Partnership Reforged (Partnership in Blood Book 6) by Ariel Tachna

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5697

PartnershipReforgedBlurb

A Companion to the Partnership in Blood series

For two years, Thierry has wanted the one thing Sebastien’s past denies him: an Aveu de Sang. With the help of friends new and old, he has finally assembled a ritual that will give him a close approximation of the ultimate bond between vampire and mortal… if it succeeds.

Review

This is more a chapter than a book. It’s the ceremony where Sebastian and Thierry bind themselves to one another. It’s very erotic (almost a bit kinky) and very sensual and sweet at times, too.

5 of 5 hearts

5

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Ma Ma Loa (Vampire in Waikiki Book 3) by AJ Llewellyn

Amber Quill Presents
http://www.amberquill.com/store/p/1898-Ma-Ma-Loa.aspx

MaMaLoaBlurb

(Book 3 of the A Vampire In Waikiki series)
Waikiki vampire Jimmy Thunder is excited to finally have his cherished mate Tem all to himself. With their family members gone, and this being Valentine’s Day, he has one thing on his mind—some hot undead, man-on-man action. Except Jimmy’s life is never that simple.
Tem is troubled by bad dreams of the life he left behind. And Jimmy, the go-to guy for Waikiki’s undead denizens, is required to come up with a new Ma Ma Loa. But who, or what, is a Ma Ma Loa? Can’t a guy be left in piece to enjoy love’s most famous day?
NOTE: This book was previously published (with no assigned ISBN). This reissued version of the book has been reedited.

Review

This short story starts with Tem remembering his sordid past and feeling depressed because his brother moved away. But now it’s Valentine’s day and Jimmy has something exciting to give him.

There is lots – lots and lots – of sex. A fair amount of whining. Some really interesting folklore. And another happy ending for our pair of unique Hawaiian Vampires.

I didn’t love this book simply because Tem was really annoying for most of the book. I did enjoy the folklore and I still love Jimmy.

2.5 of 5 hearts

2.5

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The Happily Ever After Mating Agency: The Dragon Prince by Jane Wallace-Knight

Siren-Bookstrand Presents http://www.bookstrand.com/the-happily-ever-after-mating-agency-presents-the-dragon-prince

jwk-happilyeverafterdragonprince3150326_0336Blurb

Kai Hayashi, heir to the earth dragon clan, already lost his mother to the rebels threatening to overthrow the council. When his grandfather suggests an arranged mating with not one, but two men, each with certain skills to help protect Kai, the young dragon prince doesn’t exactly need persuading.
Retrieval expert and leopard shifter Jace Dashwood has worked for the Hayashi family for a year now, helplessly in love with his employer’s grandson. Kai is all the things that Jace could never be, innocent and gentle. He had thought to keep his feelings to himself until the dragon king made him an offer too good to be true.
Having worked as a mercenary for too long, bear shifter Ted Graves finally decided to put down roots. He thought that joining a mating agency meant he was going to get the normal life he thought he had been craving but instead he got an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Review

The Happily Ever After Mating agency is designed for shifters who haven’t found their mates and want to settle down. In this case Kai’s uncle uses it to help find Kai the right mate to protect Kai as well as mate him.

Jace has already been working with Kai’s family and his uncle identifies Jace as a mate/protector right away.

Ted is tired of being footloose so he signs up to the mating agency and is pleased to hear from Kai’s family. He’s a bit surprised to find out it’s to be a three way mating and that his alternate duty will be protection but after meeting both men he’s very willing to continue with the plan.

Jace and Kai have been mutually crushing on one another for the last year, but not acting on it. When their third joins them they all acknowledge a mutual attraction that sets them on fire.

In addition to the immediate bonding that takes place, there is danger. Someone wants to take Kai out of the picture and replace him as the future dragon king. There is also the pesky little thing about Kai maybe being more than “just” a dragon shifter…

**
This is one of those surprise reads that you stumble upon every now and then. (I have to admit a weakness for cheesy shifter romances – the ones where the plot is thin but the sex is hot and the storyline light and usually full of fun. Nothing too angsty and nothing too stressful.) I thought this was one of those, but it is surprisingly more. There is a rich story line and compelling drama but also some real emotion and depth to the love story as well.

