A MelanieM Release Day Review: Mad Lizard Mambo (Kai Gracen #2) by Rhys Ford

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Kai Gracen has no intention of being anyone’s pawn. A pity Fate and SoCalGov have a different opinion on the matter.

Licensed Stalkers make their living hunting down monsters and dangerous criminals… and their lives are usually brief, brutal, and thankless. Despite being elfin and cursed with a nearly immortal lifespan, Kai didn’t expect to be any different. Then Ryder, the High Lord of the Southern Rise Court, arrived in San Diego, Kai’s not-so-mundane life went from mild mayhem to full-throttle chaos.

Now an official liaison between the growing Sidhe Court and the human populace, Kai is at Ryder’s beck and call for anything a High Lord might need a Stalker to do. Unfortunately for Kai, this means chasing down a flimsy rumor about an ancient lost Court somewhere in the Nevada desert—a court with powerful magics that might save Ryder—and Kai’s—people from becoming a bloody memory in their Merged world’s violent history.

The race for the elfin people’s salvation opens unwelcome windows into Kai’s murky past, and it could also slam the door on any future he might have with his own kind and Ryder.

Rhys Ford’s dark, snarky fae mongrel Kai Gracen is back in Mad Lizard Mambo (Kai Gracen, #2) by Rhys Ford and never has a folded, jumbled up world looked so scary or so good. Now unhappily serving as a sort of go between for Lord Rider and the humans the sidhe are interacting/living with, Kai is once again called in for a favor. One he wants to be paid handsomely for as he desperately needs the money to help out his sick mentor/father figure Stalker. That the mission seems a little insane is about par when Kai considers that he’s dealing with Ryder the sidhe Lord he can’t seem to get out of his head and sidhe magics that he wants nothing to do with.

I really could read about Kai Gracen and his gritty conglomerate of a world all day long and never tire of either. Somehow Ford has managed to gather all the elements I love about the Fae (not your kiddies elves) and fantasy, throw them in with action/adventure with a great deal of mystery and UST, rub in a ton of dirt, grit and a big smattering of blood (yep always blood) and car chases to come up with a whomper of a tale.

Molding this universe must be like having the most twisted set of maps ever, laid out on Playdoh and crammed together by a child on a sugar high. Plains weave and warp, mountains are closer than they appear. Or are they? Oh, look pretty butterflies. But don’t touch or they may kill you. Nothing like having a story where I wanted to just sit and examine the landscape, the flora and fauna for a bit. Heck I wanted a whole new Natural History guide as the author’s imagination soars freely through the desert skies on dragon wings and lopes scarily along in herds.

Its up to the Stalkers to navigate these daunting territories and Kai Grace is among the best. That’s one of the reasons he’s been requested to head up the team to go looking for this mythological lost court deep in some Fae Mountains. Yep, like Kai, it smells rank too. But he needs the money. So to outfit such a endeavor, Kai heads to all the people who support the Stalkers and who helped raise him. Some we met in the first story, Black Dog Blues, some are new. The machines needed to transport them will conjure up images of Mad Max as armored monsters capable of getting them to their location, each as unique as their wonderful creator. I love all the secondary characters here. They are as elemental and tough as the desert they live on. You can see how each contributed to Kai, the person who stands before them. I don’t actually say Fae because Kai considers himself more human than Fae no matter what his biology says differently. His outlook is human. And when contrasted to Ryder’s, you get that absolutely.

There’s so many twists and turns here, lost cities and yes, be still my heart, dragons.

Ford also has some answers to Kai’s back history, startling ones, while opening new questions for future stories. This is a standard procedure for Ford and one I also always look forward to as it means another story. Bring it on!

Mad Lizard Mambo (Kai Gracen, #2) by Rhys Ford once again soars, rocks, and scrambles through the gritty urban fantasy world and brings us a story you won’t be able to put down until it over. I love this character and series, and can’t wait for more. Its really not a romance, all that UST running around. Its high action, swiftly paced, tons of twists and turns, and yes, fae (light and dark) and dragons! If that’s your thing as its definitely mine, I highly recommend this story and the one preceding it. I love them both and think you will too.

