Day: February 17, 2015

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Faith & Fidelity Audiobook (Faith, Love and Devotion book 1) by Tere Michaels Narrated by JP Handler

Dreamspinner presents:
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5660

faith & fidelityBlurb

Reeling from the recent death of his wife, police officer Evan Cerelli looks at his four children and can only see how he fails them. His loving wife was the caretaker and nurturer, and now the single father feels himself being crushed by the pain of loss and the heavy responsibility of raising his kids.
At the urging of his partner, Evan celebrates a coworker’s retirement and meets disgraced former cop turned security consultant Matt Haight. A friendship born out of loneliness and the solace of the bottle turns out to be exactly what they both need.
The past year has been a slow death for Matt Haight. Ostracized from his beloved police force, facing middle age and perpetual loneliness, Matt sees only a black hole where his future should be. When he discovers another lost soul in Evan, some of the pieces he thought he lost start to fall back in place. Their friendship turns into something deeper, but love is the last thing either man expected, and both of them struggle to reconcile their new and overwhelming feelings for one another.

Review

The blurb sets this up nicely. Evan and Matt are two lonely cop/ex cops who become friends. Then, very slowly, they become more. Neither has ever been with or thought about being with another man, so their feelings hit them from out of the blue.

They have their own doubts and insecurities and then they face the challenge of telling others about their partnership and that threatens what little peace they’ve managed to find.

Suddenly Evan is shot and Matt is in charge of the family. He’s doing great, but Evan’s inlaws want to take over. When Evan finally heals, he runs, scared, away from Matt and their relationship, back to familiar territory.

Both are miserable. It takes Miranda getting into trouble to show them what they were missing.

By the end, they’ve decided to officially “try” this relationship on for size… but there’s still a lot to overcome.

**

Tere Michaels is an amazing writer and her character development is so thorough and so well done.  All the players, the MCs and the secondary characters are all very three-dimensional and real people.  The romance is spectacular and moving and the real life issues are authentic and believable.

This was one of the first m/m books/series I’d read and it set a very high standard. Double GFY. Family drama. Slow, slow burn. Intense emotions. Two cops. Very hot, very sweet sex. Real emotions and real problems.

Fortunately the next book was already out when I had read this or I’d have been so impatient to see what happens next. The real nitty gritty of being a couple starts in book 2.

Book: 6 of 5 hearts – one of my all time favorite series

amazing

Audio:

I was so psyched when this came out on audio! I love the series so much! However… I know from reading other reviews that JP Handler is a very polarizing narrator. Some people just adore his work, others hate it. For me, he’s too much. His voice sounds like he’s on the verge of tears the entire time. There are times I really appreciate the emotion he puts into his work, especially the dialog, but for the rest it is hard to listen to.

 

Audio: 2.5 of 5 hearts. Because the book is so good I can tolerate the narration, otherwise I’d have returned this and never gotten the rest in the series.

2.5

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Lou Sylvre’s ‘A Shot of J & B’ (Vasquez Security: The Next Generation #1) Cover Reveal with Excerpt and Giveaway

 

LS600x600Banner

 Excerpt:

“So, anyway, Brian,” he said, ending a not uncomfortable lull in the conversation. “I’m looking forward to the ride to airport. I want to hear more about your work, and London, and whatever. But,” he gestured toward the window, “here comes Sonny and Luki and Bear. I’ll get more coffee on.”
He rose, but before he turned toward the kitchen, he faced Brian and leaned forward, kissed his cheek swiftly and softly. He intended to step away, but Brian caught first one of his hands, and then the other, and held them both in one hand.
“Jackie, thank you for that. But what I’d like even more is if you were to kiss me—” Brian lifted the index finger of his free hand and touched his own lips. “—just here. Will you?”
“Yes,” Jackie whispered, and without any conscious decision to do so, added, “Yes, sir.” He leaned forward and touched his open lips to Brian’s, found them soft when he added a bit of pressure, and sent his tongue darting just inside for a taste. They broke the kiss together, but as it ended, Brian sucked and then nipped at Jackie’s bottom lip.
Brian smiled, and after he let go of Jackie’s hand, stroked once over Jackie’s shoulder and arm—a comforting touch, Jackie thought. “Thank you, Jackie,” Brian said, his eyes sparking with something like mischief. “That was lovely.”

Author Bio:
Lou Sylvre lives and writes on the rainy side of Washington State, penning mostly suspense/romance novels because she can’t resist giving her characters hard times but good love. Her personal assistant is Boudreau, a large cat who never outgrew his kitten meow, and he makes a point of letting her know when she’s taken a plot tangent too far. He (Boudreau) invites readers to give their feedback as well!
Where to find the author:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LouSylvre
Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLouSylvre
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sylvre
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Reese Dante

A Shot of J&B 400x600-1
Rafflecopter Prize: Any Vasquez and James book, plus a $10 Dreamspinner gift card
Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Sorting Out (Fitting In book 2) by Silvia Violet

Smashwords presents:
http://silviaviolet.com/book/sorting-out

sorting outBlurb

Sequel to Fitting In.

