Tag: JMS Books LLC

An Alisa Review: Studying the Teacher by Sarah Hadley Brook

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Without a supportive family when he was a teenager, Charlie’s Tourette syndrome and anxiety had become too overwhelming and he ended up dropping out of school. He always promised himself he’d earn his GED before he turned thirty, and now he’s running out of time.

With only four months to go, he gathers his courage and enrolls in a night class for adults. He knows it isn’t going to be easy, but he certainly didn’t expect to fall for his teacher.

Owen Talbot is everything Charlie’s looking for, but he needs to focus on passing the test, not studying the teacher, no matter how much he wants the man. When Owen offers Charlie a personal tutoring session, he isn’t sure it’s a good idea but he takes the teacher up on the offer, anyway. Spending one-on-one time with his sexy teacher won’t be a problem, right?

I really enjoyed this story.  All Charlie really needed was someone to love him unconditionally and not judge him which is seems most have done for him.  Owen was perfect for him and wouldn’t let anyone hurt Charlie’s feelings and hurt his chances of completing his GED.

I liked how they connected so easily and the how laid back their time was together.  I know Charlie would start to over think things but I loved that Owen’s presence helped him to relax.  This was a perfect short sweet story and I didn’t feel like I needed more of the story in the end.

The cover art by Written Ink Designs is nice and works well for the story.

Sales Links: JMS Books | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 23,465 words

Published: September 28, 2019 by JMS Books

ISBN: 9781646560899

Edition Language: English

A Stella Review: Pumpkin Rolls and Porn Sounds by Kris T. Bethke

RATING 4 out of 5 stars

Will Grant only attends the PFLAG meeting because his mother guilts him into it. But the instant he hears the night’s speaker, Will is glad he showed up. Joshua Rhinehardt is dynamic and engaging. Although Joshua isn’t physically Will’s type, Will can’t get the man out of his head.

Joshua may be comfortable in his own skin, but it isn’t often men like Will are attracted to him, and he’s not comfortable changing for someone else. He wants to make a life with Will, but his own insecurities keep getting in the way.

Will’s unwavering acceptance helps Joshua see that when two people connect, physical appearance just might not matter at all.

I loved this  story, I already read other titles by this author and always had a good time with them. Pumpkin Rolls and Porn Sounds is a very sweet and lovely short, Will and Joshua are two young men interesting, busy with their jobs, but ready to be supportive and active with PFLAG meetings. They meet and soon something strong seems to be born between them, but Joshua wants to take his time to know Will, especially since he’s not the exactly Will’s type.

I liked the pace of the story, the narration wasn’t rushed as often happens with titles short like this one. I fully enjoyed the amazing characters, their times together. I loved how both Will and Joshua felt real to me, with their dreams, but most of all with their insecurities and fault.

I feel to recommend this story by Kris T. Bethke, it’s easy and simple, a joy to read.

The cover art by lovely and fitting, I like it a lot

SALE LINKS JMS Books LLC | Amazon

BOOK DETAILS

Kindle Edition, 53 pages

Published September 21st 2019 by JMS Books LLC (first published February 11th 2015)

ASIN B07XLZQ4R7

Edition Language English

An Alisa Review: Wolf, in League (Wolf #3) by A.F. Henley

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

It’s been months since anyone at the Committee has had any contact from the O’Connell family or their pack members, and they are not happy. Suspicious of the activities that took place in D.C. and determined to find out what the wolves are up to, the Committee recruits one of their newest residents, Dr. Matthew Dietrich, to play the part of neighbor and infiltrate the family.

Matthew has always been a keep-to-himself kind of person. Though idealistic and optimistic, he prefers to work in solitude, at night, while he researches the findings that he hopes will one day change the world. When he’s approached by the executives of the Center, he has no idea why they’d choose him. And to say he is skeptical over the concept of men that can shift into wolves would be an understatement.

