Category: Contemporary

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Fighting instincts by Mary Calmes

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FightingInstinct

Blurb

L’Ange: Book Two

Only a privileged few know L’Ange’s head of security Arman de Soto is a shifter, and even fewer know he’s been systematically killing off a pack of werewolves. The reason for this vengeance is a secret Arman trusts with no one, quite the opposite of his obvious longtime pursuit of the château’s overseer, Linus Hobbes. Despite Arman’s reputation as a loner, the only thing he needs to complete his life is Linus. Predator and prey just don’t mix—but Arman won’t give him up.

Linus has lived alone for more than seven years, sheltered at L’Ange under an assumed name and hiding secrets of his own, including his terrifying attraction to the most dangerous man he’s ever met. Arman knows Linus should be afraid of the predator stalking him, but Linus is still drawn to him like a moth to a flame, no matter how much he tries to deny his instincts. It’s not until Linus’s past and Arman’s crusade exposes their secrets and opens L’Ange to attack that Arman realizes waiting any longer is a risk he just can’t take. So he’ll have to take his quest to the source of the threat in a gamble to protect L’Ange, Linus, and any future they might have together.

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Review
We met Arman in Old Loyalty, New Love. He was the mysterious bodyguard who helped protect Roman and Quade. Though we were led to believe he was interested in a certain jackal named Tucker, we find out quickly that this was a red-herring, serving to stir jealousy in the heart of Linus.

Linus is the fastidious and cold caretaker of L’Ange. It’s clear he’s been abused in his past and we learn early on just how terrible that abuse was. Arman has been Linus’ protector and often his touchstone for years, but the time has come for that relationship to develop to its full potential and Arman isn’t waiting any longer.

Arman is a man of mystery. We don’t know what he is, though we all think he must be a shifter – it isn’t until quite a bit into the story that we figure out just what he is. (I think everyone will be surprised by the reveal!)

In addition to hiding who he is, he also hides what he does. We find out that he has an agenda- a vendetta really – of epic proportions. This vendetta makes him almost an anti-hero. He’s definitely not the typical perfect Alpha we have seen in other Mary Calmes’ stories. He’s got a dark side that he’s embraced fully.

Surprisingly, Linus is perfectly okay with this dark side and in fact, he too embraces the vendetta and we see some pretty significant changes in his personality as a result of this.

One of the things I really liked about this story was that Linus and Arman get together pretty early on. They work as a team for most of the story and it was imminently satisfying to watch their relationship grow and deepen while they worked together.

Though it might seem a bit blood-thirsty, the vendetta is explained really well and at no time did I feel that there was any other possible course of action than that which Arman took.

I really felt that in this “universe” the animal natures of the shifters were really well developed and “authentic”. These aren’t people who just happen to have the occasional “furry power” thrown in to explain insta-love and mating. They are truly unique beings with a different set of rules and personalities.

I loved that Roman wasn’t quite on board with the vendetta. Sure, he loves Linus and despised what happened to him, but he wasn’t born a shifter and he still sees things through a human lens and judges by a different rule-book.

Mary Calmes is amazing at world building and her shifter universe is unique, creative and very well developed. She isn’t afraid to stray from typical “shifter” lore and she draws us in with her own clever style.

The chemistry between Arman and Linus is scorching hot. Mary writes excellent sex scenes and the sexual tension and it’s subsequent release is phenomenal in Fighting Instinct.

I can’t wait to see what happens between Jon and Kelvin and hope to see book three in the very near future!

Though it isn’t the first time and it won’t be the last time I say it – I love Mary Calmes’ books and I highly recommend them all.

I give this 6 of 5 hearts

amazing

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Vixen’s Valor (North Pole City Tales #3) by Charlie Cochet

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5798

vixen

Rein Dear is a prestigious title, accompanied by admiration, devotion, and celebrity status, all of which one saucy Vixen thrives on. Alas, Vixen’s only concerned with having fun, unlike his stuffy and sensible best friend, Rudy Rein Dear, who Vixen has always been jealous of. Aside from being chosen by Mayor Kringle to be Captain the Rein Dear Squadron, Rudy’s managed to snag himself a prince, even if that prince is the dangerous and imposing Jack Frost.
All’s not lost for Vixen though. He discovers Jack’s cousin Vale has a soft spot for him. Vale Frost might not be a dashing prince, but he’s the next best thing: a decorated Lieutenant for the Toy Soldier Army, and a member of the Frost monarchy.