I thought the ménage was very believable and though I could feel bad for Ted at first- he seems odd man out to the couple of Jace and Kai – it was quickly made clear that he was integral and equal and definitely well loved.

I really enjoyed this and the others in this series and highly recommend them!

5 of 5 hearts

5

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A Vampire Christmas (Vampire in Waikiki book 2) by AJ Llewellyn

Amberquill presents http://www.amberquill.com/store/p/1823-A-Vampire-Christmas.aspx

vamp christmasBlurb

Waikiki vampires Tem and Jimmy Thunder are happily undead and married, about to celebrate Christmas when their cat Moontime brings an unusual treasure to the door…a baby in a box. But this is no cute, cuddly kid. It’s a demon baby with red eyes and razor sharp teeth. Jimmy, hopelessly besotted with his hot and sexy husband, sees his new life of man-on-man fun being wrecked by this snarling, spitting, forked-tongued little incubus that has apparently won Tem’s heart.

With half of Waikiki’s wacky residents coming to Christmas dinner, what’s a devoted husband to do? Jimmy calls in all kinds of favors to figure out the identity of the kid, how he got to them, and how to ensure this will be a merry—not marred—Vampire Christmas.

Review

This is the short, funny, kinda bizarre and very steamy next installment in the Vampire in Waikiki series.

Tem finds a cursed baby and wants to keep it and name it George… ok not George but Beezlebub. Div is worried about raising a baby and losing some of Tem’s attention. But it becomes clear that the baby needs their help so they enlist the help of some more of their strange acquaintances and… hilarity ensues.

Interspersed with the hilarity is all the way-hot-vampire-porn-star-sex and it’s both sweet and raucous.

If you enjoyed book one in the series you will want to keep going. This is better (in my opinion) than book one as it seems to have found more focus and since the characters are already developed we get to simply enjoy them.

3.5 of 5 hearts

3.5

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Dallas in Wonderland by Evan Gilbert

Dreamspinner Presents: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6390

DallasinWonderlandBlurb

Dallas Fox owns porn movie studio Wonderland and for him, sex is all about business. He hasn’t felt passion in a long time, so he is surprised when he develops an attraction for Johnny Roman, a college student who has recently become a porn actor for the studio, and Miguel Duarte, an office assistant. Dallas is even more surprised when he realizes they are as interested in him as they are in each other. Those attractions violate Dallas’s number one rule: no mixing business and pleasure.

Dallas slowly lets his guard down, and eventually winds up in bed with both Johnny and Miguel. Their painful backgrounds are similar, and they begin forging bonds that could grow into something much deeper. Miguel, however, faces a threat that could endanger them all and destroy any chance of finding the romance they want and need.

Review

Dallas is the consummate “bottom”, and has played that role for years, turning it from a role in porn to owning his own successful studio. His life is good, but he’s lonely – he just doesn’t realize it yet.
Johnny is living life well. He’s in school, has a bright future, making money doing something he loves – playing the hard-assed “top” for Dallas’ studio. But – he’s had a crush on Dallas for years and though Dallas plays a bottom in every role he’s ever done – he’s really a top outside the studio. Johnny – who’s never bottomed isn’t sure he’s ready for that. Not to mention, Dallas has a strict “no fraternization with employees” rule.

Miguel stumbles into studio life when his roommate runs off mysteriously with the rent, leaving him high and dry and desperate. Luckily Dallas’ business partner finds Miguel before he ends up renting out his ass and gives him an assistant job at the studio. There Miguel sees Johnny and Dallas and their chemistry and wishes he could be part of it. But no one like them could ever see someone like him and think he’d make a great partner – could they?

In a very brief period of time – all three men face some tough decisions/situations and end up thrown together. They find strength and love with one another in addition to some sizzling hot chemistry.

This is a short book, and so we end with essentially a solid HFN but it feels good and definitely on the path to longevity.