Cover art shows Kai and a special dragon. Love the colors, and the design. Perfection.

Sales Links

DSP Publications

Book Details:

ebook, 220 pages
Expected publication: September 13th 2016 by DSP Publications
ISBN 1634777441 (ISBN13: 9781634777445)
Edition LanguageEnglish

Series Kai Gracen – add to Goodreads here:

Note from DSP Publications: Spend your weekend with Kai Gracen! Mad Lizard Mambo by Rhys Ford will be released on the DSP Publications website 3 days before other retailers, on September 10. Additionally, eBook one in the Kai Gracen Series, Black Dog Blues, will be 99 cents September 6-13, 2016.

A MelanieM Review: Black Dog Blues (Kai Gracen, #1) by Rhys Ford

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Ever since being part of the pot in a high-stakes poker game, elfin outcast Kai Gracen figures he used up his good karma when Dempsey, a human Stalker, won the hand and took him in. Following the violent merge of Earth and Underhill, the human and elfin races are left with a messy, monster-ridden world, and Stalkers are the only cavalry willing to ride to someone’s rescue when something shadowy appears.

It’s a hard life but one Kai likes—filled with bounty, a few friends, and most importantly, no other elfin around to remind him of his past. And killing monsters is easy. Especially since he’s one himself.

But when a sidhe lord named Ryder arrives in San Diego, Kai is conscripted to do a job for Ryder’s fledgling Dawn Court. It’s supposed to be a simple run up the coast during dragon-mating season to retrieve a pregnant human woman seeking sanctuary. Easy, quick, and best of all, profitable. But Kai ends up in the middle of a deadly bloodline feud he has no hope of escaping.

No one ever got rich being a Stalker. But then few of them got old either and it doesn’t look like Kai will be the exception.

Black Dog Blues is another mashup of gritty fantasy, action/adventure and pure adrenaline rush from Rhys Ford, a favorite author of mine. The first in a new series, Black Dog Blues introduces us to Kai Gracen, a fae mutt the likes no one has ever seen before or wants to. Considered an abomination because Kai is both a sidhe and unseehlie, a genetic mixture that shows on his face and body, his was a nightmare that started at his creation and only stopped when he was won at a poker game by a Stalker.

What a crazy, hard bitten wonder of a character Ford has in Kai Gracen. When it says tortured childhood, here its in all caps and dripping in Kai’s blood. A survivor of the past, anything other than getting through the present times is never taken for granted in this imaginative and wildly speculative new world order of recognizable and fae caused by the merging of human and Underhill. The vivid descriptions of how the earth and San Diego now look are wondrous as they are dangerous. The creatures bounding over lava fields and cracked roadways? A mixture of old world, new world and fantasy all thrown together. Dragons hunting antelope? Yes indeed. And it feels so real. Not that anyone with any common sense would want to actually be there. OK maybe a tad. Truly, the scenes as wildly scary as they are draw you into the world and Kai’s place in it.

Oh Kai. Snarly, competent…he belongs in such a wildly uneven and unpredictable world. You never know what you will meet or where your next enemy or perhaps friend (if that’s possible) will come from.

Kai’s world consists of the people who helped bring up a feral mixed race fae and who helped make him one of the toughest Stalkers out there. We get to meet them all here and what an amazing lot they are. Ford makes them all believable and unforgettable, flawed tough, and hardscrabble.

But the scariest of the lot? The Fae and the Fae court and politics. This will include Ryder, the sidhe lord who hires Kai and who has his own agenda and motives in mind. I liked Ryder but he’s so smooth (intentionally so) that it took me a while to warm up to him. I far preferred the rude, often snarly Kai…especially when he’s poking at the imperious Ryder.

There are some stomach churning moments as well as ones guaranteed to make your heart race. Its Rhys Ford’s story afterall and these Fae are the true Fae of the old Tiernan Og. Those to be feared, with little care for the human world.

