Day: January 19, 2015

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The Elevator Mechanic (Workplace Encounters #1) by Serena Yates

Dreamspinner Presents  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5966

elevator mechanicBlurb

Quiet elevator installer Joe Taylor craves more stability in his career, but not in his personal life. Casual sex suits him, and when he meets fitness center owner Bill Evans at a mall where they are both working, they agree on no-strings-attached weekend hookups. Both men have fought hard to escape their pasts and are afraid to commit, so the agreement works well for them—at first. But when the sex gets hotter by the weekend and a deeper connection forms, Joe and Bill wonder if a relationship is feasible, especially since Joe’s work makes it impossible for him to settle down. Joe must consider his changing priorities and decide if he can take a risk on something beyond the physical.

Review

Joe has a low self-esteem and not much experience being a gay man. He’s had some bar encounters but no real relationships. He works construction installing elevators and escalators for a diabolical boss who only wants to cut corners.

Bill is a personal trainer who is opening up a new gym (in the mall Joe is currently working on) and also has a low self-esteem. Bill doesn’t want a relationship because he’s too busy trying to prove himself with his new gym.

Bill meets Joe at a club and the two hit it off right away and agree to a no-strings affair for the duration of Joe’s time spent building the mall. But… Joe gets injured and Bill rides to the rescue to help him recover and to get what’s coming to him in terms of compensation from his evil boss (who fires Joe for being injured).

**

I didn’t love this story. First, though it’s a pretty solid HFN, it isn’t a solid HEA and I like those better.

Second, the writing isn’t great. It’s a bit sophomoric and not very polished. (Though the editing is good and there aren’t a lot of glaring grammar mistakes or typos.)

Third, I didn’t quite understand the general motivation of either MC. Sometimes they did things that didn’t make sense (like Joe not fighting for his rights when his boss fires him in a ridiculously obvious illegal move or when both men agree to move in with one another after only knowing each other for a very short time).

Fourth, I didn’t find the sex particularly hot or exciting.

So… I was glad these two sad and lonely guys found each other (that made me very happy) and it looks like they’ll probably work out in the long run (I would have liked to see more evidence of this – maybe the “L” word here and there), but I didn’t find this story to be that enthralling or wonderful.

Overall I give it 3 of 5 hearts for having some sweet moments and nice editing.

3

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Home the hard Way by Z.A. Maxfield

homehardwayDare Buckley has come home—or at least, he’s come back to Palladian, the small town he left as a teenager. After a major lapse in judgment forced him to resign from the Seattle PD, Palladian is the only place that’ll hire him. There’s one benefit to hitting rock bottom, though: the chance to investigate the mystery of his father’s suicide.

Dare also gets to reacquaint himself with Finn Fowler, whose childhood hero worship ended in uncomfortable silence when Dare moved away. But Finn isn’t the same little kid Dare once protected. He’s grown into an attractive, enigmatic stranger who neither wants nor needs what Dare has to offer.

In fact, Dare soon realizes that Finn’s keeping secrets—his own and the town’s. And he doesn’t seem to care that Dare needs answers. The atmosphere in Palladian, like its namesake river, appears placid, but dark currents churn underneath. When danger closes in, Dare must pit his ingenuity against his heart, and find his way home the hard way.

Kimi’s review:

This was one of those books whose pieces simply fell together into one cohesive whole, making a picture you didn’t expect but are utterly in love with. Dare moved away from Palladium as a teen following his father’s suicide. Once grown up, became a police officer with the Seattle P.D. After falling from grace, he returns to Palladium to lick his wounds and start over, working for the sheriff’s department. It’s not an easy thing, as there are those who think he’s gotten the job they believed they should have been promoted to, people feeling awkward over the cloud the family left town over, and other small town issues. Dare doesn’t care as much about that as one might expect because he’s determined to ferret out the truth of his father’s suicide while he’s there.

He runs into walls that surprise him, not the least one being whatever Finn seems to be keeping from him. Finn isn’t the same kid who had a case of hero worship back in the day, but someone is still most definitely bullying him. It’s not all empty threats either, as mysterious events unfold tat could have lethal consequences. Mix in the sexual tension between Dare and Finn, add in a bit of fairly light BDSM play, and you have a cop who’s heart is smitten and hopes like hell that he can figure out just what is really going on with Finn and the town of Palladium. When the truth leads back to a long ago night and Finn’s own deceased mother, who’d been known as the town whore, secrets are revealed that rock the town and Dare to their core. I know I certainly was taken by surprised as hadn’t seen that coming. Recommended.

