Blurb
When attorney Ben Winters’s close friend takes a bad spill and ends up in the hospital, he flies across the country to be there for her. His instant attraction to her brother takes him by surprise. Wanting Zack Anderson is easy; actually having him is a bad idea. While the two connect over concern for Zack’s sister, there are many reasons to fight the attraction brewing between them. Things heat up as Ben’s friend begins to show improvement, but the reasons not to get involved with the younger man remain the same—long distance relationships never work, and Ben doesn’t do one-night stands. But there’s one powerful reason to give in: Ben has never wanted anyone more. Review
Ben’s friend (who lives across the country) gets injured so he flies out to help. While there he meets her brother and supports him while she heals. They fall for each other. But – they just met, they live on opposite coasts and Ben doesn’t know what to do next.
**
This is a really full short story. It’s very sweet and sexy and I really enjoyed it. The characters are very well developed and the storyline plausible yet romantic.
At fourteen, Gregory Harris suffers a massive heart attack during a baseball game. As his coach tries desperately to keep him alive, a tall, handsome man in a hooded black cloak stands beside him–the Angel of Death. Gregory begs this grim reaper for more time on Earth so his parents can prepare for his death. The reaper grants him his wish, and even though Gregory saw him for just a few short moments, he often fantasizes about the mysterious creature. Seven years later, the Angel of Death is back for Gregory. Gregory is ready to move on to the afterlife, but he regrets that he never had a lover and partner to call his own. Gregory has no intention of escaping this grim reaper. In fact, he intends to do whatever it takes to convince Thanatos that they belong together forever.
Review
OMG. This was amazing!
We start the book with Gregory dying of a heart defect. He sees Death but wants a bit more time – so his parents won’t be so sad. (He’s soooo sweet!)
Over the years Death visits many times, but he doesn’t take him. They just stare at each other soulfully. Though his life is full of pain, Gregory’s heart is pure. If only there was a way to trick Death…Because Death may have just fallen in love….
**
This was an amazingly sweet, yet very sexy read. Death is strong but sentimental and Gregory is nothing but pure love.
I devoured this and will be avidly awaiting more books from this author. It was simply wonderful!
Josh’s idea of a romance is curling up alone and reading a novel with a happily ever after. He’s made his flat a safe haven where the wall are covered with beautiful words, and his living room ceiling is a map of the universe.
Angus may be shy and inexperienced, but he’s incapable of hiding anything, especially his attraction to his older neighbor.
When Josh admits to Angus that he’s gay, he doesn’t expect Angus’s reaction. Angus’s obvious interest terrifies Josh. For years he’s managed to keep the world at arm’s length and avoid getting too close to anyone. Well, anyone except Elenor, Angus’s mother, who helped Josh rebuild his life after he was hospitalized for depression. But Josh still thinks he’s broken. His past has left scars he thinks are too deep to heal. Despite Josh’s defenses, Angus begins to mean more to him than just the cute boy next door. If Josh can take a risk and let someone into his isolated world, he might have a chance for a real life happy ending.
Review
Josh has severe depression, and has been hospitalized for it in the past. He is estranged from his biological family but has built himself a support system of people where he lives now. One of those is Eleanor, his neighbor, the mother of Angus.
Eleanor has anxiety issues that are slowly making her life unbearable. Angus turns to Josh for help and more.
Josh feels like he isn’t stable enough to help either Eleanor or Angus but Eleanor was there for him when he needed her and he can’t help but be infatuated with the adorable and innocent Angus (who clearly has a crush on Josh.)
Together, Angus and Josh navigate the health system to find the right solution for Eleanor and along the way the right solution for themselves, as well.
**
This was a very, very, very dark read. The issues these guys face are real, and heavy and not likely to ever go away.
The romance is very slow burn – sometimes painfully slow.
I was glad that having a “boyfriend” wasn’t offered up as a solution to Josh’s depression, Josh was very clear with Angus about the future and it does seem hopeful. However, I wasn’t given a lot of page time with him and Angus to know if their coupledom will be successful long term – Angus is so young and Josh’s illness is severe.
The writing is excellent as is the editing. If you are in the mood for a dark, yet hopeful romance, with a very positive ending about a difficult subject – this is the book for you.
For me – I’d have liked to see more of the romance and less of the internal dialog. I would shift the balance of the book to at least 50/50 build up and coupledom because I really think they have their work cut out for them and that it doesn’t end just because they say the magic three words.
I really didn’t feel that connected to Angus (this is told from Josh’s POV) and as a result I just don’t know what compels him as well as I’d like.
