Royal Street Heist (Bissonet & Cruz #1) Scotty Cade

Reviewed by Kiwi

TITLE: Royal Street Heist

SERIES: Bissonet & Cruz Investigations, Book 1

AUTHOR: Scotty Cade

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 206 pages

BLURB: When valuable Civil War era art is stolen from a popular New Orleans gallery, NOPD Lead Detective Montgomery “Beau” Bissonet and his partner set out to solve the crime. When the gallery’s insurance company sends Tollison Cruz to the Big Easy to conduct their own independent investigation, personalities clash and battle lines are definitely drawn.

The heist quickly becomes a politically driven high profile case, and Detective Bissonet is furious when he’s ordered to work along side Investigator Cruz to assure a timely arrest. The heat index soars to new levels when the two investigators discover they have a lot more in common then originally thought.

With the tension between them temporarily sated, Bissonet and Cruz finally start to work together, on more then just a professional level. But everything comes to a screeching halt when Beau discovers his cohort in crime has been withholding information regarding the investigation and has been concealing a very questionable past. What happens next rivals the scorching summer heat.

REVIEW: This is part one in a story which a detective and his partner set out to recover a stolen civil war artifact taken from the local art gallery. Things get pretty interesting when the gallery’s insurance company sends Tollison Cruz to work alongside them. Of course with this development toes or stepped on, egos come into play,they’re both battling their attraction to each other and these two men clash. Watchimg them clash was quite entertaining to read.

What I love about this author is that he has this wonderful ability to combine sexy, sweet, with a touch of spice that makes his books such a treat to read. What I also love about his books is that his characters are always these mature, established men, alpha males. His books are definitely ‘Twink-Free’ zones.

Cade serves up quite a bit with this dish. It’s a delicious combination of great mystery combines with romance, adventure, and intrigue. Set in New Orleans, the author did a fantastic job of showcasing the city’s immense charm, rich and diverse history. He described everything in such detail that I was able to clearly visualize this city, one that I’ve never visited. It was glorious.

As usual the author writing style was spot on perfect. You can tell that he has to standard of perfection in his writing that is used in all of his books. He does his research. And it shows. I absolutely love these two men. They were stubborn and sexy. They remind me of two male lions squaring off against each other. I think that them fighting that attraction they had towards each other was like eating the sweetest most decadent dessert ever. I found myself mumbling to my iPad for them to just go to bed and get it out of their systems already but the fact that they didn’t immediately act on their attraction made it all the more sexier. I loved it, I absolutely loved it. I love the dialogue, the character development, the storyline empty slot it was all absolutely magnificent. And this is the reason why I continue to read this author’s work.

Even though you’re not going to get pages and pages of sexy is written into this book the story is still amazing without it and as quiet as it is kept, I actually prefer it that way. The plot, storyline and character development is strong enough to obtain and maintain your interest.

I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a great mystery with mature characters and wonderful adventures sit in the beautiful and intriguing city of New Orleans. I am looking forward to the sequel.

RATING: ???Amazing???

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

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

Catch A Tiger By The Tail (THIRDS#6) Charlie Cochet

Reviewed by Kiwi

TITLE: Catch A Tiger By The Tail

SERIES: THIRDS (Book #6)

AUTHOR: Charlie Cochet

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 216 pages

BLURB: Calvin Summers and Ethan Hobbs have been best friends since childhood, but somewhere along the line, their friendship evolved into something more. With the Therian Youth Center bombing, Calvin realizes just how short life can be and no longer keeps his feelings for his best friend a secret. Unfortunately, change is difficult for Ethan; most days he does well to deal with his Selective Mutism and Social Anxiety. Calvin’s confession adds a new struggle for Ethan, one he fears might cost him the friendship that’s been his whole world for as long as he can remember.

As partners and Defense Agents at the THIRDS, being on Destructive Delta is tough at the best of times, but between call-outs and life-threatening situations, Calvin and Ethan not only face traversing the challenges of their job, but also working toward a future as more than friends.

REVIEW: This is book six in the THIRDS series and it’s two hundred sixteen pages of full of action, shenanigans, action, crime and mystery and gummy filled goodness. The crew is back in the long awaited installment of Destructive Delta and the rest of the THIRDS units. While the story is focused on Calvin and Hobbs, the storylines of all members of the THIRDS is expertly maintained throughout the book.

This series in one word: Amazing. There is nothing about this book or this series that is boring. There’s humor, secrets, intrigues, crime and drama, super secret crime fighting unit stuff mixed in with love and romance with just a touch of steamy sexy tossed in. Everything about this book, this series is spot on perfect. Each character is individually crafted and they are divine; the dialogues and personalities of each of these characters will keep you entertained. There are a lot of twists and turns in the plot that will keep you on your toes. These books are addicting reads. This book captured and held my attention from the very first word of the first paragraph on page one to the very last word, of the last paragraph of the last page.