And there are dragons, beautiful, fire breathing, fast flying dragons.

Be still my heart.

There’s a sequel out. And more to come. Oh happy, happy, reading times ahead.

If you love fantasy, gritty, sometimes scary, wonderful heart stopping, action packed, fantasy packed with memorable characters,then look no further than Black Dog Blues. I highly recommend it.

Cover art shows Kai Gracen with his dark features. Its perfect.

Sales Links

DSP Publications

Book Details:

ebook, Second Edition, 246 pages

Published February 3rd 2015 by DSP Publications (first published May 10th 2013)

ISBN 1632163543 (ISBN13: 9781632163547)

Edition Language English

setting San Diego, California(United States)

Note from DSP Publications: Spend your weekend with Kai Gracen! Mad Lizard Mambo by Rhys Ford will be released on the DSP Publications website 3 days before other retailers, on September 10. Additionally, eBook one in the Kai Gracen Series, Black Dog Blues, will be 99 cents September 6-13, 2016.

A MelanieM Review: Absinthe of Malice (Sinners #5) by Rhys Ford

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Those five words send a chill down Miki St. John’s spine, especially when they’re spoken with a nearly religious fervor by his brother-in-all-but-blood, Damien Mitchell. However, those words were nothing compared to what Damien says next.

And we’re going on tour.

When Crossroads Gin hits the road, Damien hopes it will draw them closer together. There’s something magical about being on tour, especially when traveling in a van with no roadies, managers, or lovers to act as a buffer. The band is already close, but Damien knows they can be more—brothers of sorts, bound not only by familial ties but by their intense love for music.

As they travel from gig to gig, the band is haunted by past mistakes and personal demons, but they forge on. For Miki, Damie, Forest, and Rafe, the stage is where they all truly come alive, and the music they play is as important to them as the air they breathe.

But those demons and troubles won’t leave them alone, and with every mile under their belts, the band faces its greatest challenge—overcoming their deepest flaws and not killing one another along the way.

Upon discovering Rhys Ford, this author quickly became a favorite of mine for her rapid flowing narrative, snappy snark-filled dialog and haunted characters with pain-filled pasts guaranteed to come back and kick them in the belly twice over. No series of Ford’s fits that bill better than the Sinners series. Absinthe of Malice marks a return to the series and does so with a great story, a cast filled with the characters from all the other books and a mystery to boot.

In each of the previous stories, the remaining two members of a popular but defunct band found each other and started to reassemble a new band. Here they try to see if they still have what it takes to overcome their personal demons on the worst place possible…the road from gig to gig. Its a high stress, lonely place that takes them away from their newly found lovers and newly established homes. Its long hours filled with no sleep, bad food, and exposure to drugs, bad sound systems and more. And we see it from each person’s point of view.

For some readers this might be disconcerting, but dealing with four different relationships, each with its own specific issues, and each band member with their own internal demons threatening to rise up and demolish the newly formed band…this revolving pov becomes necessary and illuminating. It gives the reader a whole picture instead of fragments and it works.

Another integral part of the Sinners (and other Rhys Ford series) is the linked mysteries that unfold. That starts happening here and its every bit terrifying as we have come to expect from this author. I’ll say nothing more but your mind will probably start taking it further and that makes it both more scary and cranks up anticipation for the next book to higher level all together.

My favorite Irish clan is back, the Morgans et all. How I love them. So you have Miki and Kane (Sinner’s Gin #1) , Damie and Sionn (Whiskey and Wry #2) , Forest and Conner (Tequila Mockingbird #3), Rafe and Quinn (Sloe Ride #4) and all the people who love and support them in one book. Plus mysteries. And music. Yes, I loved it. And highly recommend it. It sings and rocks and its sexy and full of heart.

What more do you want?

But please read them in order. Why take the kick ass out of a kick ass series?

