Month: November 2018

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Hesitant Heart (Hampton Roads Club #1) Morticia Knight

?Reviewed by The KimiChan Experience?

TITLE: Hesitant Heart

SERIES: Hamptons Road Club # 1

AUTHOR: Morticia Knight

PUBLISHER: Knight Ever After Publishing (2nd Edition)

RELEASE DATE: October 26, 2018

BLURB: Sam is a naïve young man who arrives in Hollywood to escape his brutal father. When the older, sophisticated Aaron rescues him, Sam discovers what it means to fully surrender himself to another.

Eighteen year-old Sam Cunningham is used to living with lots of secrets. He’s had to hide his true nature his entire life or else incur the wrath of his strict and abusive father. When he’s faced with a horrible ultimatum, he flees to Hollywood where he hopes he can escape the fate his father has planned for him.

Aaron Rubenstein is a wealthy and sophisticated man who loses himself in painting portraits of bound men to help stave off his loneliness and despair. Unable to find a lasting connection with anyone, he’s had to resort to paying lovers not only for their affections, but to be allowed to indulge in his darker passions. Aaron’s only respite is his nights at the Hampton Road sadomasochism club where he’s a respected Dominant.

Naïve and inexperienced in the ways men can please one another, Sam takes a job at a bathhouse where he first glimpses a beautiful older man. Aaron notices the sweet towel boy watching him with interest every time he patronizes the Temple of Eros bathhouse. A traumatic incident for the innocent towel boy triggers Aaron’s protective tendencies and he’s compelled to rescue the gentle Sam from the clutches of the Temple’s manager.

They embark on a journey together that teaches them both things about themselves that they never knew. As their bond deepens and Sam is trained for his first night at the Hampton Road Club, an unknown danger lurks. Will Sam’s father find him and destroy both men’s chance for true happiness together? Or will Aaron protect his boy and keep him for always?

Reader advisory: This book is best read in sequence as part of a series.

REVIEW: This story is absolutely fabulous. In fact, every single book that I’ve read written by this author is fabulous. Knight’s stories, characters and storylines are always well written and memorable. This series is unique in the sense that it takes place in a different era. The 1920s-1930s. That is what initially caught my attention; I wanted to see how she would create a story with BDSM in that particular time period. And let me tell you, it was glorious.

Sam is a young man who ran away from home to escape his abusive father. It’s there where he meets the wealthy and kind older sophisticated gentleman, Aaron. Together they travel a journey of sexual freedom and discovery for Sam and for Aaron, he’s finally found someone he can be himself with. Both men are happy together but of course, Sam’s past threatens to take away the happiness they’ve found with each other.

This is a fantastic May/December M/M BDSM romance set in the Roaring Twenties. I don’t know of any other storylines, books in the genre that combines all of those elements together. This author did such a wonderful job with these characters and this storyline. The little details of the fashions, technology, language of the times really held my interest. This is the first book of what is shaping up to be an amazing series.

This is a definite must read.

Side note: This is the 2nd edition of the series.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

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Ripe by Alan Semrow

?Reviewed by The KimiChan Experience?

TITLE: Ripe

SERIES:

AUTHOR: Alan Semrow

PUBLISHER: Self Publishing

RELEASE DATE: October 1, 2018

BLURB: Funny, sexy, evocative, and brutally honest, Ripe is Alan Semrow’s ode to relationships with men. In this epistolary book, Semrow writes to the men who have impacted his outlook, reminded him of basic life lessons, surprised him in more ways than one, and left him reeling for days. Writing to one-night-flings, men he has never met, and men he’ll never stop running into, Semrow touches on some of the most constant human themes—love, lust, desire, and the yearning for connection. All the while, the book details a man’s journey navigating and blooming by way of the modern gay scene. Readers will find familiarity and hard truths in Semrow’s statements about the intricacy and explosiveness of the intimate moments we share.

REVIEW: This book is unusual in the sense that it doesn’t have a plot, storyline, or characters. It’s more of a memoir; letters written to the men who has been a part of his life during the different stages. He’s reminiscing about the men of his past, present and who he wishes for in his future through a series of letters written from the heart.

With each letter, the author lays bare his soul. He writes about life and the things he’s experienced, happy, sad, good and bad. These letters are an exploration of friendship, love, and intimacy.