In this book you can expect to see just how Calvin and Hobb’s relationship has developed through the years. How their families are close knit and the love they have for one other. You will see things revealed with the Hobb’s brothers that will warm your heart and bring them closer together. I can’t wait to read about Sebastian and Hudson, Zachary and Austen and even Nina and Rafe.

The book ended with a delicious cliffhanger and it will drive you crazy wondering what happens next. This book has so much going on that you will not get bored for one second reading this. I highly recommend this series.

RATING: ???Amazing???

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

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

Ghosts of Halloween Past (Sequel to Blind Devotion) by MD Grimm

Dreamspinner Presents

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7016

GhostsofHalloweenPastLGBlurb

Sequel to Blind Devotion

Wolf shifter Sheriff Jack Ulger and cougar shifter Travis Kuger protect the shifters and their human allies living in Haven, Montana. They have known each other for nearly a decade but weren’t always friends. One Halloween night, as teenagers, that changed when Travis saved them both from an abandoned mill and the ghosts haunting it.

Years later, it’s Halloween again, and Travis never shared the ghostly experience with anyone, least of all the skeptic Jack. But he soon regrets the omission when Jack becomes trapped in the same abandoned mill while trying to find two lost kids. Jack must now protect the children, fight off a spiritual attack, and find a way to freedom. Travis knows something is wrong and enlists the help of their friends, and he can only hope they’ll be in time to save Jack from the dark entities.

Review

This is a nice Halloween story that takes a look at Jack and Travis before they’d mated and again, later, after they’d been together awhile.

The ghost story is spooky and creepy – just like you’d want for a Halloween story!

I enjoyed seeing some of the back story for our couple as well as seeing them again, more fully mated.

For fans of the series this is a must read!

4.5 of 5 hearts

4.5

10805469_1500047746947637_197599976_n

Blind Devotion (Shifters Book 3) by MD Grimm

Dreamspinner Presents

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3140

 

blind devotionBlurb

“The Shifters: Book Three”

In Haven, Montana, the shifters and their human allies are safe-for now. But that safety hinges on the town’s location remaining a secret, and it’s about to be compromised.

Cougar shifter Travis Kuger spent the past ten years alternating between craving revenge and wishing he could forget his painful past. Ever since the shifter-hating Knights blinded him and killed his family, Haven-and Sheriff Jack Ulger-have been Travis’s refuge.

Travis and Jack know their friendship could be much more, but Jack is part of Haven’s ruling wolf shifter pack. If he takes a non-wolf mate, he’ll be banished forever. But when one of the Knights infiltrates Haven, love becomes the least of their problems.

Review

Travis is hurt by a group of hunters who hate shifters. He finds his way to Haven, a place where shifters can be safe. He is befriended by Jack, but resists anything more because he’s afraid to love again. He lost his entire family to the hunters and can’t risk that kind of emotion again.

Jack has been slowly falling for Travis, for years. But he can’t be with someone not a wolf shifter and still be in the pack’s good graces.

When danger comes to Haven, Travis and Jack are forced to admit their feelings and fight for their right to be together – both against the pack and their own worries.

**

This was a really sweet, slow burn love story. Though there is some danger and some struggle against the pack, most of this is the two of them getting to know one another and slowly growing from friends to lovers.

I love that their pull is as strong as any “True Mate” type attraction, though that isn’t the case. I also loved the magicky stuff the Agency people add to the mix.

I really appreciated the slow pace and easy love in this story and am excited to read the sequel! (I haven’t read books one and two but will absolutely do that now, the continuing saga with the Agency and the Knights is very compelling.)

4 of 5 hearts

4

10805469_1500047746947637_197599976_n

The Plumber (Workplace Encounters) by Serena Yates

Dreamspinner Presents

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6979

Plumber[The]LGBlurb

Hard work and long hours have made Will Kovar’s business, Total Plumbing Solutions, a success. When he’s called to fix a bathroom at the Safe Home for Girls and Boys and sees how tight money is for the charity, he’s happy to donate his time. Meeting the home’s manager, Steve Hayes, is an added bonus, especially when Steve invites Will to dinner to thank him for his generosity. Will learns Steve’s wealthy family isn’t happy about his choice to make a career in social work, but neither man expects Steve’s parents to leave eighteen children out on the street to prove their point. Will is determined to help Steve figure out how to provide a safe and happy home—for both the children and themselves.

Review
Will is a plumber and a workaholic. Steve is a social worker who runs a home for Children. Will’s family won’t accept that he’s gay. Steve’s family wants “more for him” than being a social worker.

