BLURB: Elaine MacLeod, the most feared and revered Mistress of Rowan House, is frustrated. Overworked, still hurt and angry over the departure of her long-term lover, she refuses to admit Rowan House needs another Mistress to accommodate their guests. Unconvinced anyone will be able to meet her high standards, Elaine grudgingly agrees to audition the sole applicant, Petra Grendhal.
Robin Broadacre would do anything for the woman who rescued her from certain death at the hands of her previous employers. When she volunteers to assist Petra with her audition, Elaine is forced to reckon with her desire for Robin. Drawn to Petraâs fiery strength and icy demeanor as well Robinâs devotion, Elaine finds herself torn between her passion for both women. When Petra disappears on a trip to Oslo, Elaine and Robinâs search leads them to menaces from Robinâs past and a fight for their lives.
REVIEW: This is the 5th book in the Rowan House series and it is excellent! This is a series and Iâve started on this book first. Even though it can be read as a standalone, I feel that they should be read in sequential order as it would be beneficial to give you a better feel of who everyone is when theyâre mentioned.
This book was extremely well written. The character development, storyline and flow of this book is top notch. This author has a true talent for writing that should definitely be touted; her ability to make her characters so that youâre able to easily  connect with them is just brilliant. The women in her stories are strong, confident, complex and always relatable. What I particularly loved about this story is how it explores dominance and submission; and how that power exchange manifests between women.
Even visual presentation of this book is stunning. The gorgeous cover models, the color pallets, font types, it all blends together to form the perfect vessel for the beautifully written story within.
Brenda Murphy did an exceptional job with this book and reading it has definitely motivated me to purchase the rest in the series.
Ian Banner is loving his hectic life. Heâs newly married, ready to start a family, and opening a new restaurant. All his dreams are coming true.
The last thing he needs is a problem with his restaurant.
But when one attack after another comes, he grows convinced he has another enemy.
Ian tries to handle things by himself, but his friends are soon drawn in when the attacks become violent. Thatâs when Ian realizes the target isnât Rialto. Itâs him.
Rialto is the final installment in the Unbreakable Bonds series and features sexy times, Daciana snuggles, overprotective family, fire, and of course, code names.Â
REVIEW: This book was bittersweet. This is the last time will read about these wonderful men in their adventurous, chaotic, dangerous and lovely lives. But this finale is the series on the sweetest of high notes
The dynamic duo of Jocelyn Drake and Rinda Elliott brought Lucas, Snow, Rowe and Ian together for one last adventure before they settle down to live out the rest of their days as happily married fathers. That is unless Rowe and Noah a.k.a. the Master of Mayhem find some trouble for them all to get into.
Ian is the sole focus of the final installment in the series. As with the rest of the books in the series featuring him, this centers his past life. Ianâs characterâto meâis the toughest. I say this because this man survived a horrific ordeal to become the man that he is today. But of course, even from the grave it seems that the man responsible for his horrific pass is still finding ways to intrude on the happiness and success that he has made for himself.
Ianâs story has always rip my heart apart. I love the story because in this book, Ian is able to confront, not one from, his past. Not only that, but heâs proved to Lucas, Snow and Rowe that heâs much tougher than theyâand even heâ realized.Â
He truly came to his own in this book and it may the rest of his family finally sit up and take notice that heâs not someone who needs to be wrapped in cotton, insulated from the evils of the world. He prove to them that he was able to handle himself and to protect them if needed and times of extreme danger and it was a glorious thing to finally witness.
The love these men have for each other practically leap off the pages of this book. It is beautifully written; the characters a vivid, bursting with energy that makes each word of each sentence of each paragraph a treat. The action, adventure and romance of these stories are extremely well written; they immediately grab your attention and hold it from the first page read to the very last.
Youâll experience a roller coaster of emotions with this book. Youâll go from having a lump in your throat from heartbreak to having you laughing out loud at their antics to feeling joy at their triumphs.
This book will linger indelibly on the brain long after you finished reading it.
BLURB: When Captain Pendleton needs an emergency fiancĂŠe, who better to turn to than his male best friend? After all, for Amadeo Orsini, lifeâs one long, happy drag!
Captain Ambrose âPenâ Pendleton might have distinguished himself on the battlefield at Waterloo but since heâs come home to civvy street, heâs struggled to make his mark.