This book isn’t what I would call sexual or romantic. He does hint at sexual encounters/ relationships with the various men throughout his life but they’re not what one would consider explicit. It’s more like a reminisce; a reflection of each encounter.

Again, this isn’t a book in the sense where there are MCs, plots, storylines or tropes. What he has given us is insight into his heart and mind, his youthful dreams, longings, regrets and ultimately his growth..

And that is really quite amazing.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

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Starf*cked by B.L. Morticia

?Reviewed by The KimiChan Experience?

TITLE: Starf*cked

SERIES:

AUTHOR: B.L. Morticia

PUBLISHER: Triad Literary

RELEASE DATE:  September 4, 2018

BLURB: Some skeletons are better left in the closet.

Steven Sharpe is on the road to recovery. After boozing, drugging, and sex with just about anything that moved, he’s making a comeback. Age is only a number, right? Why should he hang up his mic and guitar at thirty-seven when hard rock music needs a shot in the arm? And with his powerful voice, Steven figures he’ll have no problem regaining the adulation he once embraced as the lead singer of StarHaze.

Despite all the crazy, fun times from back in the day, one night will forever be emblazoned in his mind—the moment he fucked up his chance at love.

Driven and determined, Noah James is quickly climbing the corporate ladder. At twenty-eight, he’s been promoted to junior partner and has finally gained his peer respect. Though Noah still gets crap for being a gay black man, he doesn’t allow that to deter him from fulfilling his goal of being the only James man graduate college and build a successful career. But the past has a way of sneaking up when he least expects it and biting him in the ass.

Ten years ago, Noah and Steven were strangers at a run-down bar with their only connection being a song. When they’re thrown together again by chance, neither of them is prepared for the roller coaster of emotions they can no longer deny. Now, the two men must face the truth that while love is a fierce emotion, so is fear.

REVIEW: I’be got to say that I’m not really a fan of the rockstar/pop star trope(s) but being familiar with this author’s work and my love of books with MCs of color and interracial romance, I knew that I was going to give this book a read.

Needless to say that I’m really very glad I did. Steven is a rock star whose star has dimmed due to his boozing, drugging, hard partying ways. Now that life is all behind him and he’s on the road to recovery and he wants back into the spotlight.

Noah is young, hardworking, intelligent and driven. His hard work and determination is finally paying off in terms of his career. His personal life is another story.

Of course, there’s this saying about the best laid plans…

This story is about second chances and a lesson about skeletons in closets and your past creeping up on you.

Noah and Steven couldn’t be more different from each other but the old adage of ‘opposites attract’ rings true with these two men.

These two men are perfect for each other but fear is working them both hard and keeping them apart. The emotions written into this story that it practically leaps off the pages at you. These characters are vivid and the storyline flows quite well. I am really glad that I had the opportunity to read this story. I definitely recommend this story.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

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Because You Loved Me (Again #1) B.L. Morticia, Remmy Duchene

?Reviewed by The KimiChan Experience?

TITLE: Because You Loved Me

SERIES: Again #1

AUTHOR: B.L. Morticia, Remmy Duchene

PUBLISHER: Self Publishing

RELEASE DATE: October 26, 2018

BLURB: Hitoshi Ren has a pretty good life—a great education, friends he considers family, a crush on one of the world’s biggest crooners, and a secret he believes has died. But when that secret walks back into his life in the form of late-night phone calls, he has to put his life aside and hop on a plane to face his past demons. To make matters worse—Rixton Corrigan seems quite determined on turning Hitoshi’s head.

Rixton Corrigan has been on a nonstop ride and he wishes to get off. The exhaustion of touring the world in support of his latest album and his brother’s disapproval of his carefree lifestyle has taken its toll. Since he’s doing a video and a couple of shows in Japan, he decides it’s a good time to unwind and cut himself off from the western world. Time that’s best spent alone until he can get his head on straight.

However, those plans are tested when Hitoshi Ren shows up at his hotel, looking sexy and irresistible. His brother tells him to stay away, but how can he when he’s always been attracted to Dustin’s best friend?

REVIEW: Every book I read from these authors—regardless if they writing individually or together —keeps getting better and better. Their characters are beautifully diverse and rich with each personality shining through each page.

Rix and Hitoshi are as opposite as opposite can possibly be. Their personalities clashes were horribly hilarious. You know you have damn good story on your hands when you, the reader, want to Gibbs smack both MCs on the backs of their heads. You become immersed into the lives of and interested in the happiness of the characters.