My only complaint is that the novella is full of “telling” and not nearly enough “showing”. There is a lot of information “dumped” on us as each character gives us their physical descriptions and back-stories. I would have appreciated taking the time to either develop these more organically or finding a way to give the information in a less clichéd way. (IE Dallas looks in the mirror and tells us what he sees as a way to let us know how he looks physically.)

This is a new author to me and I will definitely look for more in the future.

3.5 of 5 hearts

3.5

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Deception (Vampires of America book 9) by DB Reynolds

ImaJinn Presents http://www.imajinnbooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=90&products_id=237

Deception - 200x300x72Blurb
Book Nine of The Vampires in America Series
Kauai, Hawaii—tropical paradise, vibrant jungle, turquoise sea… and sensuous nights that hide vampires so powerful they can change the world.

Raphael—powerful, extraordinary, arrogant. He’s been eliminating rivals and gathering allies, determined not just to survive, but to demolish the Europeans who think they can steal what he’s worked for centuries to create. In a final bid to avert a war that seems inevitable, Raphael agrees to meet an enemy he knows of old. She is formidable, wily, and not to be trusted. But in his arrogance, Raphael believes he can foil whatever treachery she has brewing.

Cynthia Leighton—Raphael’s human mate, beautiful, smart, and deadly when threatened. She doesn’t trust anyone, much less a powerful vampire claiming to want peace. So while Raphael prepares to negotiate a treaty, Cyn is preparing for the inevitable double-cross that she knows is coming. Raphael worries about saving thousands of vampire lives. She only cares about one, and she will do anything to keep him alive and in her arms.

When Cyn is proven right, when it all falls apart and Raphael’s enemies draw on ancient magic to trap him, taking him away from Cyn and out of the war, it all falls to her—to find Raphael, to save the thousands of vampires who will die if she doesn’t succeed… and to kill every single being, human or vampire, who gets in her way.

Review

This is one of my favorite m/f romance writers and this series is amazing. In a nutshell we have a very, very tough Cyn mated to the uber-alpha Raphael, the most powerful Vampire in American and possibly in America. Throughout the series we have seen Raphael’s enemies fall as his allies have taken over the various parts of North America into Mexico and Canada as leaders, each time finding their own mates, always a powerful woman.

(In one case the woman was the vampire!)

What I love about DB Reynolds is that her women are tough but still feminine and the alphaness of the vampire does not require them to fold and quaver. The sex is really hot (and plentiful!) and the action is always exciting.

Cyn and Raphael have had several novellas and this is their second full length novel. Their relationship is not usually at question, but their safety is always at risk.

In this, the ninth book in the series, Raphael is facing off against the Europeans and has been taken captured by them. Cyn and the remaining vamps have to find him and rescue him and then defeat the evil vamps.

I love that each time Cyn and Raphael come together it’s like they’ve been apart for days. They are always so hot for each other, yet caring.

The final scene is an epic battle and victory for our team… but there’s the hint of the next phase to come…

4 of 5 hearts

4

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Keeping Sweets Audiobook by Cate Ashwood narrated by Jeff Gelder

Dreamspinner Presents  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6327

keeping sweetsBlurb

Days away from high school graduation, with hardly a penny to his name, Evan Lowry needs to earn money for college. When he comes across an ad for modeling, he thinks his luck has changed – until he learns he’s interviewing for an adult film and will be expected to have sex. On camera. With other men.

For gay porn star Brandon Court, the shine has worn off of regular shoots. He and his producer Les decide to try something new: a reality-show porno set at a beach house. When he meets wide-eyed and naïve Evan for the first time, Brandon isn’t sure if he wants the kid to get lost or get naked. Naked wins.

On set, Brandon takes Evan under his wing, and over the next month, they are thrown together in every intimate way conceivable – except emotionally. Both Brandon and Evan are terrified of trying for anything deeper, and insecurities and doubts wear on their hopes, but the chemistry between them won’t let them slow things down.

Review

This is a lovely story about a jaded porn star who falls in love with a newbie/virgin.  There was a lot of great sex and some pretty nice “feels” in this story.  Brandon and Evan fall for one another pretty much right away and the only “hurdle” happens near the end when Brandon abandons Evan after the shoot – causing Evan to despair.

