Category: Era

Posted on

Promises 2 (Bounty Hunters #2)

 

Reviewed by Kiwi

image

TITLE: Promises 2

SERIES: Bounty Hunters

AUTHOR: A.E. Via

PUBLISHER: Via Star Wings

LENGTH: 280 pages

RELEASE DATE: March 20, 2016

EXCERPT: Quick finally stepped inside his office and Cayson immediately saw the large bouquet of orange roses in Quick’s other hand.
“These are, um. For you. I wanted to apologize for coming on so strong the other night. I thought you were attracted to me, but I didn’t mean to jump to conclusions. I let my best friend and son talk my head up sometimes.” Quick looked slightly embarrassed while he handed over the big bush.
It was already in a very masculine but pretty brown and tan vase that fit Cayson’s office décor well. He took the heavy arrangement and set it on the low mahogany file cabinet in front of his window. He couldn’t help but stare at the flowers.
“The florist said that orange roses represent desire and enthusiasm, so after I told her my story, this is what she recommended.” Quick shrugged like it meant nothing, but Cayson could see the thought he’d put into the gift, not to mention, men didn’t bring other men flowers very often.
He wanted to show his appreciation to Quick, but he wasn’t going to drop to his knees to do it. Those days were gone. Cayson ran his hand over his sweater vest, wishing he’d worn the tie with it, but he hadn’t expected company. He sat back in his seat and gestured for Quick to sit across in one of the cushioned chairs. The man towered over everything.
“You h-have a real nice office. Lots of um, books.” Quick shook his head and squinted like he’d regretted what he’d just said. “Duh, of course you read a lot.”
“Yes.” Cayson laughed, the sound alien to him. “I do read a lot. Have to.” Cayson was shocked at Quick’s discomfort, his stuttering and stammering were really eye opening to him. It gave Quick the appearance of vulnerability.
“Of course you do.” Quick fidgeted in his seat and Cayson finally looked at him. He had on dark black jeans that squeezed in all the right places, the black t-shirt with the Duke’s Bail Bonds logo over the right pec, and damn, did all that muscle stretch out the lettering. Quick kept on his leather coat and Cayson licked his lips, wondering if Quick had a lot of weapons hidden on his body. He wouldn’t mind searching him from head to toe and checking… Shit, shit, shit. Stop it. He had to stop thinking so sexually when no one wanted him that way.
“Look, Doc. I’m not good at this, okay. I’m not as good looking as Duke and I’m not smooth like my son. I like you and I have no clue on what I’m supposed to say to get you to believe me or forgive me for being an ass before. I hope the flowers helped, though.” Quick was nervously tapping a couple fingers on his knee while he spoke. “I, um. I was married before to a woman. I was lying to myself all through my senior year in high school, and then next thing I know my beard girlfriend is pregnant, so I did the right thing. I never got a real opportunity to explore the other side of my sexuality. Everything was all about Vaughan when he was born.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Cayson asked. He hoped it wasn’t rude, but he needed to know.
“Because I’m sorry and I’m trying to get another chance.” Quick’s brow turned down determinedly. “I don’t know how to date a man – what to say, what not to say – so I was hoping you’d cut me some slack. Obviously, I wasn’t saying the right things before and surprisingly, there was nothing on YouTube to really help me.”
“No. No, you weren’t saying the right things,” Cayson agreed before wrinkling his nose. “I’m sorry… did you say YouTube?”

BLURB: Roman “Quick” Webb is one badass bounty hunter on the crime­filled streets of Atlanta. He’s fearless when it comes to carrying out his dangerous job alongside his longtime best friend and business partner, Duke. However, there is one thing that has begun to cause Quick concern and it’s the dreadful thought of living out the rest of his life alone. Seeing his best friend and his son fall in love and sharing the special connection that only true soulmates can, has made him all the more aware of what’s lacking in his life.

Love.

Dr. Cayson Chauncey has been wildly attracted to the big, tattooed hunter for almost a year, ever since he performed the surgery that saved Quick’s best friend’s life. Cayson must’ve mistaken Quick’s gratitude for something more, because the one time he tried to make his desires known, he was harshly rebuffed and left on the man’s doorstep feeling stupid for hitting on an obviously very straight man.

Cayson never dated a man who was willing to come out of hiding and be with him. Now at almost forty, Cayson is intent on no longer being anyone’s dirty secret. Having experienced countless disappointments, and having taken a stand not to fall for any more tricks, Cayson is more than a little skeptical when Quick comes around asking for a second chance to prove himself. The gorgeous man had already made it clear he was definitely uninterested in Cayson… or so he’d thought.

