Tag: Pride Publishing

An Alisa Review: My Highland Cowboy by Alexa Milne

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

Duncan McLeish owns a ranch. Unlike most ranches, this one is in the Scottish Highlands. Having inherited a failing farm from his grandfather, he turns it into a successful business. He has friends and he loves his home, but he’s lonely, and not even infrequent trips to Glasgow and Edinburgh slake that thirst to find someone. Then Drew Sinclair walks into his life.

 

Drew Sinclair is tantalizingly close to getting his clothing brand noticed in the industry. He and his business partner, Joy, create individual dresses, while, on the side, Drew produces a line of men’s lingerie. He visits Scotland to design a bridal gown for his sister, Jenna, who is marrying Duncan’s best friend at Christmas.

 

Duncan and Drew have nothing except their Highland upbringing in common, but they say opposites attract, and the attraction is immediate. Is this simply a summer fling, or can two men who live such opposite lives miles away from each other find a way to love?

 

Reader Advisory: This book contains references to homophobia and references to death of a character’s parents.

 

This was a very nice story.  Duncan has resigned himself to being alone knowing that no one would want to move to the country even if he could ever find someone he wanted to live his life with.  Drew throws his lonely and well managed life out of whack and he isn’t sure what to do about it.

 

Drew has never found someone worth keeping around and will flirt shamelessly with all those around him.  They both are open while Drew is visiting but don’t even risk thinking that their lives could be intertwined and they end up hurting themselves more than they even thought possible.  It was hard to see both of them hurting and knowing their friends didn’t quite know how to help them.

 

We see both of these characters’ points of view which allows us to understand these characters better.  I could feel Duncan’s confusion about his feelings that contradicted how his grandfather raised him but knowing that he can’t leave his ranch he resigns himself to nothing more ever happening.  Drew has never felt this strongly for a lover before and can’t seem to get Duncan out of his head, not even able to move on as he planned when he got back to London.  I loved that Drew realized he couldn’t live without Duncan and was able to adjust his life to make their dreams possible.

 

Cover art is beautiful and gives a great visual of Duncan and background for the story.

 

Sales Links: Pride Publishing | Amazon

 

Book Details:

ebook, 196 pages

Published: June 6, 2017 by Pride Publishing

ISBN: 9781786515674

Edition Language: English

An Alisa Review: Cutting Cords (Kiss of Leather #6) by Morticia Knight

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

Liam yearns for Master Neal’s harsh touch, but Neal fears that a part-time Master can’t give a full-time sub everything he needs.

 

Liam’s world crumbled after the unexpected death of his Master. Prone to panic attacks and other social anxiety, Liam doesn’t believe he’ll ever find another Master who would be willing to take on such a challenged sub full-time. Too distraught to go back to Club Consequence, where he met the man he thought he’d be with forever, he decides to give Kiss of Leather a try.

 

After doing a piercing gig at Kiss of Leather, Master Neal signs up to become a member. On the night he performs a demo as the final step to being accepted, he meets a sub who brings out his protective urge and makes his heart come alive. Neal isn’t scared off by Liam’s anxiety or social awkwardness. On the contrary, he finds the sub to be refreshingly honest and endearing.

 

They try out a scene to see if they’ll click, and their connection is everything they’d both hoped it could be. However, the road to love and a Total Power Exchange isn’t an easy one. Neal still hasn’t discovered all there is to know about Liam’s traumatic upbringing, and he’s not sure if he’d ultimately be the right Master for Liam.

 

Both men are forced to face the truth about love, life and what it means to share it with another person. But before Liam can start over with Neal, he’ll have to cut the cords to his past and trust that Neal will be there to catch him when he does.

 

Reader Advisory: This book contains references to a traumatic and abusive upbringing.

 

I enjoyed this story just as much as I have the others in this series.  We have been hearing about Liam on an off throughout the series and got to meet Neal at the end of the last book.  Out of many we have seen I think Liam definitely deserved his HEA.

