Tag: second chance at love

A Stella Review: Greater Love Hath No Man by Tinnean

Rating:  4 stars out of 5   ★★★★

Greater Love Hath No Man coverJames Trevalyan came from a long line of men who served the British Crown with their gift of a voice with compelling power, and kept that tradition going while he loved and lived with Jeremy Waters. When Jeremy died in his arms, James resolved to live without love. His family keeps him connected to life — Jamie, his son from his brief marriage to an American, and Pamela, his beloved little sister, caught in a loveless marriage to a cold, cruel man.

Then Tanner comes into his life, a clever and handsome agent who joins him in an ongoing undercover mission. How long will it take James to realize he and Tanner are meant for each other? And can Tanner survive the assignment that’s thrown him in with mobsters who want him dead simply because he knows too much?

Tinnean is one of my favorite authors even though I had read only one book written by her when I first began my obsession with m/m books, called The Light In Your Eyes. Theo aka Sweetcheeks is been in my heart all these years. She created a story and characters simply unforgettable.

In Greater Love Hath No Man I was really glad to find her beautiful writing style again. I enjoyed this book greatly. It was well written but it was no surprise and the characters were all were likeable and well defined, each of them with some background to let us know them better.

It wasn’t what I was expecting. I was ready for something like a “second chance at love” story, because reading the blurb it was clear James was going to lose his lover Jeremy and then meet Tanner during one of his works. I was thinking the most part of the book was going to focus on this second relationship but it wasn’t like that at all. In a way it was better, because Tinnean gave me a story that I define “complete”: I read the love story between James and Jeremy (and it wasn’t a snippet, but a long one) and I began to love both of them. Then she took Jeremy away and left (me and) James with a broken heart to mend. I followed James in his darker years when he was trying to glue the pieces of his life together again. I saw him struggling with his family and needing to be a beautiful father for his smart and sweet son. I saw him work 24/7. It was painful to see him alone in his pain but I was able to really know him. Then I met Tanner and read about the friendship he started with James.  And  finally James had his deserved HEA. It’s a story that takes place over a long period of time.

Although it is sad in some parts, everything is faced as a matter of fact, with no much fussing or drama, evolving the book to a light read. That’s one more reason why I love Tinnean’s work. These kind of books can make me emotional and happy and teary and satisfied all together.

There is  only thing that bothered me and it’s about the love story between Tanner and James. Even if their friendship was well developed, the switch to lovers wasn’t elaborated cause we get really few pages about them together, reducing their story to almost a secondary one and rushed through the ending. I’d have simply preferred a little more.

I was happy to read Greater Love Hath No Man, to me it was a huge reconfirmation of Tinnean’s talent after so many years from my first love with her works.

Cover art by Written Ink Designs. I couldn’t not love this cover cause they put the beautiful Fountain of Trevi on it, so it was a winner at first sight.

Sales Links:  JMS Books | All Romance (ARe) | Smashword| Amazon | Buy It Here

BOOK DETAILS

Kindle Edition, 281 pages
Published July 12th 2015 by JMS Books, LLC
ASIN B00Z97YASM
Edition Language English

Review: City Knight (City Knight #1) by T.A. Webb

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

City Knight 1 coverWhen Marcus lost his lover Jeremy he lost everything.  Two punks shot and killed his doctor lover over just a few dollars and Marcus and his partner were the ones to find him.  Jeremy’s death demolished Marcus, and he needed to do something to help protect the innocent, things he couldn’t do while on the force. So Marcus quit his fifteen year job as a detective on the police force and became a private detective.  He quit sleeping and he gave up on love.  Then Marcus spots  Ben, a young man prostituting himself on the bad streets of Atlanta and things begin to change.

Ben has been damaged badly by his past but is still struggling for a better life for himself.  To pay for grad school and living expenses, Ben is whoring himself out on the streets of Atlanta.  Only another year or so and then he will be done.  A past traumatic event has convinced Ben that sex is only tolerable when it is fast and anonymous. And paid for.

Against their wishes, the men find themselves falling into a relationship.  But Ben’s past arrives and shatters everything, the budding romance and Ben’s fragile existence.

City Knight is a monster of a book crammed into a mere 50 pages.  T.A. Webb skillfully frames out Marcus’ and Ben’s past traumas, then with descriptive slashes of anguish and threat, delivers the start of a pain-filled journey to love and redemption for both men and the readers.