Dr. Chauncey stirred up Quick’s suppressed, most carnal desires from a place deep down inside of him. He’d reacted so badly the first time that now his sexy surgeon wanted nothing to do with him. It was going to take a fair amount of patience and a whole lot of wooing involved as Quick sets out to convince Cayson that he’s worth another chance and that he is the brave lover who Cayson has been looking for.

With a scorned ex and a very dangerous job thrown into the mix, Cayson’s happiness and all of Quick’s promises may not be as easy to keep as they’d hoped.

PARTS ONE AND TWO IN THIS SERIES CAN BOTH BE READ AS STANDALONES. THERE ARE NO CLIFFHANGERS IN EITHER BOOKS.
imageREVIEW: This is the eagerly awaited second book in Bounty Hunters series. This book continues with Vaughn’s father Roman ‘Quick’ Webb and the doctor that saved Duke’s life Dr. Cayson Chauncey.

To say that this book is good would be a gross understatement. I didn’t like this book. I LOVED this book and this series. In fact, I simply adore all of her work, her series as well as her standalone works. And to think that this series sprang from another series which was a spin off from one book, much like the branches of a tree. This is the truly the mark of a talented writer. To be able to take an idea and expand on it to the level that she did is nothing short of amazing.

I think of this author as a five star chef. She goes into her kitchen, aka writing cave and come out with these deliciously exciting, steamy and extremely well written books. Well, once again, she ‘put her foot in the pot’ with this creation. This story picks up beautifully where the last book leaves off with Roman already deciding he was going to stop fighting his attraction to the handsome doctor who saved his best friend’s life and pursue him. And this is what I truly loved about this book. The author didn’t shy sway from or erase the fact that Rome was bisexual. It wasn’t something he ‘discovered’ when meeting the gorgeous doctor and it wasn’t a GFY storyline. It was a mature man who always knew who he was but just never had the opportunity to explore that part of himself. The author put it out there; it was acknowledged and that was refreshing.

There were so many exciting events in this book that will capture and hold your attention. It is two hundred and eighty pages of wonderful dialogue, character development, storyline and plot.

Dr. Chauncey is this brilliant and beautiful physician who like everyone else, wants someone to call his own. You get the sense that he’s not good at making friends due to his many busy years of medical school. Here you have this gorgeous man, brilliant doctor with a great personality who couldn’t find anyone who appreciate what he had to offer. He meets and is immediately attracted to Quick but was rebuffed after an innocent flirtation. Cayson was determined not to make that mistake again and keeps his distance from the sexy bounty hunter.

Roman was immediately attracted to Cayson but he wasn’t prepared for it at the time causing him to reacting badly and to take it out on Cayson. He immediately regretted it afterwards and after talking with and seeking advice from his best friend and son decides it was time to explore that side of himself and pursue the doctor.

I love the wonderful and loving relationship he has with his son. It is one built on both love and respect. Roman is this big, strong and confident man who has flaws but one who willing to set aside his pride to not only seek but follow the advise from his son and best friend. The fact that he was man enough to admit that no, he didn’t know the first thing about pursuing or romancing a man.

The supporting characters are wonderfully written. She brilliantly tells these men’s stories yet still manage to keep focus on the story’s MCs. The situation with Cayson’s closeted ex was got so out of hand and the series of events he set off was absolutely crazy; it was a right and proper mess. This man caused so much unnecessary drama and mayhem, it was ridiculous and made for a great story.

Characters from other books in the series made s brief appearance: God and that damn crazy Day, Judge from the first book. There were a few lines in the book that had me laughing out loud and this is what I like about her work. She writes these serious books but there is this dash of humor in them that sharpens the delicious delivery of it. Like a pinch of salt into something sweet to enhance the taste.

This author is extremely talented; she is incapable of writing a bad book. What I admire about this author is that she’s constantly striving for perfection with her work. There has been more than one occasion where she has gone back and re-edited, added and republished her previous works. That’s the sign of an author that takes pride in her craft.

The book is a work of art from the cover to beautiful cover and everything in between and one that I highly recommend.

 

RATING: ???AMAZING???