 

Liam has been closed off and is extremely shy, which was made worse when his Master died.  When Neal first meets Liam his protective instincts kick in full force and he know that he will do anything to protect this gorgeous sub.  Liam is so cute and positively innocent even with living as a full time sub for over a year; he went straight from an abusive foster home to being a sub and doesn’t have any real world experience.  Neal never thought he would want to have a full time sub but doesn’t want to lose everything he has gained with Liam, I love how patient he is with Liam and how he is willing to help him work through some of his anxieties.

 

As with the previous stories we get to see some of the other characters again and see how their lives are going along with the continuation in the mystery portion, though that was toned down a bit in this book it looks as though it will be picking up again in the next.  I look forward to reading more in this series while they solve the mystery, but also to see more of all the wonderful characters in this series.

 

The cover art is very nice; giving great visuals of the characters and follows the pattern for the series.

 

Sales Links: Pride Publishing | Amazon

 

Book Details:

ebook, 136 pages

Published: May 23, 2016 by Pride Publishing

ISBN: 9781786515797

Edition Language: English

Series: Kiss of Leather #6

Release Blitz for Equality (Dublin Virtues #2) by Helena Stone

 

Buy Links: Pride | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Publisher: Pride Publishing


Length: 58,300 words


Dublin Virtues Series


Patience (Book #1) Pride | Amazon US | Amazon UK
Renewal (Book #3) Pride | Amazon US | Amazon UK 


Blurb

Love is love. But what if the fight for equality gets in the way of building a relationship?

Lorcan Barratt has never considered himself relationship material. After his parents made it perfectly clear they’d never welcome a partner of his into their home, he learned to love his own company and can’t imagine sharing his life with another. After a single passionate kiss with Eric Kavanagh—the night before he travels to Canada for three months—Lorcan’s no longer sure he wants to be on his own. The problem is, he has no idea what sharing his life with someone else might entail.

Eric Kavanagh grew up in a loving and supportive family and always assumed he’d end up in a committed relationship. Sure that he’s found the one, Eric doesn’t worry about the fact that Lorcan has no experience when it comes to love and relationships. They are good together, so what could possibly go wrong?

When both men get involved in the marriage equality referendum in Ireland, it appears to bring them even closer together until Lorcan’s insecurities get the upper hand and he shuts Eric out. Will the fight for a yes-vote cost them their relationship or will they be able to find a balance between the love they share and the need for equality?

Author Bio

Helena Stone can’t remember a life before words and reading. After growing up in a household where no holiday or festivity was complete without at least one new book, it’s hardly surprising she now owns more books than shelf space while her Kindle is about to explode.

The urge to write came as a surprise. The realisation that people might enjoy her words was a shock to say the least. Now that the writing bug has well and truly taken hold, Helena can no longer imagine not sharing the characters in her head and heart with the rest of the world.

 

Having left the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam for the peace and quiet of the Irish Country side she divides her time between reading, writing, long and often wet walks with the dog, her part-time job in a library, a grown-up daughter and her ever loving and patient husband.

Helena can be found in the following places:

Email: helenastoneauthor@gmail.com
 

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Review Tour and Giveaway :My Highland Cowboy by Alexa Milne

Buy Links: Pride (Early Download) | Amazon US | Amazon UK (General Release Date: 6th June 2017)


Publisher: Pride Publishing


Length: 69,000 words


Blurb


Duncan McLeish owns a ranch. Unlike most ranches, this one is in the Scottish Highlands. Having inherited a failing farm from his grandfather, he turns it into a successful business. He has friends and he loves his home, but heís lonely, and not even infrequent trips to Glasgow and Edinburgh slake that thirst to find someone. Then Drew Sinclair walks into his life.



Drew Sinclair is tantalizingly close to getting his clothing brand noticed in the industry. He and his business partner, Joy, create individual dresses, while, on the side, Drew produces a line of menís lingerie. He visits Scotland to design a bridal gown for his sister, Jenna, who is marrying Duncanís best friend at Christmas.