Cover Artist: Reese Notley does a great job with Miki on the cover. The color starts a new branding for the second half of this series.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | ARe | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Published June 22nd 2016 by Dreamspinner Press, LLC
Original TitleAbsinthe of Malice
ISBN 1634773268 (ISBN13: 9781634773263)
Edition LanguageEnglish

Series: Sinners:

Sinner Series:

Sinner’s Gin (Sinners, #1)

Hair Of The Dog (Sinners, #1.5)

Whiskey and Wry (Sinners, #2)

Tequila Mockingbird (Sinners #3)

Rotgut Gin (Sinners, #3.5)

Sloe Ride (Sinners, #4)

Absinthe of Malice (Sinners, #5)

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Clockwork Tangerine by Rhys Ford ~ Audiobook narrated by Greg Tremblay

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Clockwork Tangerine When Marcus Stenhill, Viscount of Westwood, set out to purchase a specialty tea for his mother, he had no idea his life was about to change. Walking along the streets of St. Francisco, a major city rivaling London during Queen Victoria’s reign, he encounters a group of thugs beating up a young man and immediately stops them before they kill him.

When he discovers that the person he saved is Robin Harris, the man who invented the mechanical stinger that killed his father, he’s taken aback. The man is much younger, and much more handsome, than he would have thought. In fact, Robin must have only been a child during the uprising in which his father was killed. The battle between those who believe in science and those who believe in the arcane was waging strong at that time. Now, all Marcus wants to do is take the young man someplace safe where he can get him treatment for his wounds. As far as Marcus is concerned, the past is the past.

He discovers that Robin has found a way to combine the use of arcane and mechanical elements to provide artificial limbs and eyes to those in need. In fact, Robin was returning from fitting artificial legs on a young boy when he was attacked. Though it takes a while, Marcus is finally able to convince Robin that he is friend, not foe. In fact, one of the unexpected supporters in Marcus’s case is his mother, who not only can forgive Robin for his inadvertent role in her husband’s death, but embraces his abilities and becomes a staunch supporter of his efforts.

This is a very short audiobook. Too short—I wanted more, more, more of this couple and their world. Maybe we’ll be lucky and Rhys Ford will revisit it someday, expanding on this little tidbit of goodness. Narrated by Greg Tremblay, the story unfolds magically. Between Rhys Ford’s inimitable writing style, and Greg Tremblay’s beautiful and varied vocalizations, this audiobook was a real treat.

The characters were wonderfully described, including the secondary characters. The dowager was actually my favorite of all. What a great woman she was! The romance between Marcus and Robin built slowly, or as slowly as it could in a novella. When they finally got to the point where Marcus made love to Robin, the scene was romantic and brought new joy to Robin’s life in a way he had never anticipated.