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

ARe

Kobo

 

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS: 

Facebook

Twitter

Webpage

Goodreads

 

AUTHOR’ S BIO: 

A.E. Via graduated in May of 2008 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Virginia Wesleyan College. She’s a new author to 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, A.E. runs a very successful paralegal-for-hire business and in her spare time, 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 ELynn Harris. While Blue Moon is her first novel, she has plenty more to come…so sit back and grab a cool drink, because the male on male action is just heating up!

image

https://kimichanexperience.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/image2.jpg
Posted on

Hoofbeats by A.J. Marcus and Nicold Godfrey

HoofbeatsLGFrom Dreamspinner:

After a run of bad luck, gifted horse trainer Cole Frasier thinks he’s lost his touch. When he’s offered three times his normal rate to gentle a stallion, he needs the money badly enough he jumps at the opportunity, even if his boss is of questionable morality.

Once he meets Midnight Blood, he knows there’s something special about the horse, but he doesn’t know how special until he begins sharing dreams with the magnificent steed.

Derek Dancing Hawk is a horse shifter trapped in his horse form due to guilt over losing the wild herd he was guarding. When he meets Cole, as Midnight Blood, he wants to find a way to be human again. During a fight between Cole and the ranch foreman, he manages to shift and save Cole, but his transformation from horse to human is captured on camera. This not only gives Cole’s boss blackmail material, but also creates the need to warn the horse shifter council of the threat to their anonymity. The existence of shifters is a closely guarded secret, one they will go to great lengths to keep.

 

Kimi’s thoughts:

I was looking forward to reading tis as it’s a shifter story that is a bit different, what with it being a horse shifter and a trainer. It was an easy read and I really enjoyed it, though I will say it felt a bit rushed. We’re only given snippets of the past in brief paragraphs, no real backstory until the very end. The ending felt a bit uneven in the writing as well. I see this written by not one, but two authors, and it shows in the way the storytelling wanders a bit and then the pieces are all stuck together in the end.

 

The angst is palpable when reading about Cole, but I failed to completely connect with Derek as he was not presented quite as three dimensionally. A lot of reiteration on the single occurrence that led to his traumatic shift and being stuck in his horse form, but not much else really seems to go on besides avoiding Cole and then wanting to get it on with Cole, until the last quarter of the book. Likewise, the mystic aspect with the coyote was fascinating, but strangely left more questions than answers, and not just in the way that book perhaps intended. I think if the book had been expanded bit to explore more of the backstory and given more page time to coyote and other secondary characters who became suddenly important in the end, it would have been a much better book. As it is, it’s a good book, just not a great one.

 

Rating: 3.5

Posted on

Sentries Bundle by Elizabeth Noble

SentriesElizabethNoble

From Dreamspinner:

Three hundred years ago, natural disaster reformed the face of North America, and the people who lived in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains would never be the same.

Now, the master/slave bond in New Colorado has become a sacred rite of service, protection, and, sometimes, for the lucky, love. Follow Nick and his beloved Master, Todd Ruger, a sentry of the territories, as they struggle to survive together amid the collision of old superstition, new beliefs, territorial war, and the ever-present danger of the natural and supernatural frontier.

 

Kimi’s thoughts:

First off, I’m going to come out and say it: This may be listed as BDSM, but it most definitely is NOT. It’s a literal master/slave relationship, with one human being purchased by another, with no choice in the matter. Other than some light bondage play (being tied to a bed post) and light playful spanking, there is nothing to suggest BDSM in the least. It is a well written alternative reality piece though that often reminded me of Supernatural, with hunters and ghosts, demons and what not, not to mention the snarky conversation, only this time, it’s mostly between the two lovers. It was an enjoyable romp  that thankfully did not glamourise slavery (it dealt with a lot of the psychological effects of it, the demeaning attitudes, and so on and did so by weaving them into the story naturally).

Not that this was by any means a perfect read. The main niggle for me is that the final book ended on a note that left me expecting more, but apparently there isn’t. That doesn’t stop me from recommending this series though. Bought as a bundle, instead of spending nearly $35 on the individual titles, the cost is instead just under $10. Bargain! If you’re looking for a sweet romance with a meaty plot and mild angst, this may be just the set you’re looking for.

Rating: 4

kimisig

Posted on

The Stolen Suitor by Eli Easton

StolenSuitor[The]

From Dreamspinner:

His future was set until a thief stole his heart.

All of Clyde’s Corner, Montana, knows local dandy Chris Ramsey will marry Trix Stubben, young widow and heir to the richest ranch in the area. But one woman isn’t too keen on the idea. Mabe Crassen wants to get her hands on that ranch, so she sets her older son to court Trix, and her younger son, Jeremy, to distract Chris and lure him astray.