Buy from ARe  Amazon Riptide 

Rating: 4.5

kimisig

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KC Wells A Bond of Three Tour

 

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Excerpt:
“We are alone,” Sorran said after a few minutes. “Tell me of the cashor. You have intrigued me.”
Tanish thought for a moment how best to begin. “It is worn by the Seruani.” Sorran’s furrowed brow told him what he needed to know. He sighed. “The Seruani are those men and women who provide a special service. They instruct us in the pleasures of the flesh. A husband whose wife no longer wishes to share her bed with him, those who have lost their partners, youths who seek their first experience to be with someone knowledgeable—all these people can pay for their services.”
Sorran’s forehead smoothed out. “Ah, I understand. We have such people in Vencor.” That frown was back suddenly. “But I am still confused. Why would someone not pay us heed if we wear the cashor?”
Tanish stared at him. “Because Seruani are considered the lowest of the low. When a youth is taken to be trained as a Seruan, he or she loses all contact with his or her family. If a Seruan was to be seen in the street by a family member, they would not be acknowledged. In truth, they would be shunned.”
Sorran pulled at Forena’s reins, bringing the stallion to a dead stop.
Tanish halted Nerita and twisted in his saddle to regard Sorran. “What is the matter?”
Sorran shook his head, his expression pained. “In Vancor, such people are revered. They are viewed as mystical.”
Tanish was astonished. “But why?” He could not believe such a difference in attitude could exist.
Sorran tilted his head. “My teachers tell me that when two people make love, their joy can be such that they almost touch the heavens. Surely one who can help you reach such levels is a person to be cherished, valued, revered.”
His description brought tears to Tanish’s eyes. To think that but for an accident of geography, Feyar could have been born into a land where his gifts would have had worth, where he would have been treasured. Tanish bowed his head, eyes closed, overwhelmed with emotion.
A soft hand came to rest on his arm. “What ails you, Tanish?” Sorran’s voice was low and lilting, his concern audible.
Tanish opened his eyes and gave Sorran a feeble smile. “For many years I have wept at the thought of those chosen to be Seruani, shunned by their families and society. I have wished for change.”
Sorran smiled, his dark eyes flashing. “But you are to be king one day, just as I will be. A king wields so much power.” He leaned closer, his gaze fixed on Tanish. “If a king does not like a law, he has the power to change it.”
Tanish shook his head. “To do so would be to insult those who drew up the laws in the first place.”
Sorran quirked his eyebrows. “Who created those laws? And when?”
“I do not know. It has always been so.” Tanish had reflected upon that many times.
Sorran frowned. “That does not mean it must remain so. And laws can be changed a little at a time. Take small steps, but always be sure of your goal.” He patted Tanish’s arm. “Win the people’s hearts first, and then lead them where you will go. If you act justly, your motives clear, they will follow you.”
Sorran’s earnest expression seemed older than his years. Tanish gazed at the prince in wonder. Sorran’s words resonated deep within him, sparking a flame of hope—and something else. For the first time in a long while, Tanish felt at peace with his destiny.

Pages or Words: 264 pages

Buy:

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KIMI-CHAN:
49 – Favorite of your books? Oh my. Nope.

50 – Favorite of your characters? Uh uh. Can’t answer that either.

51 – Harry Potter or Twilight? Twilight

Author Bio:
Born and raised in the north-west of England, K.C.Wells always loved writing. Words were important. Full stop. However, when childhood gave way to adulthood, the writing ceased, as life got in the way.
K.C. discovered erotic fiction in 2009, where the purchase of a ménage storyline led to the startling discovery that reading about men in love was damn hot. In 2012, arriving at a really low point in life led to the desperate need to do something creative. An even bigger discovery waited in the wings – writing about men in love was even hotter…
K.C. now writes full-time and is loving every minute of her new career.
The laptop still has no idea of what hit it… it only knows that it wants a rest, please. And it now has to get used to the idea that where K.C goes, it goes.
Where to find K.C. Wells:
K.C. can be reached via email ([email protected]), on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/KCWellsWorld), on Twitter (@IslandTalesPres or through comments at the K.C.Wells website (http://www.kcwellsworld.com ) K.C. loves to hear from readers.