Pen dreams of becoming a playwright but his ambitious father has other ideas, including a trophy wife and a new job in America. If heâs to stand a hope of staying in England and pursuing his dream, Pen needs to find a fiancĂŠe fast.
Amadeo Orsini never made it as a leading man, but as a leading lady heâs the toast of the continental stage. Now Cosima is about to face her most challenging role yet, that of Captain Pendletonâs secret amour.
With the help of a talking theatrical parrot who never forgets his lines, Orsini throws on his best frock, slaps on the rouge and sets out to save Pen from the clutches of Miss Harriet Tarbottom and her scheming parents.
As friendship turns into love, will the captain be able to write a happy ending for himself and Orsini before the curtain falls?
Reader advisory: This book includes mention of PTSD.
General Release Date: 3rd September 2019
REVIEW: This is the 3rdinstallment to this series and it followed the first two books in the series in that the characters are delightful and vividly written.
The twist is in this story includes a bit of drag which is always fantastic in virtually any occasion. As with the other books, these authors manage to bring their MCs to life. I adored Ambrose aka Pen and Amadeo are my favorite couple in the series so far.
The premise of the story isnât new by any means but the authors did a fantastic job of making it fresh and bold in that itâs set in a Regency timeframe. That to me makes it all the more delightful.
The authorsâ ability to transition seamlessly from one book to the next and their ability to maintain their characters is very well done. These stories are like tasty meals. All of these wonderful ingredients and spices combined to create this delicious dish.
Grab a cup of tea, a saucer of fancy scones and curl up with this wonderful read.
BLURB: Dawson âTriggerâ Kerr walked away from the JTF2 angry and feeling betrayed.
My brotherâs keeper, my ass.
Civilian life takes a new kind of strength, but he settles into building his business. He is content with his new lifeâa successful nightclub, amazing friends and a life away from war-zones.
Everything is coming up rosesâthat is until Claude Desjardins walks into his life.
Claude doesnât have a choice. In order to find his brother in Brazil, he needs the best. Word on the street, Dawson is the man for the job.
But Dawson isnât too keen on helping the Desjardins. Thereâs a story there and there isn’t time to tell it. As they race against time to find out what happened to the older Desjardins brother, Claude is falling – hard.
But Claude is going to learn, if heâs going to squeeze the trigger, heâd better shoot to kill.
REVIEW: Okay, this book was a very good start to what looks to be a promising series. This story gives us Dawson aka Trigger and Claude. If you like action and suspense mixed with your romance, then this is definitely the book for you. The writing style is clean, crisp and straight to the point. This is what I like. This author doesnât dally around with their stories; these men are straight forward with their attraction and feelings for each other which is a consistent thread with all of this authorâs work. I actually like that. I donât care for characters who dance around their attractions or feeling for each other. And the action wasnât over the top or extra. It was the perfect balance of both romance and action which made the book that much more of an enjoyable read.
The ending was perfect and actually lays the groundwork for a smooth transition to the next book in the series.
This author is consistent in offering quality work. Her editing, storyline and character development was excellent and her cover was beautiful.
Otto Jones, a cop assigned to the seemingly random murder of a vampire, would rather hide out in the nearest bar than waste his time on a dead vamp. He hates the bloodthirsty demons. But when the king of the vampires commands him to work with one of the lesser princes and find the killer, he has no choice.
Prince Jessamine Senera is ready to sacrifice his happiness in a loveless marriage for his familyâs benefit⌠but not yet. He dreams of adventure, excitement, and true love. He lives on romance novels and detective stories and wishes he could drink synthetic blood like every other vampire. But he canât. He needs human blood to survive and is hated by vampires and humans alike.
As Otto and Jessa draw closer to an entity that doesnât want to be discovered, Otto finds the heart he thought long dead opening to the romance-loving Jessa. No good can possibly come from falling in love with a vampire, but when a shadowy assailant attacks Jessa, Otto will descend into the darkest pit of the earth to rescue him.
REVIEW: This is a new to me author and was absolutely blown away by this story. This book was very well written. The storyline, dialogue and characters were wonderfully fleshed out.
Ottoâs character is a flawed hero. Heâs has his demons and has not moved past the grief over losing his sister. Itâs this grief, anger and distain towards vampires drives virtually every decisionâgood and badâthat he makes.