Okay, so this book wrapped up some of the loose ends from the previous book but let the ending with a few other questions. I had already guessed that the main people at the Committee weren’t all that great but after what they have put Gavin through and now Matthew really shows where their priorities lie and how they feel about paranormals.

But man, this book is all about overturning the control that the Committee has over the O’Connell family, Gavin and others like them. I loved that Matthew was just so innocent that he had so much trouble believing that the Committee would treat people the way they have but I’m glad that him and Gavin were able to figure out what needed to be done and the Matthew was able to help Gavin figure out what was going on with him.

The ending with paranormals (or at least vampires) coming out to the world was interesting. I liked the little news stories in the end but would have liked to see how this news affected the O’Connell family and those around them especially after Rafe’s vision.

Once again I really like the cover art and all those from the series are similar but different at the same time.

Sales Links: JMS Books | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 233 pages

Published: 2nd edition, September 18, 2019 by JMS Books

ISBN: 9781646561025

Edition Language: English

A Chaos Moondrawn Review: Earthquakes (New Amsterdam #4) by Kelly Wyre

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

This is the fourth book in the series focusing on Ellis and his crush on one of his customers from the firing range named Bryndon. Previously Ellis seemed enamored with Clark; there is definitely still hero worship involved, complicated by doing BDSM scenes with Clark and his husband, but Ellis knows the difference between what he has and what he wants. He’s decided that he wants Bryn.

I was irritated when Ellis “realizes” he’s in love with Bryn, even though he’s only spoken a few sentences with the guy. Having said that, in the same conversation Daniel was talking to Ellis about Clark, which I loved. So, while the recapping will let you read this as a standalone, it has more emotional impact if you’ve read book one, story 1.1, and book three. Once Clark, Daniel, and Lucien try to help Ellis get noticed by Bryn, their worlds crash together. Bryn’s friend Medea is annoying, but she is also a force of nature as she helps play matchmaker. It’s also nice to have wealthy friends Ellis can borrow a plane from whenever he wants. While this widens the friends as family cast, the focus is on the two main characters. The alternating points of view between Ellis and Bryn actually made me worry for both of them.

Bryn is a ballet dancer with mental health issues. The creepy parts of this are him being haunted by someone who’s dead. He keeps everyone at arm’s length, but Ellis sneaks into his thoughts…and then Ellis ignores all Bryn’s boundaries. Even though he is the submissive, it is Ellis that pushes this whole thing forward. The more the author reveals about Bryn, the less likeable he is to me. At the same time, I see why Ellis wants to save him. His mother has been emotionally abusive his whole life so it’s not any different when Bryn goes home for his father’s funeral, Ellis in tow. Unfortunately, most of this is about Bryn’s revenge on his Mom and a plot twist that seems to have been written to heal Bryn. For me, it all comes down to this: how can Ellis trust Bryn to tie him up, to hurt him? Ellis is basically a saint, but I thought he had a somewhat healthy view of the situation until he agreed to a scene when Bryn was angry, under stress and emotional duress, and had been drinking. This was just a big turn-off for me. I was not convinced that the cathartic release was worth more than having this be safe and sane.

While love will not cure mental illness, it can give a person hope and support. If that had been the focus, I would have enjoyed this more. Complex PTSD would make sense for this character, but the author chose to have Bryn be on antipsychotics. My understanding is that hallucinations can be suppressed, not cured–even his epiphany, his closure, wouldn’t stop real hallucinations that require antipsychotics. In the end, even though there is a happily ever after, it didn’t seem realistic to me. There was no follow-up about the state of Bryn’s mental health, no therapy, no mention of Ellis meeting Bryn’s therapist, no way to know if Bryn was still having hallucinations or still taking medication…the whole thing is just dropped out of the plot. I know this is fiction, and I applaud having mental health issues being represented, but it does a disservice to people if it’s not portrayed accurately or just used as a plot device until it’s no longer needed.