Jack, Gray, and Mason have accepted that loves comes in many flavors and settled into a three-way relationship. Things haven’t been easy, and now that Mason has gone back to school and Gray is interested in a detective position, Jack is feeling lonely. His lovers aren’t around very often, and he misses lying around in bed, enjoying the benefits of living with two hot men. But Jack has secrets. He’s uncomfortable every time he puts his uniform on. He’s never recovered from seeing Mason held hostage, and he’s no longer sure he was meant to be a cop.

While stressing over his own future and facing pressure from Gray and Mason to bring their relationship out of the closet, Jack is severely wounded in the line of duty. His recovery, both physical and emotional might be more than their unconventional relationship can bear. Jack is going to need all the courage and support his lovers can give him if he’s going to bring himself back from the dead and create the life he wants to live.

Review
In this, the sequel to Fitting In, the boys have been living together for a few months. Mason is in school, Gray wants to become a detective and Jack gets injured and has to re-evaluate his life.

There is a lot of angst in this book (as compared to book one), almost all from Jack. He’s feeling insecure in his life, his work and at times his relationship.

There is more BDSM sex, ménage style, and some tender moments between the guys.

Jack finally gets some good advice – from a seventeen year old kid! – and the guys out themselves at last.

**

I didn’t like this as much as book one, simply because there seemed to be only two main foci in this book: aggressive sex or Jack’s angst. I wanted to see more from the other guys’ perspectives and maybe a bit more tenderness and less whips and ropes.

But… if you’re a fan of BDSM you will really like it and I try not to judge the story based on that aspect alone.

Props to the cover, it’s HOT!

Writing/Editing 3.5

Romance 3

Sex/Heat 4

Storyline 3

World Building/Characterizations 3

Overall 3 of 5 hearts

3

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True Brit by Con Riley

Release date: 18th February

Amazon author page: Con Riley on Amazon

Website: conriley.com

true britBlurb

Winning the United Kingdom’s favorite singing contest is a challenge for half-Afghani Pasha Trueman. He doesn’t have the best voice, but success would be life-changing. His strategy is simple—he’ll make the British public love him.

Ex-soldier Ed Britten has a different agenda. Winning means he’ll keep a promise made after a deadly Afghan ambush. His voice is his weapon, but he leaves his heart unguarded.

Ed and Pasha’s discovery that the contest isn’t a fair fight calls for creative tactics. Staging a fake love story could bring victory, only there’s more at stake than the prestigious first prize. If winning means surrendering each other, they could both end up losing.

 

True Brit will be available from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/True-Brit-Con-Riley-ebook/dp/B00TBO0HZE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1424139078&sr=1-1&keywords=true+brit+con

and ARe and Smashwords in mobi, epub and pdf format.

Review

Both Pasha and Ed are contestants in a British version of American Idol type singing show. Pasha tells everyone he wants to win it for his mother and bring it home to Scotland. Ed states he only wants to win it for his dead friend’s family (by winning and singing the song his dead friend wrote the family will get the royalty money).

Pasha has some talent but a lot more style. Ed has a lot of talent, but as Pasha says, he’s vocally lazy and doesn’t have much panache.

Ed and Pasha overhear the producers talking and it looks like they won’t be “voted in” next round due to an overall lack of marketability. So the two men hatch a plan wherein they allude that they are lovers and play it up in social media.

Neither man knows for sure if the other is even gay and both are being cagey about it in front of the cameras.

What happens over the course of the last few weeks of the program is that the “playacting” they do in front of the cameras begins to feel real and secrets are revealed that may ultimately destroy their musical careers.

In the end, the final three competitors must all make a decision because the producer is more or less blackmailing them to get the winner the advertisers want.

Once the show is over, the question remains: do Ed and Pasha have what it takes to be a couple once the cameras are off?

**

Con Riley is a great writer. She has given us two really unique characters who continually surprise us with their personality twists and turns. You can never guess where the story will go next and she does this in a way that is skillfully tricky not blatantly deceptive.

I cringed at the look behind the scenes of the pop-star/reality show life she depicted and it felt real, even if it was all made up.

The secondary characters are wonderful and the bad-guy is villainous without going over the top.

Though there were times when I was a little lost in some of the twists and turns – you have to read this book carefully to appreciate all the nuances – but I  enjoyed the fresh writing and the ability to spin a story that wasn’t predictable.

(As a little sneak peek – there is some first time gay sex to enjoy as well – if you like that sort of thing – which I totally do!)

Writing/Editing 4.5

Romance 4

Sex/Heat 4

Storyline 4.5

World Building/Characterizations 5

Overall 4.5 of 5 hearts!

4.5

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