BLURB: It isn’t easy to cling to teenage promises when you become one of the forgotten. For Eli Barron, Jesse Clooney has always been the one. From their first day of kindergarten through their high-school graduation, the pair were inseparable. So, when a situation arises that splits the two men apart, it’s up to Eli to keep the home fires burning as Jesse sets off to follow his dreams on the rodeo circuit. But how long can a man continue to stoke the fire before the flames die out?
REVIEW: I love Carol Lyne’s books and even better, books about cowboys are a definite read for me, typically. This short read was not what I expected though. I thought this would be cowboy meets cowboy and the sparks would fly, but due to the stigma of being a “cowboy”, they found it difficult to be out and proud. No! These main characters have been friends since day one in kindergarten, inseparable besties. Eli comes from a loving and supportive family, and Jesse has an abusive father and a mother who would never go against her husband even to save her only son. That friendship turned into love during their teen years. So they make big plans to join the rodeo circuit right after they graduate. Well, as we all learn life sometimes has it’s own plans. Eli, due to a family tragedy, has to stay at the family ranch and help his mother and younger sisters, while Jesse leaves to pursue his rodeo dreams and to escape the shame of his past.
The character development was okay but I never fell in love with either main character. I usually love the damaged guy in a story, but Jesse just made me mad and want to punch him. As I read the story I was either feeling sorry for Eli, as he sacrificed his non existent personal life for his family, or annoyed with his never ending patience with Jesse. I wanted to shake some sense into him to make him see how his so called best friend/ the love of his life was taking him for granted and stringing him along.To me Jesse was selfish, he wanted to have his cake and eat it too. The good news is that Carol never fails to give you a HEA for her characters.
“We were a unit tonight, moving as one. Even apart, we are deadly, but when combined – we are f**kin’ unstoppable.” ~~ God ~~
Atlanta’s notorious narcotics task force is at it again. They are stronger, bigger, and better than ever. Especially when a city councilman sends RECON Marine, Edwin Steele – who’s been blacklisted from his Oakland department – to join the team. God and Day weren’t recruiting. They have a lot on their plates, like the fact they’re supposed to be getting married soon. They don’t have the time or the patience to integrate a decorated war hero with a slight chip on his shoulder into their well-oiled machine.
A hothead that’s uncontrollable and terrible with authority… but wasn’t that their team motto?
Steele was ready to hang up his shield. He was done fighting with bigoted bastards that couldn’t respect the job. He was good at fighting; he just needed the right team to fight with. When his uncle – City Councilman, Rasmus Steele – shows him a video of God’s team in action, he knows right away, it’s where his nephew belongs in order to restore his faith.
Steele pointed to the driver, a behemoth of a man wielding those massive firearms like a true beast… like a soldier. “And him. Who the hell is he?”
“That’s your new boss. Lieutenant Cashel Godfrey… they call him… God.”
Steele was skeptical about his new placement, but when he meets God’s technology specialist/computer genius, “Tech,” he’s willing to give it his all, and he definitely shows and proves.
Tech is stunning. His sweater vest and khakis, a stark contrast to the blue-jeaned roughnecks he works with. A beautiful sheep amongst the wolves. Steel thinks there’s no way the brilliant man would be interested in a hardhead like him, but Tech has a few badass hidden talents of his own and manages to surprise him… surprise all of them.
This story is a part of a series but can stand alone. It does not end on a cliffhanger and has a HEA. There are no multiple pairings in this novel.
EXCERPT:
Steele’s hands ran up the length of his triceps and around his arms. Tech tried not to shiver at the light touches. Thoughts of what Steele could do with those hands that were now on his body were causing a lot of feelings that’d been dead for a long time to spark back to life. Steele kept his fingers on his forearms and ran his thumbs down the insides until he reached his pulse. Steele pressed both thumbs there and Tech felt his knees weaken. “Your pulse is erratic.”
Of course, it is.
“You may not be afraid… but are you comfortable?”
Was he comfortable? That wasn’t something he could answer. Now, if Steele asked was he confused in his company… fuck yes. However, he was also pissed at himself that he’d admitted to this FORECON Marine that typing made his wrists hurt sometimes. He didn’t want Steele to treat him like a baby. “I’m not scared,” Tech growled.
Steele dropped his arms and caught him around his waist, spinning Tech fast enough to make him dizzy. His breath caught in his throat when he stopped only a couple inches from Steele’s face, having to slightly tilt his head up to look into those penetrating gray eyes. “You keep saying that. But your body is telling me different,” Steele hissed.