However – Brandon realizes his mistake and we get a solid HEA after all.

You definitely have to suspend your disbelief – this is not porn like anything I’d have seen or expected – definitely a rosy vision of the industry.  But… it’s nice and the love story is very sweet.

I loved all the Oregon references 🙂

Audio

Jeff Gelder does a nice job with this.  He’s not my favorite narrator and he doesn’ “move me” like some narrators do, but he tells the story in such a way that the story takes center stage, not the narrator.

Overall 4 of 5 hearts

4

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Lock and Key by T. Strange Blog Tour with Giveaway

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Excerpt:
Weighed down by groceries and a bulging duffle bag, I rang Terry’s doorbell.
“It’s open!” he called.
I left the bag in the entryway so he wouldn’t see it and brought the groceries to the kitchen. He was wearing jeans, an apron and nothing else, and he was sexy as hell. I wanted him to ravish me, right there, right then, but he was busily stirring and chopping and other mysterious kitchen pursuits—I’m not much of a cook.
“Don’t come into the bedroom.” I kissed his shoulder.
“Sure.” He gave my butt a quick pat before turning back to his frying pan.
Making sure he wasn’t watching, I carried the heavy bag down the hall to Terry’s bedroom and started unpacking my goodies.
I’ve known I was interested in BDSM for a long time, though I’d never had a play partner of my very own before Terry. Every now and then I’d see something in an adult store or on a website that I just had to buy, for private use or the hope that I would eventually find a top to play with. “Every now and then” adds up over the years, and soon the bag wouldn’t be big enough to hold everything.
I laid it all out on the bed so I could see everything and try to narrow down exactly what I wanted to do with Terry—or rather, have him do to me. As I pulled out each toy, I remembered the fantasy that had made me buy it.
Terry and I haven’t discussed roleplaying yet, and I was still too shy to mention it, and worried he’d think I was immature for wanting to play “let’s pretend”.
Simple was probably best. A scene that took too long to set up could use up all our energy before we’d actually played. I tossed almost everything back in the bag, except for my matching set of black leather wrist and ankle cuffs, and what had quickly become my favorite toy. It was a jockey bat; similar to a riding crop, but the leather tip was hard instead of flappy. Terry has used it in all sorts of ways—using it the way it was intended, flipping it around to hit me with the handle, striking my thighs or ass with the shaft like a cane, even holding it across the backs of my knees to pin me down.
“I’m ready,” I called.
“Me too. We’d better eat first, or we might not get around to it.”
I was restless. I wanted to play now, but I knew he was right. If we played, we probably wouldn’t leave the bed until morning, and the dinner he’d cooked would go to waste. With a final glance at the toys neatly arranged on the bed, I sauntered out to meet him.
“Are you sure you didn’t own a restaurant in a past life?” I asked, bumping him with my hip while I grabbed a plate. I thought about serving him, but we hadn’t discussed that level of D/s yet, so I only got food for myself.
“I’d go crazy in a restaurant, surrounded by people, everyone in a hurry. I couldn’t even do your job.” He was used to being his own boss; if he felt like working fourteen hours one day, he did. If he wanted to ride to the coast for the weekend, there was no one to stop him but his own deadlines.

Sales Links: Torquere
About the author:

T. Strange has been interested in BDSM for as long as she can remember. She and her wife were active participants in their local community for a number of years, but lately they’ve been focusing more on their own relationship. When not writing or being spanked, T. enjoys gardening, playing with her cats and other animals, and playing video games. She writes vanilla fiction under the same pen name.
Where to find the author:
Facebook
Facebook Author Page
Twitter
Pinterest
Goodreads
Blog
Other: Torquere Author page
Goodreads Book Link
Publisher: Torquere Press
Cover Artist: B.S. Clay
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The Price by Andrew Grey

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6276

Price[The]Blurb

Hunter Wolf is a highly paid Las Vegas escort with a face and body that have men salivating and paying a great deal for him to fulfill their fantasies. He keeps his own fantasies to himself, not that they matter.

