Category: Contemporary

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Air and Earth by Rowan McAllister

Dreamspinner Presents: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5641

air and earthBlurb

When absent-minded video game developer Jay Thurson impulsively follows his intuition westward, he never expects his rideshare to turn out to be a gun-toting madman. In an act of desperation, Jay turns to the gift he’s long neglected and feared for help and leaps from the moving car on a dark and deserted back country road.
Running for his life leads him to the doorstep of Adam Grauwacke, a roadside nursery owner and sometime vegetable farmer, whose affinity for the earth goes far beyond having a green thumb. Adam’s world is ordered and predictable, dependable and safe, but despite having his dream farm and business, he’s always felt something’s missing. When he welcomes Jay into his home, life seems to click for both men, and together they explore their gifts and their attraction.

But harmony has no value if it is easily won, and a crazed gunman and volatile ex might be their end if Jay and Adam can’t learn to trust the strength of their bond.

Review

Jay epitomizes his element, air. He’s scattered, moves around a lot, has ADD, and is impulsive. He decides to take a trip that ends up going very wrong… then very right.

Adam is the earth. He plants roots and stays solid. In the past he’s run into trouble with relationships but he craves stability.

When Jay stumbles into Adam’s world it’s like the two were searching for one another all this time. They just “fit” together. Adam harnesses the volatile energy that Jay brings into the relationship and Jay provides that spark of light that drives out the depression on days without the sun.

The relationship moves quickly forward, but it isn’t all easy. Jay doesn’t trust the relationship and gets balky toward the end. Adam has a psycho ex who tries to drive them apart (who gets his own book next!). And both of the men are the target of a bizarre fanatic waving a gun.

In the end, however, we see that Jay is the Yin to Adam’s Yang and we have a very Happily Ever After.

**

There are parts of this book that just “wowed” me.

*I loved the symbolism of Jay as the Air – his personality, thought patterns, actions… all fit that element to a “T”. Adam was solid, dependable, loving, literally “grounded”, all in line with being Earth.

*When the magicky things were occurring – the thunderstorm, the fire, the gunman… these were really fun and very well written. It was some nicely developed world-building.

*The smexy times were very nice, hot, but not overbearing. You could feel their “elements” in play and it added a unique flavor to this paranormal romance.

There were parts I didn’t love as much:

*The ex and the gunman. These were definitely added to give the lovers some external hurdles and I can appreciate what they added to the story but they were done in such a way that they felt a little out of place and they were not nearly as well-developed as the rest of the story. They pulled me out of the magicky new world we’d created and they felt a bit awkward.

*The fizzled- out ending. There is a big fire toward the end and there are some pretty major things that happen around this event. When the dust settles and the smoke clears (literally) we get a few pagees of re-connection and explanation and then it ends.   Now I know there is a book 2 planned and it may take off from the end of this book and make things feel more complete, but as it stands here, it felt unfinished or rushed at the end.

*As such, I felt the book either needed to be a bit longer and sort of flesh out some of these weak spots or a bit shorter and edit out some of the internal ruminations and character building to make it feel more balanced.

Overall, I was really intrigued by the world-building and enjoyed the characters and their romance very much and am looking forward to the next book eagerly!

 

Writing/Editing 4.5

Romance 4

Sex/Heat   4

Storyline 3

World Building/Characterizations 4.5

Overall 4 of 5 hearts!

4

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The Last Guy Breathing Novel and Audiobook by Skylar M Cates narrated by Matt Baca

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5747

last guyBlurb

Henry Clueley doesn’t want to be in Glamour, not after moving far away to overcome a difficult, if privileged, childhood. He’s no longer that pudgy kid desperate to escape his hometown, but it still holds painful memories. When his recently widowed mother needs him, however, “dependable Henry” does the right thing—even if it means leaving the IRS to take a boring corporate position. Things don’t stay boring for long. Soon Henry helps the local sheriff’s department unravel a crime. Posing as half of a fake couple seems like a fun idea… until Henry learns he already knows the deputy playing his other half.

