Tag: Pride Publishing

A Lucy Review: Third Time’s the Charm (Boston Seasons #1) by K. Evan Coles

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Sometimes you have to start over to get love right.

Luke Ryan’s life is too chaotic for romance, what with running his business and being the legal guardian to his ten-year-old niece, but he’s hopeful he’ll find the right man.

Trauma surgeon Finn Thomason recently relocated from Chicago to Boston, where his focus on medicine leaves him little space for a personal life. Making a commitment to find a better work-life balance, Finn hopes he’ll also find a relationship.

Caught in an evening rainstorm, Luke shelters under a sidewalk awning…and encounters a handsome stranger. The two strike up a conversation and Finn offers to walk Luke under his oversized umbrella. Charmed, Luke accepts and asks Finn out for coffee in thanks.

Luke and Finn quickly grow close, but, as the summer draws to an end, Luke struggles to keep his connection with Finn while Finn tries to come to terms with caring for a man whose attention is pulled in many directions. Both men are scrambling to get it right, but only time will tell if they’ll learn there is more than enough room in their hearts to go around.

This is definitely a character driven story.  There is no great misunderstanding that could have been solved with a short conversation between the two MC, no angst for angst sake, no random plot lines to make the story move.  Instead, what we get is Luke and Finn, two adult men who have busy schedules and busy lives who interact as, well, adult men.  Add in that Luke is raising his ten-year-old niece, Ella, and it’s even more real life complicated.  Finn’s job as a trauma surgeon leaves little time for a social life and a lot of that limited time he’s tired.  These two are facing a lot of the issues most of us face in the real world.

I have to take a minute to talk about Ella.  She’s been abandoned by her mother and moved from her hometown to live with uncle Luke and her dad.  Since dad is in the military and is deployed for long stretches, she has uncle Luke.  Ellie talks and thinks like a ten-year-old, not like a mini-adult.  Her fears about being forgotten or overlooked felt true and her bad jokes did as well.  I liked Ellie very much.

I really appreciated how they wanted to make sure of themselves before getting Ella involved. “I’ve never dated a man with a child before, and I’m not exactly sure how.  I’d really love to get to know you, Luke, before we start pulling in family.”  That seemed such a mature thing and so often we don’t get that in books.  I did roll my eyes that Finn felt all put out that Luke hadn’t yet told him about Ella on their first real date.  They shared one face to face conversation under an umbrella, how much time was there!   

We also get to meet some awesome side characters.  Simon and Gillie, Luke’s business partners, are great friends (Pickle, adorable) and they have his back.  Same goes for Paul and Mick with Finn. 

These guys have to work for their relationship and how to make everything fit.  There is a little bit of an issue towards the end but this also is solved with maturity.  I liked this a lot as a well written story that could happen to anyone.

Cover art showing Finn and Luke in the rain under the umbrella is absolutely adorable and perfectly fits this book.

Buy Links

Pride Publishing

Amazon US 

Amazon UK 

Book Details:

ebook, 262 pages
Published May 28th 2019 by Pride Publishing
ISBN139781786517494
Edition LanguageEnglish
URLhttps://www.pride-publishing.com/book/third-times-the-charm
SeriesBoston Seasons #1

An Alisa Review: Love on the Rocks by J.P. Bowie

Rating:  3 stars out of 5

Waking up on a pile of rocks with a bullet in his shoulder isn’t something Joe Brady saw coming, but perhaps the cute paramedic who finds him can do more than just help heal his wound.

 

Detective Joe Brady wakes up lying at the bottom of a cliff on a pile of rocks with a blond-haired angel hovering over him. No, he’s not in heaven. The blond is Riley Peterson, and his dog Champ is the one responsible for finding Joe. Fortunately for Joe, Riley is a paramedic and quickly gets him the emergency attention he sorely needs.

Shot by his rogue partner Bob Murdoch when Joe discovered Murdoch was running a protection racket for drug pushers, Joe wants to find Murdoch and bring him to justice, but he’s got a long road to recovery in front of him. While Joe is recuperating, Murdoch is arrested, giving Joe time to get to know Riley, the handsome paramedic. The two quickly bond, but Riley has an ex-boyfriend who wants back in Riley’s life and certainly has no qualms about playing dirty to get what he wants.