I highly recommend this one, especially to those who enjoy steampunk. A delicious afternoon treat—and no calories!

~~~

Cover art by Reese Notley depicts the inner workings of a clock with a young man superimposed in the forefront, looking up at a mechanical insect. The artwork creatively depicts all the main points of the story.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audio, 3 pages, 2 hrs 10 mins
Published May 12th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press LLC (first published February 18th 2014)
Original TitleClockwork Tangerine
ASINB01FIA7N4C
Edition LanguageEnglish

A MelanieM Review: Fish and Ghosts (Hellsinger #1) by Rhys Ford

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

When his Uncle Mortimer died and left him Hoxne Grange, the family’s Gilded Age estate, Tristan Pryce knew he wasn’t going to have an easy time of it. He was to be the second generation of Pryces to serve as a caretaker for the estate, a way station for spirits on their final steps to the afterlife. The ghosts were the simple part. He’d been seeing boo-wigglies since he was a child. No, the difficult part was his own family. Determined to establish Tristan’s insanity, his loving relatives hire Dr. Wolf Kincaid and his paranormal researchers, Hellsinger Investigations, to prove the Grange is not haunted.

Skeptic Wolf Kincaid has made it his life’s work to debunk the supernatural. After years of cons and fakes, he can’t wait to reveal the Grange’s ghostly activity is just badly leveled floorboards and a drafty old house. The Grange has more than a few surprises for him, including its prickly, reclusive owner. Tristan Pryce is much less insane and much more attractive than Wolf wants to admit and when his Hellsinger team unwittingly release a ghostly serial killer on the Grange, Wolf is torn between his skepticism and protecting the man he’d been sent to discredit.

Goodness know I love a good ghost story and author Rhys Ford, so I was pretty much a happy reviewer when I saw the blurb for Fish and Ghosts by Rhys Ford. And it delivered but it some unexpected ways given the previous series I’ve come to love and associate with this author.

Honestly, its more lighthearted, its quirky and funny. Sure it has ghosts but some of them are of the four-legged type. Tristan has seen a ghost giraffe and a ghostly elephant roam the estate and there’s a certain animal toy that will have you in giggles. Why? Because of who it belongs to. And yes, it has a Irish Wolfhound as well in the tale, a straight arrow to my heart for any story. The pathos surrounding the ghosts is there as well, Ford knows not to leave that out. The aura of mystery, sadness, hope, loss, death… everything we associate with ghosts is present here but presented in enough different ways that might make you sniffle, giggle, and pull back in horror. Yep, Ford ran the gamut here, changing up the pace to keep it interesting, the narrative swift, and the next supernatural blockade their relationship just around the next balustrade.

I loved the characters of Tristan Pryce and Wolf Kincaid. They are well fleshed out, charming in their vulnerabilities and past histories, and so entertaining that I can’t wait for more. In fact I felt that way about most of the secondary characters with the exception of Wolf’s assistants, Gidget and Matt who were more one note, and the least interesting of the bunch. Screechworthy kept coming to mind as it seems that was all the one thing (fighting, I mean, that they did, other than have sex). When you don’t mind if a ghost kills characters, than perhaps you aren’t all that connected to them.

Luckily, I loved everyone else, from Mara to Wolf’s mom. Those are keepers and I hope to see them in the next installments. Surely Tristan’s greedy relatives won’t give up so easily.

Love Rhys Ford, or ghost stories? Love romances with humor and a supernatural element or five? Check out Fish and Ghosts, the first in a new series by Rhys Ford. I recommend it and the author. Its out in a number of formats, from ebook to audiobook. You choose your addiction.

Cover art by Reese Notley. This cover really doesn’t do it for me, especially the representation of Tristan, who is supposed to have long golden hair, thin. Just no, a surprising miss from this author.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | ARe | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 240 pages
Published December 30th 2013 by Dreamspinner Press (first published December 29th 2013)
Edition LanguageEnglish

SeriesHellsinger #1

A Review Redux: A Mika Review: Fish Stick Fridays (Half Moon Bay #1) By Rhys Ford

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars ★★★★★

Deacon Reid was born bad to the bone with no intention of changing. A lifetime of law-bending and living on the edge suited him just fine—until his baby sister died and he found himself raising her little girl.