Jeremy Crassen thinks his mother’s scheme is crazy. But he wants desperately to go off to college, which Mabe will agree to—if he seduces Chris. How will shy, virginal, secretly gay Jeremy attract Chris, who seems determined to do the right thing and marry Trix? Jeremy can’t compete with a rich female widow. Or can he?

 

Kimi’s thoughts:

This reads as if it was written before equal marriage and not updated, as it flat out states gay marriage isn’t legal in Montana at the time of the story’s setting. Not that this is a problem, but with it being a new release and nothing else to  indicate otherwise, I was happily motoring along under the assumption that it was set in the here and now until that tidbit was shared, so I thought I’d give folks a heads up. That aside, I did have a few other issues.

I knew going in that the Dreamspun Desires line is meant to be “traditional” old school Harlequin/Mills and Boon type romances featuring m/m pairings. So, I wasn’t expecting serious angst or anything like that. After all, sometimes you just want some fluff, and these promised plenty of it. Yes, plenty of sweet fluff was indeed present. I found myself unable to completely enjoy it though as  I was pulled out of the story several times by the prose, having to blink and ask myself, “Seriously?!”

This gem was one such occasion:

“You look like a grape man-sundae in that shirt. I’m already looking forward to dessert.”

Between such treats as this, all the hair flipping, obsession with blow drying hair, etc., were constant plot reminders the could have been edited out. A scene with Trix? A reminder that she had really, really loved her husband John and so should just marry John’s gay bestie as she’ll never be able to love another man. Jeremy? Got to have a reference to his long bangs, the fact that his dad died in prison, and he was raised in a trailer. Chris? Got to mention AGAIN how his previous boyfriend was a cheat, so if he wants a family, he’d be best off marrying his dead best friend’s wife and raising his kid.

The facile way both Jeremy and Eric take to Mabe’s idea, though for their own reasons, not hers, also rather disturbed me. It was a bit TOO fantastic, but not as fantastic as how forgiving Billy Stubben is, already excusing her transgression against him (and a certain someone else, but no spoilers here) as a simple forgivable one chalked up lightly as mere pride.There were more niggles, especially in regards to Janie towards the end of the book.  All together, it was simply too much for me to really get into, which is a shame, because in between all of this, is the bones to a really sweet romance that had the characters been fleshed out a bit more and the plot tightened up, would have made for a really great read rather than a merely middle of the road one.

Rating: 3

 

Posted on

Like I Know Jack by MC Lee

 

knowjackFrom Harmony Ink:

Jack is about to embark on a new mission. Agent Anna Baxter has tried his patience on previous assignments, and he expects more of the same. On the bright side, he’ll also be working with Leo McCormack. The three agents must go undercover to insinuate themselves into a drug ring led by Gregor Slovik, and to do so, they must gain the trust of Gregor’s friend, high schooler Connor White. This creates a dilemma for Jack—Connor is gay, which gives Jack an opening to make a connection with him. But should he exploit it? Luckily Jack has Leo to turn to for advice and support, and together they try to avoid falling into the traps that arise during the mission. But Agent Baxter has an agenda of her own—one that forces Jack into a treacherous situation.

There was no obvious surveillance equipment in this room, but Jack knew the pinhole on the wall behind the interrogator’s head was a camera that was hooked up to a monitor, which was no doubt being watched by his handler, Sean. Most likely the feed was also being routed to one of the bank of screens in his guardian’s office. Jack fought down the urge to raise his middle finger, figuring it would end badly for him if he gave in to the impulse. Instead he forced himself to focus on Dr. Clark and tried to come up with answers that wouldn’t get him sent to a retraining program.
“So, Jack,” she said, “would you say your last assignment was a success?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jack replied.
Sometimes she let him get away with monosyllabic answers; sometimes she pressed him for more. This time she wanted more.
“What, in particular, did you feel was successful?”

Kimi’s thoughts:

Book three pick up right where the previous title left off and plunges the reader headfirst into the next assignment. It’s a turn about for Jack as he’s asked to assume a role akin to the one Leo  had played when Jack himself had been the unwitting target. This causes him to re-examine his feelings and think more with his brain, though as he’s Jack, his heart gets in the way and he once more finds out that there are wheels within wheels within wheels, deceptions and double crosses designed to manipulate not only the marks. No longer sure of who he can trust, Jack  once more goes with his gut. Once he’s made his choice, his very life and the outcome of the op depend on it.