Grant is an elementary-school teacher who works miracles with his summer school students. He discovered his gift while in high school, tutoring Hunter, a fellow student. They meet again when Hunter rescues Grant in a club. Grant doesn’t know Hunter is an escort or that they share similarly painful pasts involving family members’ substance abuse.

After the meeting, Hunter invites Grant to one of the finest restaurants in Las Vegas. Hunter is charming, sexy, and gracious, and Grant is intrigued. With more in common than they realized, the two men decide to give a relationship a try. At first, Grant believes he can deal with Hunter’s profession and accepts that Hunter will be faithful with his heart if not his body. Both men find their feelings run deeper than either imagined. For Grant, it’s harder than he thought to accept Hunter’s occupation, and Hunter’s feelings for Grant now make work nearly impossible. But Hunter’s choice of profession comes with a price, which could involve Grant’s job and their hearts—a price that might be too high for either of them to pay

Review

Basically Hunter and Grant knew each other in high school and are re-connecting again. Hunter doesn’t believe in love and Grant is the optimist. After a little bit of struggle, the couple realizes that Hunter can’t keep his current job and have the relationship he wants with Grant – so they split until it becomes clear that love is more important.

Andrew Grey always delivers solidly in the writing department and he does a nice job here of incorporating back-stories of alcoholism into the current relationship. I liked that Grant was able to identify that the father he knew as a child and the father he knows now are different people and that’s okay.

I really liked Grant and thought Hunter’s friends will make a nice new series if it goes that way.

4 of 5 hearts

4

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Running Wild (Havoc #1) by SE Jakes

Riptide Presents http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/running-wild

running wildBlurb
Embrace the danger.
Sean Rush is an adrenaline junkie. That’s why he was in the Army, why he steals and races classic muscle cars . . . and why he can’t stay away from bad boy Ryker, a Havoc Motorcycle Club lieutenant. Fortunately, Ryker can’t seem to stay away from Sean—he’s spent the last eight months breaking into Sean’s apartment and stealing into his bed, leaving Sean physically satisfied but increasingly restless.
Sean has always avoided relationships. He likes to come and go without being controlled. And Ryker is possibly the most controlling man he’s ever known. Still, he finds that he wants more from Ryker than their silent nighttime encounters.
Then one of Sean’s thefts goes bad, and Ryker’s protective instincts kick into overdrive. He takes Sean to the Havoc compound, determined to keep him safe. But Sean’s past threatens the safety of Havoc—and everything Ryker holds dear. Worse, Ryker’s hiding secrets of his own. Soon it’s obvious that the adrenaline rush can’t keep them together anymore. But maybe love can.

Review
(from previous site)

SE Jakes has done it AGAIN. This series may even top/tie with the Hell or High Water series for me. Ryker is absolutely on par with Prophet for hot, bad ass, awesomeness… but maybe I should compare him to Mal… or Cillian… he is so bad ass that he always knows what to say and when to say it and what he does is ALMOST always right. Almost. Ryker is a SEX GOD and yet so amazingly sweet that you just want to take him home with you. He. Sends. Flowers. (Insert swoon)

Sean is another great character. He is funny, and caring, and a little crazy and vulnerable, and tough… just like a good SE Jakes character should be. He is a great friend, a neurotic lover, an adrenaline junkie and an ex-soldier who suffers from PTSD. He also is Bad. Ass. He has ninja car skills and can steal a car with one hand tied behind his back. His relationship with Ryker is sweet and funny and very, very hot, and sometimes frustrating.

The story is completely amazing. It grabbed me, threw me on the back of the bike and told me to hang on! There was literally never a slow moment or place I felt I wanted (or even could) skim. It was all vital, wonderful and riveting.

The love story is so completely satisfying and … hot. Enough said.

Jakes has added some vaguely paranormal stuff to this story that added a distinct charm and mystique to Havoc and its compound. I hope for future stories from Casey, maybe Sweet, maybe Noah – you never know right?

I totally recommend this book (and all SE Jakes books) and give this book 6 out of 5 hearts – it was that good. Really.

amazing

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