

Easton’s writing is so smooth, so vivid that I felt my heart pound at certain moments, and my eyes tear up at others.  I love her characters and the way in which the story moved from one man’s point of view to the other’s, a necessary, sometimes heartbreaking perspective.

No, you aren’t getting any details.  Anything I say, and I do mean anything, just leads to spoilers and I won’t do it to this book.  Grab it up,  plow right into it.  Make popcorn before you start. Because once you start, that’s it.  There’s no stopping until that wonderful ending.  Do I recommend this story.  Hell, yes! Hutch and Jude will have me smiling for days, maybe weeks.  Maybe more.  I really love them.

Cover Artist: Bree Archer.  The cover works for the branding of the series and the character.  I like it.

Sales Links

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Book Details:

ebook, 196 pages
Expected publication: March 1st 2017 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1635331463 (ISBN13: 9781635331462)
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesDreamspun Desires #29 settingAlaska (United States)

An Ali Audiobook Review: Merry Christmas, Mr. Miggles by Eli Easton and Tristan Wright (Narrator)

 Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
merry-christmas-mr-miggles-audiobookToby Kincaid loves being the junior librarian in his hometown of Sandy Lake, Ohio. He spends his days surrounded by books and chatting with the library patrons. He especially adores the head librarian, Mr. Miggles, who is kind, witty, knowlegable about everything, and hopelessly addicted to Christmas. Sean Miggles is also pretty cute—especially for an older guy who wears ties and suit pants every day.

But Sean keeps himself at a distance, and there’s a sadness about him that Toby can’t figure out. When Sean is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, he gives up without a fight. Toby realizes that he alone can save the library—and their head librarian.

Toby will need to uncover the darkness in Sean’s past and prove to him that he deserves a second chance at life and at love too. And while Christmas miracles are being handed out, maybe Toby will get his own dearest wish—to love and be loved by Mr. Miggles.
This was a feel good holiday story.  The story is told from Toby’s point of view as he slowly learns his co-worker is a really great guy that does a lot for their small town.  After a crisis in which something bad happens to Sean, Toby steps up and tries to set things right.  And he enlists an assorted group of people he’s met through the library.  It’s that traditional holiday story where in the end everyone comes together to right the wrongs.  It’s one of those stories that helps you remember there are still a lot of good people in the world and it melts your heart just a bit.  I really enjoyed this part of the book.
My only complaint was the relationship between Toby and Sean.  Most of the book we’re told that Toby doesn’t know any side of Sean except his work side but then next thing you know they’re in love.  There isn’t any relationship building at all.  I think if this not been a Christmas story I would have been more bothered by this.  As it was, I just chalked it all up to the magic of Christmas and went with it.
This was narrated by Tristan Wright and I thought he did a good job.  I don’t think I’ve heard this narrator before.  He did a good job on both of the main characters and I never had a difficult time telling them apart.  He also did a good job on most of the side characters (and there were a lot of them).  There were a few women’s voices that didn’t work for me but they were not a huge part of the story so it wasn’t a problem.
I thought this was a well done and entertaining audiobook and a good addition to the holiday story genre.
Cover:  I like the cover.  It is simple but catches your eye right away.  (Probably because the model is so attractive.)
Sales Links
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Audiobook Details:
Length: 4 hrs and 45 mins
Audible Audio
Published December 16th 2016 by Pinkerton Road (first published November 23rd 2016)
ASINB01N0QSJD9
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Stella Review: Falling Down by Eli Easton

RATING 5 out of 5 stars

falling-down-by-eli-eastonJosh finds himself homeless at eighteen, but he has a plan. He’ll head north on the bus to New England and spend October there for his mother’s sake. She always talked about going to see the fall leaves someday. And when the leaves are done and the harsh winter comes, Josh plans to find a place to curl up and let go. It will be a relief to finally stop fighting.

Mark spent his life trying to live up to the tough swagger of his older brothers until he pushed himself so far against his nature that he cracked. Now a former Marine, he rents a little cabin in the White Mountains of New Hampshire where he can lick his wounds and figure out what to do with the rest of his life. One thing was clear: Mark was nobody’s hero.

Fate intervenes when Josh sets up camp under a covered bridge near Mark’s cabin. Mark recognizes the dead look in the young stranger’s eyes, and he feels compelled to do something about it. When Mark offers Josh a job, he never expects that he’ll be the one to fall.