Deputy Locke may be new to the Glamour Sheriff’s Department, but he’s fought his way up in the world and is determined to make a good impression. He keeps his private life quiet, even from his beloved younger brother. Locke knows better than most the need to protect what’s his.

Henry resents the arrogant, gorgeous cop, and Locke thinks Henry is sheltered and spoiled. Their secret and steamy encounter only adds to the animosity. As they join forces, Henry thinks a relationship with Locke would be catastrophic, but the white-hot passion between them makes it hard to resist.

Review

Henry is an accountant who moved back to Glamour to help his widowed mother. He used to be chubby and now strives hard to keep his new, more fit shape. His dad was a giant jerk, and he’s had real rotten luck with relationships. Until now.

Locke is a hard-nosed cop who moved to Glamour when he got in trouble for whistle-blowing in Phoenix. His family life was also less than stellar and the only family he knows now is his younger brother. He’s gay, but not out and he doesn’t “do” relationships. Until now.

Locke and Henry get together for the first time at Dean and Anthony’s wedding. (Yay!!!) They have a hot round of sex then Locke treats Henry like crap and they don’t see much of each other except when Locke is handing out speeding tickets to Henry.

There is a suicide and a subsequent investigation into the woman’s place of work, which happens to be where Henry works, conducted by Locke’s police department. It’s decided that Locke and Henry must pose as lovers to gain inside information about the financial planners Henry works for to try to expose the cause of the suicide.

At first things are terrible… well terribly HOT… between Henry and Locke. The sexual tension is nearly unbearable, but outside of the physical, they can’t stand one another.

As they work closely with one another on the case, little by little the defenses crumble and they begin an active “no strings” affair… but Henry is seeing strings and maybe… maybe Locke is too.

There is a lot of intrigue. Some family drama on both sides. Lots and lots of hot sex. Some personal drama with Dean and Anthony. Some more hot sex. And finally… a very HEA.

**

This, by far, is my favorite of the “Last Guy” series. It is a really sweet, very sexy, very exciting, very well-written novel. I can really see the improvement, book to book in Skylar Cates’ writing. Her characters are by far her best asset – they are interesting and well-developed and easy to love, both the MCs and the secondary characters as well.

I think the story line in this was by far the most interesting of the three, the mystery and the drama and all the extra stuff that can sometimes overwhelm a romance really did a nice job of show-casing it instead and keeping the reader enthralled.

I am a definite fan of the series and hope we see more from Skylar soon!

Audio

Matt Baca did the other narrations for this series and like the author’s writing, this is the best of the three. I really like his grumpy Locke and his sweet Henry.

Writing/Editing 5

Romance 5

Sex/Heat 6

Storyline 5

World Building/Characterizations 5

Narration 4.5

Overall 5 of 5 hearts!

5

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The Last Thing He Needs by JH Knight

Dreamspinner presents:  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5262

last thingBlurb

Tommy O’Shea is raising his seven younger brothers and sisters without any help from his drug abusing father and stepmother. Since he was fifteen years old, he’s managed to keep the children fed and out of foster care. It takes up every ounce of his energy and the last thing he needs is romance complicating his life further.

Rookie cop Bobby McAlister doesn’t belong in Tommy’s harsh world, but Tommy can’t push him out. As their unlikely friendship turns into a tentative relationship, they weather the daily storm of Tommy’s life with a lot of laughs and more than a few arguments.

Tommy isn’t used to trusting outsiders, and he’s never asked for help in his life. But when a tragedy strikes the O’Shea family and threatens everything he’s fought for, he’ll have to learn to do both to recover from the brutal hit.

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Review

Tommy O’Shea has a rough, rough life. He’s in charge of his 6 younger siblings, didn’t finish high school, has drug-addled parents messing things up, and he’s very, very poor.

Bobby McAlister has been around for most of Tommy’s life. He’s an only child who lives at home with his recently widowed mother. He’s a gay cop who only wants to love and be loved.

It isn’t easy for Tommy to trust, everyone he knows has let him down, so when Bobby comes around, he is immediately treated with a heavy dose of skepticism.

