On the eve of his fortieth birthday, Ian Parker is looking for a reboot. He may be the proud owner of a trendy coffee shop in Austin called La Tazza Magica, but his love life has been MIA for years. During a trip to Denver with his best friend, Mark, Ian buys an enchanted chocolate from a mysterious candy store—then wakes up from a nap two decades younger. After the initial shock, Ian realizes a quirk of the universe has given him a second chance and, with Mark’s help, he devises a plan to start over.
With a new lease on life, Ian sets his sights on handsome architect Bartley James, a regular customer at La Tazza. He pursues Bartley as Ian’s twenty-one-year-old alter ego, Ryan, with decidedly unexpected results. Joining Ryan on his adventures are Matthew, the dreamy new barista, Jeremy, the geeky high-school math teacher, and Sam, the pizza delivery boy. Even as misunderstandings and expectations collide, Ian remains determined to right his past mistakes and find his off-ramp to happiness.
Book Review (Previously posted on this site.)
I would strongly recommend that you read these books in order to fully appreciate the nuances. Brad does an amazing job of creating this “alternate” world with the Walsh brothers and laying out that time is very non-linear and to ignore all that history is silly.
Sure, technically this is a stand alone – but why? Just read the others – they’re great!
In this story we see – again – people making small decisions that have huge implications which can affect their lives (and other’s lives) and lots and lots of trivia.
I think that you are either a fan of the trivia – in this case old porn – or not – and the rapid-fire game-playing will either charm or repel you.
I find Brad Boney’s writing to be fascinating and I love his alternate world view and though I wish he’d had a different game plan – one where our MCs spend some actual time together – I always enjoy the time I spend on his books.
This was not my favorite in the series – but still an excellent book.
Audio Review
Dan McGowan is new to me as a narrator, and has not done any of the other narrations for this “almost”-series. I appreciated that he tried to make the different voices distinct and he had a lot of enthusiasm for the story, but I didn’t really care for his style, especially in comparison to the others by this author.
Blurb
Approaching fifty, Graham is tired of the gay club scene. He dreams of a venue where he won’t be judged on his age and looks. He and his friend Mike decide to fill the gap in the market by opening the Midnight Lounge, a gay-friendly piano bar in the heart of London’s Soho. After several unsuccessful auditions, Graham finds the perfect pianist for the bar. Adam Turner is young, handsome, and talented, and there’s a spark of attraction between him and Graham, but Graham’s split with his ex has left him feeling old and unattractive. He believes Adam is just stringing him along—a belief that seems validated when Adam kisses him, then claims he’s made a big mistake. Adam wants Graham, but first he’ll have to prove to Graham that age is no barrier to finding love. Review
It’s always hard to review short stories because they have to do so much in so few words. I know that, in the past, Dreamspinner has had very strict word limits, which can make this even more difficult. In this case, I think the author spent too much time developing the life that Graham was living post-rejection (he and his buddy design and open a Piano Bar) and way too little time with the interactions between Graham and Adam.
There is some nice sexual tension, a brief moment of connection then angst, then immediate reconciliation which felt really rushed and insincere.
If the story could have been a touch longer or edited more finely to allow for more interaction between the MCs I would have given this a higher rating as the writing and character development were top notch.
Tony Wilcox, the quiet keyboard player for Ivory Tower, has always believed he was straight. A sexual encounter with his best friend leaves Tony questioning his heart and the unwavering attraction he has for Jared. Living and working together is no longer enough for Tony… he wants more. He wants Jared as his.
Jared Baker, the bass player for the band, has a past that is getting in the way of him fully embracing what he wants… Tony. He’s tried everything to create distance between them, but none of it eliminated the feelings he has developed for Tony.
Trying to suppress the anger and confusion from Jared withdrawing from his life, Tony does his best to get beyond the feelings he has for his friend. When Jared becomes deathly ill, it’s Tony that he calls for help and Tony has to decide if he can heal Jared without giving away too much of his heart.
Can best friends find their way to true love and discover if they were meant for each other, or will the challenges of life force them to choose separate paths?