Slashed tires, an assault in a parking lot, and a prison break all seem set to doom Joe and Riley’s budding relationship. And when the deranged Murdoch determines to make them pay for his fall from grace—at gunpoint—it seems their relationship isn’t the only thing in danger…

 

Reader advisory: This book contains themes of stalking and harassment. There are references to abusive parenting and an abusive relationship, attempted murder and murder and on-page violence.

This story was okay but I wasn’t able to get into it.  Joe was very confident in his abilities as a detective but didn’t seem to have any faith in his co-workers.  Riley is overly sweet and is not the type of person to intentionally hurt someone.

I did not like how Joe thought he would have to be the one to go after his partner even when his boss told him it would be handled and for him to heal up.  To me Joe and Riley fell into a routine together but didn’t really talk about it and then seemed surprised when the other considered them in a relationship, I mean seriously.  The drama was Riley’s ex was not needed and felt thrown in to have something else going on but was more annoying than it did anything to help the story.  In the end, I just didn’t feel the character’s connection and it felt forced.

The cover art by Erin Dameron-Hill is nice and connects with the title of the story.

Sales Links: Pride Publishing | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 175 pages

Published: April 2, 2019 by Pride Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-78651-729-6

Edition Language: English

An Ali Review: Trusting Him (The Retreat #2) by L.M. Somerton

Rating:  3 stars out of 5

Trust is hard earned and all too easy to lose.

 Luke Redding’s military background is an asset when it comes to managing The Retreat, but it hasn’t helped him find the submissive he longs for. A secluded life in the New Forest, witnessing a stream of happy couples playing out their fantasies, doesn’t provide much opportunity to develop a relationship either. When a friend’s manipulations lead to him taking on silver-haired Skye as a trainee sub, Luke finds it hard to trust in his own ability to provide the guidance Skye needs.

Skye Ingham wants to explore his submissive nature but the noise and crowds at The Underground are overwhelming. He can’t believe his luck to be taken under Luke’s wing and offered a job at The Retreat. As Luke tests his boundaries, Skye trusts him implicitly, but how can he convince his new Dominant to have faith in himself?

Amid the bustle and excitement of a big house party at The Retreat, Luke and Skye edge their way towards a deeper understanding of each other’s needs and desires. But it will take a final leap of faith to secure their future and open a path to love.

This was a nice continuation of this series and I really look forward to seeing the other employees here find their HEA.  My problems with this story is it felt like something was missing though out the whole thing.  After some thought I think it was any romance or actual feelings, their interactions seemed to cold and calculated even when they weren’t in a scene it just didn’t add up to a happy couple for me.

Luke and Skye are basically thrown together by their matchmaker bosses though it takes Luke a whole like 3 days to admit he really wants Skye for himself.  The timeline for their relationship just didn’t work for me, I know if really happened over about a week time frame but there were times it didn’t add up.  One whole discussion that was skipped was Skye’s safe word, Luke made a big deal about him needing to select a safe word by the following evening and suddenly that night he mentions Skye having his safe word if needed but a safe word was never given, if felt like a whole part was skipped over.  I look forward to reading more in the series I just hope they are closer in quality and story to the first book.

The cover art by Melody Pond is okay and similar in style to the last one though the building seems to have completely changed.

Sales Links: Pride Publishing | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 226 pages

Published: April 9, 2019 by Pride Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-78651-734-0

Edition Language: English

Series: The Retreat #2

It’s Kink and Romance Time! Check Out the Release Blitz for Trusting Him (The Retreat #2) by L M Somerton (excerpt)

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Trusting Him (The Retreat #2)

Author: L M Somerton

Publisher: Pride Publishing

Release Date: April 9, 2019

Genre/s: Contemporary M/M BDSM

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 59 495 words

It is a standalone story within The Retreat series.

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Blurb

Luke Redding’s military background is an asset when it comes to managing The Retreat, but it hasn’t helped him find the submissive he longs for. A secluded life in the New Forest, witnessing a stream of happy couples playing out their fantasies, doesn’t provide much opportunity to develop a relationship either. When a friend’s manipulations lead to him taking on silver-haired Skye as a trainee sub, Luke finds it hard to trust in his own ability to provide the guidance Skye needs.