The cover design is by Natasha Snow. It matches the rest of the series with the city view, but this one shows Bryn–dancing, but to me also wrestling with his darkness

Sales Links:  JMS Books LLC | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 228 pages
Published September 28th 2019 by JMS Books LLC (first published February 29th 2016)
Original Title Earthquakes
ASIN B07Y3TL7XB
Series New Amsterdam #4

An Alisa Review: The Boyfriend Trap by J.B. Buell

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Male stripper Jamie has been seeing his boss, club owner Luke, for a while now. Jamie wants a more committed relationship, but Luke is dragging his heels about getting more serious with Jamie or introducing Jamie to his daughter, Sofia.

But Sofia has had enough waiting around to meet her dad’s not-so-secret boyfriend, and devises a plan to get them together.

In this sweet rom-com, two grown men find themselves outwitted by a precocious eight-year-old.

This was a cute story and with some creativity from his daughter Luke is able to admit what he really wants in his relationship with Jamie.  I didn’t like that Luke was all about just going on as they had been when Jamie was continually trying to hint or get him to further their relationship, though we had a big gap from when they first had sex till a year later so we don’t really know how it had been going.  I thought it was cute how Sofia tricked them both a bit, though it was the kind of thing my own kids would have gotten in trouble for.

The cover art by Written Ink Designs is nice and a cute picture of Luke and Jamie.

Sales Links: JMS Books | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 23,965 words

Published: September 28, 2019 by JMS Books

ISBN: 9781646560837

Edition Language: English

A Stella Review: All at Sea by J.L. Merrow

RATING 4 out of 5 stars

Eighteen-year-old Londoner Josh feels all at sea, holidaying with his family on the Isle of Wight. He’d rather be living it up in Ibiza, dancing until all hours, and maybe finding out what it’s like to be with another man. What chance does he have of getting lucky with his newly-single mum and little sisters in tow?

Cambridge student Rupe is making the most of his summer job at the boating lake, charming customers with his good looks and theatrical manner. Life looks even sunnier when he meets the cute, inexperienced Josh and asks him out for a date on a boat. But there are dark clouds in Rupe’s life, and even love on an island isn’t always plain sailing.

All at Sea was a super short story, just 26 pages. As everything JL Merrow does, it’s well written and engaging. Being so short, we just got a glimpse of how the main characters met, still we learned quite a lot about them, their families, their dreams, their hobbies. Plus at the end there were just a couple of pages to let us know if Rupe and Josh got their hea or not.
Each time JL surprises me and leaves me truly satisfied, I can’t get enough of this author and her English that at first was incomprehensible to me. Who would have guessed she would have become my fave.

The cover art by Written Ink Designs is simple but fitting, I like it

SALE LINKS  JMS Books LLC | Amazon

BOOK DETAILS

Kindle Edition, 26 pages

Published September 28th 2019 by JMS Books LLC

ASIN B07W6LCXD2

Edition Language English

A Lila Review: A Long Road to Love by Dakota Storm

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Dr. Gabe Adler has had a crush on Chase, his best friend’s brother, since forever. But after one, sweet encounter Chase turned Gabe away and they haven’t spoken for years.

Then a midnight call from his best friend Dylan sends Gabe to the hospital. Chase had been shot in the line of duty and, with no family nearby, Gabe is the only one Dylan can trust to look out for his brother.

Gabe checks on Chase and realizes his injuries are even worse than expected. After Chase pulls through an emergency operation, he wakes up to Gabe watching over him. Will he kick Gabe out of his life again? Or can they make a new start?

A Long Road to Love is a short story full of love and hope. It shows that a relationship can withstand time and separation even when it’s based on a friendship.

It’s easy to see Gabe’s wanting and Chase’s need. Plus, it has a handful of promising secondary characters.

There’s no much interaction between the main characters but we learned about their past. This story could be the prologue to a full length novel. Which I would love to read.