Blurb
After the death of his longtime partner, American attorney Dan Evans is reassigned to his firm’s London office. It’s a change his life sorely needs. While admiring roses in a small village in the Cotswolds, Dan meets Martin Saint John. Martin, still fit and attractive at seventy, has also lost his partner, and now spends his time growing roses, meeting friends in the pub, and going to church on Sundays, content with his quiet life. Roses and tea progress to spending weekends together exploring the countryside, but the differences between Dan and Martin go beyond the fifteen year age gap. If they can open their hearts and accept love—instead of accepting its absence—they might find a second chance at happiness. All because of roses.
Review
In this very short story a 50ish year old man moves to England from America after having lost his partner to a heart attack. He meets his neighbor, a 70is year old man, who has lost his partner to cancer.
Over the course of the next 6 months they develop a friendship that turns to more.
It is a very sweet, simple story about finding love at any age. There is no angst, really no hurdle and in a way, the story needed it. I loved it’s simplicity and the message that you are never “too old” but I wasn’t quite sure it was enough…
The writing was lovely and I applaud the author for giving us MCs of that age.
When his vicious cousin Alejandro makes a violent late-night visit, San Diego homicide detective Ray Delgado gets a brutal reminder of why he left his family behind. Alejandro wants Ray to find his sister, Sophia, who disappeared from the UC San Diego campus, before the FBI digs too deep into his business.
Special Agent Elliot Belkamp spent his entire life jumping from one place to another, but his new assignment assisting a FBI task force offers him a chance to settle down. When Elliot catches a missing person’s case as his first assignment, the last person he expects to find poking around the victim’s dorm room is Ray, a one-time hookup he’s more inclined to punch in the face than kiss hello. After discovering Sophia’s disappearance is linked to a massive computer-based theft that has two powerful crime families ready to declare war, Elliot focuses on his investigation and tries to ignore Ray. As the search for Sophia turns dangerous, Elliot and Ray discover that tackling organized crime might be easier than resisting the urge to tackle each other.
Review
From the blurb you see that both men are in a similar line of work. They hooked up once, but it didn’t take. Ray is a player and not interested in permanence – yet?
Most of the story revolves around a dizzying array of crime investigations ranging from a missing person to murder to crime families. This is really the meat of the story. There is some sexual tension, a bit of fulfillment, some “why am I so attracted to you when you’re so wrong for me” and at the end some “absolution”.
I never really bonded with either MC, though I did find the fight scene to be particularly hot. (Elliot taking a Judo class while Ray watched and wanted.)
I didn’t read book one, though I think this is a good stand-alone.
When I read the blurb I was thinking it was going to be a hot and heavy enemies to lovers – and it is – but the mystery/crime absolutely takes precedence.
Audio
Jeff Gelder is hit or miss for me. In this case he didn’t do the story any favors. Sometimes, the way his voice lilts at the end can be distracting. Like everything is kind of a question. He didn’t do a lot with the voices or the emotion, so it didn’t add too much to my overall impression of the story. I’d have loved some sexy accents and growly sex scenes, but it was pretty tame.
Overall, if you are interested in crime novels with a romance sub-plot this is your book. I think if you liked book one you’d find this as good.
The writing was good, the editing fine, just not my type of romance.
Aaron is hiding something in his drawers—but that’s not his only secret.
When he moves in with his new housemates, Aaron intends to tell them about his sexuality from the outset. But a large pink item of a personal nature, given as a joke, scuppers his plans and he misses his chance.
Fellow housemate Rob is out and proud. He guesses Aaron is gay, and when he finds Aaron’s other secret concealed in his sock drawer, he takes it upon himself to help Aaron out with a little sexual experimentation.
This is a quick bite of the beginning of a love story.
Aaron is trying his best to be “out and proud” but he’s not quite that brave. Rob comes along and with the help of some toys helps him to explore his sexuality and his bravery.
There isn’t enough here to call it a story with a HEA, but definitely HFN with a lot of hope.
Both Aaron and Rob are very sweet and the writing is excellent.
Rory isn’t expecting much more than clowns and elephant poop when he agrees to take his niece and nephew to the circus, but he finds himself entranced by the trapeze performers. Returning to the circus another night, he meets Lev and Tanner after the show and finds himself just as interested in the men themselves. They take him back to their hotel room for a night of steamy sex. After the circus leaves, Rory can’t stop thinking about the duo, though they never call him. He enrolls in a trapeze class as a distraction, and is astonished to find out who’s teaching the course.
Pages or Words: 13,500 words
Excerpt:
The spotlight followed him across the tent, other lights coming up in succession as he swung past them, creating a corridor of light for him to perform in.
At the height of his swing, on the opposite side of the tent from where he had begun, a spotlight appeared on another platform. Another man stood there. He was wearing magenta and teal as well, but his pattern was the opposite of his partner’s. He leapt off, holding his trapeze, then flipped himself so he was hanging upside down.