Determined to get what Vixen feels he deserves, he sets off on a mission to ensnare the kind-hearted lieutenant. But Vixen’s selfish ways are sure to lead to disaster, and it’ll take more than a little courage to set things right.

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Review

By now we’ve grown familiar with Charlie’s alternate Christmas world and if you haven’t read books one and two I highly recommend that you do. This can probably be read as a stand-alone, but it might not make as much sense and certainly won’t be as good without reading the other two.

Vixen is one of Rudy’s co-pilots and Vale is Jack’s cousin. Vixen is a … well, Vixen is a slut. He lost the love of his adoptive parents when they had a baby of their own (way to break my heart Charlie!) and he substitutes the arms of any willing male for that missing affection.

Vale is a quiet, studious soldier. He mostly follows the footsteps of his father and does nothing to stir trouble. He admires Vixen from afar, but never dares to push himself in among the throngs of admirers for fear of a trampled heart.

Vixen decides to set his cap for Vale when he considers that – with Jack officially off the market – Vale is the closest thing to a Prince Charming he’ll get. What he doesn’t figure on is that Vale is more than a step up the social ladder. He’s a good guy, warm, tender, and truly devoted to Vixen.

Jealousy causes Vixen to do something unthinkable and it ends up putting the entire kingdom at risk. In order to right the world, both Vixen and Vale must put their lives on the line and risk themselves and their hearts.

**

It was hard to like Vixen at first – as we are supposed to – he’s quite vain and shallow. But… there are hidden depths to him that we discover and pretty soon, we are rooting for him and Vale to make a love connection.

Vale is the perfect hero. Steadfast, true, honorable, but capable of making mistakes, just like the rest of us.

I really enjoyed the excitement and couldn’t read fast enough to see if Vixen could save the day.

The story moves quickly but there is just enough there to make all the characters feel really well developed and the plot gripping.

I hope we see more from this Christmas world and I highly recommend this book in the series.

I give it 4.5 of 5 hearts.

4.5

 

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Take You Home Audiobook by Cooper Davis Narrated by Brian Pallino

Audible Solutions Presents: http://www.audible.com/pd/Erotica-Sexuality/Taking-You-Home-Audiobook/B00PUXI2JS/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1417122448&sr=1-1

Taking You Home Audiobook (Sequel to Boys of Summer)

taking home

Blurb

The man on his arm isn’t nearly as scary as the man in the mirror. Hunter Willis’ “Guy Town” passport was stamped and in as good working order as his Harley. Like a good Midwestern jock, he’d ride that manly machine to his construction job every day, even throw back a few beers with the boys. Hockey and baseball filled out his single-dude weekends. Then, summer heat worked its magic, and he fell in love with his best friend, sexy stockbroker Maxwell Daniels. The Harley is still in the garage, but the man is definitely – and lustily – out of the closet. As in tearing the door off its hinges. Now that Hunter’s in love, he’s in all the way. Even proposed – and Max has accepted. But before their dream wedding in Vermont next spring, they must face the greatest danger to their perfect love. Meeting the family. It’s not just enduring the Daniels clan’s magnifying glass. It’s facing the deep, dark fears and secrets that are suddenly brought into sharp focus. Forcing them to decide if theirs is only a summer fling – or a love that can flourish even in the chill of winter.

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Review

This is the sequel to Boys of Summer and in a way it’s the bigger of the two books. In book one – we see how they met and the process they took to becoming a couple. We see a some of their angst – especially Hunter’s – as they go from identifying as “straight” to a gay relationship.

This is Maxwell’s journey. We meet his family, learn about his early forays into reading gay mags and wearing his sister’s dress. Together, he and Hunter face the family displeasure and disdain and then we see it gradually morph into acceptance and love.

Max also “tests” Hunter several times – making him prove his devotion as he takes him out clubbing and then again when Max becomes Maxine.