Duncan and Drew have nothing except their Highland upbringing in common, but they say opposites attract, and the attraction is immediate. Is this simply a summer fling, or can two men who live such opposite lives miles away from each other find a way to love?

May 9 – The Novel Approach
May 15 – Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Making It Happen, Books Laid Bare Boys, Sarandipity, Keysmash
May 23 – Bayou Book Junkie
May 30 – V’s Reads, BookLove, Padme’s Library, The Geekery Book Review, My Fiction Nook, MM Good Book Reviews
June 6 – Love Bytes
June 8 – Dog-Eared Daydreams, Oh My Shelves, The Way She Reads, Engaging Secrets, Book Lovers 4Ever
June 10 – Diverse Reader

 
Author Bio



Originally from South Wales, Alexa has lived for over thirty years in the North West of England. Now retired, after a long career in teaching, she devotes her time to her obsessions. Alexa began writing when her favourite character was killed in her favourite show. After producing a lot of fanfiction she ventured into original writing. She is currently owned by a mad cat and spends her time writing about the men in her head, watching her favourite television programmes and usually crying over her favourite football team.

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A VVivacious Review: Toxic (Treacherous Chemistry #2) by Avylinn Winter

Rating: 2 Stars out of 5
 
Adam has been best friends with Gabriel since they were children but all of that changes when Adam tells Gabriel about his true feelings for him. In a second the loving friendship he shared with Gabriel is shattered and he finds himself thrown out of the room they shared.
 
Adam finds himself unable to let go of his first love and he tries to reconcile with Gabriel for the sake of their friendship but things turn out different than what Adam expected… for better or for worse…
 
As Adam and Gabriel try to build a new relationship, Adam discovers a whole new side to Gabriel, the side that leaves him battered and bruised. Unable to see a way out of his relationship with Gabriel, Adam pushes everyone away… but one person fights harder than the rest. Will Cameron be able to rescue Adam from this toxic relationship or will Adam burn all bridges in his despair?
 
I didn’t like this at all. I was expecting good things from this book especially given the introduction to Adam we got in Volatile and also given how much I loved Volatile. I was ready to be crushed and thrown about by a flurry of emotions given the subject matter instead I got a book that had me totally indifferent towards it.
 
The first chapter gave me goose bumps.  It is pretty well written and gives a nice introduction to the premise of this book but from the moment the second chapter began the interest I had accrued after reading the first chapter was quickly lost. Overall this book didn’t leave an impression on me for various reasons.
 
Firstly we know Adam gets beaten around by Gabriel but the author fails to explicitly mention it. A lot of the times the scenes of the actual violence are written as if you are meant to see the scene through an indecipherable haze which in one way was good because this book would probably have been hard to read if it was a bit too explicit but on the other hand I found myself cut off from Adam because I couldn’t fully understand what he was going through.
 
Secondly, Gabriel is just not a strong enough character to be able to carry this story forward. I feel like this is where the book truly fails because no matter the writing if you trying to write a two dimensional, the-world-is-black-and-white kind of a character you are going to fail. And yes just because he is good sometimes and viciously violent at others doesn’t make him a well-fleshed out character or even a three dimensional character. Gabriel really reminds me of a cartoon goon. I mean I wanted to know what was going on his mind, how did he think, did he have a thing for power or was he lost himself. It feels like the author deliberately skips out on giving any background to Gabriel lest he appear even a little bit human. I mean what did his parents think of Adam given they had been friends for so long, did he have siblings and was he in denial about his sexuality, anything. If I had to tell you the truth the first book does a better characterization of Gabriel then the entirety of this book.
 
Thirdly, Cameron is a creep. I don’t know how anyone can find Cameron’s actions towards Adam endearing. I found myself uncomfortable at a lot of times when it came to Cameron. In fact at some times during the book Gabriel seemed like a better option if it was an either or contest. I only liked Cameron a little bit towards the end but the ending is quite well written, it managed to alleviate a little bit of the frustration that this book caused but not enough to redeem his character or this book. Cameron tops the list of reasons why this book didn’t work for me.
 