Staring down a family history of bad decisions and reaped consequences, Deacon cashes in everything he owns, purchases an auto shop in Half Moon Bay, and takes his niece, Zig, far away from the drug dens and murderous streets they grew up on. Zig deserves a better life than what he had, and Deacon is determined to give it to her.

Lang Harris is stunned when Zig, a little girl in combat boots and a purple tutu blows into his bookstore, and then he’s left speechless when her uncle, Deacon Reid walks in, hot on her heels. Lang always played it safe but Deacon tempts him to step over the line… just a little bit.

More than a little bit. And Lang is willing to be tempted.

Unfortunately, Zig isn’t the only bit of chaos dropped into Half Moon Bay. Violence and death strikes leaving Deacon scrambling to fight off a killer before he loses not only Zig but Lang too.

I wonder if Rhys Ford has a magic chair that she sits in at home to churn out these 5-star books and characters. I mean I expected nothing less, but a couple of months ago when she announced that she had a new series starting I was elated. I mean, c’mon. everyone knows how I feel about Cole and Jae; they are my heart. She announced a new series, and a freaking kid was a main character. I was down for it. I love children in my stories. Their age adds an extra layer of vulnerability to the characters.

This book was everything and more that I could ever ask for. I am swooning for Deke! He’s amazing. He hasn’t had an easy life, and anybody’s that went through what he did would understand if he decided to be selfish and only look out for himself. His lack of parents, the fast life he grew up in couldn’t prepare him for caring for his 8 year old niece Bobo Zigfried! She’s a tornado wrapped in a hurricane. Full of life, love, adoration and kind of a cynic to be so young. Right from the beginning its full of action! I love the dynamics between Deke and Zig they are the coolest people that I like I’ve read from the author to date.

Lang is a freaking sweetheart in his own way! I think Rhys Ford did a good job with combining the two mc’s past histories together. This wasn’t her usual buildup of love between two guys. Dare to say it, but I totally got the insta-love feeling without the cheesiness that goes with it. I kind of see them as a love as first sight kind of thing. I mean the descriptions about one another were so endearing, and sweet. This is definitely a favorite of mine, and I cannot wait until the next in the series. This is the perfect family that Rhys Ford throws together!

Cover Art by Reece Notley:This might be my favorite cover from this artist. They are teasing us by not showing Deacon’s entire face, but everything else that is important to his person is there. Loved the color schemes for the cover. The motorcycle definitely rocks.

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

Book Details:

ebook, 204 pages

Published November 30th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press

original title Fish Stick Fridays

ISBN 1623809487 (ISBN13: 9781623809485)

edition language English

series Half Moon Bay #1

A Release Day Review: MelanieM Review of Dirty Heart by Rhys Ford

Rating: 5 stars out of 5 ★★★★★

Final book in the Dirty Series arc.

Former LAPD detective Cole McGinnis’s life nearly ended the day his police partner and best friend Ben Pirelli emptied his service weapon into Cole and his then-lover, Rick. Since Ben turned his gun on himself, Cole thought he’d never find out why Ben tried to destroy him.

Years later, Cole has stitched himself back together. Now a private investigator and in love with Jae-Min Kim, a Korean-American photographer he met on a previous case, Cole’s life is back on track—until he discovers Jeff Rollins, a disgraced cop and his first partner, has resurfaced and appears to be working on the wrong side of the law.

As much as Cole’s fought to put the past behind him, he’s soon tangled up in a web of lies, violence, and death. Jeff Rollins is not only trying to kill Cole’s loved ones, he is also scraping open old wounds and long-forgotten memories of the two men Cole loved and lost. Cole is sure Rollins knows why Ben ruined all their lives, but he isn’t looking for answers. Now Cole is caught in a cat-and-mouse game with a cold-blooded killer with the key to not only his past but his future.

What a magnificent story! Even with all the intricacies, cultural layering and mysteries that have flowed through all the stories of the Cole McGinnis series, really none can prepare you for this book. Its just that powerful and emotionally wrenching.

The big mystery and heartache at the center of this series has been why Cole McGinnis’s cop partner on the force and close friend/brother shot Cole and killed his lover. It was an act of betrayal that Cole never quite recovered from, even with his strong and passionate love for Jae-Min Kim. Like that saying that all roads eventually lead home, Rhys Ford has been leading Cole and the readers back to the beginning where Cole will find out the answers to the violent action that shattered his life. This is that book.