Through time, perseverance and a lot of love, Bobby worms his way in and the result is this amazing love story written by JH Knight.

JH Knight a new author to me, but she now goes on my “must read” list.

I was blown away.

The story is so sweet, so tender, yet tough and gritty at the same time.

The problems Tommy and his family face are realistic and heart-breaking and I really loved that the “gay” part was really the least of their worries.

This was a story about trust, devotion, optimism and most of all, family. Despite all the odds and all the reasons why things really should not have worked out, family prevails, and in ways we could never predict.

I really loved the relationship between Bobby and his mother, June. I just think her involvement in the story added that the icing to this delicious cake of a book. She rounded out the family and brought everyone in that much tighter. She reminded us that you’re never too old to need a “Mommy”.

I felt the love scenes were erotic and touching and just numerous enough to add texture to the story without being the focus. The kids were amazing and I really hope we see more of their stories in the future.

I fell in love with this book and will definitely be reading it again.

I highly recommend it, giving it 6 out of 5 hearts!

amazing

 

JH Knight gave us a WONDERFUL present with this “Epilogue”:  https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/7586073-have-yourself-a-merry-little-free-short-read

 

SO WONDERFUL!

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Pumpkin Rolls and Porn Sounds by Kris T Bethke

Dreamspinner presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6033

PumpkinRollsAndPornSoundsBlurb

Will Grant only attends the PFLAG meeting because his mother guilts him into it. But the instant he hears the night’s speaker, Will is glad he showed up. Joshua Rhinehardt is dynamic and engaging. Although Joshua isn’t physically Will’s type, Will can’t get the man out of his head.

Joshua may be comfortable in his own skin, but it isn’t often men like Will are attracted to him, and he’s not comfortable changing for someone else. He wants to make a life with Will, but his own insecurities keep getting in the way.

Will’s unwavering acceptance helps Joshua see that when two people connect, physical appearance just might not matter at all.

Review

This is a super cute, super easy read that is well-written and full of great “feels”.

Will and Joshua meet at a PFLAG meeting and pretty much hit it off right from the start. Joshua is a little insecure and that causes them to move slowly at first, but it is absolutely the right thing for them.

The sex is very hawt. The love is frickin’ adorable. The MCs are really cute, too.

All in all a very full, though short, story with a big heart.

Writing/Editing 5

Romance 5

Sex/Heat 5

Storyline 4

World Building/Characterizations 4.5

Overall 4.7 (rounded up to 5) of 5 hearts

5

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Love is a Mess (A Supposed Crimes Anthology) Blog Tour with Giveaway

SMlove is a mess cover

Viral Valentine by L. M. Perrin
When a Valentine’s Day prank goes badly, Paige’s guilt won’t let her watch the victim walk away without a proper apology.
Date Blind by Geonn Cannon
A woman discovers the worst possible blind date scenario when her date turns out to be someone who bullied her in high school.
The Politician and the Pilot by Amber Kinsey
A politician and a pilot make a steamy connection on Valentine’s Day.
Bar Tryst by Rachael Orman
After her roommate blackmailed her into going to an Anti-Valentine’s day party, Vanessa decided to make the best of it especially when the bartender shared that she was looking to have a good time too.
Quarter Life: Energy Feed by Adrian J. Smith
With strange creatures in her path, Faye is determined to get the information she wants no matter the cost.
Property of Cupid by Eva Lefoy
Will an ancient Greek god give up half his powers to love a mere human? Or will Cupid loose his golden arrow, letting Jeremy fall in love with another man?
Private Dance by A. M. Leibowitz
With Alex’s sexy boyfriend, Phin, gone for three weeks, there’s only one option: let his best friend’s kids lead him on a treasure hunt through town to find his Valentine’s gift waiting for him to unwrap.
The Last Mitzvah by Michael DuPuy
One man seeks salvation over love, death, and ice cream.
About the authors:
A. M. Leibowitz is a spouse, parent, feminist, and book-lover falling somewhere on the Geek-Nerd Spectrum. She keeps warm through the long, cold western New York winters by writing romantic plot twists and happy-for-now endings. In between noveling and editing, she blogs coffee-fueled, quirky commentary on faith, culture, writing, and her family at amleibowitz.com.