Jessaâs character is a complete opposite of what you would think a vampireâs personality would be. Heâs gentle, kind and soft spoken. He was more human by way of personality and temperament.
These characters are so well written, you end up caring for them. The storyline moved among smoothly, the plot was well thought out and the dialogue is superb. This book held my attention from the first page to the last and Iâm really looking forward to seeing more from this author and this series.
BLURB: The rings have been selected. The champagne placed on ice. The cake decorated.
And the pre-wedding sex is off the charts…
Lucas Vallois and Andrei Hadeon are finally ready to walk down the aisle. Thereâs just one small problem.
A ghost from Lucasâs past shows up days before the wedding, desperate for help. Against his better judgement, Lucas and his best friend, Ashton Frost, plan a fast trip back to the one place they swore theyâd never go: their hometown in Oklahoma. But the danger is worse than they expected.
Now, theyâre in a race to track down a killer, keep a young girl safe, and get Lucas back in time to say, âI do.â
REVIEW: WOW! What else can I say? When I heard that book 5 was about Lucas and Andrei’s wedding I couldn’t wait to read it. I knew that meant all the guys would be together again and wherever they were, trouble would not be far behind. Well that was an understatement. Lol! I enjoyed this book so much I didn’t want it to end. It easily earned a 5star rating from me. Lucas and Andrei’s love for each other is just as fierce and hot as it was when they first met and we see that from the beginning of this book, (lol) all the way to the end. We get my control freak Lucas with the arrogance of a billionaire, Ashton Snow Frost and his wicked sense of humor, sweet Ian (who’s high on wedding fumes). I died laughing at that comment, and Rowe with his devil may care attitude “the embodiment of chaos”. I want a Rowe in my life!
We get to know more about Lucas and Snow’s past. The unbearable childhood they each had to endure that later forged their friendship and brotherhood. We meet some of Lucas’ family members like Nicole and Taylor along with his despicable parents. My heart broke for the anguish so much intolerance had caused. We also meet some new members of Ward security Seth and Cole. We were briefly introduced to a friend of Taylor’s, by the name of Bran with pink hair. I can’t wait to get his story as I’m sure there is one.
Finally, you will love this page turner. It will have you crying at times and laughing out loud at others. The action ad suspense will have you on the edge of your seat and the sex will make you blush.
Pride & Justice or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Crack
If I had to put a relationship status on my feelings about this work, it would be, âItâs complicated.â
Thatâs not true. I love it. Whatâs complicated is trying to get the right eyes on it, a needle that I either expertly threaded in fandom, or it wasnât something that needed to be explained. The story is silly, deeply so, but it probably makes a lot more sense if you know things about me like that one of my first favorite books as a child was Another Roadside Attraction by Tom Robbins. Add in some Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams and you start to get a rough picture of where Iâm coming from.
Like, silly, but also make it sexy. And throw in some jadedness about capitalism, a slightly Eoin Colfer sensibility about puns and popular mythology, and some zombies, well…it is what it is. Is it an enemies-to-lovers romance? Sure. Thereâs a lot going on, but Iâm not sure if itâll really push your buttons unless you have a very deep commitment to the absurd.
The idea was that this would be a series; in fact Iâd started a sequel when Loose Id originally released this story. Everything Iâd thought was pretty fun about it, as it turned out, was not fun at all. I shelved it. Honestly, Iâm still not sure what people thought it was going to be when the first chapter was called, âPanic at the Dildo Factory.â
But I guess this all comes down to why. Why would I do this to you or to me? Well, because I love crack fic. I love silly. I love dad jokes, ones that will make you roll your eyes and ones that kind of boomerang and get you later. Writing this made me feel like a wicked, crazy genius, cackling the whole way.
People who like it really like it. Those who donât⌠Iâm so sorry. I didnât mean to hurt you. Sometimes I bottle things up to the point where it all comes out in a burst of mania, and this was one of those times.
About the book:
A percentage of the earth’s population has transformed into surprisingly functional zombies who returned to work the next morning as if they weren’t undead monstrosities. Justice Kinkead, officer in an elite zombie fighting force, gets called out when good zombies go bad, putting down the brain cravers and safeguarding the new economy. After several of his partners succumb to unfortunate deaths, Justice figures he’ll go it alone…until he’s assigned a mysterious and sexy new partner, Merlin Pride, who seems to know more about the zombies’ origins than he’s letting on.