The snow is coming soon. Can Mark convince Josh that the two of them can build a life together before the flurries begin?

Trigger Warning: Suicidal thoughts

I probably already said this a thousand times, but I have to repeat myself: Eli Easton is a guarantee in the mm community. She is an amazing writer and each new story is a powerful gem. Like Falling Down.

I knew since I read the blurb, this new book was going to leave me as an emotional wreck for a long time, and it actually did, but with a gentleness and a lightness I wasn’t expecting. I’m pretty sure I will remember those characters forever. I have to say I fell in love with them from the start.

Josh took my heart and gave it back to me just at the end when I realized things were really going to work out well for him and his Mark. He is so young and depressed and it went through so much in his life. I could relate to him because I went through the same grief when I had his age and so he touched my heart deeply. And then there was Mark, who is everything a person should be, good, caring, strong willed , trusting, imperfect. Two lonely souls who fate put on each others path and although hard lives, painful pasts and dark thoughts, an HEA is coming their way.

Eli wrote a beautiful slow burn story, Mark and Josh became first friends, while working together on Mrs. Fisher house and let the old woman take care of them just how much they start caring for her and for each other. A slow burn story but full of chemistry, the attraction between them is clear and strong.

Yes the book is full of angst (read the warning!) but in my opinion the author was great at dosing it in the right way. Although the angst and more than one intense scene where I cried all the tears I had in my eyes, Falling Down isn’t heavy or oppressing at all. It’s full of emotions and it filled my heart so much, I just surrender and loved it. It deserves more than five stars. Highly recommended.

I like the cover art by Eli Easton very much in general but I can’t actually see Josh in the model, he simply is not like I had pictured him in my mind. That said the cover is very well done.

SALE LINKS

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BOOK DETAILS

Kindle Edition, 252 pages

Published November 7th 2016 by Pinkerton Road LLC

ASIN B01MSIYOHB

Edition Language English

A Stella Review: Merry Christmas, Mr. Miggles by Eli Easton

RATING 5 out of 5 stars

merry-christmas-mr-migglesToby Kincaid loves being the junior librarian in his hometown of Sandy Lake, Ohio. He spends his days surrounded by books and chatting with the library patrons. He especially adores the head librarian, Mr. Miggles, who is kind, witty, knowlegable about everything, and hopelessly addicted to Christmas. Sean Miggles is also pretty cute—especially for an older guy who wears ties and suit pants every day.

But Sean keeps himself at a distance, and there’s a sadness about him that Toby can’t figure out. When Sean is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, he gives up without a fight. Toby realizes that he alone can save the library—and their head librarian.

Toby will need to uncover the darkness in Sean’s past and prove to him that he deserves a second chance at life and at love too. And while Christmas miracles are being handed out, maybe Toby will get his own dearest wish—to love and be loved by Mr. Miggles.

I have no words to say how much I loved this new release by Eli Easton. It shouldn’t have been a surprise cause I already knew how well the author can writes and engage me with his books.

I finished Merry Christmas, Mr Miggles in one night, it caught my attention from the start and I couldn’t stop reading about Toby and Sean, who work together at the Sandy Lake Library, Toby as a junior librarian and Sean as the head librarian. Two great men with so much passion and two hearts bigger than an house.

I fell in love with both of them, Toby is young and full of enthusiasm, with his smart mouth and his  new love for Sean, the man who has no family and gifts Christmas presents to all the people who frequent the library without them knowing. There is a well done plot, a real story, things happen, need to be resolved and while Sean is almost resigned, Toby is fierce and resolute to prove Sean innocence and the necessity of a library like their own for  all the amazing people who support both of them. Truly beautiful people, Toby’s parents too.

I love the atmosphere, I felt and smelled the library, I felt the strong sense of community. I got to know not just the MCs stories, but a glimpse of what was going on in the secondary characters lives too. Plus, sex in the library!

Merry Christmas, Mr Miggles is a sweet book, it lifted my spirit and put me in a good mood. If you’re looking for a romantic reading, with some sad moment and a lot of love, this one is for you. Don’t miss it.

The cover art by Reese Dante is cute like the book.

Sales Links

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Book Details:

Publication Date: November 23, 2016 by Pinkerton Road LLC

ASIN B01MQIX7MD

Edition Language English