The cover by Writing Ink Designs is very generic and pretty much has nothing to do with the story. The blurb definitely pulls more weight with the reader.

Sale Links: JMS | Amazon | Nook

Book Details:
ebook, 100 pages
ISBN: 9781646560752
Published: September 21, 2019, by JMS Books
Edition Language: English

An Alisa Review: Wolf, en Garde (Wolf #2) by A.F. Henley

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

 

Three years ago, Lyle made a mistake that cost him his freedom, and almost his life. Now, sick to death of watching his father love the man that Lyle wanted, Lyle accepts an offer to leave Wolf, WY, behind and see what life in Washington, DC,. can do for him instead.

 

When Lyle comes across a seductive, attractive stranger with a fascinating yet terrifying view of humanity, he’s more than intrigued. It doesn’t take Lyle long to realize that Arius isn’t just playing games, though, and when Lyle runs across a secret in Arius’ lair he has no choice but to flee, even knowing his actions will enrage Arius.

 

On the run, with only a psychic’s second sight and his own instinct to help him, Lyle has nowhere to go but home. The only question is, will they have him when he shows up.

 

I enjoyed this story and was glad to see Lyle get the chance to have his own life.  Though in the end the story didn’t seem as settled and I felt like I was still missing something.

 

Lyle is still struggling with his father and Randy’s relationship and quickly accepts the opportunity to have the freedom he desire, though he quickly finds out that he can’t trust those around him completely, I was glad that he was able to go and look for Rafe when he knew there was something wrong, even if he didn’t know who or what he was looking for.

 

This story was mostly Lyle trying to and gaining his freedom but then realizing it isn’t quite what he wanted either.  I hated that this was also at the expense of Randy’s mother, though she brought it upon herself, I can’t believe that Randy’s father Henry stayed with such a manipulative person.  I am glad that Lyle found what he thought Randy was and was able to realize he was wrong before.

 

Once again I really like the cover art and it shows the perfect setting for the story.

 

Sales Links: JMS Books | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 225 pages

Published: 2nd edition, September 11, 2019 by JMS Books

ISBN: 9781646561018

Edition Language: English

A Chaos Moondrawn Review: Shot in the Dark (New Amsterdam #3) by Kelly Wyre

 Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Ellis Parker is a military man who puts his faith in truth, duty, honor, and living for the moment.

Keeping that peace isn’t easy, and he reveres the person who helps him stay on his chosen path: Ellis’ former Dominant lover and New Amsterdam’s most well-connected bartender, Maxwell Clark.

So when Clark makes a rare and unexpected offer that might let Ellis relive the days when Ellis was Clark’s, who is Ellis to refuse such a chance?

This is numbered the third book in this series, but it is much shorter than the others, more like the two short stories between book one and two. I feel like it could be read as a standalone since most of it is a flashback that actually takes place before book one. It features Ellis, who works as an instructor at a shooting range. Ellis had met Clark and Tim at a support meeting for veterans with PTSD more than five years ago. So far Break, the BDSM club Clark co-owns, has been mentioned, even glimpsed at, but not really utilized. Clark was known as a dom at Break, yet he’s mostly been a submissive in the context of the previous books, so this was the first chance to see him dominate someone and use equipment. I thought the scene was hot, intimate, and well done. Since Clark is Daniel’s submissive and husband, it made me wonder if being a dom was something he missed. That is answered a bit at the end, opening up the possibility for seeing more of Clark in that role. This doesn’t really do anything more with any previous plotline. If you have read the previous books, you should like this and if you haven’t, this might be good to see if you like the writing style of this author.

This cover is by Natasha Snow. It matches the others in the series; they tend to focus on the city rather than anything more personal to the storylines.