Tech didn’t dart his eyes away. He didn’t want Steele thinking he was insecure. Instead, he held those blown pupils and majestic irises with his own interested gaze. Inching in closer, Tech fought down his tension and gently placed both hands on Steele’s tight stomach. Maintaining eye contact, he slowly moved them up Steele’s chest, gliding over the defined pecs. Steele’s nostrils flared but he didn’t stop Tech when he gripped his collar and pulled him down closer to his mouth. Just before their lips could touch, Tech inched over and whispered in Steele’s ear. “I can’t control the way my body trembles when you’re near me, but trust me when I tell you… it’s not fear, Ghost.”
Tech used Steele’s classified identity, hoping it didn’t backfire like hell. But the way Steele’s hands tightened on his waist, he didn’t think it had. He’d taken the gamble, hoping it’d pay off. He was confessing to Steele what he’d learned from those documents, information revealing what the lieutenant colonel had to do – had to become – to keep himself and his men safe. Yet Tech was still standing there in the man’s arms, his cock as hard as a missile, flirting with danger… hoping he’d flirt back.
REVIEW: This is book 5 in the Nothing Special series and it is just an amazing read. Every book that this author has written has been nothing short of excellent. As always the case with her work, you’re awaiting her releases and when it happens, you find that it was well worth the wait. Nothing changes with this book. I don’t know what I love the most about her work; the reasons for me are many. Her characters are vividly portrayed in each of her books. The technical aspects of her work are always perfectly executed: the plots, storyline and dialogues; everything is an exercise in excellence. Her covers are always beautiful and with her series, neat and uniform which satisfies my OCD tendencies.
In this story, she introduces a new character (Steele) while staying true and showcasing the older characters. And the way she brought in Preston, Ric and Blair, the characters from You Can See Me, the prequel to the Nothing Special series was absolutely brilliant.
I loved Tech and Steele together. The chemistry between these two characters was palpable. Tech’s character was this wonderful mixture of sexy geek genius, shy guy and tough detective, innocent yet sexy temptation.
Steele is a rough and tumble former Marine and detective who ran to the ATL from another city after a friend and former partner was killed. Angry at the betrayal of his former department, Steele decided to leave law enforcement. His uncle refuses to let him give up on a career that he’s made for. He comes up with an alternative and moves him to God and Day’s unit. It’s there he meets Tech and sparks immediately fly between the two men.
These men find their footing after a couple of rough starts. The relationship they develop is a beautiful one filled with sweet heat. This relationship is the focus but what goes on between the other characters is equally engaging. The author does an amazing job of having numerous storylines going on simultaneously. There were no defined MCs in this story but that is perfectly okay as each side told was brilliantly done. There were multiple POV shifts but this too, was expertly executed. There is not confusion as to whose POV you are in at any time; the shifts are just that seamless. This author does an amazing job of maintaining her characters: she incorporates the past characters and introduces a new one.
I can’t say enough about how well this book is written and how much I enjoyed reading it! This author is truly a master of her craft. RATING: ??Amazing??
AUTHOR BIO:
A.E. Via is an author in the beautiful gay romance genre and also founder and owner of Via Star Wings Books. Her writing embodies everything from hopelessly romantic to adventure, 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. Adrienne Via has tons of more stories to tell, but she really would like to hear yours. Via Star Wings Books is currently accepting submissions for established and aspiring LGBTQ authors.
Visit my site to learn more! 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, VSWB submissions, and where she’ll appear next
BLURB: None of the matches caught his eye as much as the matchmaker himself.
Growing up poorer than poor didn’t leave Navashen Bhattathiri many options for life outside of school. All of his concentration was on keeping his scholarships. Sixteen years later, he’s fulfilled his dream and become a doctor. Now he’s returning home to Lexington and is ready to prove himself to the world. In doing so, he reconnects with Brent Carpenter—high school classmate, real estate agent, all-around great guy… and closet matchmaker.
Brent makes it his mission to help Navashen develop a social life and meet available, interesting men. Unfortunately Navashen’s schedule is unpredictable, and few of those available, interesting men value his dedication like Brent does. Brent’s unfailing friendship and support convince Navashen he’s the one, but can he capture Brent’s heart when the matchmaker is focused on finding Navashen another man?