Adrian J. Smith, aka AJ, loves to write women, and specifically women who are strong, independent and fall in love with other women. She claims bisexuality but is probably closer to omnisexual. She’s a go with the flow type of person. She loves writing urban fantasy and creatures and powers of all different kinds. She also loves writing women in uniform, because let’s face it, a woman in uniform has an irresistible draw. Most of her stories have a romantic element, but if you want action, drama, plot with a hint of romance, she’s the author for you. Find her at adrianjsmith.wordpress.com.

Amber Kinsey is a part-time federal employee, full-time geek, and occasional writer. She lives in a suburb of Nashville, TN with her three cats: one is the light of her life; the other two are just little stinkers.

Eva Lefoy writes and reads all kinds of romance, and is a certified Trekkie. She’s also terribly addicted to chocolate, tea, and hiking. One of these days, she’ll figure out the meaning of life, quit her job, and go travel the galaxy. Until then, she’s writing down all her dirty thoughts for the sake of future explorers. You can find her blog at writery.wordpress.com.

Geonn Cannon is the author of On the Air, Gemini, World on Fire, The Following Sea, Tilting at Windmills, Only Flame and Air, Confused by Shadows, Chasing Dragons, What Matter Wounds?, Silence Out Loud, the Riley Parra series, Railroad Spine, Gunfire Echoes, the Underdogs series, Girls Don’t Hit, and The Rise and Fall of Radiation Canary. He also wrote an official tie-in novel for Stargate SG-1 titled “Two Roads” and contributed a Stargate Atlantis story to the “Far Horizons” anthology. An archive of free stories can be found at geonncannon.com. When he’s not writing, he’s asleep.

L. M. Perrin is an English major who writes fiction to break up the monotony of analyzing novels. She lives in Leelanau County, also known as Michigan’s pinky finger, with her dog and the occasional stray cat, and in her opinion there is nothing wrong with spending a night binging on Netflix and pizza. This is her first published piece.

Michael DuPuy, while not investigating epistemological dead ends, cultivates a greater understanding of the folly of man most often by recreating as many of such folly’s as possible through no intent of his own. Michael turned to writing as a method of perhaps extending his sanity and to justify his coffee consumption. If anything this tactic has backfired.

Rachael Orman: Mother by day. Writer by night. I spend a majority of my day with my children and reading while my nights are filled with the sound of the keyboard as I work on my next work. 

I have written in F/F, F/F/M, F/F/F and then of course F/M genres…. So, beware, I do not always have the most ‘traditional’ scenes. And one day I will venture into M/M, just have to find the time. 

I love to try new things and learn from every piece of work I write. I’ll write just about anything once to learn from it. I’ve even ventured out of my normal erotica genre into Monster Erotica. Doubt you’ll find me writing anything not erotic as you can barely get me to even read something out of that category, but then again, you never know what I might try next.

About the Publisher:
Supposed Crimes, LLC publishes fiction and poetry primarily featuring lesbian characters and themes. The focus is on genre fiction–Westerns, Science Fiction, Horror, Action–rather than just romance. That’s how we set ourselves apart from our competitors. Our characters happen to love women and kick ass.
“Supposed crimes” refers to the idea that homosexuality is outlawed, and that our authors are being subversive by writing. As times change this becomes more tongue-in-cheek, but can still apply broadly to our culture. Christians writing lesbians and men writing lesbians are also subversive ideas in this industry, and we promote people bending the rules.

Publisher: Supposed Crimes, LLC
Cover Artist: C.E. Case
Categories: LGBT fiction, Romance, Gay Romance, Lesbian Romance
Pages or Words: 35,000 words, 119 pages

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A New Man by P.D. Singer Blog Tour with Excerpt and Giveaway

NewMan[A]FSSenior year of college is for studying, partying, and having fun before getting serious about life. Instead, Chad’s days are filled with headaches and exhaustion, and his fencing skills are getting worse with practice, not better. Then there’s his nonexistent love life, full of girls he’s shunted to the friend zone. Is he asexual? Gay?