Sales Links: JMS Books LLC | Amazon

Book Details;

Kindle Edition, 35 pages
Published September 21st 2019 by JMS Books LLC (first published September 4th 2012)
ASINB07WTRFN3Y
Series New Amsterdam #3

A MelanieM Review: Pine Tree Mary by Ofelia Gränd

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Detective Quinn Manning wants nothing more than to see Diamond Dace, one of Fagerdal’s most notorious drug lords, behind bars. After years of the man eluding the authorities, when Manning accidentally stumbles onto an opportunity to catch the powerful dealer red-handed, he doesn’t hesitate. But what should be a simple tail instead drops Manning into a real-life world of myth and legend.

Hush is a hulder, a forest spirit also known as a pine tree Mary. Since the beginning of time, his people have lived in the forest, feeding off the energy they derive from the lust and desires of passing hunters. But Hush is an abomination, the only male of his kind.

After a lifetime of starvation, Hush has struck a deal with a human. A simple trade that will give the human what he desires and keep Hush from wasting away completely.

When Manning saves a young man from Diamond and one of his men, his view of reality is altered forever. And Hush, who has never met anyone like Manning, finds the man’s attraction to him enough to finally stave off his constant hunger.

Together they set out to rescue Manning’s partner, and their connection to one another grows. But can a human detective have a future with a creature of the forest, a creature who isn’t supposed to exist?

It’s no secret that I am a fan of stories that contain mythological references and historical elements.  If both those items happen to be a tad obscure, even better. For it sends me running to gather more information about subjects I’m less familiar with and I love it when that happens.  And so it is with the quite marvelous story of Pine Tree Mary by Ofelia Gränd.  In all of the probably thousands of stories I’ve read by now, this is only the second story (that I can remember, tbh) that has a hulder in it. Not just as a main character, but in it at all.

And just like in that story, Pine Tree Mary sent me running to the reference books,  primarily because of the name.  Turns out yes, among the many names for this ancient forest being, the warden  or protector of a certain forest, is really Pine Tree Mary.

“Names include: huldra, huldrå, hylda, skogsrå or skogsfru/skogfru (meaning ‘lady (ruler) of the forest’ or ‘forest wife/woman/spirit’) and tallemaja (‘Pine Tree Mary’). They are often referred to as Ulda by the Sámi. The males are called Huldrekall (hulder man), huldu, or huldrekarl are often said to be hideous in appearance and have grotesquely long noses.

Both the male huldrekarl and female huldra are forest and mountain dwelling creatures that take the form of tall and very beautiful humans with long flowing hair.”*

Both can be kind or evil, depending on their own action and, of course, how you treat them.

Which lead me back to Pine Tree Mary.

The author folds a police crime story into a mythical romance and does so with to a heartfelt gritty effect. Grand gives a ruthless drug crime boss, a desperate police detective, and an abused male hulder in need and takes those elements and creates a tale you can’t put down.  The innocence of Hush translates so beautifully on the page,  from scene to scene, from the dialog to the descriptions, that you care for Hush and connect to him immediately.  It’s so easy to envision the life of pain and abuse he’s lived under his sisters, and yet, he’s still so pure in spite of that.

And the character of Detective Quinn Manning, aware of police procedures, trying to bring down one of the worst criminals he will ever face, comes across a being he has no explanations for.  The growth in feelings, acceptance of Hush and the preceding investigation all works.

Of course, there is never enough of the mythology for me.  I loved the communication with the animals, the birds and the moose.  The descriptions of Hush’s physical structure is so intriguing.

Basically, I just want a sequel!  I am really invested now in these characters and I want to know what happens next.  This is a HFN and I want nest.  You will too.  This is a fascinating story with characters that make you ask more questions and reach for the next story in their relationship.  Hopefully the author is listening.

Cover Art: Written Ink Designs is haunting and quite beautiful.  Perfect for this story.

Sales Links:  JMS Books LLC | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Kobo

Book Details:

ebook
Published October 5th 2019
ISBN139781646560967
Edition Language English

*Huldra, Folklore’s Lady in the Forest – Spangenhelm Publishing