REVIEW: This story is a very sweet friends to lovers story set in Lexington, Ky. This is the second of the Lexington Lovers books and nineteenth within the Dreamspun Desires series. This story gives us Navashen a neonatologist and Brent a real estate agent.
Nav grew up poor and decided to return home after fulfilling his dreams of becoming a doctor. Determined to settle down he looks up Brent, a childhood acquaintance of his. The two reconnect while Brent helped him find his home.
The two become reacquainted with each other and become close but as friends only. Brent opts to play matchmaker to help Nav meet new people. Neither man realized that the very thing that was being sought was already in their faces.
I absolutely loved the relationship that Nav had with his brother. Akshat was my favorite character and the love and support he received from Nav, Brent and his neighbors was heartwarming. I truly enjoy these characters; they were very well written.
With that said, the story did have a bit of a drawback. The storyline, although lovely, was quite bland in the way of passion. There was absolutely no sexual chemistry between Brent and Nav’s characters and I think that’s what made the relationship between the two men less believable. This made the one and only sex scene at the end seemed forced; like it had to be written in because it was expected instead of it being a natural progression of the relationship. I think that it should have been left out completely; I was okay with the book not having sex as I think that a sexual relationship between the two would’ve taken away from the story.it’s this reason that I feel that the sex should’ve been left completely out of the story instead of written in.
In all, I truly enjoyed this book. There a sweet Hallmark-esque vibe that I loved and it worked well..
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press RELEASE DATE: September 2 , 2016
BLURB: Forty-eight-year-old Ben Thompson is a librarian, a passionate book lover, and a man who embodies the definition of a bear. He’s also lonely after the loss of his long-term partner. Young ex-gymnast Jason Barnes piques his interest, but Ben quickly realizes there’s more to Jason than his good looks. While Jason visits the library almost every day, he never checks out a book.
With gentle persistence, Ben befriends Jason and learns the nineteen-year-old’s tragic secrets. After years of abuse at his father’s hands, Jason was kicked out of his family home for being gay. And despite his apparent love of books, Jason never learned to read. Ben offers to teach him, and the two men bond over their lessons. Ben can’t deny his attraction to Jason, but he wonders if Jason is too young and too handsome to return his interest. With the help of the close-knit library team and Jason’s growing self-confidence, they move beyond the books and into the bedroom, where their own story is just beginning.
REVIEW: I didn’t think that this book would hold my interests hen it was first presented to me but I was pleasantly surprised. Very much so.
Here you have this young man, Jason, who at nineteen doesn’t know how to read. He’s a sweet young man, bright but had learning difficulties where left him illiterate. Let’s talk about him a bit more. This young man was in no way lazy or uninterested in learning, he was quite the opposite. He was passionate about books and his thirst for knowledge was obvious. There was just never anyone who actually took the time to take a vested interest in helping him learn until he meets Ben.
Ben. Sweet, gentle, intelligent, soft spoken Ben. He’s a librarian, a gentlemen of 48, whose just decided to live his life as it is. He has his books, his colleagues that he likes in a job that he loves. You get the sense that he wasn’t not looking to fall in love that he’s just sort of put that part of himself away after the passing of his husband/long term partner.
I think initially, when he notices Jason, he’s intrigued and notices how attractive he is in passing; it wasn’t overwhelming. But once he discovers the young man’s secret, he wants to help him.
I really like this book. When many think of a May/ December or older man/younger man romance, there’s a tendency to tell the story with certain slant. I was really glad to see that it wasn’t the case with this book. Ben genuinely cares about Jason, he has a vested interest in helping this young man live up to his full potential. It’s actually sad that people in the education system failed this young man.
The romance aspect wasn’t as believable as I would’ve expectedly to be. I just couldn’t see these two as a couple not because of the age difference but because of the tone of the relationship. Oh, don’t get me wrong, Ben does in no way take advantage of Jason, I just felt that the relationship was driven by feelings other than love and attraction. I think for Jason it was more of an attraction to his mentor and for Ben it was driven by loneliness and a bit of lust. But it was in no way disgusting.
This aside, I think the book was well very written. There wasn’t any heat between the two characters in my opinion but then again, that’s quite alright because I think these two men made better friends than lovers. The chemistry between the two was a slow burn that never truly turns into a raging fire and that is okay.
All things considered, I think the story worked out rather nicely.
PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing RELEASE DATE: October 18, 2016
BLURB: This time, it’s a real bunny shifter and you know the saying about doing something like bunnies…
Oliver Biggerstaffer comes to Texas from Boston, looking for a job and a new life. He’s hoping the advertising firm he interviews for will hire him, and he can put his past where it belongs—behind him. No one will know who or what he is—a snake shifter.
Except he’s interviewed by Jagger Osterman, a bear shifter, and he meets a cute bunny shifter at the hotel where he’s staying. Oliver can’t hide his shifter status from them. And he doesn’t want to, once he meets them—especially the bunny, Peter Ruiz. It’s lust at first sight, but Oliver wants to take things slow as long as he’s staying at the hotel Peter’s working at.
Peter wants to get laid, and he wants to get laid now. The sexy snake shifter he’s attracted to has morals and ethics and things most of the guys Peter’s screwed around with before lack.
Oliver treats Peter like a person, not a body to have sex with, and if they can survive a series of weird accidents that might not be accidents after all, then Oliver and Peter just might have a happy ending all their own.
Reader Advisory:This book contains scenes of violence and kidnapping. REVIEW: This is the 2nd book in the City Shifter series and picks up nicely where the first book left off. This is a different couple and the author did a lovely job of tying them into the previous book while keeping Peter and Oliver’s story completely separate. She did such a good job that this can be read as a stand alone even though it’s part of a series.
Peter is a rabbit/hare shifter ( I really don’t know the difference between a hate and a rabbit so I’ll just use both) working at a hotel that Oliver, a copperhead snake shifter is a guest in. The attraction between the two is instantaneous and strong.
I liked these characters quite a bit. Oliver’s a bit uptight but it’s to be expected but not overly so and Peter complements him. Peter’s personality is a bit freer in terms of his sexuality and spirit but he’s hardworking, ambitious and intelligent and Oliver sees that in him. Both of these gentlemen reached a point in their lives where they were looking for something more than sex. So instead of the mating heat that’s such a common theme in shifter stories ruling their heads, Oliver decided to court Peter. It was all so very human like.
There was drama in the story but the author doesn’t drag it out which is nice. These books Aretha perfect length; short but not overly so with everything wrapping up rather nicely at the end of each.
BLURB: One surly bear and one bunny boy…what could possibly go wrong?
Jagger Osterman is having a bad day. In fact, he’s not the slightest bit impressed with 2015 at all. His job is on the line, and it’s not like he loves being a marketing wunderkind, but he has to do something to pay the bills. If he had his way, he’d just vanish into the mountains and live out his life as the black bear he yearns to shift into. Unfortunately, Jagger doesn’t have the time to let his beast run. He has responsibilities that he can’t walk away from.
Kevin Kelly could tell Jagger a thing or two about bad days, bad years, and just out and out bad luck. He made the mistake of smarting off to a curandera years ago and hasn’t been able to shake the curse she put on him yet. There’s not an area of his life that hasn’t been screwed up in one way or another. As a pronghorn shifter, he’d be okay on his own in the wild. Sure, there’d be predators, but Kevin had come to realize the worst predators were the human kind.
But he can’t shift. He’s been solidly bound to human form since being cursed.
Two men, both trapped in their own ways. They’re about to find out that freedom comes in many forms.
REVIEW: This is book # 1 in Bradford’s City Shifter series and I must say that it’s off to a great—and hilarious—start. Here, we have Jagger, an overworked and stresses out bear shifter. He has so much on his plate, you’ll wonder how is it the poor shifter doesn’t have an ulcer with all of the stress.
An office birthday celebration comes in the form of a pronghorn shifter/dance-o-gram named Kevin. There is an instant sexual chemistry between the two. This is when things take a turn for the hilarious. It would appear that poor Kevin is under a curse thanks to him pissing off a witch years before.
The storyline strikes the perfect balance of heat, romance and comedy. The characters are absolutely lovable. Kevin has a great disposition despite the fact of him being under a curse and his constant stream of bad luck and series of unfortunate events and I absolutely fell in LOVE with Jagger’s family. His sister Syn and their crazy old uncle’s dialogues kept me in a constant state of mirth throughout the entire story. You can see the overwhelming love Jagger and his family have for each other.
Jagger and Kevin are perfectly paired. Sure, Kevin’s under a curse and his life sucks because of it but he’s tough, full of life and funny. His when-life-throws-you-lemons-make-lemonade attitude is exactly what Jagger needed.