I looked back at the first man, and I almost cried out when he leapt. He didn’t even have a trapeze to stop his fall, but the second man had swung out to him. They met at the perfect moment, both their arms outstretched until they met, and then they were swinging together, safe.
T. Strange is an author of M/M romance, published with Torquere Press. She writes both BDSM and vanilla, so there’s something for everyone! Her first novel, My Zombie Boyfriend, was published in 2015. When not reading or writing, T. enjoys playing with her many pets, gardening, and watching videos of Duo XY.
Cole Doren is starting over. He’s moved, started working as a food writer again, and is crushing hard on his new neighbor, Daniel Mazurek, who is a genuinely nice guy and as hot as a supernova.
Too bad for Cole, Daniel’s not what he seems.
And too bad for Daniel, the cute boy-next-door’s DNA says he’s one of America’s most wanted, and it’s Daniel’s job to confirm that and bring him down. Digging through Cole’s past, Daniel finds out about Cole’s BDSM videos and while it should set off warning bells, it only leaves Daniel damn hot for Cole. Getting closer to his subject is easy, but starting a relationship built on trust is a lot harder when everything Daniel’s ever told Cole has been a lie.
Review
Daniel is a bounty hunter trying to capture somebody named Ro. He thinks he’s found his guy in Cole. But when Cole shows up, drunk, clumsy, and cute – he has to re-think his data.
Cole reviews food for a living. But he also has a past that gives him some interesting hobbies.
The first part of the story is figuring out if Cole is guilty; the second is the couple finding their feet in a relationship; the third is them solving the mystery of “Ro”.
I loved the interactions between Cole and Daniel in the beginning and thought the mystery was a little unbelievable but gripping. I didn’t care for the BDSM part of the story or how it didn’t seem to fit the rest of the plot line. To me it seemed stuck in there for added “heat value” but didn’t necessarily fit well with the characters and how they interacted.
Overall this story has some great potential and I would look for more from this author in the future.
Daily Dose Short Story
Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6584 Blurb
When cynical forty-three-year-old police officer Evan Andrews finds his home broken into, he quickly learns there’s more to Beau Toliver than meets the eye. Injured and afraid, Beau mistrusts Evan and the police every bit as much as Evan mistrusts Beau. As affection slowly grows between them, Evan discovers the real threat might come from the colleagues he’s considered friends for over two decades. When the truth comes out, Evan races to save Beau’s life at the risk of his own. His actions could mean the end of his career, but he might finally realize there are more important things in life.
Review
One day Evan finds a bleeding Beau hiding out in his house after being stabbed by someone. Evan only barely knows Beau, has seen him being hassled at the Police Station where he works, but doesn’t know how Beau found out where he lives or why he’d choose him as a refuge.
Beau has a checkered past, but he’s mostly a normal 22 year old kid. He gets picked up for a crime he didn’t commit and in return does something he shouldn’t have – to the wrong person. Now he’s in trouble.
**
Most of this short story is the mystery/suspense. The romance is excellent, too. Great sexual tension, sweet ending, nice accompaniment to the suspense.
This short story really packs a punch – it feels very full and fulfilling – the boys get a great HEA and the mystery is solved in a very dramatic way.
I really enjoyed this and hope to see more from this author in the future.
Excerpt from First Day of School, a And Manny Makes Seven short by Sean Michael
Lizzie stared at Hutch with huge, tear-filled eyes. “Please. Please, Hut. Don’t make me go away. I’ll be the best cooker ever. I promise.”
God, she was breaking his heart. Hutch managed to find a warm smile for her, though, as he crouched to give her a hug. “You’ll be home by three thirty. And I bet you find you like school. There’s so many fun things to do.” He’d known it would be hard to send the twins off to school every day, leaving the house empty until afternoon, but he hadn’t expected it to be this hard.
She shook her head, the tears beginning to fall. Felicia was desperate to be big, to go to school like Darla, but this one had been opposed to the whole idea and finding out she wasn’t in the same Kindergarten class as her twin hadn’t helped. The school claimed they split twins up to let them develop their own individuality.
Well, Hutch knew damn well his girls were plenty individual, each with their own unique personality despite being together since birth.
“When you get home you can help me make supper,” he promised. “That won’t change just because you’re going to school.”
“Please? You can tell Addie-Lou it’s okay. I know you can,” she insisted.
“No, little. He can’t.” Adam shook his head. “School is important.”
“Is not!” She stamped her little foot, glaring at Adam. “I want to stay with Hut!”
“Okay, Lizzie, that’s enough.” Hutch gave her his most firm voice. “School is important and you’re going to make friends and find really fun things to do. Addie-Lou and I will be here when you get home.”
He wanted so badly to tell her she could stay home, but he knew she needed to do this. It was his job to make sure she didn’t need him and Adam anymore and this was how it started. Even if it was the hardest thing ever.
Blurb
Blurb