Little by little, more things from Cole’s past find him again. Some are indescribably wonderful and moving, some heartbreaking, and raw. You never know from page to page which element Rhys Ford is going to serve up, what you can be certain is that it will piece your heart, make you weep with either joy or pain with the believable anguish that Cole is going through, along with his family and loved ones. There are some devastating events here, sometimes one after another. After a while I thought I had become inured.

I was so wrong.

Its because Rhys Ford writes so beautifully that her characters resonate so with the reader, as does the pain and emotional turmoil they are going through. Here emotions, thoughts, even rage that Cole had imagined he had buried rise up, overwhelming him, and the reader in the process. At parts, the story is so moving, I had to stop reading, because I couldn’t see the Kindle any more through the tears. I don’t think anything can prepare you for parts of this book.

The relationships here are deepened, even more realistic than ever as certain elements are revealed about peoples lives, the comedy that is a hallmark of this author ‘s writing and this series is ever present, a necessary levity when the angst threatens to swamp us and the lives involved. Clowns and llamas are a perfect pairing and I can only imagine how Rhys Ford saw that.

Rhys Ford is not one to give up the mystery easily. Its been years in the making so its a heart-racing, white knuckle, fast paced scary race at towards the end. What a shocker! I did not see that coming, even after all those books, so well done, Rhys Ford. That was really a great twist. Then you went on and delivered further. How worthwhile an ending. Its superb. Ford really pulls it all together. First a shocker, then a summation, and then a epilogue that will leaving you giddy with joy.

Dirty Heart (Cole McGinnis #6) by Rhys Ford is one spectacular book. Never has her characters been more nuanced, more moving and real. The story includes stunning narrative explosions, a conclusion to a convoluted mystery spun over 6 stories and characters that will never leave me. This jumps to into Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Word’s Top Ten Rec list. Its February so for you readers still new to the series, you have plenty of time to read through the series before the book comes out in March. Pay no attention to anyone trying to spoil this book for you. No no NO! Its too good a tale for that. Make sure you pick it up fresh! But pick it up you must! Highly Recommended as is the series.

Cover artist Reese Notley does a wonderful job with the cover and branding the series.

Sales Links coming in March

Book Details:

Expected publication: March 2016 by Dreamspinner Press LLC
Original TitleDIrty Heart
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesCole McGinnis #6

Cole McGinnis Series:

Dirty Kiss (Cole McGinnis, #1)
Dirty Secret (Cole McGinnis, #2)
Dirty Laundry (Cole McGinnis, #3)
Dirty Sweets (Cole McGinnis, #3.5) free story
Dirty Day (Cole McGinnis, #3.6) free story
Dirty Deeds (Cole McGinnis, #4)
Down and Dirty (Cole McGinnis, #5)
Dirty Minds free story
Dirty Heart (Cole McGinnis, #6)

A MelanieM Review: Dirty Heart (Cole McGinnis #6) by Rhys Ford

Rating: 5 stars out of 5 ★★★★★

Final book in the Dirty Series arc.

I was so wrong.

Cover artist Reese Notley does a wonderful job with the cover and branding the series.

Sales Links coming in March

Book Details:

Expected publication: March 2016 by Dreamspinner Press LLC
Original TitleDIrty Heart
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesCole McGinnis #6

Cole McGinnis Series:

Dirty Kiss (Cole McGinnis, #1)
Dirty Secret (Cole McGinnis, #2)
Dirty Laundry (Cole McGinnis, #3)
Dirty Sweets (Cole McGinnis, #3.5) free story
Dirty Day (Cole McGinnis, #3.6) free story
Dirty Deeds (Cole McGinnis, #4)
Down and Dirty (Cole McGinnis, #5)
Dirty Minds free story
Dirty Heart (Cole McGinnis, #6)

A MelanieM Review: Down and Dirty (Cole McGinnis #5) by Rhys Ford

Rating: 5 stars out of 5 ★★★★★

From the moment former LAPD detective Bobby Dawson spots Ichiro Tokugawa, he knows the man is trouble. And not just because the much younger Japanese inker is hot, complicated, and pushes every one of Bobby’s buttons. No, Ichi is trouble because he’s Cole McGinnis’s younger brother and off-limits in every possible way. And Bobby knows that even before Cole threatens to kill him for looking Ichi’s way. But despite his gut telling him Ichi is bad news, Bobby can’t stop looking… or wanting.

Ichi was never one to play by the rules. Growing up in Japan as his father’s heir, he’d been bound by every rule imaginable until he had enough and walked away from everything to become his own man. Los Angeles was supposed to be a brief pitstop before he moved on, but after connecting with his American half-brothers, it looks like a good city to call home for a while—if it weren’t for Bobby Dawson.