Merlin also seems to sense that Justice needs a good fucking, but it’s complicated: Justice still lives with his undead ex-boyfriend. Can Justice make peace with his past? And if he does, should he take a chance on a man who may have something to do with destroying civilization as they knew it?
Crack, parody, camp counselor levels of camp, dad jokes, and enemies to lovers
55k words
BLURB: Men found him attractive, interesting even. He was like a fascinating experiment gone wrong that men liked to investigate. Heâd get a date – or two, if he was lucky – but it wasnât long before Brianâs darkness showed, and the men were running from him.
Brian King was honorably discharged from the United States Navy five years ago. Heâd left with the highest honors a man can receive in his country, but heâd paid the ultimate price to earn them. He was considered one of the best; an Intelligence Officer in a Joint Special Operations Delta team thatâd been a twelve-man wrecking crew. Theyâd thought they were invincible⌠until they werenât. Brian was the only member that survived the ambush. He survived ten months of pain, of torture, only to emerge on the other side a warrior. A POW survivor. Heâd returned home with all his limbs, his right mind, and with his only brother Ford, at his side. But, one thing had been lost, maybe for good⌠his voice.
Now, being a bounty hunter is Brianâs only means to satisfy his need to calculate, track, and capture. His only outlet to the stress caused by his silence. He was good at what he did. But, all work and no play for a forty-four year old man was taking its toll. Brian wasnât a faulty experiment. He missed companionship, he missed communicating. So, when he met Sway Hamilton â in the most unconventional means â heâd been surprised at his special way of understanding Brianâs every look⌠and touch.
Sway grew up in the rough part of ATL, trailing behind his twin brother Stanton and his best friend, Dana. He and his brother had a bond only twins could understand. So when Stantonâs life was taken during their sophomore year in college, Sway didnât think heâd ever recover. He finally finished school, got his masters in nursing, worked hard, and focused on taking care of his mother. However, Sway knew there was more to life than heartache, and caring for others. There had to be. But he didnât know what any of those things were until he met a dark hunter that blew his mind⌠and the intense man had never uttered a single word.
Brian and Sway can feel the powerful connection between them. It was there from the startâbut both of them have battled with loss and anguish for so long, neither understand that love can ease all of it. Do they have the courage to battle through it together? Sway has to learn to trust in love, and Brian has to believe that Sway will always understand him even if he never speaks again.
Sway held him tight around his neck, âI donât need you to talk, Brian. I can hear you just fine,â Sway whispered softly, kissing his throat.
This novel is a part of a series but can be read as a standalone. No cliffhangers.
Trigger Warning: This story contains acts of bond recovery agent violence. Mention of war zones and descriptions of war prisoners. This story DOES NOT contain overly-described acts of torture.
REVIEW: As usual, this author has truly outdone herself. Just when I think her books couldnât get any more exciting, any more perfect, she surpasses everything and brings another amazing creation. So, this is the fourth book in this wonderful series and gives us Brian and Swayâs story. Brian is a big, sweet, tough teddy bear of a man. A gentle giant to Sway, his friends and family but to everyone else, a tough ex-Navy SEAL and highly skilled bounty hunter who can kick some serious ass. He was captured and tortured by terrorists which rendered Brian unable to speak. Brianâs PTSD is heartbreaking to read and the author was able to capture the daily struggles service-members face when they return home. She did it with respect and sensitivity. She didnât embellish, romanticize or glorify it. Also, I liked how she didnât give super descriptive details of the torture Brian endured while captured.
Sway is a hard working and dedicated nurse practitioner. He works hard to provide a good life for him and his mother. Sway is a good man, he takes care of everyone but himself.
These two men absolutely belong together. The author did an exceptional job of writing their emotional responses to each other. You felt that simmering, intense…thing between them; it leapt out at your from the pages. You not only read them falling for each other, you also feel their emotions; the sadness, the loneliness, the joy, the pain. Every emotion in this book was intense and it was written just so. To write a characterâs emotions to the point where itâs felt by the reader, I feel is not something thatâs easily accomplished yet this author does it all the time, in all of her creations. Thatâs how you know that you have an author who masters their craft. Itâs not an easy feat to accomplish yet she does it with ease. It was absolutely amazing.