Fourthly, Chris. Chris is someone I loved in Volatile but he was just so irritating when it came to Adam in this book. The relationship that Adam and Chris shared which is one of the many highlights of Volatile and the reason I was so excited about reading this book is pretty much destroyed in this book. I felt like there was so much judgement in their relationship now given how it started out with both of them giving the other unconditional support.
 
Fifthly, Gabriel and Adam make no sense. I didn’t understand how Adam could continue in this relationship. He didn’t love Gabriel. He knew their relationship was all wrong. He actually likes another guy. He lies to Gabriel about spending time with said guy. I mean their relationship was all wrong from the beginning. Even if you take out the DV, I didn’t get what was in their relationship that made Adam stay and that is the reason this book utterly fails it was unable to rationalise as victims are prone to do, the relationship the victim shares with the assailant. Adam seems to be fully aware Gabriel is in the wrong and he doesn’t love Gabriel and he isn’t dependent on Gabriel in any way and most importantly he knows he needs help which begs the question why does he stay in this relationship. There is a bit of rationalisation that Adam tries to do on Gabriel’s behalf but that is much later in the story and most importantly it is fuelled by the desire to save a friend not a lover. Also the worst part is that the author had much to pull from, given Adam and Gabriel’s long history of being friends and Gabriel being Adam’s saviour but there is no effort to incorporate this part of their lives in the book but it would have made sense to use this as Adam’s tether but it isn’t. As far as this book is concerned nothing tethers Adam to Gabriel making their relationship a farce and given the wooden quality of Gabriel it is very hard to draw emotions for this story.
 
This book quite literally ruined the Bahamas for me because that is the worst part of this book. The ending kind of salvages the disaster this book was turning out to be but not by much.
 
Cover Art by Posh Gosh. I liked the cover.

Buy Links: Pride | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book Details:
ebook, 1st Edition, 233 pages
Expected publication: May 2nd 2017 by Pride Publishing
ISBN139781786515438
Edition LanguageEnglish
URLhttps://www.pride-publishing.com/book/toxic
SeriesTreacherous Chemistry #2

A VVivacious Review: Volatile (Treacherous Chemistry #1) by Avylinn Winter

Rating – 4.5 Stars out of 5
 
Ever since his mother’s death, Chris has forgotten every reason to live when the sound of a violin breaks through his every barrier. Chris finds himself enchanted with Dante, the black haired violinist, but little does he know that the few words he exchanges with this enigmatic musician are going to give him a reason to live.
 
Chris finds himself on tour with Dante. He finds himself drawn to the enigma that is Dante but when every moment they share is inexplicable it’s hard to know what they really share. Are these moments the basis of something more or are they just something that can be forgotten in the blink of an eye?
 
This story is excellently written because if you get rid of the writing style this is a story we have heard a million times but what makes it a story worth reading is the fact that the way this story is written, makes even the simplest story, that you have read a million times in one form or the other, a piece of art.
 
It really boggles my mind how much I like this book because if you come down to the crux of this story, the turning point is a misconception. And personally I hate books were misconceptions are long drawn out and don’t have a quick resolution for one reason only, it has been done a million times before and I am sure it will done a million times after as well, but what makes it such an effective ploy is that one book that takes this plot ploy and manages to still find another unexplored corner of it.
 
I mean this book turned my pet peeves into something marvellous there are misconceptions and miscommunication or no communication, things I hate but this story just infuses the words with so much richness that I felt like I could understand just exactly how Dante and Chris’ relationship worked out.
 
Dante and Chris wowed me it felt like the pages featuring them just dripped with so much feeling. You know sometimes books fail to express non-verbal communication as well as verbal communication so most of the times when two characters don’t talk in a book everything they share becomes a bit ridiculous because something in the back of your head is like they don’t even know each other that well. But the author has this amazing command on the language because I got every cue that passed between Dante and Chris and most of them were non-verbal. In a startling moment this book opened my eyes to this fallacy of books by doing the exact opposite. I feel in anyone else’s hand this book would crash because I truly believe this book only works as it is written and I feel like one word out of place could make it fall apart.
 