Bobby is definitely a love-them-and-leave-them type, a philosophy Ichi whole-heartedly agrees with. Family was as much of a relationship as Ichi was looking for, but something about the gruff and handsome Bobby Dawson that makes Ichi want more.

Much, much more.

Ever read a book and fall completely in love with a secondary couple? Then start wishing the author would write a book just for them? All those wishes must have hit Rhys Ford pretty darn hard or filled up her email box because Down and Dirty is a reader’s wish come true. I know its certainly mine.

Bobby Dawson was already a character that I loved to read about. He’s complicated, intelligent, been bruised by his past and poor choices. He’s flawed, he bleeds and I understand him. Then Ichiro Tokugawa appears in the series, a new brother but bringing his own familiar heavy emotional baggage into the already seriously weighed down McGinnis family. But there was something fresh about Ichi, something shiny (Rhys Ford’s descriptions have a way of making you feel and see the characters, not just read them). So I understood immediately why Bobby was pulled towards Ichi like a magpie towards a newly found sparkle. The connection flows bothways and its powerful enough that others notice as well.

And start to interfere. For the best of course.

I loved this book for so many reasons. One that might not first jump to mind is that I get a second look at many scenes from the other stories from a different perspective. This time I see it from Bobby and Ichi’s point of view. The scenes from the waiting room, the phone calls…the impact is heightened even though I know what has happened and what the outcome will be. Why? Because this time I see the shock waves spreading out from the initial event (still no spoilers) , from person to person, something missing in the original story. It magnifies the event and the emotional trauma not really looked at closely before. And given its due as it was here.

Bobby’s background, his family and his current actions were all finally explored. Rhys Ford made Bobby a man at a juncture at his life. His realistic look at where he stood, his past, how people thought about him, how he thought about himself, did he deserve a future…so well done and equally so moving. If I hadn’t cared about Bobby before, I certainly would have now.

And the revelations continued with Ichi. A phone call from his father in Japan sets off a tumbling set of disclosures about his family life in Japan, his father, the reason Ichi left for his brothers and the States. If we thought Jae’s family and culture were complicated, this glimpse into Ichi’s life gives us enough of a comparison to realize that our culture might be very simple by perspective.

So what happens when two bruised, complex men are drawn towards each other, no matter what their families want? The hot, sexy and so satisfactory findings are spread out here in Down and Dirty. I hope its not the only Bobby and Ichi book to come out of this series but if it is, I’m content. With just one more.

I love this book and adore this series. Now you can also listen to it in audiobook, something I have just ventured into. Now you have three different ways to dive into this book and series.

Love a multicultural romance? Love layered men with a raw authenticity about them? Hot, sexy and real? Look no further than Down and Dirty by Rhys Ford as well as the entire Cole McGinnis series. I can’t recommend them highly enough.

Cover art by Reece Notley. The artist continues the series branding with the color tone and style but does a great job changing it up with the models and backdrop. Love it.

*Review Note: We started the year with this book and we’ll end with it in December! A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Double Dip Review: A Sammy Review: Down and Dirty by Rhys Ford January 2015

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

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Published January 2nd 2015 by Dreamspinner Press LLC
Original TitleDown and Dirty
ISBN 1632166151 (ISBN13: 9781632166159)
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesCole McGinnis #5
CharactersIchiro Tokugawa, Robert (Bobby) James Dawso

A Mika Review: Fish Stick Fridays (Half Moon Bay #1) by Rhys Ford

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars ★★★★★

More than a little bit. And Lang is willing to be tempted.

Unfortunately, Zig isn’t the only bit of chaos dropped into Half Moon Bay. Violence and death strikes leaving Deacon scrambling to fight off a killer before he loses not only Zig but Lang too.

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

Book Details:

ebook, 204 pages

Published November 30th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press

original title Fish Stick Fridays

ISBN 1623809487 (ISBN13: 9781623809485)

edition language English

series Half Moon Bay #1

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