Category: Era

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Breaking (Book two of the Fall or Break series) by Barbara Elsborg

Samhain Publishing Presents http://www.barbaraelsborg.com/book/breaking/

This book is slated to be released July 28, 2015

breakingBlurb

Archer Hart is on the move before the man he’s just killed is found. When a bullet whizzes past his ear, he realizes hunter is now hunted. So much for his retirement plans. Someone wants him dead and all he can do is keep running.

Downed by a hit and run driver, barrister Conrad Black is certain the ‘accident’ was deliberate but he has no proof or support. In recovery, struggling to work out of partial paralysis, he has plenty of time to wonder who regrets not striking him harder. At this point, running anywhere is a distant dream.

The confidence, determination and stamina of two alphas males will mean little if neither is willing to bend—seize the love offered—and work together to understand why they’re suddenly both marked men. Not easy for either when Archer has broken the law in the worst possible way and Conrad is the law.

Review

Wow! Another amazing, gripping, very HOT and tender love story from Barbara Elsborg.

We met Conrad in book one, he was Malachi’s ex, the controlling, self-centered, almost kinda evil guy, who redeems himself at the end. He’s been struck down by a hit and run driver and was paralyzed from the accident – briefly. While he’s on the mend, he takes himself to a beach cottage and searches for the person he’s convinced tried to make the hit and run look like an accident.

On a walk one day he sees a surfer nearly drown and risks his own life to save him. That man is Archer, a murder-for hire who is trying to get out of the business. Archer also has someone after him – and he needs time to figure out who that is.

Together, these broken men – both uber alpha – struggle against their powerlessness, their attraction to one another and their pasts.

Of course – neither trusts the other – one being on the side of the law and the other being on the side of the highest bidder.

As the story unfolds it becomes clear that the men might have more of a connection than just the beach rescue.

(I’m not going into that more here – you’ll just have to read it to find out!)

**

As with book one, I thought this was an amazing story with really richly developed characters who organically grew and changed over the course of the story until they became the men who could accept the deep and abiding love that finally finds them.

I grew a bit tired at the secondary plot – it was certainly important – but I wanted to skim parts of the “intrigue” and “action” scenes.

I absolutely loved how Conrad turned from villain to good guy. It felt very real and authentic and not at all forced.

The final scenes were a little confusing to me – I wasn’t sure what Archer’s motivations were in keeping Conrad in the dark for so long – but… in the end it all worked out really beautifully and the epilogue was both hot and terribly sweet!

I highly recommend this book and this series.

4.75 of 5 hearts

5

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Sultry Sunset (Mangrove book 3) Audiobook by Mary Calmes Narrated by Greg Tremblay

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6709

SultrySunsetAUDMEDBlurb

Hutch Crowley is well-liked in the small resort town of Mangrove—he’s got friends in his new neighbors, he’s the owner of the town grocery, and he’s building a community center—but he’s still unlucky at love. Every man he’s attracted to is either taken or simply not interested, including his best friend, Mike Rojas.

When Mike came to Mangrove two years ago, Hutch gave him a job and a place to stay in his guesthouse, where Mike has remained ever since. Despite the rumors circulating about them, Hutch knows Mike is straight and looking for the right woman. But his friends disagree, and after some hints to the contrary, even Hutch finally has to admit that maybe the rest of the town sees something he’s been missing. If Hutch wants to spend each sultry sunset with the man of his dreams, it might be time to figure out what’s going on with his best friend’s heart.

Review

(Review posted previously for book)

If you’ve been reading the series (which you should, but don’t have to), you know Hutch is our grocer, and so far he’s been “interested” in every gay man the town has to offer, but has failed to find “the one”.

We find out that for the last two years he’s had a best friend, Mike “Don’t call me Michael”, living in his guest house and taking up most of his free time.

As you can predict, there is more to them than friendship, despite the fact that up til now Mike has always been straight.

**

I compare these Mangrove stories to cotton candy – one of my all time favorite foods – because they are wonderful, light, sweet and just a touch unsatisfying. Because they are so short, we don’t get a lot of lead-time to develop the tension between our MCs. Sure, Mary always gives us wonderful characters and an amazingly sweet love scene or two, but I really miss her ability to create that heat and draw out the sexual neediness between her characters that she’s just so great at.

I still love these stories, don’t get me wrong – but boy I wish they were longer.

In this case the secondary characters of Ivy and Essien almost – almost! – steal the show, but Mike and Hutch are terribly sweet together and I love them as a couple.

The mangrove series is fun because the small town and the recurrence of previous characters feels like coming home and I eagerly await the next installment.