Jared continued to gently rock his hips against Tony to ease them through the aftershocks, then leaned in to offer Tony a soft, lingering kiss. When Jared’s eyes opened, Tony was staring up at him. The intensity of that gaze took Jared’s breath away and he rose up to his elbows again.
“You okay?” Jared asked with tenderness.
“Isn’t this where you freak-out and leave?” Tony asked.
Jared’s eyebrows bunched together. “I told you, T, I’m not leaving,” Jared replied. “Being with you like this only makes me want more, so much more.”
Tony pushed his fingers through Jared’s hair and tucked a piece behind his ear. “There’s no girl here between us to act as a buffer, and no other logical way you can pretend this didn’t happen. Can you blame me for thinking you might bolt once the buzz of this wears off?”
“I know my track record with you isn’t the greatest, but things are different now—I’m different,” Jared proclaimed.
“How so?” Tony questioned.
Jared ran the back of his fingers across Tony’s cheek. “I guess you could say, I finally found the balls to admit to myself what it is I’m feeling,” Jared said. “More importantly, I found the backbone to come here and tell you.”
Tony shook his head. “I’m sorry if I’m being skeptical about this, but you’ve either run or pushed me away at very pivotal moments. At this point, I’m finding it difficult to understand where you’re coming from, and what’s really going on inside your head.”
Jared dropped down to Tony’s chest and his face rolled into the bend of Tony’s shoulder. It took a few seconds, but Tony’s arms finally wrapped around Jared’s back and Jared nuzzled in closer. God, he loved the warmth of Tony’s embrace. It offered so much more than comfort. It felt safe.
“I’m so sorry for putting you through that, and if there was a way I could take it back I would,” Jared said with his lips against Tony’s neck. “Truth is, I had trouble…accepting things.”
“Do you think it was easy for me?” Tony asked. “Jesus! How do you come to terms with wanting your best friend like this? There’s no easy way to accept something like that. You either go with what you’re feeling, or walk away, and that’s what you seemed hell bent on doing.”
“I’m here now, T, and that has to count for something,” Jared whispered.
Tony shifted beneath Jared and they both felt the come cooling on their skin. Jared eased off to Tony’s side and rolled from the bed. He walked into the bathroom and returned with a towel to clean them both. When he reached the bed, Tony was already using tissues from the nightstand to wipe the mess off his stomach. Jared climbed back onto the bed and finished cleaning Tony with the towel, then tossed the towel onto the floor and stretched out on his side facing Tony. He slid his leg over Tony’s thigh again, dropped his head to Tony’s shoulder, and ran his fingers over Tony’s chest and stomach. He loved the way Tony’s soft dusting of hair tickled the pads of his fingers.
“I don’t know how I can prove it to you, T, but I will. And, I’ll keep on proving it to you every fucking day you’ll let me,” Jared’s voice was soft, but he knew Tony was hearing every word loud and clear. “I’m not running, and I was serious about wanting more.”
AUTHOR BIO:
Ann Lister writes erotic love stories using beautifully drawn characters; flawed and emotionally damaged, and at the height of their careers, each in search of the one thing that still eludes them: love.
The Rock Gods series gave her Bestselling Author status on Amazon. Each book in this series brings her two favorite elements together: musicians and the love between two men. These stories focus on what it truly means to love; love unconditionally, love without restrictions or labels, love without fear or judgment – to just simply love.
Author Links:
Rafflecopter Prize:
*** US ONLY
5 signed copies of one Rock Gods title (5 winners)
5 swag bundles (5 winners)
1 signed set (4 titles) of The Rock Gods series
*** WORLDWIDE
1 digital set of The complete Rock Gods Series (1 winner)
5 e copies of a Rock God book of choice (5 winners) a Rafflecopter giveaway
When Aiden agrees to run the Mad Mucker—a twelve-mile muddy slog over an obstacle course—he’s expecting it to be a bit of a laugh. The training will be tough, but Aiden could use the motivation to regain some fitness.
Matt is the sexy cousin of one of Aiden’s coworkers and a last-minute addition to the team. When he agrees to train with Aiden, Aiden suddenly finds the prospect of regular workouts a lot more appealing.