The first in a series, City Knight switches point of view from Ben to Marcus so the reader can see what events has brought each damaged man to their present day situation.  This format works here beautifully to impress upon the reader just how damaged and conflicted these men are as neither has moved past the events that succeeded in demolishing their lives. Webb’s characters clash and then start to come together, reawakening their desires for intimacy and sex.  It’s painful, and realistic.  It’s also grubby ,desperate but also starts to show slivers of hope for each of them.

At that point, the reader is quite naturally uneasy as we have come to expect the worst for each man, and Webb delivers that too in a heart crunching cliffhanger that will haunt you and leave you wanting more immediately.  I used to mark down stories that ended in this way but have come to accept this ending as long as it is a part of a series or serialized stories like this one.

In this case, Webb has set the stage for the next story in the series, while leaving the reader ramped up in anxiety and anticipation for the events to follow.    I can’t wait (and didn’t have to).   My review for the next in the series follows shortly.   Read these tales one at a time or cobble them up in one reading, it works both ways.  I loved City Knights and think you will too.

Stories in the City Knight series in the order they were written and should be read to understand the characters and events to follow:

City Knight (City Knight #1)
Knightmare (City Knight #2)
Starry Knight (City Knight #3)
Knights Out (City Knight #4)

Book Details:

ebook, 50 pages
Published February 15th 2013 by A Bear on Books (first published February 13th 2013)
ISBN13 9781937252380
edition language English
series City Knight

Review of The Man Trap by Lee Brazil

Rating 4.25 stars

Simon Harris has been watching the same guy come into his bookstore each week, buy a book and leave.  Not an unusual occurance in a bookstore but Simon recognizes him.  It’s Alexis Manetas, a former high school classmate Simon had been attracted to before graduation. Simon has always loudly proclaimed his bisexuality but never actually dated a man, just woman.  Now Alexis reappears and all those old feelings come back as well.

Alexis Manetas had a huge crush on Simon in high school, something Simon never really acknowledged.  After graduating from high school, both men moved on but Alexis never forgot his first love.  When his personal circumstances changed, Alexis searched for Simon, hoping to reconnect and finally start a relationship he had always hoped for.  With a little manipulation from Simon’s sister in law, Jeannie, the men are brought together.  As they become reacquainted, Alexis and Simon find their past attraction flaring into passion and their feelings for each other deepen.  But Simon has never had a relationship last past 6 months and Alexis has a  huge surprise in store for Simon in the shape of a small boy, Alexis’ son, Gregory.

Lee Brazil’s The Man Trap is a lovely warm hearted tale of love given a second chance with some very interesting nontypical twists. Brazil’s characters have that patina of realism that I appreciate in a story that we have seen told before.  Simon Harris is one of the more interesting characters here.  He is in his thirties and while he has been adamant about identifying as bisexual, he really hasn’t demonstrated that in real life, serial dating one woman after another.  None of his relationships has lasted longer than 6 months and he readily admits to being self centered and somewhat set in his ways.  This is not your warm and cuddly character pining over a lost love.  I appreciate Simon’s curmudgeonly ways.  It made his struggle towards a real relationship with Alexis seem even more authentic.  Alexis Manetas is a strongly appealing character too.  Brave enough to take a chance on reconnecting with Simon while never losing sight of his priorities.  I really  liked Alexis and found him every bit as charming as Simon.

The other way Brazil has strayed from the typical child inclusive plotline is that Simon doesn’t really care for children.  He doesn’t know how to behave around them,doesn’t relate to them and  never really wanted any of his own.  Getting involved with a man who has a child is not on his agenda, even if that man is Alexis.  This really strays from most of the books I have read lately where all the men involved want children and jump at the chance to have one in their lives.  It’s nice to have an author show the flip side of the coin so to speak.  I will let you read the story for yourself to see if Alexis and Gregory can sway Simon to their side but kudos for a nontypical character.

You also have a story involving two bisexual characters.  Some may see Simon as more of a “gay for you” persona as he has not really acted on his attractions to men but this is also not a strictly gay male romance but two men strongly attracted to, maybe even in love with each other since high school.  Whatever your take on this,bisexual or gay for you, Brazil makes it clear that each man has held the other close in their memories.  They are hot for each other and always have been.

Lee Brazil’s descriptions, whether they are of a balloon ride over the countryside (which I can attest the author got exactly right), to the wonderful romantic whisperings of love, “I’ve saved up a thousand kisses, thousands of experiences, I only want to share with you, Alexi” , will sweep you into the story and the lives of Simon and Alexis.  There is really no depths of angst or high drama, so if you are expecting any, you will be let down. But if you want a sweet tale of two men given a second chance at love, then this is the story for you.

Cover: I love the cover.  Cover artist is Victoria Miller.  The picture of the hot air balloon is especially nice.