Audio

Greg Tremblay – one of my favorite narrators – did another amazing job with this. I just love how he voiced the secondary characters including the young girl! I love listening to his telling of these stories because he makes you feel like you are part of the action. Definitely adds to the overall enjoyment of the story.

5 of 5 hearts

5

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Beta Undone (Lone Wolves #2) by Tielle St. Clare

Amazon Presents http://www.amazon.com/Beta-Undone-Lone-Wolves-Book-ebook/dp/B00WTCS5NG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1436807427&sr=1-1&keywords=beta+undone&pebp=1436807429157&perid=1ZTNEYTF2PWW92HH1770

beta undoneBlurb

Is it his fault the Alpha Mate can’t take a joke?

After pissing off the Alpha’s mate, Kia gets sent on a crap job—check on Madge, the crazy werewolf living near Pack lands. Kia has no love for the nutty wolf who makes silver bullets designed to kill other werewolves. He’d just as soon see the bastard gone.

Until he meets him. The half-crazy wolf is sexy and shy and Kia wants nothing more than to fall into an adult puppy pile with the guy.

Madge just wants to be left alone. If the kids from the local Pack would stop harassing him, he’d be perfect, except he’s pretty sure the silver he works with every day is slowly killing him. The one thing he doesn’t need is a gorgeous Beta wolf stalking his property under the guise of helping him. And maybe finding out the truth.

Review

Kia, who we met in book one, is sent to look after the crazy Madge – another lone wolf on Pack Lands. Madge intrigues Kia, though he is prickly as a porcupine.

Madge is scared of something and hiding for fear of his life. When Kia comes in and upsets the little order he has, he becomes even more paranoid.

There are real threats against Madge (for some reason) and Kia takes it upon himself to intervene. He realizes that his wolf is fascinated with Madge and vice versa.

In the end Kia must mate with Madge to save him (again a little Deus ex Machina) but it’s a very sweet HEA.

I wish there had been more explanation of Madge’s predicament and more interaction with them as a couple, but as a short story it was fun and enjoyable.  Madge was a great character and I hope we see more of him in the future.

It was fun seeing Craigh and Rowan again too – especially when Craigh punches Rowan – so funny!

(Free for Kindle Unlimited!)

4 of 5 hearts

4

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Masked Booby (Peckers #3) by Jacques N. Hoff

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6485

MaskedBoobyBlurb

Mickey, Keyser, Clyde….

He goes by many names, calls many different countries home, and has a wardrobe that rivals most professional theater companies, but some days it’s impossible to remember who he really is. It’s the price he pays for the adrenaline. The Masked Booby. A man torn between his instinct to survive and his bird nature of taking a dive.

Irwin Stephens is in love—in love with life, his home, and the animals he watches over every day at work. He doesn’t have a man to call his own, but everything else is so perfect he can’t complain. Except maybe about the scratchy khaki uniform all zoos seem to require with fiendish glee.

When Mickey meets Buff Zookeeper, it should be a one-night love nest, but something besides peckers is up in the land down under.

Review

Irwin works in a zoo and is trying to rescue a puffin shifter he’s found being drugged and kept in captivity. He stumbles upon Undercover Peckers and asks them for help. They send in the crew, including Mickey the masked bandit and all kinds of shenanigans ensue.

Mickey sees himself as a loner, a one and done kind of guy, so he resists the pull Irwin has on him. Irwin is just plain attracted to Mickey, clueless to the internal struggle, and insulted by Mickey’s actions.

When all is said and done, the crew manages to save the puffin and Mickey and Irwin find their HEA.

**

As usual there are a lot – A LOT – of hilarious puns and ridiculous dialog. The pace of the story is quick and the reader must follow closely to keep track of all the players.

I enjoy the mind games of these stories and the light hearted romance. I think, compared to the other two books in the series, that the “story” took precedence over the romance and I missed it. I wanted more time spent with Mickey and Irwin and maybe a bit less building around the rescue. For me this detracted from my enjoyment, but I’m still a fan and will definitely look forward to the next installment.

3 of 5 hearts

3

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Tempting Jordan by Andrea Dalling Blog Tour

RC

 

Excerpt:

Jordan’s muscles slackened, and cold anticipation formed a lump in his stomach. Rick isn’t really jealous?
But the feral look in Rick’s eyes said he was.
The hand on his shoulder nudged him toward the ballroom. Did Rick want him? Was that why he’d agreed to come stag?
Rick’s fingers idly tapped the small of Jordan’s back as they walked. The whisper of contact was odd and possessive, and it sent Jordan’s blood surging to all the wrong places. He shouldn’t have had that second scotch. He was relaxed and horny, especially with Rick so close, when he needed to keep his wits about him. Rick would never forgive him if he let something slip about their past together in front of their high school friends.
The tapping continued, revving his nerves into high gear. His fly pressed painfully against his flesh. He turned to Rick. “Will you stop touching me?”
Rick’s easy smile fled. “Why?”
He grabbed the collar of Rick’s shirt and said in his ear, “Because, dumbass, you’re making me hard.”
Rick raised his brows and smirked. They moved forward again. The tapping slowed but didn’t stop.