Soon attraction flares, and they embark on an intense physical relationship. Matt doesn’t want to fall in love with a man, and Aiden doesn’t want to fall in love at all, but despite their insistence on no strings, they grow closer. As the day of the race approaches, time is running out for them to work out how they feel about each other.
Book Review (Previously on this site.)
Aiden is an out and proud, but sorta lazy, gay man. He ends up getting suckered into competing in an obstacle course race (via too much tequila) by one of his friends who pairs him with her cousin Matt for training.
Matt is “straight” and OCD about fitness ever since his father died suddenly from a heart attack. He and Aiden spark off one another right away, but since Matt is straight and all, Aiden keeps his flirting to a minimum. Until one day… they end up covered in mud and Matt needs a shower… Aiden realizes Matt isn’t all that straight.
They begin a “friends-with-benefits” affair. Matt is bi-sexual but deep in the closet. Aiden is out but not interested in a relationship since the last one he was in left him scarred.
At first this seems to work out great for both men. They are good together in bed and as training partners and they might even be good as friends. But as time goes on they begin to have feelings for each other that makes things awkward.
Finally, after an amazingly touching night of lovemaking and talking, they decide they are too close to one another so they have to split.
What?
Yes, they like each other too much to continue seeing each other.
So now they are both frustrated,sad, and lonely.
Fortunately, not for long… after the race, when Aiden nearly drowns, they come around and realize they can’t let the past dictate their future.
Hooray!
**
Jay Northcote is one of my auto-buy authors. She never disappoints. Her characters are fun, funny, three-dimensional and really enjoyable. In most of her stories we get to see some growth and we always see some hot sex and sweet love.
This book did not disappoint in most of those areas. I really loved the slow burn, the tension as we “hated” Matt for how poorly he treated Aiden and the relief when they finally gave in and admitted their feelings.
But… I thought the last bit there at the end, where Matt and Aiden both admitted (essentially) that they loved one another then broke up felt a little contrived. (I think that if Matt had denied his feelings and broke up with Aiden because Aiden was too clingy or something, it would have felt more authentic and given us the same result. IMHO)
However, that is really a small, nit-picky thing. The only other thing I would have appreciated was seeing the boys together longer as a couple.
So, overall I really enjoyed this book and recommend it with a 4 of 5 hearts.
Audio
Matthew Lloyd Davies has done several Jay Northcote books and he always does a nice job. He has a lovely British accent and he is easy to listen to. In general I like the way he handles emotion and he does a nice job trying to keep all the characters separate by giving them different voices. In this case, however, I just didn’t like the voice he chose for Matt. It was a little too stuffy and pretentious – though I know that somewhat fits the character – it was overdone for my taste.
I liked how he did the women’s voices, more or less and overall enjoyed the narration, though I didn’t love it.
The death of his wife four years earlier left Travis Bennett a shell of the man he used to be. With his dog by his side, Travis raises his three children, manages his business, and works as a ranch hand. But every day, every minute, is an aching emptiness.
Wesley Ryan has fond memories of the small Ozark town of El Dorado Springs. Seeing it as a safe place to put his failed relationships behind him, Wesley moves into his grandparents’ old home and takes over the local veterinary clinic. An early morning visit from Travis and his dog stirs feelings that Wesley seeks to push away – the last thing he needs is to fall for a man with baggage and three kids as part of the package.
Life, it seems, has other plans.
Book Review(Previously posted on this site.)
Wesley moves back to the small town of El Dorado after a break up, but there is no hiding he’s a city boy. He drives a yellow Miata convertible with a rainbow dog sticker and everyone in town knows just what that means. He is faced with prejudice and sometimes violence, but he stays in town to be close to a family that was once good to him.
Travis is heart broken, he just lost his wife to cancer, his dog is sick and he has 3 kids to raise. He doesn’t want to be attracted to the “swishy” Wesley, so he’s a jerk at first, but later, he begins to think Wesley might just be exactly what he needs to heal.
The town finds out about their romance and makes life rough for both the couple and their family. Prejudice like this just doesn’t die an easy death and they drive a wedge between Wesley and Travis that has to be overcome before they can really be together.