Some will find this over the top – full of ooey gooey love and emotion and light on plot. But… that’s where the two books taken together are such a remarkable pairing. Book one showed us what was one of the major hurdles (Max and Hunter coming together) but book two shows us how much more there is to the story.

I really enjoyed all the emotion and the quick build up to conflict and resolution as each “trial” for Hunter is easily met by his steadfast devotion. Max’s growth and emotional maturation from straight to gay is thorough. There is more depth to him than we glimpsed in book one and this explores all those early feelings and the hidden desires he had that he only now feels confident enough to share with Hunter.

It was an imminently satisfying book in that we never feel uncertain about the ending, but get to explore the nuances of their relationship so much more intricately.

The sex was scorching hot. Let’s not forget that. Scorching.

I also thought the time with Maxine was done very well. What an interesting dichotomy. Max both loves and hates that Hunter was attracted to Maxine and Hunter has to handle that so delicately and he does with tremendous aplomb.

It was also very satisfying to see them all the way through the wedding. Such a nice neat bow tied off for us.

Brian Pallino continues to do an excellent job with the narration and I really enjoy listening to his voice.

I give both the book and the narration a 4.5 of 5 and I would highly recommend the book and the series.

4.5

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The Heart of Frost (North Pole City Tales #2) by Charlie Cochet

Dreamspinner Presents:

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4517

heart frostBlurb

At the North Pole, no one is more powerful and feared than the Prince of Frost. As general of the toy soldier army, Jack Frost has been working extra hard to put away the villainous Mouse King once and for all. If that isn’t taxing enough, Jack has to deal with the scandal and gossip brought on by news of his relationship with Rudy Rein Dear, captain of the Rein Dear Squadron, which hit headlines last holiday season. Lucky for Jack, his reputation has managed to deter any foolish attempts to stir up trouble. At least until now.
When someone sabotages Rudy’s plane during a test run a few weeks before Christmas, Jack is determined to find the culprit by any means necessary. The closer he gets to finding answers, the more difficulty he has not falling back to his icy ways. Has the Mouse King stepped up his game in order to throw Jack off his, or is someone a little closer to home behind the attempt on Rudy’s life? Either way, Jack has every intention of delivering a Christmas they won’t soon forget, even if it means losing the newfound warmth in his heart.

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Review

In book one (Mending Noel) we met Jack and Rudy, an already established couple, in love and helping two Christmas Elves in trouble. The author introduced us to her sometimes hysterical, sometimes tongue in cheek, always creative and sometimes exciting alternate or adjacent world in the North Pole. Kringle is the Superior Being and Jack Frost is the Prince of the land, his father the king. Rudy is a Rein Dear, a pilot for Kringle, of course.

(You can definitely read this as a stand alone, but I suggest reading the series in order for the most enjoyment.)

In book two we learn more of Rudy and Jack’s back-story. Before Rudy, Jack had a heart so frozen he had no compassion and was feared throughout all the land. Rudy came along and thawed that heart, showing him love. At this point in the story, they’ve been a couple for hundreds of years, but only recently have they become public knowledge. Rudy has just moved into the castle and his presence is causing lots of trouble.

Rudy ends up in a suspicious accident and Jack ends up with a frozen heart again. Now it’s up to Rudy and his friends to try to unfreeze that heart before it’s too late.

**

This was not nearly as light hearted as book one. Jack has a dark side and we see a lot of it in this story. The heat between Jack and Rudy a little hotter in this book but it’s still pretty tame.

I absolutely love the Christmas-isms and the different roles all our favorite characters play in this alternate reality. How can you not laugh at curses like Holy Holly?!

Because they were an already established couple, the “romance” was a little less the focus and the drama more compelling than in book one, but it was still very tender and sweet.

I’m really enjoying these novellas and highly recommend them to anyone looking for a light holiday read full of fun and magic.

I give it 4 of 5 hearts.

4

 

 

 

 

 

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Wild Magic Audiobook by Poppy Dennison Narrated by Robert G Davis

Dreamspinner Presents:  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4944

wild magicBlurb

Triad: Book Four

Joseph Anderson was heartbroken when his childhood best friend Dominick Levent moved away. Years later, Joseph is a successful real estate broker with good friends, an easy smile, and a stunning house. When he finds a dying mountain lion who miraculously shifts into Dominick’s sister, Joseph must find Dominick and reunite him with the two young sons she left behind.