Buy from Amazon: http://amzn.to/1gKV7HM

About the author:
Andrea Dalling lives in the sexy Southeast, where the summers are hot and the romance hotter. During the day, she’s an award-winning technical writer, but at night, she writes steamy stories. She loves to torture her characters but eventually rewards them with a happily-ever-after. Married to her college sweetheart, she’s a progressive Christian and an advocate for LGBT rights. You can follow her on Facebook (andrea.dalling.romance) or on Twitter (@Andrea_Dalling).

Publisher: Artesian Well Publishing
Cover Artist: Andrea Dalling

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Food For Thought Audiobook by Amy Lane Narrated by Philip Alces

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.audible.com/pd/Romance/Food-for-Thought-Audiobook/B011A7NKO4

food thought audioBlurb

Emmett Gant was planning to tell his father something really important one Sunday morning—but his father passed away first. Now, nearly three years later, Emmett can’t seem to clear up who he should be with—the girl with the apple cheeks and the awesome family, or his snarky neighbor, Keegan, who never sees his family but who makes Emmett really happy just by coming over to chat.

Emmett needs clarity.

Fortunately for Emmett, his best friend’s mom has a cookbook that promises to give Emmett insight and good food, and Emmett is intrigued. After the cookbook follows him home, Emmett and Keegan decide to make the recipe “For Clarity,” and what ensues is both very clear—and a little surprising, especially to Emmett’s girlfriend. Emmett is going to have to think hard about his past and the really important thing he forgot to tell his father if he wants to get the recipe for love just right.

Review

Emmett is hiding his sexuality from his friends and families because he thinks if he finds the right girl, makes his own family, he won’t risk a broken heart – again.

Of course, Keegan is NOT down with that. He has feelings – big feelings – for Emmet, but thinks Emmett is straight… or is he?

Anyhow, when the truth is revealed and the closure … closed?… Keegan and Emmett get their HEA.

**

As usual Amy made me tear up when I read about the death of Emmett’s dad… God this was supposed to be a light sweet book! Damn you Amy (shaking fist!).

But… of course that helps us to buy into Emmett’s lies and betrayals.

I loved the cooking part and the paranormal aspect to the receiving of said book… In general I’m digging this series as a whole.

Another win for the Queen of Angst!

Audio

Philip Alces is not my favorite narrator but he ROCKED this. He did an excellent job with the emotion and the humor. I really enjoyed his take on the story and think it added to the overall enjoyment of the story.

5 of 5 hearts

5

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Blue Eyed Stranger (A Trowchester Blues Novel) by Alex Beecroft

Riptide Presents
http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/blue-eyed-stranger

blue eyed strangerBlurb

Billy Wright has a problem: he’s only visible when he’s wearing a mask. That’s fine when he’s performing at country fairs with the rest of his morris dancing troupe. But when he takes the paint off, his life is lonely and empty, and he struggles with crippling depression.
Martin Deng stands out from the crowd. After all, there aren’t that many black Vikings on the living history circuit. But as the founder of a fledgling historical re-enactment society, he’s lonely and harried. His boss doesn’t like his weekend activities, his warriors seem to expect him to run everything single-handedly, and it’s stressful enough being one minority without telling the hard men of his group he’s also gay.
When Billy’s and Martin’s societies are double-booked at a packed county show, they know at once they are kindred spirits, united by a deep feeling of connectedness to their history and culture. But they’re also both hiding in their different ways, and they need each other to be brave enough to take their masks off and still be seen.

Review

This is the second book by Alex Beecroft I’ve read and the second book in her Trowchester series. I really admire her writing. She is fluid, coherent, descriptive and not telling, creates amazingly detailed characters and a deeply emotional story.

This is a very DARK story. There is an almost instant connection between the two lovers but the physical aspect of their story is a slow burn.

Martin is in the closet and Billy has some serious psychological problems. When they find each other they find that other piece of their soul that completes them.

Martin teaches history at a high school (British equivalent) and is obsessed with historical re-enactments. As a result there is A LOT of history in this story.

Billy’s depression also plays a major role in the story line and though Martin helps he is not the “cure”, which is awesome.