I also love how her characters are more mature in age. These are gentlemen of a particular age and as a reader of the same age, I can really dig it. She shows that these men are still strong, sexy, and virile. Theyâre fabulous in their 40s and I am here for all of it!
This book, like all of her work is simply amazing. This author is truly a master of her craft. Her writing style, the way she uses her words is like an elegant work of art. Sheâs an artist who comes up with these beautiful creations which are her books.
BLURB: When private investigator, Shane Stephens, is hired by the mayor of Cincinnati to track down the hacker who has been threatening him, Shane is sure this is the opportunity to launch the Merleau Detection Agency into the big time. He even convinces Rowe Ward of Ward Security to loan him one of his best IT specialists, Quinn Lake.
Shane, a man who prefers casual intimacy, is surprised by his attraction to the moody computer geek, but when Quinn suggests they have fun for the month heâs on loan, Shane happily agrees. Both men are expecting nothing more than a good time.
But the investigation takes an unexpected turn and they quickly discover they are facing more than a hacker out to ruin the mayorâs re-election chances. And as they spend more time together, they realize their relationship may be a lot more than just a good time.
With only weeks until the election, Shane and Quinn race to gather the proof they need while dodging bullets and possiblyâŚfalling in love.
REVIEW: This is the second book in the fantastic spinoff from the Unbreakable Bonds series. A friend of my turned me on to these authors and I am so very glad that she did. These two authors are a dynamic duo; their characters, settings, storyline and plots are absolutely fabulous.
I became obsessed with their books starting with the Unbreakable Bonds series, the series that started it all. I was literally addicted with the first page of Shiver to the first page in this current book.
As with the rest of their series, their writing style is perfectly matched. There have been times when Iâve read books written by two authors and it didnât seem like a cohesive story. This is not the case with these authors. Their writing style and transition from one book to the other is seamless, almost as if itâs written by one person instead of two. The editing is spot on perfect, no plot holes, gaps in storyline, nothing. Itâs wonderful.
Quinn and Shane are great together. The chemistry these two men have leaps off the page. The recipe of mystery action and suspense, infused with just a touch of humor grabs and keeps your attention. You lose yourself into this world and the lives of these characters from the very first word to the very last. I absolutely adore these authorsâ work and I highly recommend this series. I am anxiously awaiting the next book.
When private investigator, Shane Stephens, is hired by the mayor of Cincinnati to track down the hacker who has been threatening him, Shane is sure this is the opportunity to launch the Merleau Detection Agency into the big time. He even convinces Rowe Ward of Ward Security to loan him one of his best IT specialists, Quinn Lake.
Shane, a man who prefers casual intimacy, is surprised by his attraction to the moody computer geek, but when Quinn suggests they have fun for the month heâs on loan, Shane happily agrees. Both men are expecting nothing more than a good time.
But the investigation takes an unexpected turn and they quickly discover they are facing more than a hacker out to ruin the mayorâs re-election chances. And as they spend more time together, they realize their relationship may be a lot more than just a good time.
With only weeks until the election, Shane and Quinn race to gather the proof they need while dodging bullets and possiblyâŚfalling in love.
Excerpt
After one quick knock on Roweâs door, he stepped inside without waiting for him to call since he was already expected. But he stopped short when he saw the tall man standing next to Roweâs desk, his hands on his slender hips as he grinned down at Rowe. Quinn couldnât stop his eyes from quickly sweeping over his broad shoulders and chest that tapered into a narrow waist. His eyes snapped back up to find a pair of brown eyes that twinkled as they finished checking him out as well.
âSorry,â Quinn mumbled, instantly taking a step backward. âI can come back.â Rowe rarely saw clients. He had customer representatives that handled talking to the clients. Of course, with Roweâs lack of a filter, it was better if he didnât talk to the new clients directly.
âNo, come in, Quinn,â Rowe said sharply. He stood behind his desk, drawing Quinnâs gaze to his shorter but broader frame. His dark red hair stood up slightly as if heâd been running his fingers through it. Quinn never took that as a particularly good sign.