The kids in this story are great, and (blessedly) easy going about a new love interest for dad, even though it’s a man. Wendy, Travis’ sister is also amazing, and helps to keep things running smoothly when times get rough.
There is an amazingly happy ending after a lot of hard work and some devastation, and our pair finally settles in to life HEA.
**
This is an amazing book. It is sad, realistic, funny, sweet, tender and somewhat sexy. The love scenes are fade to black, and that may turn some people off, but the emotion is there and the love story is incredible.
I loved the setting and the pragmatism shown by the “country folk” and really appreciated the truly bi-sexual nature of Travis. He absolutely loved his wife and mourns her deeply. But… he is absolutely attracted to (and later in love with) Wesley and that is also part of who he is.
I highly recommend this book for the romance and the writing.
Audio
Andrew McFarrin really did an amazing job with this amazing story. He handles the emotion well, I loved the difference between Travis and Wesley – striking and perfect! – he handles the female and children’s voices well and overall really impressed me.
College freshman Parker Osborne is having the worst day ever. He humiliates himself trying to pick up a cute guy, he hasn’t made any friends at school, and his stupidly hot jerk of a TA gave him a crappy grade on his paper. He’s going to drop Adam Hawkins’ film class and start fresh tomorrow after he’s had a good sulk.
But Parker’s about to find out what a bad day really looks like—if he can survive the night.
A virus is unleashed, transforming infected people into zombie-like killers. After these quick and deadly creepers swarm campus, Parker only escapes thanks to Adam swooping him onto the back of his trusty motorcycle. Now they’re on the run—and stuck with each other.
When they’re not bickering, they’re fighting off the infected in a bloody battle for survival. Their only hope is to head east to Parker’s family, but orphaned Adam has a secret he’s not sure Parker will accept: he’s a werewolf. Can they trust each other enough to find some light in these dark days?
Review
When I read the blurb I said – what? Keira Andrews? Yes! Zombies? Heck Yes! Werewolves? Eff Yes!
(I used a different word than heck and eff but…)
I was NOT disappointed.
This story captures your attention right from the beginning.
Parker is an uptight, insecure freshman at Stanford. He’s used to being the big fish in a small pond and now he’s … not.
He meets his TA Adam over a bad grade in what is supposed to be a super easy class. Adam, of course, thinks the course is important and not just “filler” so he’s offended by Parker’s disdain.
It isn’t too long before the two accidentally meet in the quad on the day the “creepers” (zombies) take over the university. In a move that changes both their lives, Adam rescues Parker on the back of his bike and rides off with him to safety.
In the beginning there is a lot of sexual tension – Parker thinks Adam has a girlfriend. Adam has a secret he’s trying to keep from Parker. But both are really attracted to one another.
Of course at every turn they are also battling this unknown element – the virally infected hordes who mindlessly try to eat you if you get in their way.
Over the course of days and weeks they head cross country, trying to reach Parker’s family on the East Coast, and stay alive through both creeper invasions and vigilante challenges.
When Adam gets bitten it looks like their time together may be over or at least changed, since nobody knows how the disease is transferred. Luckily they meet someone who can help with that information.
The ending is… well… appropriate. I’m not sure if she’s setting us up for a sequel (Please, please, please!) or if a Zombie Apocalypse only has so many endings… but … it’s a definite HFN for their survival and HEA for their love.
**
What I loved about this book was the many different layers. Both Parker and Adam have felt marginalized in their lives – for different reasons. The fear of the unknown pushes them together faster than normal, but it still feels very organic and real. The human nature shown by the mobs of scared people felt real and the reaction to a possible cure brought up some real moral questions that struck a cord.
I loved Keira’s Rumspringa series and was so happy to see that her writing chops are well prepared to cover this entirely different genre.
In fact – maybe even better?
I highly recommend this book and give it 6 of 5 hearts!
Blurb
Nathan Kappas, newly promoted to second engineer on the cruise ship Sapphire, has eyes only for the vessel he’s about to board. He literally runs into Harper Quade, a singer and dancer hired to entertain passengers. Harper has always wanted to travel, and working onboard the Sapphire keeps him away from his abusive ex-boyfriend. As they sail to Hawaii, Tahiti, and other exotic destinations, Nathan and Harper soon share a cabin and a deepening connection, which surprises Nathan, who generally prefers the predictability of machines to people. But an employee who feels jilted when Harper gets promoted harasses him, and Harper’s dangerous past refuses to let him escape. Harper might not be as safe on the Sapphire as he assumed, but Nathan will do anything to protect him.