So… I have a hard time reviewing this book. On the one hand it’s quite good, but… I can’t say I “enjoyed” it. It’s very hard to get through at times, the subject matter is heavy and the history will either be fascinating to you or boring…

In either case – if you are in the mood for a more “meaty” romance I’d recommend this – if you’re looking for light and fluffy – keep looking.

3.5 of 5 hearts

3.5

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Gage and Hamish by Julia Talbot Tour with Excerpt and Giveaway

RC

 

Excerpt:
Gage checked his shirt before he headed into the sushi place. Boulder had the best downtown, charming and upscale, but not formal. Not as hipster as Austin or Portland, not as redneck as Denver or Dallas — it managed to be clever and casual all at once.
He totally approved.
Now if he could only approve this date. A bear? Him?
Gage was as far from low-key twink as they came. He was… challenging. Doms dumped him regularly.
A bear seemed so. Oh, he didn’t know. Sweet. Goofy.
He glanced around, wondering if he was early.
He tended to be early.
He liked being early.
There. Back in the corner where the bar bent around. That has to be his date. A huge man with shaggy, dark brown hair and a sunbaked face with lots of smile lines.
He looked a little like a lumberjack. It was adorable. So not his type, but cute.
The guy stood, smiling, making his oddly light brown eyes light up. “Hey! You must be Gage. I’m Hamish.” He pronounced it “hay-mish”.
“Hamish. Hello.” He found a smile to offer back. How could you not like a guy who grinned like that?
“Hi. I hope you like sushi.” Hamish waved to the seat next to him at the bar.
“Fish, salty peppery yumminess. What’s not to like?”
“Right?” Hamish was a big guy. Not fat at all, but he overflowed his personal space into Gage’s, warm and spicy smelling. At least he didn’t stink. That was always hard to get around. “Anyway, I got a little hungry before you got here, so I got mussels and carpaccio. In case you hate mussels.”
“Mussels are good. Tuna is my favorite. Cliché, but true.”
“They have an amazing hamachi appetizer.” Food was a great social equalizer.
“I’m totally in, man.” He nodded to the waiter, got his attention.
“Excellent. So, what do you do?” Small talk. Again with the cute.
“I’m a software designer. I create weird little things that people don’t know they need. You?”
“I build shit. Right now I’m very into tiny houses. For other people. I need square footage.” He grinned.
“Tiny houses? No shit?” Okay, that was cool. Not sexy, but better than software designer.
“I’ve done some work for local architects, and I love carving on a large scale.” Hamish held up his hands, scarred and callused.
He took one in hand, hoping for a zing, for a flash of lightning, but there wasn’t one. Just a warmth. Sweet. Steady.
He looked at the palm, fingers tracing over the calluses. “I approve.”
“Thanks.” Hamish grinned. “It’s good work.”
“That’s sort of how I feel about mine. It’s computer work, but there’s a lot of design involved in it.”
“Sounds neat. Keeps you from getting bored, right?” Hamish flagged down a waitress to order their hamachi.
“It does.” He ordered a couple of honey wheat beers.
“So…”
They both said it at the same time, then laughed. “You go,” Gage said.
“I was just wondering what made you go to Full Moon.”
“I’ve been searching for something and I’m beginning to think that I’m doomed, that I’m too much to handle.” And now he was sitting with a big teddy bear. “What about you?”
“Oh, you know. Everyone thinks I’m a big marshmallow. No one wants to play rough.” Hamish’s cheeks went pink.
“No one? That totally sucks.” He was touching Hamish’s wrist now.
“I know! I mean, this is a cosmopolitan place, kinda. Boulder, I mean. You’d think I could find someone not afraid to bait the bear.”
Okay. Okay, now there was a hint of promise there. “What are you into?”
“All sorts of things.” Hamish met his gaze, golden eyes alight. “I love bondage. Spanking. Some discipline, though not deep domestic or anything. And I like rough stuff, when someone will fight me, make me work for it.”
Well, now he got it, why they were put together. He was, at best, a pushy little bottom. Still, Hamish seemed so… laid-back. Could there really be an opportunity?