Grad student Warren Douglas could be out clubbing, but his roommate is better company, even without kisses. He’s torn up watching Chad suffer, gobbling ibuprofen and coming home early on Friday nights. If Chad weren’t straight, Warren would keep him up past midnight. They’re great as friends. Benefits might answer Chad’s questions.

A brief encounter with lab rats reveals Chad’s illness—he needs surgery, STAT, and can’t rely on his dysfunctional parents for medical decisions. Warren’s both trustworthy and likely to get overruled—unless they’re married. “You can throw me back later,” Warren says, and he may throw himself back after his husband turns out moody and hard to get along with, no matter how much fun his new sex drive is. Surgery turns Chad into a new man, all right…

…but Warren fell in love with the old one.
Excerpt:
On his feet now, Chad looked a little shaky. For a silent moment he stood, though it wasn’t clear whether he was forcing his body to behave or thinking.
“Uh. You’re a scientist…” Why did Chad make that sound like a question? Unless it was part of his medicine head. “I need some data.”
Oh. Oh!
Warren didn’t flinch or pull away when Chad leaned in. Both his hands rested on Warren’s upper arms, which didn’t keep him from lurching forward so fast Warren thought he’d get hit in the face. But no, he stopped short and came in slow for the last inch. Eyes open and questioning, he met Warren’s mouth in a smooth, gentle kiss. Lips not quite parted, he brushed against Warren, searching, not demanding.
What had gotten into him? Warren kissed back, not too startled to respond in kind, adding nothing that might frighten Chad away. He wouldn’t lift his arms, he wouldn’t offer tongue, but he would meet Chad’s mouth for as long as he was offered it. He had to tip his face up slightly and fight to stay in place when he wanted nothing more than to step forward into Chad’s arms, to plaster himself against that inviting chest, and thrust his tongue into the depths of Chad’s mouth.
Chad’s eyes were blue drowning to black, his pupils dilated widely. Questions, but not fear, dwelled behind his irises, questions that Warren wanted to answer for him. Yes, you like this, yes, you want more, yes, you want it with me. Yes.

Pages: 276

Buy from: Dreamspinner 

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PDThinkYouKnow

7 – What’s in your nightstand you don’t want anyone to see?

I shut the drawers for a reason, geez! Yes, there are toys. Yes, there’s some literature. And a “use in case of fire” face mask given to me by a brother-in-law after another brother-in-law’s house burnt down. No, I don’t expect it to truly save me in case of disaster, but the thought is there and it makes me feel cared about.

8 – What’s your favorite meal?
Sushi, so simple and yet exacting, and I love the textures.

Author Bio: 

P.D. Singer lives in Colorado with her slightly bemused husband, two rowdy teenage boys, and thirty pounds of cats. She’s a big believer in research, first-hand if possible, so the reader can be quite certain Pam has skied down a mountain face-first, been stepped on by rodeo horses, acquired a potato burn or two, and will never, ever, write a novel that includes sky-diving.

When not writing, playing her fiddle, or skiing, she can be found with a book in hand.
Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pd.singer.9
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/PDSingerbooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PD_Singer
Blog: http://PDSinger.com
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A New Man by PD Singer

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6025

new manBlurb

Senior year of college is for studying, partying, and having fun before getting serious about life. Instead, Chad’s days are filled with headaches and exhaustion, and his fencing skills are getting worse with practice, not better. Then there’s his nonexistent love life, full of girls he’s shunted to the friend zone. Is he asexual? Gay?

Grad student Warren Douglas could be out clubbing, but his roommate is better company, even without kisses. He’s torn up watching Chad suffer, gobbling ibuprofen and coming home early on Friday nights. If Chad weren’t straight, Warren would keep him up past midnight. They’re great as friends. Benefits might answer Chad’s questions.