With a quick jerk of his head, Quinn stepped in and shut the door behind him. The other man was smiling at him, that assessing look still in his eyes, and Quinn didnât want to think about the fact that he was dying to take another longer look at him, but not with the freaking boss in the room.
âQuinn Lake, this is Shane Stephens. Heâs a private investigator with The Merleau Detection Agency,â Rowe introduced.
Shane extended his hand to Quinn and Quinn clenched his teeth, trying to hide his discomfort at taking Shaneâs hand. His own palms were sweaty, making the momentary contact awkward. Why the fuck was he always so damn awkward around hot guys?
âRowe tells me youâre the best,â Shane said, releasing his hand.
Quinn couldnât help the skeptical look he shot at Rowe, who only shrugged as he sat down again. âWell, I said you <em>and</em> Gidget are the best.â
âIs this about a job?â
âSit, Quinn.â Rowe absently waved toward the two chairs in front of his desk. He shuffled some papers around without seeming to actually look at them, placing them in piles at the edge of his desk.
Shooting one last uncertain look at Shane, Quinn moved to the farthest chair and sat, his tablet clenched in both hands. His mind raced as he tried to figure out why heâd been called into this meeting. Clients didnât meet with Rowe, and Quinn didnât meet with clients unless theyâd already been assigned a bodyguard. And while theyâd worked with some private investigators in the past, Rowe wasnât usually involved. He had a company to run.
âShane recently acquired a client who is the victim of a hacker,â Rowe started.
Quinn looked up at Shane, who was still standing beside Roweâs desk, his mind finally turning away from too many questions to a problem he could understand. âIdentity theft? Bank accounts drained?â
âNo, not yet.â Shane shook his head, some of his dark curly hair falling forward against his temple. âAt least, not that weâve uncovered.â
âThen how do you know this client was hacked?â
âThere are other signsâŚbut I canât go into it.â
Quinn frowned for a second. That certainly wasnât going to make his job easier. âWell, do you just need improved protection? Alerts on accounts? Weâve got a comprehensive list of things we can do to help shore up the clientâs account protection and privacy.â
âShane isnât looking for protection from the hacker for the client.â Rowe paused until Quinn looked back at him. âHis client has hired him to track down the identity of the hacker.â
âWhoaâŚâ Quinn said on an exhale, sitting back in his chair. ThatâŚthat was not an easy task. Most hackers were pretty damn good at not being found. You had to be if you wanted to survive as one. If you sucked, you were usually snagged by the FBI pretty damn fast. Quinn would know. Heâd started hacking at a young ageânot stealing other peopleâs money but just breaking through security systems because he could. It took the feds a solid five years to catch him. But his boss knew all this. Rowe knew everything about the people working for him.
âWeâre not equipped to handle this level ofâŚâ Shane frowned at Roweâs computer as if he blamed it for his problems. âWell, weâre not staffed yet to handle computer things like this. I can do some of the forensic research in accounting matters, but I need a computer genius like you.â
âThatâs why I agreed to loan you to Shane and his business partner, Ethan, for one month,â Rowe announced.
Quinn was out of his seat in a shot, hovering over the edge of the desk as he looked down at his boss. Pain shot through his chest, and he was suddenly having trouble catching his breath. Panic clouded all of his thoughts. He loved working for Ward Security. Heâd been there for just less than two years, and heâd never found another place where heâd felt like he fit so damn perfectly. This was home. These people he worked with, they were his friends. He didnât have to hide or pretend or feel uncomfortable.
And RoweâŚRowe had always been amazing. Sure, he could be cranky and a little crazy. He was always loud and tended to speak before thinking. But Quinn always knew exactly where he stood with Rowe. He always felt like Rowe had his back.
But thisâŚ
âAre you getting rid of me?â
âWhat?â Rowe snapped. âWhere the fuck did you get that idea?â
âYouâre hiring another IT person. I saw the listing. And this? Putting me âon loanâ?â
Rowe groaned and scrubbed a hand over his face. With a heavy sigh, he pointed back at the chair Quinn had just vacated. âSit.â Grudgingly, Quinn followed direction while Rowe looked over at Shane. âCan you give us a minute?â
Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott have teamed up to combine their evil genius to create intense gay romantic suspense stories that have car chases, shoot outs, explosions, scorching hot love scenes, and tender, tear-jerking moments. Their first joint books are in the Unbreakable Bonds series.