Review
Nathan is a socially awkward, virgin! who starts a new job on a cruise ship where he meets the very outgoing Harper. Harper is a performer who gets a job on a cruise ship, escaping an abusive ex.
There is very little angst between Nathan and Harper as their relationship develops and grows. It becomes clear to Nathan that Harper means more than a ship-board romance when he is kidnapped by his ex.
Like the previous books in this series we get a unique look at a profession – in this case working on a cruise ship – and a quick, but sweet love story between two men.
I thoughtthe story was cute, the sex nice, the romance sweet, the editing good but I found the dialog to be a little stiff and awkward.
(Don’t judge this book by the cover – the book is MUCH better!)
It’s the summer of 1983, and Trent Days is Major League Baseball’s rookie sensation. Since he was born in Alaska to an Inupiat mother, the press have dubbed him the Eskimo Slugger, but a midseason collision at home plate temporarily halts his meteoric rise to the top.
Sent back to Austin to recuperate, Trent visits his favorite record store, Inner Sanctum, where he meets amiable law student Brendan Baxter. A skip in the vinyl of New Order’s “Blue Monday” drives Trent back to Brendan, and their romance takes them into uncharted territory. As Trent’s feelings move from casual to serious, he’s faced with an impossible dilemma. Does he abandon any hope of a future with Brendan and return to the shadows and secrets of professional sports? Or does he embrace the possibility of real love and leave baseball behind him forever? As he struggles with his decision, Trent embarks on a journey of self-discovery to figure out who he really is and what matters most.
Book review(Previously posted on this site.)
Trent is a baseball player from Alaska, thus the name Eskimo Slugger. He’s at the top of his game when he gets injured and ends up spending two weeks in Austin, TX. There he meets Brendan, a law student/record store clerk. They start as friends but once Brendan tentatively asks Trent “Is this a date?” the two acknowledge the deeper aspect of their blossoming relationship. The two immediately set sparks off one another, though neither has ever had a gay relationship before.
With some pretty funny forays into gay sex, the two explore each other and a relatively unexplored aspect to their personalities. For Brendan, being gay is something he’s pondered but been afraid of, but with the right incentive he embraces the idea and eventually decides to incorporate into his life fully and without secrecy.
For Trent, being gay means possibly (probably) the end of his career, certainly the end of his life as it stands currently, and though he’s always known he was gay, he has never let himself entertain the idea that he could actually live as a gay man.
Brendan enlists the help of Stanton and Hutch (from The Return) as “gay mentors” and together, with Bill Walsh (from The Nothingness of Ben) the group bonds, smoke a lot of weed and begin to form relationships that even death won’t end.
Ultimately, Trent has to make the biggest decision of his life: Choose baseball or choose Brendan. Perhaps the two can be together, but probably it’s one or the other.
**
By now you should have read the first two books (The Nothingness of Ben and The Return). If you haven’t – go! What are you waiting for? Technically this could be a standalone, I guess, but it won’t make a heck of a lot of sense and will leave you very unsatisfied.
If you have read the other books you know that the end of this book is really the beginning of TNOB. That, Brad Boney, is an amazing feat! Mr. Boney has managed to create this beautiful circular set of books that literally bleeds one into the other so that (as a reader) you want to just keep going round and round the merry-go-round.
I found myself referencing both of the earlier books time and again with the “treasures” that were revealed throughout this book. Without completely giving away all the secrets just know that the MCs of all three books are inter-related in various ways and little bits of their stories, past and present are slipped in throughout the story.
In The Return it was all about music – fast paced facts and quips, with Slugger it’s baseball. For me, the music was more interesting, but if you are a baseball fan this will really hit home. (See what I did there?)