A brief encounter with lab rats reveals Chad’s illness—he needs surgery, STAT, and can’t rely on his dysfunctional parents for medical decisions. Warren’s both trustworthy and likely to get overruled—unless they’re married. “You can throw me back later,” Warren says, and he may throw himself back after his husband turns out moody and hard to get along with, no matter how much fun his new sex drive is. Surgery turns Chad into a new man, all right…

…but Warren fell in love with the old one.

Review

Warren and Chad are roommates. Warren is gay and Chad is… well, Chad is having a lot of trouble defining himself.

Chad, since he was about 15, has been having debilitating headaches and some pretty debilitating erectile dysfunction. He doesn’t link the two, but instead worries about his “manliness”. He decides to conduct an experiment after his most recent female failure and his buddy Warren is happy to oblige.

Though it is far from perfect, Chad is definitely more aroused by Warren than any of the previous girlfriends he’s had and the two embark on an exploratory friends to lovers relationship.

But that isn’t all there is to be discovered. Chad’s headaches are getting worse and Warren and his friend convince Chad to go to the doctor to test a theory they have about the source of Chad’s problems.

It turns out Chad has a brain tumor and it is the probable source of all his physical ailments.

The surgery to remove the benign growth is tricky and there is a chance that Chad will be left a vegetable if it goes wrong. Knowing how his family feels about “pulling the plug”, Chad doesn’t want to be left in a vegetative state and he doesn’t trust his family to respect his wishes. To circumvent this, he and Warren sign all the appropriate Medical Health forms but also decide to get married so that Warren will really have his power of attorney.

Once the surgery has been successfully completed there a lot of changes Chad will go through. Essentially puberty, again. The question is – now that Chad is “a new man” will he still want to be with Warren. The other question is – will Warren still want to be with him?

**

What a unique book! PD Singer is nothing if not an amazing researcher. You can tell she must have done a bunch of serious investigating into this disease. It was fascinating!

There were times when I was certainly skeptical. Two college guys getting married for the sake of a power of attorney was definitely a little on the unrealistic side, but for the most part, the rest of the story seemed to fall within the realm of possibility.

I appreciated the “real” sex in this book, and that it wasn’t always hot and sweaty and joyous. There were some hardships the couple went through that just rang true and felt very authentic.

I was thoroughly captivated by this story and was waffling, right up til the end, right along with Warren on whether or not Chad would figure things out or was the whole relationship about to crumble before their eyes.

I really recommend this unique book and this fascinating look at a relationship.

Writing/Editing 5

Romance 4

Sex/Heat 4

Storyline 5

World Building/Characterizations 4

Overall 4.4 (rounded up to 4.5) of 5 hearts!

4.5

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The Trouble With Tony (Sex in Seattle #1) Audiobook by Eli Easton Narrated by Tommy O’Brien

Dreamspinner Presents: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6109

trouble tonyBlurb

As part of the investigation into the murder of a young woman, Seattle P.I. Tony DeMarco poses as a patient of Dr. Jack Halloran, the therapist who treated the victim at a Seattle sex clinic. This isn’t the first time Tony has gone undercover, but it’s the first time he’s wanted to go under covers with one of his suspects. He can’t help it –Jack Halloran is just the kind of steely eyed hero Tony likes. But he’ll have to prove Halloran’s innocence and keep the doctor from finding out about his ruse before he can play Romeo.
Dr. Halloran has his own issues, including a damaged right arm sustained in the line of duty as a combat surgeon in Iraq and the PTSD that followed. He’s confused to find himself attracted to a new patient, the big, funny Italian with the puppy-dog eyes, and Tony’s humor slips right past Jack’s defenses, making him feel things he thought long buried. But can the doctor and the P.I. find a path to romance despite the secrets between them?

Review

Jack is a Doctor and a war hero who has had to re-train from surgeon to sex therapist due to debilitating injuries.

Tony is an ex-cop, PI on the case of a murder of one of Jack’s former patients. Tony “pretends” to have a sex addiction and comes to Jack for “help” so that he can assess Jack as a suspect. Jack sees through the ruse and calls Tony’s bluff. Tony admits, finally, to having “a picky dick”. Meaning that he has trouble getting erections except with a very small pool of men who manage to stimulate his “picky dick”.