Though it’s hard, both men work crazy hours, these two guys make the time to be there for one another. When Steve’s home is threatened, they team up to find a solution. Through their steadfastness, they show one another’s families just how wrong they are and how to open themselves up for new “truths”.

**

There is nothing technically “wrong” about this story other than it was very bland. There was no sexual tension. Once they met they began dating. When there was trouble, they discussed it and sorted it out. When there was trouble with work they teamed up and found a good solution.

I just felt no spark from this story. The characters were nice, their romance was sweet, but there wasn’t anything compelling to it.

3 of 5 hearts

3

10805469_1500047746947637_197599976_n

For a Rainy Afternoon Audiobook by RJ Scott Narrated by Ian Gordon

Dreamspinner Presents

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7026

ForaRainyAfternoonAUDLGBlurb

Robbie MacIntyre manages a small post office in the old Station House on the outskirts of sleepy Barton Hartshourn northwest of London. He’s stunned when the owner, Maggie, a close friend, bequeaths him not only the post office, but also Station House.

The rest of her estate is left to an American writer, Jason Young, and when he moves to the village, Robbie is thrown by the attraction he has for the man who has more of a claim on the Station House than he does.

Then there is a box that holds several rare first editions and a cookbook. Only when the secrets of the ingredients in a particular recipe are finally revealed does everything begin to make sense, and a love cut short seventy years earlier is finally discovered.

Review

Robbie is a rootless artist who is gifted a benefactor in the form of 80 year old Maggie. She and her ladies read and drink tea at the Post Office/Library she sets up in an old train station. Robbie runs the place and lives in the apartment above it – giving him time and space to paint. This works excellently for 10 years until Maggie dies. She then gifts the entire place to him in her will along with some enigmatic papers and instructions.

Jason, an American, is a long lost distant great-grand-nephew to Maggie. He’s gifted her house and the other half of the enigmatic papers and instructions. Under suspicious circumstances the house he inherits needs massive renovations and he’s forced to seek shelter with Robbie.

Well, it’s a match made in heaven… literally? The two get along great and end up solving Maggie’s “mystery” and living HEA.

**

RJ is a great writer and this short little story is a wonderful example. It’s sweet, very British: full of tea, cold weather and old things! Though the romance between them is quick, and I wish that there was more character development and maybe some more smexy times, but I enjoyed the setting and the sentiment very much.

Audio

Ian Gordon is a lovely British narrator.  It really suited the story and since it’s placed in England I think choosing a British narrator was wonderful.  I did chuckle a bit at his “American” accent.  But it was really cute and it didn’t detract at all.  I loved it!

This is absolutely the best way to appreciate this story.

4.5 of 5 hearts

4.5

10805469_1500047746947637_197599976_n

 

Truth and Consequences: Sarah Madison


PUBLISHER
Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 240 pages

SERIES: Sixth Sense Book 3

SUMMARY: When FBI agent Jerry Lee Parker wakes from a coma after a murderous attack on his life, he has no memory of his immediate past. In the blink of an eye, he has gone from having a nearly photographic memory to recalling nothing of the last six months of his life, including his partner and lover, John Flynn. While Lee tries to reboot his past and reconnect with John, there are events at play around him he doesn’t understand. John is keeping secrets from him, secrets that could get them both killed.

Matters come to a head when Lee is hounded to turn over a mysterious artifact, of which he has no knowledge. The two men wind up in a fight for their lives as they risk everything to keep the powerful relic out of the hands of a ruthless killer. In order to protect those he loves, however, John may be forced to make a deal with the devil.

REVIEW: This is the third book in the Sixth Sense series and I must say that it’s a pretty damn good. What I like about this series is that the author picks up exactly where we left off in the previous book. Meaning, if she left off with them talking in the car, then that’s where the scene opens in the next book. You’re not left wondering what happened in between if the book opened with them in another place or timeframe.

We left off with Jerry losing his memory after an attack. He has no memory of John, their relationship or the events that led up to the attack. They’re basically starting over getting to know each other. The only thing about this is John, bless his heart, feels that he needs to keep his poor partner in the dark about some of the events leading up to the attack for his own protection. This of course, proves to be a huge mistake because it makes him more vulnerable. Poor Jerry has people after him but has no idea why.

They end up at John’s mother’s home for Jerry’s recuperating and while John’s under investigation for shooting Jerry’s attacker.

Once estranged, John is able to reconnect with his mother. I think that Jerry’s presents facilitated that reunion between mother and son. I absolutely adored John’s mother. She was a delightful surprise. She was a little old lady but she was in no way defenseless or fragile. She was a genteel, gun toting, Southern lady.
I enjoyed reading her and Jerry’s interactions with each other and the criminals (who were total amateurs, by the way) that were after them. Oh, and the cats. I adored reading about Jerry and John and their two fur babies Oliver and Phoenix.