It is amazing, the love story is inexplicable in the truest sense but once you read the book you will believe me when I say it truly works.
 
Also I loved how well the author portrayed Adam and Chris’ relationship, because it really got me excited about the fact that we get Adam’s book next.
 
I know this book isn’t perfect but I would be hard-pressed to find a mistake.
 
Cover Art by Posh Gosh. The cover doesn’t do justice to the story but I think little could.
Book Details:
ebook, 1st Edition, 213 pages
Published August 23rd 2016 by Pride Publishing
ISBN139781786514547
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesTreacherous Chemistry #1
Other Editions (1)
Volatile (Treacherous Chemistry, #1)

Review Tour and Giveaway: Toxic (Treacherous Chemistry #2) by Avylinn Winter (author’s note and giveaway)

Buy Links: Pride | Amazon US | Amazon UK


Publisher: Pride Publishing


Length: 79,690 words


Treacherous Chemistry Series


Volatile (Book #1) Amazon US | Amazon UK


Blurb

When true love is a lie and pleasure turns to pain.

Adam Webb spent most of his teenage years in love with his best friend, Gabriel Connor, only to be thrown out of their shared apartment when he finally found the courage to reveal his feelings.

Seven months later, Adam’s effort to save their lost friendship finds him more than he ever asked for. After all, being thrown out has to be better than thrown into a wall. However, Adam isn’t ready to give up. Trapped and isolated in a dangerous relationship, he falls deeper and deeper into Gabriel’s world.

Despite Adam’s attempts to push them away, his friends are determined to help, but the man who fights hardest is Cameron McCain, Adam’s photography teacher—a man who treasures what Gabriel does not.

They say love should conquer all. But when passion breeds fear and love turns toxic, will Adam make the right choice?

Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of domestic violence and dubious consent.

 


Toxic is the second novel in the Treacherous Chemistry series, following characters introduced in Volatile. However, it can be read as a stand-alone. It’s a story about love, but also about the dangers of loving what you shouldn’t.

I wrote this story as an attempt to understand why we sometimes fail to recognize what’s bad for us, but most of all I wrote it for Adam, and all the Adams out there across the world. I wanted to give him strength, resilience and hope in a situation far too many has to navigate.

Toxic is by no means a light read, and it would be unfair of me to label it as such. I’ve been known to play with readers’ emotions, and Toxic is no exception. And, although it is a story about love, some will likely say this novel contains elements of general fiction. However, as long as you know what you’re up against, Toxic will hopefully give you something to remember and something to ponder.

You will get to meet Dante and Chris again, but also make a new acquaintance in Cameron. If nothing else, these three will undoubtedly make you smile when you most need it. I promise.

Toxic has been posted on Wattpad as a draft, which is the reason you see ratings before the release date. It collected over a million reads on the site before I took it down for publication, which gave me some confidence that Adam’s story was worth telling despite the toll it took on me.

I hope you’ll let sweet Adam tell you his story because it’s an important one.

Author Bio

Raised in one of the cold corners of the world, Avylinn spends her days either wrapped up in a blanket or basking in the precious sunlight. When she can’t choose herself, she’s holed up in an office working with climate research that has little to do with the worlds and characters she creates in her vivid dreams.

Always the emotional one, she has found her outlet in writing, voicing thoughts, emotions and fears through her characters that feel very much alive to her. And, what began as a hobby soon took more and more time in her life until she realized that she had left her old life behind and entered a new one where her emotions turned into a super power—ready to launch at her poor readers.

She recharges with the help of coffee, cinnamon buns, popcorn and occasionally a healthier alternative.

http://www.avylinnwinter.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/avylinnwinter/
https://twitter.com/AvylinnW
https://www.wattpad.com/user/Avylinn

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