Jack agrees to take Tony on as a patient, though he is concerned because he is not sure Tony is still being honest and Jack is already too attracted to Tony for professional purposes.

Together Jack and Tony research possibilities for Tony’s “problem” and at the same time build a smoldering sexual tension.

Tony essentially rules Jack out fairly early as a suspect, but still must investigate the clinic and it’s employees as well as following other leads.

Finally, when Tony thinks he knows whodunit, he faces the task of convincing Jack to give their relationship a try.

**

So – you know – I love Eli Easton. I am a huge fan. This was one of the first books I read of hers after falling in love with Blame it on the Mistletoe. There are several things I loved about this book (especially listening to it again after having read it several times). I love the characters. They seem so real and down to earth. I love that I get to learn something about sex therapy and yet it was still a bit kinky at times too. Totally professional and not at all demeaning to the profession, but still acknowledging the sexual edge that is involved in such an intimate form of therapy.

I also loved the gradual exploration of the feelings between Tony and Jack. It felt real and natural. My only complaint was that after Jack and Tony got together we didn’t get to see much of them as a couple. There was definitely enough to believe in a HEA (and we see them in future novels as an established couple) but I wanted to see more of them here.

Narration

I had listened to Tommy O’Brien narrate before and thought he did a fine job.

I was so disappointed with this. There was little emotion and the very slight difference between Tony and Jack’s voices was not satisfactory. Tony is this great East Coast Italian guy and it would have been so fun to hear that come out in Tommy’s narration. There is some inflection and in fact Tony’s voice is the only emotion I felt in the story.

Writing/Editing 5

Romance 4

Sex/Heat 4.5

Storyline 5

World Building/Characterizations 5

Narration 3

Overall 4.5 hearts

4.5

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Quiet Nights (Mangrove Stories #2) by Mary Calmes

Dreamspinner presents: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6022

quiet nightsBlurb

It’s a lovely little life Kelly Seaton leads. He’s got his own landscaping business, a nice little house, and his best friend, Cosimo Renaldi, and Coz’s goofball family who have adopted Kelly as their own. Sure, it’s a little lonely at night, but it’s a sweet deal, and Kelly can’t chance ruining it by letting on that he wants more—has always wanted more—with Coz.
Then Kelly’s past comes to town, bringing bad memories and hurt feelings that start to break Kelly down, and Coz just doesn’t understand why Kelly won’t let him be the support and strength that Kelly’s always been for him. They’ve already been through war, Coz’s devastating injury, and starting new careers in Mangrove, Florida. Why shouldn’t they face their chaotic pasts and build their future of quiet nights… together?

Review

Oh Mary, how I love thee, let me count the ways!

This is the second book in her new Mangrove Stories series. So… yep we get to see Dwyer and Takeo again. (Yay!)

Kelly and Coz are best friends and have been since their days in the military. Kelly is Coz’s de-facto brother, his family disowned him for being gay. Kelly saved Coz’s life but Coz still lost an arm, and as a result still feels inadequate in the realm of romance.

Takeo actually is to be credited with pushing Kelly and Coz together, because it is his matchmaking endeavors that sort of push Coz into dating which makes Kelly so jealous he can’t see straight!

This is a short story, so we get a little build up and a little steamy smexy times and lots and lots of warm feels.

One of my favorite quotes from the book illustrates this exactly. Coz is talking to Kelly. “You’re who I think of telling shit to, who I miss even when I’m busy doing something and you’re who I want to roll over on top of in the morning.” See? Build up, smexy times, and lots of great feels!

PS I LOVE the cover – so beautiful and doesn’t Kelly look awesome?!

Writing/Editing 5

Romance 5

Sex/Heat 5

Storyline 4

World Building/Characterizations 5

Overall 4.8 rounded to 5 of 5 hearts!