When mountain lion shifter Dominick gets a call telling him his sister is dead, he rushes home to protect his nephews and avenge his sister. Seeing Joseph brings back the feelings Dominick tried to bury and he dares to hope Joseph’s newfound knowledge of shifters means they can finally be together.

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Review

Joseph “Joey, stumbles upon his childhood friend and her two children, just as she’s morphing from a mountain lion into a dying woman. Wow! Talk about a mind melter! With her dying breath she asks Joey to take the kids and find her brother (his other childhood friend Dominick “Nicky”) because the kids are in danger.

Though he is thoroughly freaked out, he does as told with the help of his friend Vicky.

When Nicky hears about his sister’s death he’s torn up but he’s also a bit relieved because now he can share with his friend all the secrets he’d been hiding. It was those secrets that drove him away from Joey all those years ago. The secrets and his feelings for Joey.

Together, Nicky and Joey must figure out how to track the killer of Nicky’s sister, raise the “cubs” without a pack, keep the whole shifter thing a secret while both of them are at work and manage to confront the simmering feelings between the two of them.

Nicky manages to stumble on to Gray and Simon’s pack through a work related investigation and that leads him to the answers to several of his problems. He and Joey also manage to figure things out between the two of them and we are left with a very HEA.

**
I just loved the Triad series. I loved watching Gray and Simon’s slowly developing relationship, the intense world building, the climactic finish… all of it.

I’m not sure what happened here.

Joey and Nicky’s story as a couple felt like barely a footnote. It isn’t until 85% in that they even get together physically. Most of the book is about Nicky the boys and their need for a pack. That aspect was very interesting and I loved the tie-in to Gray’s pack and the involvement of Riley, but the story (for a m/m romance) felt really lopsided.

My need for Joey and Nicky to work on their relationship, to develop their relationship, to have a relationship was essentially given one chapter of 15 and could be described as anemic at best.

Watching Nicky find a place in the world again was fulfilling and I was so happy everyone found a home in the end, but I was disappointed by how little Joey impacted the ending.

Overall, I wouldn’t say this added much to the series and as a stand-alone was not very satisfying at all.

I give the book a 2.5 of 5 hearts

2.5

Audio:

I found Robert G Davis’ narration to be of equal quality as his previous work. He still does a great job with dialog but has a tendency to lilt upward on his sentences in a way that can sometimes be distracting.

The sound quality and editing were good and I enjoyed listening to the book more than reading it as he does add to the experience with his voice changes and modulations.

(I still really love his kid voices!)

I give the narration a 4 of 5 hearts

4

 

Overall, I give it a 3 of 5 hearts

3

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My Mate Jack by Garrett Leigh

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5781

mate jackBlurb

Will Barter’s been in love with his best mate Jack for as long as he can remember. They’ve shared everything: love, life, laughs, even Will’s first kiss. But Jack’s straight, and Will’s long-buried infatuation means nothing until their last summer together draws to a close.

Then one night, everything changes, but with Will bound for university in Leeds, and Jack for his dream DJ job in Ibiza, there’s no time to explore their blurred lines. Before long all that’s left are secrets, lies, and misunderstandings.

In the months that follow, anger and hurt overshadow fifteen years of friendship, and Will must dig deep to remember Jack is his mate… his best mate, and nothing matters more than that, right?

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Review

As the blurb lays it out – Will’s been gay since he can remember and Jack’s been okay with it all along. Jack has always been “straight” though, and Will has had to be content to crush on him from afar… or not so far. Turns out that Jack’s willing to “help” Will now and then in his route to sexual maturity. Surely a kiss is a kiss is a kiss – right? And – well – everyone needs some sort of sexual experience before they head off to be an “adult” – right?

Needless to say, these helpful sessions do nothing but blur the edges between friend and lover, between gay and straight, between experimentation and reality.
We follow the friends over a 6 year period of time. Some of that time is spent together as teen-agers – some is long distance via texts and emails as young adults. Will is going to university near home and Jack is living his dream as a DJ in Ibiza.

Whenever the boys meet up in person, things shift and change. Sometimes it feels like they are growing more and more apart – then at times it feels like no one will ever be as close as the two of them together.