I must say here that Agent Baxter is a stone cold bitch, but given Jack’s early upbringing at the Center (with Judith), I’m surprised he has such a violent person reaction to her. He doesn’t remember his own Mom, just Judith, and never got to watch TV until three years ago, and then that was carefully vetted (only enough to build the role he was assuming) so it’s bit puzzling as to why he doesn’t see her as normal. She’s certainly no worse than his guardian. I also have very mixed feelings about Sean, given the “discipline” he gives Jack when even a minor rule infraction occurs, particularly when it happens under the rigid confines of The Centre itself. These are just niggles though, not enough to get in the way of a good thriller, which this most definitely was. I’m looking forward to reading the next in the series.

Rating: 4

kimisig

Posted on

If You Knew Jack by MC Lee

knewjack

From Harmony Ink:

Jack Carlisle has returned to the Center after an assignment designed to push him to the edge of his limits—and beyond. He is given just a few short days to get used to a new identity and a new team. He’s been trained to assume a new identity, but working with a new team is more difficult, especially since it throws him back in the path of Leo McCormack, the boy who stole Jack’s heart and handed it back broken into tiny pieces. With “Jack Carlisle” dead and “Jack Cross” reborn comes a new mission. Jack Cross and his team are sent undercover to Forbes Academy, an elite boys’ school in rural Connecticut. Here they must protect Adam and Sam North, whose lives are threatened by an unknown source. Jack’s training never prepared him to deal with the animosity he still feels toward Leo, but he knows the only way to figure out the cause of the danger in time to save Adam and Sam is to work together.

Kimi’s thoughts:

Not having read the first book in the series , I was unsure how easy I’d find this to follow. I was pleasantly surprised to find that enough backstory was woven in that I had no trouble at all and was quickly engrossed in the story that unfolded. Jack has spent what he can remember of his life at The Center, from early childhood to the age of 16. he comes to grips with what he sees as betrayal along with the discovery of his sexuality, all the while having to channel normal teenaged rebellion into acceptable outlets. he doesn’t even know what is normal, thanks to only having been at The Centre or tightly under their control while out on assignments that are all very James Bond (though without Q, the cool car, or the super fancy gadgets).
This assignment is no different, though he’s now questioning everything he’s previously trusted or thought he knew. He’s also unsure of what to do about his feelings about Leo, hesitant to place his faith in him after what had gone down between them during the previous assignment. It all comes to a head with the fate of the two young boys he and Leo are assigned to protect seemingly in the balance. A real page turner with enough twists and turns to keep fans of the suspense genre interested and angsty romance to sweeten the deal.

Rating: 4

kimisig

Posted on

Champagne Kisses by Lynda Aicher

From Riptide:

The Christmas Eve wedding Evan Cleary pulled together in four weeks is crashing down around him and taking his fledgling event planning business with it. With an empty altar and over a hundred guests arriving soon, he turns to the resistant, gorgeous brother of the runaway groom for help.

When Richard Patterson’s flamboyant brother storms out hours before he’s scheduled to marry his equally dramatic partner, Richard is left dealing with the fallout. The last thing he wants is more drama, yet he can’t deny his attraction to the effeminate event planner trying to salvage the wedding.

Evan thinks his crush on Richard is a lost cause, but one steaming kiss later, he learns different. What starts as a night of hot sex turns into a connection neither expected. But Evan knows their relationship is hopeless unless the ultra-conservative Richard can embrace every part of him—both in private and in public.

ChampagneKisses_500x750

Kimi’s thoughts:

Recently there seem to have been a trend in the m/m publishing world that harkens me back to the old Harlequin romance novel days, circa the early to mid 1970’s. Those were the very first romance novels I ever read, pulled from the family back shelf once I was old enough to read them. This definitely follows the fluffy formula, complete with the requisite head hopping so one knows that the gruff romantic lead is as head over heels and unsure of himself as his quarry is. It’s a short and sweet romance with the reasons for self doubt being gay specific enough that it didn’t read as if a m/f romance had been done over for a new audience, but written specifically for the m/m audience.

It’s one of those reads where you don’t have to think or feel too much, just sit back and enjoy the tasty treat as it’s served up. Admittedly, every thing is a little TOO pat, but it’s perfect for de-stressing or just general relaxation (such as a poolside or for reading on the work commute), this is not the read if you want something meaty or filled with deep angst. It’s a one night stand after weeks of apparently gazing surreptitiously at each other from across rooms, but it’s a one night stand that ends with a sugary sweet as cotton candy happy ever after that’s even tacked on as a very brief epilogue.

 

Rating: 3.5

kimisig