Skye Ingham wants to explore his submissive nature but the noise and crowds at The Underground are overwhelming. He can’t believe his luck to be taken under Luke’s wing and offered a job at The Retreat. As Luke tests his boundaries, Skye trusts him implicitly, but how can he convince his new Dominant to have faith in himself?

Amid the bustle and excitement of a big house party at The Retreat, Luke and Skye edge their way towards a deeper understanding of each other’s needs and desires. But it will take a final leap of faith to secure their future and open a path to love.

 

Excerpt

It wasn’t dignified, but Luke twisted around in his seat to take a look at his potential employee as he wound his way between the tables. He hadn’t formed an impression of what Skye might look like, but the reality was better than anything Luke’s imagination could have conjured. Skye was slight, delicate, maybe five feet six or seven, no more. His skin was lightly tan, a coloring that Luke guessed came from his heritage rather than the sun. He had no tattoos that Luke could see and considering that all he wore was a short leather kilt, that didn’t leave much room to hide any. The wavy hair Luke had assumed was pale blond was in fact silver-gray, though the boy’s eyelashes and brows were a much darker shade, which made Luke wonder if the silver was natural.

Skye stopped in front of the table facing Luke and Carey. He clasped his hands behind his back and ducked his head. “Gordy said you wanted to see me, Mr. Hoffman.” Skye’s voice was so soft Luke had to concentrate to catch his words.

“I did, Skye. You remember I spoke to you about a job at The Retreat in Hampshire?”

Nodding, Skye darted a quick look at Luke. Luke caught a glimpse of violet-blue eyes before Skye focused his gaze on the carpet once more.

“Well, this is Mr. Redding. He’s in charge of The Retreat. I want you to wait on us over lunchtime and show him what you can do.”

“Hello, Skye,” Luke said, keeping his voice low and trying to project reassurance. “I hear you’ve had excellent training. We have a mixture of guests staying at The Retreat, but they all have something in common. They love their food. We have a dedicated chef and customers can pick their own menus and eat as much as they want. That means a lot of serving both at table and in the guests’ rooms. Do you think you can handle that?”

Skye scuffed his bare toes into the carpet. “Yes, Sir.”

“And you understand that The Retreat caters for men who are in the BDSM lifestyle, just like here at the club?” Skye nodded and a light pink flush bloomed on his cheekbones. “Sometimes, you might be required to wear very little or nothing at all. Does that worry you?”

“No, Sir.” Skye’s response was barely audible.

Luke wanted to make eye contact with the shy young man but Skye kept his gaze lowered.

“Remove your kilt, Skye,” Carey ordered.

Luke tightened his grip on his drink. He expected Skye to bolt but instead he undid the buckle at his hip, let the leather garment drop to the floor then stepped out of it.

“Hands behind your back,” Carey instructed.

Luke glanced around the restaurant. Almost every man in the place had turned to watch. Skye stood absolutely still, clad only in the mesh thong that was issued to all the serving staff at The Underground to wear under their kilts.

“Fetch two menus, please.”

Luke watched, entranced, as Skye walked away, hips swaying. He might as well have been naked for all the coverage his underwear gave him. He had natural grace and if it weren’t for the slight tension in his shoulders, Luke might have believed he was entirely comfortable following Carey’s orders.

“You’re testing him. Why?” Luke didn’t take his eyes away from Skye as he collected two menus and returned to the table.

“Because you need to be confident that he will do as you ask, when he’d prefer to run and hide.”

“He’s attracting a lot of attention.”

“Are you surprised?”

“Not at all. He’s stunning.”

Carey’s smile turned into a smirk. “Then you can handle him from now on.”

 

About the Author

LM lives in a small village in the English countryside, surrounded by rolling hills, cows and sheep. She started writing to fill time between jobs and is now firmly and unashamedly addicted.

She loves the English weather, especially the rain, and adores a thunderstorm. She loves good food, warm company and a crackling fire. She’s fascinated by the psychology of relationships, especially between men, and her stories contain some subtle (and some not so subtle) leanings towards BDSM.

LM is winner of the National Leather Association’s Pauline Reage Award for best novel and the 2016 and 2018 Golden Flogger Awards for best BDSM novel in the LGBT category. She has received multiple Honorable Mentions in the Rainbow Awards and won the Action and Adventure category of Divine Magazine’s Book Awards.

 

 

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