I appreciated the entire package; the editing and cover art is lovely and the storyline, characters and dialogue made this a truly enjoyable read. This series is off to a promising start.
BLURB: DeMatteo Santiago is the Alpha of one of the largest prides in North America. He is a young, successful lion shifter, surrounded by a large family and his devoted lover. By anyone’s account he has more than any one man can ask for, but his lion cares of nothing except finding their mate.
An unexpected business trip pits DeMatteo and his long awaited mate on opposite sides of the courtroom. But when challenged by ex-lovers, nosey siblings, and crazy hunters, DeMatteo realizes that finding his mate was the easy part. The real question is whether they will live long enough to be together.
This release is an M/M paranormal shifter romance. This series will contain, graphic violence, graphic language, and Mpreg. What it will not be is an instant mate fairytale, as forces set out to destroy everything and everyone.
REVIEW: Alright, now we’re finally getting into the story of Matt’s life after his parent’s deaths. Now, as I’ve stated before, I love shifter stories in general, lion shifter in particular because I’m one of those crazy cat ladies that love all things feline. I will also admit that I like Mpreg stories; they fascinate me. So, put both of those elements together and of course I’m in.
Matt is a alpha lion of a large pride. I like the fact that he’s not just a lion shifter. He’s a highly successful and sought after attorney in the human world so I like how the author wrote him to be able to balance interacting in and with the human world as well as the paranormal world.
The human world is where he finds his true mate, Sean. Sean’s the opposing attorney in a very messy human divorce. Matt is ecstatic that he find his mate but there’s just a few glitches in the program. One, Sean’s human so there’s the how-in-the-hell-am-I-going-to-explain-this aspect to this mating. Two, they’re both with other people—Sean has a girlfriend, Matt a boyfriend so there’s the how-in-the-hell-am-I-going-to-make-a-clean-break aspect of those situations. Sean’s breakup was painless compared to Matt’s. I felt so very bad for Hugh! It was to the point that I didn’t care for the Matt’s character at all. Even though Matt made it clear that whatever they had was just sex, I still felt that he could’ve handled it with a lot more grace than he did. The way that he did it was a bit foul. It was like he told Hugh and then reminded him that he was just something to play with until the real thing comes along. It was sad. I understood that he made it clear in the beginning what type of relationship it was to be but fifteen years…I felt he could’ve at least given the poor guy a week or two before just tossing him out of the house. And Matt’s sisters didn’t make the situation any better. I actually loathed them for they way they treated Hugh. I felt like they were all rubbing salt in a cut Matt inflicted. It’s like Hugh has been mistreated all his life and were aware of that but didn’t care. They acted like insensitive bitches. And I didn’t care what happened to or with them for the rest of the story.
There’s threats from all sides, human hunters and other paranormals. Add in the mess from the breakup with Hugh and it’s not an easy walk for Matt and Sean. And you know what? They didn’t deserve one. I felt that they deserved every bit of drama and chaos that came their way; they deserved the karma over how their exes were treated.
I really enjoyed reading this book. You know the author did a great job when the reader has such visceral reactions to the characters and you’re absorbed in the storyline.
The only thing about the book that I didn’t quite care for was the tenses. I think it was told in a–I don’t know-narrative voice? I’m not sure if that’s what it’s called. It was like someone was telling you the story as opposed to you reading it as it’s happening…I can’t explain it properly but it drove me nuts. I tried to roll with it but after the first chapter I ended up substituting the tenses and the changing the wording in my head and that made it easier for it to click. It weird, I know but it’s a quirk of mine.
I usually hate cliffhangers but if the story’s really good, as this one was, I don’t mind it so much. Especially this time because I had the next book on hand so I was able to quickly get to it. In all, I think it worked out rather nicely.
BLURB: Eighty six thousand, four hundred seconds. One thousand, four hundred and forty minutes. Twenty four hours. One day. In his twenty five years of life DeMatteo Santiago had often taken for granted how much could change in a single Day. When DeMatteo crawled into bed at 10:30 pm on May 7th, 1980 there was no way of knowing how the next twenty four hours would forever alter his life. As a young Alpha lion shifter DeMatteo has left his pride, in search of his mate, and a pride of his own. But the fates have been conspiring for centuries to lead him to this precise moment in time. May 8 1980, 10:30 pm, a moment in time that will forever change the life of Matthew (DeMatteo) Santiago. Facing the challenges of being the new Alpha of the largest pride in the United States, DeMatteo must find a way to lead in the face of his own personal tragedy.