5

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Izzy Van Swelm Soulmate for Sin Blog Tour with Character Interview and Giveaway

SoulmateForSinblog-badgeThe effects of an attack on SIN, a twenty-nine year old University lecturer, reach out further into his future than SIN could ever imagine. In a story, which seems doomed to start with an end, SIN learns about the forever kind of love, and how family is not just biological. ‘Soul-Mate for SIN’ shows how twists of fate can take a loving, but ordinary family, from a small market town in Lincolnshire, England and turn them into something extraordinary.

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Character Interview with Julie:

Hello, please tell us your name and who you are?
Hello. I’m Julie and I’m an Intensive Care nurse in a hospital in Nottingham, England.
Oh I see Gabriel is a nurse there too. Is that how you became involved with this book?
Yes, Gabriel is one of my best friends, we’ve known each other for donkey’s years, and we work together. I can’t really say how I became involved…Izzy would be upset…but I’m pretty close to Gabriel, SIN and SIN’s family and friends. They are pretty lovely people to know and be around.
Do you have a partner?
As a matter of fact I do at the moment and it’s going quite well. His name is Rob, he gets on very well with Snowy…that’s SIN’s dad. I think they stopped each other running out when we all went to The Rainbow Lounge? (Laughs)
Oh you’ve been there I’ve heard it’s very good?
Oh it is… it’s a gay bar and drag club but it’s pretty inclusive, although quite expensive. I don’t always go when SIN, Gabriel and the boys do, but I go when I’m free, with or without Rob …lol. I have a genuinely good night out whenever I go.
So what can you tell us about the book Soul Mate for SIN?
This is the bit I was dreading, as I really can’t tell you too much without giving away details that Izzy wants kept secret. I will say, I think it’s a lovely story …it contains several different examples of ‘love’ including romantic love of course. I will admit some of it made me laugh out loud while other bits…well I remember how we all felt at the time, so I was quite emotional. There are sexy bits, but of course I skimmed over those, well you don’t want to read about your friends’ sex lives do you? Okay, I read them and they were really hot… just don’t tell Gabriel and the others, right.
Thank you for your time Julie.
Oh, thank you. Is that it? Don’t I have to tell you my favourite colour, or boy band, or something?
Um…not really… do you want to?
Well that’s what they do in interviews for books isn’t it? Or is that music? Anyway, my favourite colour is purple, and my favourite boy band… well of course it’s One Direction! I’m totally a ‘Larry shipper’ and I’m not too old whatever, anyone says. (Glares) Shall I stop now…?
Please…
Oh okay then…Bye.

Meet more of the cast: 

SIN …………………………….Prism Book Alliance…………………………………..Tuesday 27th January 2015
Gabe…………………………..Diverse Reader…………………………………………Wednesday 28th Release Day
Snowy …………………………RJ Scott……………………………………………………Thursday 29th January 2015
Charlie …………………………Sinfully Sexy Books…………………………………..Friday 30th January 2015
Sally………………………………The Novel Approach…………………………………Saturday 31st January 2015
Prof McRae …………………..Rainbow Gold Reviews………………………………Sunday 1st February 2015
INTERVIEW WITH IZZY ….The Hat Party…………………………………………….Monday 2nd February 2015
WIN ……………………………….Hearts on Fire Reviews………………………………Tuesday 3rd February 2015
Miss Clitty Sparkles………..J.P. Barnaby………………………………………….Wednesday 4th February 2015
Danny…………………………….Love Bytes………………………………………………..Thursday 5th February 2015
Lady Charlotte……………….GGR………………………………………………………………Friday 6th February 2015

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Bio:

Izzy van Swelm is English, but took her Mother in Law’s maiden name as a pen name. Izzy dreams of a world where all sentient species have rights and respect. A world where LGBTQ lovers and friends, old and young, can walk holding hands meeting nothing more than the occasional affectionate eye roll. A world where intelligence, gentleness and compassion are the overwhelming attributes of politicians, and religion is practiced by those who believe, but never forced on those who do not.

 

Izzy is a romantic, a dreamer, a vegetarian and just a little eccentric. Izzy writes because she loves to tell stories, and she hopes that her stories will bring happiness, enjoyment and maybe to some…a little hope.

https://www.facebook.com/IzzyvanSwelm – Author Page
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007247866404 – Facebook