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Sales Links:
http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=200&products_id=4436
http://www.amazon.com/Full-Moon-Dating-Gage-Hamish-ebook/dp/B011ZLMY0Q/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1437332174&sr=1-2

About the author:
Julia Talbot lives in the great Southwest, where there is hot and cold running rodeo, cowboys, and everything from meat and potatoes to the best Tex-Mex. A full time author, Julia has been published by Torquere Press, Dreamspinner and Changeling Press. She believes that everyone deserves a happy ending, so she writes about love without limits, where boys love boys, girls love girls, and boys and girls get together to get wild, especially when her crazy paranormal characters are involved. Find Julia at @juliatalbot on Twitter, or at http://www.juliatalbot.com.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juliatalbotauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/juliatalbot
Website: http://www.juliatalbot.com
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25940518-gage-and-hamish
Publisher: Torquere Press
Cover Artist: Kris Norris

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Iron Angel (Elemental Reapers #1) by SA Welsh

Extasy Books Presents http://www.extasybooks.com/Iron-Angel/

iron angelBlurb

Brett is a government scientist on the run because the people he works for want to use his research about realms and other worlds for their own gain. He escapes with the help of his uncle, only to find a man falling from the sky in a ball of flame and feathers after being shot down by the very people he himself is running from.

Iron is a warrior guardian to the rightful king of Angelum, but was forced to flee his home realm with his king after a coup for the throne. There is a bounty on his head and the last thing he needs is to be almost captured by the human military that want to cage and experiment on him.

Iron cannot resist the tempting human that saves him and, when they give in to the heat between them, they accidentally trigger the irrevocable mate bond. Both of them are running from something, but they may just discover that each of them is exactly what the other needs.

Review

Brett finds himself rescuing a “birdman” from the government he is also running from.

When Iron awakes, tied up, he initially panics – thinking he’s been caught by the government, but when he realizes Brett only tied him up to help him heal, he realizes there is more to Brett than good Samaritan.

Iron is a warrior guardian of the king of the Angelum, protecting the next ruler by having sex with humans on earth in the hopes of shielding the power held by the ruler in hiding. (It makes more sense when you read about it – trust me – it’s a bit of a stretch- but it works- and makes for some very, very hot smexy times!)

Brett and Iron find their attraction surpasses that of the norm, and inadvertently bind themselves together. This serves a greater purpose though, because when they have sex the energy created far surpasses that of anyone else’s mating, and it will help the king and his brother. (I do this a disservice in explaining – again – it makes sense in context.)

The next stumbling block is Brett’s uncle and Iron’s King – but they soon see how deeply attached the two are and what a good union it is.

**

I really loved the world building in this story and look forward to the next installment. The unique take on mating and other planes of existence as well as the way cool power of the wings and their role in the smexy times was awesome!

I enjoyed this thoroughly and highly recommend it to fans of paranormal romance. No – it’s not about angels, but more akin to a shifter romance than anything.

Plus huge kudos for the cover – YUM!

4.5 of 5 hearts

4.5

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Random Acts Audiobook by Mia Kerrick Narrated by Iggy Toma

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6526

random acts audioBlurb

Bradley Zelder can’t find his way in life. After struggling for nearly a decade, he has yet to complete his college degree. Working as a school custodian, living in blue-collar Landsbury, MA, his love life is as empty as the rest of his existence. But on his way home after another disastrous date, his truck breaks down in upscale Oceanside. When he thinks life can’t get any worse, a man who is the epitome of Boston elite and everything Bradley finds attractive and intimidating helps him move his truck to the side of the road. Ashamed of his lot in life, Bradley almost lets the opportunity slip away, but he comes to his senses in time and tracks Caleb down.

From a random act of kindness, romance begins to grow, filling all the dark corners of Bradley’s empty life—until a random act of violence threatens to take it all away. Bradley must step up and be the man Caleb believes him to be. Caleb rescued him from a life without hope. Can Bradley rescue him in return?

Review

Bradley had a bad experience with a man in his early years, so he now has sex with women, but can’t connect with them emotionally.

Caleb lost his husband a few years ago and is only recently able to think about moving on.

When Bradley helps Caleb out the two find they have a strong connection that slowly builds from friendship to lovers to permanence.
About 60% through the book the focus of the book shifts to the “random acts” aspect of the title when Caleb is attacked and sinks into a depression. From there the focus changes from their relationship to dealing with life’s “haphazardness” and issues of how people handle things like “accidents” .

**

This is a tough book to review because on the one hand I liked the characters and thought the overall sentiment was really sweet and touching.

On the other hand I find Mia Kerrick’s language sometimes terribly stilted and awkward, especially when it comes to dialog.

I enjoyed the slow burn and the gradual unfolding of the love between the two men – I thought it was awesome that Caleb was able to differentiate his feelings for his dead husband and his new lover and that Bradley didn’t seem to dwell overly much in the land of jealousy for the past relationship.

I wasn’t sure that the attack (especially as it came from left field).
3 of 5 hearts

Audio

I really like Iggy Toma’s narrations and felt he did an excellent job here. He definitely added to the overall experience and I would recommend listening to this above reading it.
5 of 5 hearts

Overall 4 of 5 hearts

4

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