Finally, things between them hit a rough patch. Jack’s career isn’t as stellar as he’d hoped and his life in Ibiza isn’t all he’d wanted it to be. Will’s love life has never been as satisfying as the times he’s spent “experimenting” with Jack.

Both Will and Jack have to face facts and be honest with themselves, or they might just lose the best thing that ever happened to both of them.

**

First, let me just gush over all the “British”. I love it!

Second, let me gush about the way the story is developed. Intermingled with “real time” experiences when the boys are together, we see the passage of time via emails and texts. Needless to say neither boy is a poet or prone to wordy letters and a lot of emotion and angst is transmitted in a few words – or specifically in what doesn’t get said. Very elegant way to show time passing.

Third, let me gush about the love story. Just the right amount of angst. I kept feeling like the breakthrough was just around the corner and had to keep reading. When would Jack figure it out?! When would Will call Jack on his B.S.?! How could either of them be so blind? It. Was. Delicious! I adore GFY and when it’s friends to lovers like this…. Cream of the crop! I loved that even at the end we are left to wonder… is Jack gay or bi?!?! (And the sex… super hot!)

Fourth, Drum and Bass – say no more!

This was my first ever Garrett Leigh book but it won’t be my last. I really, really loved this book and give it a 5 of 5 hearts.

5

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AE Via Spotlight Tour for Here Comes Trouble with Giveaway

HERE COMES TROUBLE MASTER COVER (1)Detectives Mark Ruxsberg and Chris Green are very good at their jobs. Being the enforcers for God and Day’s notorious Atlanta PD Narcotics Task Force causes the crazy duo to get into more trouble than they can often get out of. The pair never misses out on an opportunity to drive their Lieutenants crazy with their dangerous, reckless, and costly stunts, landing them in the hot seat in front God… often.

Ruxs and Green love their jobs and they don’t mind the very demanding schedule that leaves them little time for socializing or dating. It was fine with them, they enjoyed hanging out with each other anyway.

However, most of the men in their close circle of friends and colleagues are pairing off and settling down. God has Day, Ro has Johnson, and their Sergeant Syn has Furious.

For the past several years, Ruxs has only sought out the advice and company of one person, his partner and best friend Green, and vice versa. Both of these alpha males are presumed straight, but neither can deny the heat that’s building in their once ‘just friends’ relationship.

Excerpt:

   Ruxs yanked open the first drawer and dug his hand in to yank out the shirts he had in there. The first one he pulled out was brand new, still with the tag on it. He blinked a couple times, trying to remember buying a new shirt. He unfolded the soft cotton material and saw it was the exact same black AC/DC shirt that he’d ruined at his mom’s house when he was washing dishes. Obviously, Green had immediately ordered him another one. Fuck. Ruxs plopped down on the bed clutching the shirt in his hand. Ruxs groaned. “Why does he have to be straight?”
“Who said I was?” Green’s smooth voice wafted over him like a warm blanket. Is that supposed to be another joke? Ruxs closed his eyes, wishing things could be different.
Ruxs tensed as he heard Green’s footsteps come closer. He felt him standing in front of him, but he couldn’t look at him. Ruxs was humiliated again. He should’ve just admitted to himself that he wasn’t good enough for a man like Green, even if he was gay. He’d been halfway beat to death by his own goddamn mother. Now he had busted into his house a huge, drunken mess.         No one —.
“Shut up.” Green’s voice was dark and stern. “You’re actually gonna sit here and have a fuckin’ pity party for yourself. That’s not the man—”
Ruxs cut Green off, jumping to his feet, barking in his partner’s face. “Fine! Then I won’t st —”
“Sit your fuckin’ ass down!” Green yelled back louder, bumping his chest, making Ruxs fall back down on the bed. Ruxs grunted at the pain in his back, in his head… in his heart.
He didn’t quite know what to do when Green stepped in between his legs. Ruxs didn’t know why he was breathing so hard either… he just was. He felt a strong hand grip his face, tilting his head up. He stared into Green’s dark eyes. Beautiful eyes. Green looked at him like he was the most important thing in the world. God, Ruxs would do anything for this man to want him back as much as he wanted him. Green stroked the cheek with the bruise and Ruxs flinched lightly. Green didn’t talk, he just manipulated his head, turning him left and right, surveying his injuries. Then Green did something that had Ruxs’ last reserve cracking. He gently cupped the back of his head and brought him forward until Ruxs cheek was resting on his hard stomach. “Hold me back,” Green whispered.
Ruxs’ arms felt like they weighed a ton. He managed to put both arms around the man in front of him, and when he did his whole world crashed down around him. Everything that had been weighing him down the last few weeks. All the pain of wanting something permanent in his life. The hurt of losing his mom forever. He squeezed Green to him, held on to him for dear life. Held him like he’d die if he let go. And Green held him right back, whispering quietly, “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay now. I’ve got you. I never meant to hurt you. I swear. I didn’t know. I promise you I didn’t. I never would’ve gone out with her. Why didn’t you just tell me? Damn you.”
Ruxs finally calmed after several minutes and looked up at him. “What are you saying, Chris?”
Green went down on his knees so he was eye level with him. “I’m saying: Why didn’t you talk to me, Mark? How long have you been feeling like this?”
“Long enough to drive me crazy.” Ruxs laughed humorlessly.
Green stared at him. He put his hands on Ruxs cheeks. “Com’ere,” he whispered.
Ruxs’ eyes widened slightly, his voice a hushed murmur, “Are you gay?”
Green smirked. “Are you? Just shut up and come here.”