This author did a great job with this book; with this entire series. She has a way with words that I find absolutely delightful. Jerry’s inner monologues were hilarious and that’s another thing about this series that I enjoy: she successfully balances humor,action and suspense, mystery and romance with a touch of steamy sex scenes thrown in. It’s not many sex scenes in this series but that’s quite alright as the plot and storyline is strong and fascinating enough to make up for the lack of it.

Of course the ending of this book is left at one of those oddly benign places where the author can seamlessly pick it up in the next book.

I really look forward to seeing what happens next.

RATING: ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

image

 

 

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

Between the Devil and the Pacific Blue by Charlie Cochet

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6909

BetweentheDevilandthePacificBlueLGBlurb

For the last six months, Detective James Ralston has worked the nightshift as security for the Pacific Blue Hotel, and every night at 2 a.m. his rounds lead him to the radio room where the handsome and mysterious Franklin Fairchild sits listening to waltzes as old as the hotel itself. James is drawn to Franklin, but Franklin is a man at the end of his rope, and James has no intention of getting caught up in whatever trouble Franklin is in. A heated encounter late one night sends James down a disturbing path and has him questioning everything around him, including his very sanity.

 

 

Review

James is ex military, ex cop, ex detective and a current security guard for an old hotel. He meets Franklin in the hotel on his sweep of the hotel each night at 2 am. Eventually he and Franklin move past just exchanging pleasantries to becoming more “involved” with each other.

Once he begins to dig deeper into Franklin’s life, he realizes that Franklin may be in danger – and that maybe there’s more going on around him than he really knows.

**

This is a short story and unique, not quite like the other books of Charlie Cochet’s I’ve read. It’s definitely coming out at the right time of year, but I don’t want to give too much else away.

There is a twist – to be sure – and a very satisfying HEA.

I really enjoyed trying to keep up with the twists and turns the story takes us on and appreciated the subtle language cues Charlie gives us to help solve the mystery.

I recommend this to fans of Halloween stories and detective stories.

4.25 of 5 stars

4

10805469_1500047746947637_197599976_n

Cold Feet Audiobook by Jay Northcote Narrated by Matthew Lloyd Davies

Dreamspinner Presents
http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Cold-Feet-Audiobook/B016J9TQXM/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1446220523&sr=1-1

cold feet audioBlurb

Best friends snowed in together. When the heat rises, will they get cold feet?

Getting snowed in at a remote cottage in Wales with someone he’d fancied for ages isn’t exactly how Sam expected to spend Christmas. His feelings for Ryan are pointless. Ryan’s straight—or so he thought.

Until now, Ryan’s kept his feelings for Sam buried. Why ruin a friendship over what might only be gay experimentation? Playing it cool seems safer, until a cold snap makes sharing body heat vital. In their Welsh safe haven, anything seems possible.

As Ryan’s reserve melts away, Sam wants more than stolen kisses under the mistletoe. But a sudden thaw means making decisions. They could face the New Year together—unless one of them gets cold feet.

Review:

(From book previously on this site)

Sam and Ryan are best “mates” (I love the British!) from university planning on a holiday in the country when the snow comes. Instead of being a casual thing with four roommates – now it’s an intimate stay between the two.

Sam is openly gay and has known he’s had feelings for Ryan forever. Sam knows those are pointless as Ryan is straight. (We’ve heard that before, right?!)
Ryan has had feelings for Sam pretty much since Sam came out and made Ryan look at sexuality in a different light. But Ryan doesn’t have the fearlessness Sam does, so he hesitates from jumping in the “gay” pool and watches for a while. Being snowbound forces those feelings to the surface and he and Sam begin to explore their feelings (and each other!).

**
This is a lovely short-story perfect for the holidays. The set-up for forcing Ryan to confront his feelings felt natural and their easy, slow start into moving things physical also fit the age and the setting. There is a bit of steam and smolder, but most of this is about their changing feelings and their emotions. Though we do get a very HEA ending, it also left us feeling that this was really the beginning of their relationship and we were just glimpsing its origins.

This isn’t as angsty as some of Jay’s other novels, certainly not as steamy, but it is every bit as sweet and sentimental – full of all the wonderful “feels” that she is great at delivering.

Of course, I’m always a sucker for the GFY theme, coupled with the British and the friends to lovers… it hit all my buttons in a big way!

Audio

Matthew Lloyd Davies is wonderful! He does all the voices so well, including the women! I love the varieties of accents he uses to give the speakers a local flavor. Very nice narration.

I highly recommend this holiday treat and give it 4.5 of 5 hearts!

4.5

10805469_1500047746947637_197599976_n