REVIEW: This is the prequel to the first book in the Doubt series which is pretty much a map of all the characters in the upcoming books and their lives. This novella reveals how Matt becomes the alpha of the pride after the death of his parents, his relationship with Hugh and such.
You definitely should read this novella prior to starting the first book because it actually gives the background stories to many of the characters. I made the mistake of reading the first book before reading the prequel and I must say that I was a little bit confused as to what was going on and who everyone was in relation to Matt. I stopped in the middle of the first book and went back to the prequel.
I liked how she mapped out each character’s life and gave us a feel of each of the characters. The only issue I had with the story was Hugh’s backstory. You read he’s experienced some abuses from his old pride but it’s mentioned in the vaguest of terms for most part of the story. It’s finally revealed but by this time, I had pretty much giving up on ever finding out. Now reading about his past makes me that much more sympathetic towards what his character goes through in the first book.
You’re not going to really connect with the characters because this prequel is simply a map into the character’s lives and personalities. You will get the full story in the upcoming books. In all, I think she did a good job. This book piqued my interest because I am a fan of shifter stories in general, feline shifters in particular. Because I am obsessively in love with all things cats, I feel that there’s not nearly enough books featuring feline shifters.
This is a nice novella acts as the appetizer before the main courses.
Sparks ignite and tempers flare when a sexy, optimistic wedding planner moves his business in across the hall from a jilted, divorce lawyer’s practice.
“Look smart ass. This is the last time I’m going to remind you about breaking sections of the lease. If there’s a next time, I won’t stop until you and your frilly, white wedding shit is thrown out of here. Do you got it?!”
Wylde looked in Jacob’s pained eyes and answered in his deep voice. “Yeah, counselor. I got it.”
From high school, up until he became a successful attorney Jacob Snowden was convinced that love had it out for him. “Everyone left,” were the words he lived by. His mother, his high school sweetheart, his father, and his fiancé, all left Jacob just when he felt it was safe to let down his guard. Not any longer. Jacob was a determined man, set at keeping people at a distance. If his six foot one, military-made body didn’t scare people off, his permanent scowl surely did. At almost forty, Jacob’s social life was non-existent, but he told himself his work fulfilled him. He helped people get out of their loveless marriages. Jacob Snowden was one of the best divorce lawyers on the east coast and was damn proud of it. So, imagine his disdain when a wedding planner moves into the suite directly adjacent to his… an insanely masculine, male wedding planner.
Wylde Sterling had made quite a name for himself in his hometown of Roanoke, Virginia, working for a wedding planner that catered to the elite. He was known for his charm and impeccable taste. Yep, he was incredible at giving couples the wedding of their dreams. But he wanted nothing more than to plan his own. After striking out in love more times than he cared to admit, Wylde decided to start his own business in a new city, hoping Richmond would give him a fresh start. Things started out wonderfully – until he started to piss off the angry divorce attorney next door.
Wylde could see past Jacob’s mean scowl, knowing there was a reason for it. It was the man’s defense mechanism, his means of keeping people away. Everything in Wylde told him to stay away, but he believed Jacob just needed to meet a man who had been hurt as badly as he had.
EXCERPT…
They’d just been seated at Kincaid’s, neither wanting to drive anywhere since it was so late and they were both starved. Jacob was still trying to understand who the fuck would dump a guy like Wylde? He felt sexier just standing next to the guy. People smiled at Wylde, while they steered clear of him.
“So you never answered my question.” Wylde said over his menu.
“And that was…?” Jacob asked, expectantly.
Wylde took a long drink of his water and Jacob watched that long, narrow throat work down the cold liquid. “Was it another invitation to your place?”
“Did you want it to be?” Jacob threw back, hiding his slight grin behind his own menu. He hadn’t had a reason to smile in a long time.
“Typical attorney… nice redirect.” Wylde reached over and gently inched down Jacob’s menu so he could see his mouth. “Better,” he said in his soothing voice.
“I um. I guess we’d be more comfortable at my place. It’s a fun board.” Jacob couldn’t believe he’d said that. When was the last time he’d had someone over? Never. Oh, his paralegal came over once, about two years ago, to drop of a file when he had the flu. Damn, even Patrick checked into hotels for their hookups. Probably because Jacob’d always told him he didn’t like anyone in his space. God he’d been a prick. “And, since you’ve been there already.”