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AUTHOR BIO:

A.E. Via is still a fairly new author in the beautiful gay erotic genre. Her writing embodies everything from spicy to scandalous. Her stories often include intriguing edges and twists that take readers to new, thought-provoking depths.
When she’s not clicking away at her laptop, she devotes herself to her family—a husband and four children, her two pets, a Maltese dog and her white Siamese cat, ELynn, named after the late, great gay romance author E. Lynn Harris.
While this is only her sixth novel, she has plenty more to come. So stalk her – she loves that – because the male on male action is just heating up!
Go to A.E. Via’s official website http://authoraevia.com for more detailed information on how to contact her, follow her, or a sneak peak on upcoming work, free reads, and where she’ll appear next.

Links

Amazon Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Here-Comes-Trouble-Nothing-Special-ebook/dp/B00Q3UI6VG/ref=zg_bs_7588788011_12

AllRomance: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html

Barnes&Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/a.-e.-via

Author Official Website: http://authoraevia.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7354860.A_E_Via

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/aeviaauthor

Facebook (Friend me): https://www.facebook.com/authoraevia

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorAEVia

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/A.-E.-Via/e/B00GMNMS4U/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

#01 Here Comes Trouble (Teaser 2)

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King of Me by RA Kaitland

Dreamspinner Presents:  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5837KingofMe

Blurb

Cast out of his clan of shifters and with no family of his own, Anton Cedwell wants nothing more than to be accepted by his partner Sean’s family when the two of them visit over Christmas. But Sean’s powerful father, Flavius, isn’t happy his son chose a shifter as a mate, and Sean is hiding secrets from Anton. When Sean is attacked by rival weres, Anton hopes Sean’s family will finally see the depth of his commitment and how far he’s willing to go to protect the man he loves.

 

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Review

This is a fascinating world. Anton is a shifter but Sean and his family are… something else, very powerful. In this short story we get politics, magic and power, intrigue, a fight scene and… some really hot sex, too!

Since the couple is already established, we already know they are committed to one another, but this short story shows us just how committed they are and what that means to their families and their community.

I really wished this was a longer story because so much happened in so little space that just as I got a handle on Kaitland’s “universe” the story’s over.  The “King of Me” aspect was really touching – I loved all that it implied with such a simple phrase.

The chemistry and devotion between Sean and Anton was electric and their scene on the ride was very erotic. I really enjoyed this glimpse and hope to see more about this world in a longer book.

4 of 5 hearts

4

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Hummingbird House by Kenzie Cade

Dreamspinner Presents: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5839

hummingBlurb

Trent returns to his family’s ancestral home, where he experienced his first kiss and first heartbreak.

To honor his grandmother’s final request, Trenton Appleton drops everything to visit the family’s ancestral home: Hummingbird House, where he experienced his first kiss and first heartbreak with Callum Eason.