I didn’t like the love story as much in Slugger as in The Return or TNOB, probably because it happens so quickly. I just never felt the emotion – especially from Brendan. Trent was invested, you get that feeling so strongly. Brendan was too standoffish for me and it made me a little sad. But… since I know what I know about how things end… he’s forgiven ☺.
I really, really enjoyed these books and was sad to see it end. I can’t say for sure, but I think that if I were to recommend a reading order I would say start with The Return, then Slugger then finish with TNOB. There may be something “missing” with that order, but I think, ultimately, it will be so much more satisfying. Or… do as the author may have intended and read it : TNOB, Return, Slugger, TNOB… and so on and so on…
Just a fantastic book all around, 5 of 5 hearts and for the series 6 of 5!
Audio
Michael Ferraluolo did an excellent job with this! I adored Charlie David and was disappointed he didn’t narrate this, the third of the series. I think the continuity would have been great. But… Michael didn’t disappoint with his performance. He has a great voice that is easy to listen to, did a nice job differentiating the characters, really got into the emotion of the story and even managed to do a nice job with the female voices.
All in all I am sticking with 6 of 5 hearts for this in either book or audio form!
A remote farmhouse in Cornwall seems the perfect place for Ash to settle into his recently altered status. Starting a new life there with Sam—the shifter he can’t stay away from—should be easy this far from London where they faced so much danger. So why does adjusting seem impossible?
Sam has issues of his own. He has to get used to his human form again after living the last eight years as a wolf. It’s hard when human worries weigh so heavily on his shoulders. Life is much more straightforward from a wolf’s perspective, until Ash needs his human support. Ash’s problem is simple: he’s fearful of shifting fully. How can he believe he won’t hurt Sam when his genes were altered to create a killer? Despite repeated reassurance, his anger and resentment increase. Only one thing is certain: if Ash can’t learn to trust himself soon, he’s in danger of proving himself right.
Pages or Words: 37,000 words (approximate)
Excerpt:
Ash knocked twice, only pushing the door open a little when Sam howled softly for him to come in.
“Oh, hey.” Ash stuck his head around the door, frowning when he saw Sam. “Um… Keira said today was a human day. But… er….” He came fully inside and closed the door behind him. “Don’t you fancy it?”
Ash walked over to Sam’s bed and sat down on the bottom corner, propping his elbows on his knees.
Sam sighed and padded over to sit next to him, placing his head in Ash’s lap. As soon as Ash’s fingers were in his fur—stroking back and forth—Sam felt a hundred times better. The soothing touch spread warmth throughout his body and Sam closed his eyes, letting it chase away whatever had been bothering him earlier.
Ash’s touch always had this effect on him. Sam had known what that meant from the very first time they’d met.
Ash was meant for him.
Everything about Ash: the way he looked, his scent—which drove Sam crazy sometimes—and even his voice, made something in Sam settle. Something he’d been missing for years. It was that feeling that had helped Sam to shift back in front of other people for the first time in eight years. That, and the fact that some fucking guard had a gun pointed at Ash’s head.
Annabelle Jacobs lives in the South West of England with her husband, three rowdy children, and two cats. An avid reader of fantasy herself for many years, Annabelle now spends her days writing her own stories. They’re usually either fantasy or paranormal fiction, because she loves building worlds filled with magical creatures, and creating stories full of action and adventure. Her characters may have a tough time of it—fighting enemies and adversity—but they always find love in the end.
For two years, Thierry has wanted the one thing Sebastien’s past denies him: an Aveu de Sang. With the help of friends new and old, he has finally assembled a ritual that will give him a close approximation of the ultimate bond between vampire and mortal… if it succeeds.
Review
This is more a chapter than a book. It’s the ceremony where Sebastian and Thierry bind themselves to one another. It’s very erotic (almost a bit kinky) and very sensual and sweet at times, too.
Blurb
![Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000038_00067]](https://i0.wp.com/kimichanexperience.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/kick-darkness.jpg?ssl=1)
![ShipEngineer[The]](https://i0.wp.com/kimichanexperience.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ShipEngineerThe.jpg?ssl=1)
![EskimoSlugger[The]AUDMED](https://i0.wp.com/kimichanexperience.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/EskimoSluggerTheAUDMED.jpg?ssl=1)