“I didn’t snoop. I’m not that kind of guy. The board is pretty visible when you cross your living room.” Wylde cleared it up for him. He’d been dying to ask a few questions about that night, but the humiliation of hearing something ridiculous he’d done had stopped him each time.
“I appreciate that.” Jacob looked away.
“You wanna know what happened that night, don’t you?” Wylde inquired, getting comfortable.
“Only if it’s not going to make me run out of here and wallow in shame for another two weeks,” Jacob grunted.
“Nope. I think you were real in the things you said. All you did was tell me I smell good, and sleep.” Wylde took another drink. “Oh, and you blew my back out.”
Jacob choked on his tea, sputtered brown drops of liquid on his shirt and tie. “Jesus Christ. What?”
Wylde put his fist over his mouth, trying to control his laughter. Jacob was so glad it was late and there were only a few people left in the dining area. “You were draped over my back. You’re quite heavy, counselor. I think I pulled a muscle or two,” Wylde clarified, laughing again.
“You’re an asshole. You know exactly what that sounded like.” Jacob laughed along with him while he wiped his tie. It felt good to joke around like that. Strange, but good.
“You are striking when you laugh.”
“I don’t do it often.”
“I know,” Wylde said seriously.
Jacob sighed after he’d calmed down. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you, Wylde.”
“Just promise you’ll do something,” Wylde voiced thoughtfully.
Jacob thought about it for a moment. He didn’t respond until their food arrived. “I don’t know if I can promise anything, Wylde. But let’s just say, for you… I’ll try.”
“I’ll take it,” Wylde returned quickly, making Jacob laugh again.
A.E. Via is an author in the beautiful gay romance genre and also founder and owner of Via Star Wings Books. Her writing embodies everything from hopelessly romantic to adventure, 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. Adrienne Via has tons of more stories to tell, but she really would like to hear yours. Via Star Wings Books is currently accepting submissions for established and aspiring LGBTQ authors.
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RELEASEDATE: August 6, 2016 (first published November 27, 2010)
BLURB: Josh the vampire hunter falls in lust with one of the enemy; Richard has secrets and might not be sane–oh, sure, this will work.
Josh hunts vampires with relentless, cold precision until the night he confronts a gorgeous hunk of vamp in the woods outside Ithaca. Richard destroys all of his prejudices about vampires in the first few moments of conversation and the sexual sparks between them ignite almost as quickly. Richard offers the stability Josh never had. Josh offers the healing Richard needs so desperately.
But it’s nearly impossible just to walk away from a life of violence. An attack one evening leaves a friend in the hospital, Richard with a bullet through his chest, muttering about strange creatures, and Josh fighting to piece together what really happened. Are Richard’s nightmare attackers real, or is Josh’s favorite vamp losing his mind? Is there a reasonable explanation or has the hunter now become prey?
This title has been previously published.
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REVIEW: This story was an absolute joy for me to read. Josh and Richard may just be my new book boyfriends. More so Richard than Josh. I just adore Richard to bits! He was an interesting mix of fierce warrior, sweet, gentle, protective, kind hearted, heartbroken vampire. He’s experienced love and loss many, many times. He’s still in mourning and feel guilty over the murder of his last human lover, whose life was taken by vampire hunters.
Josh is a vampire hunter whose led a hard life. A life filled with violence, abandonment, anger, and pain. He spots Richard one night and just makes up his mind to kill him. But the funny things happened on the way to killing the vamp.
Josh found that he couldn’t do it. One look at the beautiful vampire was all it took and the two men makes a connection. And it’s more than sexual.
I loved, LOVED this story. Josh was vulgar, rude, obnoxious, violent and a smart ass but that I felt was an armor he wore to block the pain of losing his twin sister years prior. Richard also was dealing with the loss of a loved one and these two finding each other at the time they did was perfect.
Martinez did a wonderful job bringing these characters to life. The author had an entire cast of background characters brought in and was able to blend their dialogues and storyline without losing the focus on the MCs. This was definitely not a run of the mill vampire story, believe me.
Every little thing about this book was wonderful. The plot, which has been done before, was done in such a way in this that it wasn’t tired or overused. The storyline was lovely and you will fall in love with the characters. The ending was so very sweet, definite must for those who, like me enjoys a good HEA ending.
I would love to see a sequel to this, maybe a novella just to see how these two guys are doing.