Eight years ago, confused by his attraction to Trent, Callum reacted badly. But with help he never expected, Callum found himself and learned to accept who he was.

Now Trent is back at Hummingbird House, and Callum has his opportunity to salvage their friendship, at least. But Trent is less receptive than he was all those years ago. Still, Callum is determined to show Trent he has changed and keep his promise to Trent’s grandmother. When past mistakes repeat themselves, Callum must break the cycle before his last chance with Trent passes him by.

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Review

Trent just lost his “Grammy” Astrid who rescued him from his disastrous parents, raised him, then finally succumbed to Alzheimer’s disease. She’s left him the ancestral house in England where she and he spent many summers and the occasional winter.

When he returns to England with Astrid’s ashes, he runs into his childhood crush, Callum. He and Callum had grown up together as best friends, but when Trent kissed him as a teen-ager, Callum panicked, then crushed Trent by flaunting a girlfriend in front of him the next time they were together. Though Trent has tried to form new relationships he hasn’t been able to get over Callum and caring for Astrid has kept him pretty solitary for most of his life.

Callum, meanwhile, finally admitted he was gay and has been feeling horrible for the way he treated Trent all those years ago. He’s grateful to have the opportunity to make amends and he has high hopes that they may even get a second chance at a relationship.

**

This is another great holiday story and takes place in England, so it has that fairytale quality to it that seems to go so nicely with Christmas. The ancestral Hummingbird House has a lovely prophesy that links ownership of the house to true love, and it looks like Trent and Callum will fulfill it.

I really enjoyed the secondary characters as well and the method of letter writing used by the author to bring Astrid into the story.

It was very well writte, sweet and sexy, Christmas tale!

I really loved it and give it 5 of 5 hearts.

5

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There Is No Fear (The Knight Cycle #3) by Michael J. Bowler

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The most famous boy in the world is a prisoner. He’s been charged with a crime he didn’t commit, a crime that could send him to prison for the rest of his life. Languishing within The Compound, the most secure juvenile facility in California, while the district attorney vows to make an example of him because of his celebrity status, Lance must endure the daily indignities of the incarcerated.

New Camelot is fractured without him. Ricky and Chris are bereft, living for the weekly phone call that becomes their only lifeline to the brother they so desperately love, while Arthur and Jenny feel the loss of their son with a sadness that can’t be quelled. And what about Michael, the highly volatile teen who helped write the proposition that will change California forever? Could he really be the monster he says he is? His hatred of Ricky is palpable, and his instability may well threaten the lives of everyone at New Camelot.

As the election looms closer, Proposition 51 takes on an even greater significance in light of the pending trial of the century. The more harshly fifteen-year-old Lance is treated within the broken justice system, the more he contemplates the wisdom of his idea that children need more adult rights. If The Child Voter Act becomes law, won’t it simply allow adults to throw more kids into prison with impunity?

Whichever way the voters decide, his greatest fear remains the same: will he ever again be with the people he loves?

The Knight Cycle Continues…

Kimi’s thoughts:

While working hard to secure children’s rights, with the choice before state voters to either always treat kids 14 and up as adults or always as children, Lance finds himself becoming an unwitting poster child for the criminal justice system. Once again Bowler casts a frank eye at the unpleasant side of what reality is like for too many of today’s youth and makes us look it square in the face. Lance’s experience shows the good with the bad, making for a balanced look that challenges the reader to consider how things can be improved, benefitting society at large as well as the individual.

Lance continues with his struggle for identity and the situation he finds himself in doesn’t help matters. It does however give him a lot of time to think. What makes a person a monster? Does a person doing something horrible make them irredeemable? And what about doing one thing to redress one wrong, while unintentionally opening the door for more possible abuse? Lance’s very incarceration is thanks to such an occurrence, from laws designed to keep dangerously violent offenders off the streets trickling down to children who only MAY have committed a violent crime. It’s a study in the very nature of checks and balances and the need to look at the individual and the facts before to rushing to judgements, whether personal or legal. It’s also a good hard look at the nature of love and of self acceptance. Kimi deems it another must read for both youths and adults.

Rating: 4.5

kimisig

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