These two authors took what could have been a run of the mill, basic enemies to lovers story and too it to the next level. There were outside forces determined to keep them apart but these men fought through them all for their HEA.

This book was filled with passion, heartache and humor. You go from laughing your ass of one minute to wanting to toss these men into the sea the next.

This book went way beyond a good read. It was a great experience. This book took me on a journey of emotions. It was one I thoroughly enjoyed traveling. This is the first book. I’m looking forward to the next trip.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

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A Vampire’s Heart (Ellowyn Found #1) Kayleigh Sky

?Reviewed by The KimiChan Experience?

TITLE: A Vampire’s Heart

SERIES: Ellowyn Found #1

AUTHOR: Kayleigh Sky

PUBLISHER: Kiss Drunk Books

RELEASE DATE: November 13, 2018

BLURB: Vampires live.

And they hunger…

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 family’s 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 can’t. He needs human blood to survive and is hated by vampires and humans alike.

As Otto and Jessa draw closer to an entity that doesn’t 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.

Otto’s character is a flawed hero. He’s has his demons and has not moved past the grief over losing his sister. It’s this grief, anger and distain towards vampires drives virtually every decision—good and bad—that he makes.

Jessa’s character is a complete opposite of what you would think a vampire’s personality would be. He’s 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 I’m really looking forward to seeing more from this author and this series.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

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Ancient Bond by Dora Esquivel

 

 

Sometimes you need to fall on your knees to rise.

Centuries ago Lucien’s family and pack were slaughtered and betrayed by family. Lucien was then enslaved for five hundred years by the demon who killed his succubus mother.

One thousand years later his powers as Alpha and Incubus are growing. He is now ready to take his rightful place as Alpha Supreme, but first, he must claim a reluctant mate and escape from under the heel of his possessive Vampire master Sargon.

Lucien is a hybrid shifter in a world where being unpure is not tolerated. Lucien should have never been born. Enter a dark and savage paranormal world, where being weak is stamped out and exploited. Being dominant and unapologetic is key to survival.

Follow Lucien as he seeks vengeance against the uncle that betrayed him and the demon who enslaved him and murdered his mom. Where secrets, allies with hidden agendas, and political jousting determine the fates of many.

A dark, sensual, and paranormal fantasy series by new author Dora Esquivel.

Kimi’s thoughts:

As debut novels go, this was one offering I am glad I didn’t pass up. I picked this up via KindleUnlimited, which has been a fab way for me to try new authors (and to sate my hefty reading appetite without bankrupting us, haha).

This was definitely not your run of the mill shifter story. Esquivel took many of the tropes and stood them on their head, breathing new life into this popular genre. It’s not a light and fluffy romance, so if you need that, this is not going to be your cup of tea. Her characters were engaging and her prose sucked me in from the very first page. I ended up reading this in one sitting, luckily it’s a fairly fast read. Be warned though, there is a cliffhanger.

You can get it on Amazon, where it is in KindleUnlimited for those who read using the subscription service. 

5

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Sinister Hunger by Katze Snow

Vincent Hudson is a vampire hunter and his life is about to be ruined.

When a hunting trip ends in tragedy, he is forced to do the unthinkable—seek refuge in Sanctuary Hope, where each family must nominate a member to the city council. It is seemingly a minor price to pay in exchange for medical aid and refuge. But it is a dangerous trap, and unaware of the gut-wrenching reality, Vincent nominates himself.

Now a life of war awaits him. . . and captivity to a vampire master known as Maddox Caine.

This trilogy is for mature audiences only (18+) and contains scenes of graphic violence and high heat that will have you flustered and swiftly turning the pages. These books are dark, raw, gritty, and not for the faint-hearted. Please read with caution.

 

If you loved Dark Silence, you will adore this. It’s not a simple re-release with a new title and a new gorgeous cover (Jay Aheer’s art, is as always, stunning), but a complete re-write. All of the basic premises of the original release are here, but it is a new book with more scenes added. The writing  was good to begin with, but with experience comes maturation and Katze’s writing in this has definitely done so. It’s grittier, with some scenes that made even me catch my breath and sent delicious chills down my arms.

I can’t wait to read book 2 and will be reviewing it here, so watch this space!

4.5