Category: Part of a series

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Ex Meridian (Nothing Special VII) A.E. Via

?Reviewed by The KimiChan Experience?

TITLE:  Ex Meridian 

SERIES:  Nothing Special VII

AUTHOR: A.E. Via

PUBLISHER: Via Star Wings Books

LENGTH: 237 pages

RELEASE DATE:  February 26, 2020

BLURB: Police Lieutenants, God and Day are under intense pressure from the chief to take back control of Atlanta’s streets. The last thing their task force needs is a pair of trained killers in town with a personal score to settle. 

Take a man and strip him of his ability to feel compassion, empathy, remorse, or any of the emotions that make him human, but leave the ones that ignite rage and aggression and you have the perfect killing machine—now imagine two of them. 

Code names Ex and Meridian are synonymous for ‘guaranteed death’ to international terrorists. Two broken men from the same crooked streets, recruited into an unsanctioned government program that few know about. Trained to operate most efficiently—lethally—together. 

When Ex returns from an op in Bolivia to learn his little brother has been accidentally killed in a feud between drug gangs, he’s stateside before he can consider the rules he’ll be breaking, and of course Meridian is right beside him. There’s mayhem on the streets of Atlanta and the police are losing control. If Godfrey and his elite team of detectives can’t get the job done then they’d be happy to lighten their caseloads for them. And Ex nor Meridian care about doing it quietly. 

“I know who you are.” The man grunted when Ex turned to leave. “You’re the fucking devil.”

Meridian walked past, glaring one final time. “Say that loud enough… maybe God will save you.”

But after their first run-in with the big lieutenant and his protective husband, Day, Ex and Meridian start to reevaluate their own relationship. Wondering if they could be even deadlier if they let loose the feelings for each other that they’ve been forced to suppress for years. 

Meridian’s dark eyes stayed locked on his, “A man who can fight beside the one he loves doesn’t make him weaker, Ex—it makes him more dangerous.”

REVIEW: This latest installment of the series continues on with two new characters. Ex and his partner Meridian are two CIA agents who are in the ATL on an unsanctioned, off the books op searching for the drug and gang kingpin who murdered Ex’s baby brother.

The characters from the previous books in the series and their spinoffs make brief appearances throughout the book. God and Day’s team more so than the others as they are the force that moves the story along. 

The author introduces two new players in these books. Ex and Meridian are too mysterious and extremely dangerous men. These two are ruthless, unstoppable killing machines. But the author injected quite a bit of humanity into their characters. Reading the story, you could feel Ex’s  overwhelming sorrow over his brother’s death. The deep regret and guilt Ex feels for not being there for him and his mother is heartbreaking.

You stepped smack dab in the middle of Ex and Meridian lives fully aware that there’s a backstory that belongs to them only. Yet, you don’t feel disoriented or like there’s something missing in the author not giving the reader their full history’s. The bond these two men share is strong and you can see it clearly. This is such an important element of the story as it illustrates just how perfectly in sync with each these men are. 

These men are fierce, battle hardened and confident. Secure and communicating their wants and needs to each other. But there are some part in the story where Ex is a mixture of vulnerable and commanding that gives his character a depth that is much more fascinating and complex.

My favorite thing about this authors writing style is her ability to assert humor in her books at the most unexpected moments. There are moments when the dialogue takes me completely OUT to the point where I am positively wheezing, damn near laughing myself into an asthma attack.

This author’s work is brilliant, her characters’ personalities are so vividly written. These are every day working men that embark on these extraordinary adventures. Her characters are these mature, crazy, bold, dangerous men who work, live, play and love hard.

Just when I think this series can possibly get any more fantastic, this author goes into our kitchen and cooks up yet another even more delicious creation.     

And Sis *puts her foot in the pot* every single time she goes into that kitchen aka writer’s room of hers. 

*AAVE*

This book includes two fabulous bonus chapters at the end. While this story does not have a HEA ending it has a HFN one that is a perfect fit. 

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

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The Disheveled Duke (A Little Bit Cupid) Catherine Curzon, Eleanor Harkstead

?Reviewed by The KimiChan Experience? 

TITLE:  The Dishevelled Duke 

SERIES:  A Little Bit Cupid 

AUTHOR: Catherine Curzon, Eleanor Harkstead 

PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing 

LENGTH:  58 pages

RELEASE DATE:  February 11, 2020

BLURB: Will a photographer be swept off his feet by a duke who’s more disheveled than dashing?

It’s Valentine’s Day and it’s Billy last shift at The Chelsea Bunn. His photography career never took off, so it’s time to leave London, parcel up the leftover heart-shaped cakes and head back home to Hampshire.

Rumpled Charlie and his two mischievous dogs are Billy’s favourite customers, so when Charlie turns up at closing jtime with a mysterious wrapped gift and the offer of a whirlwind trip on the London Eye, Billy can’t say no. But Charlie is keeping a secret that could turn Billy’s world happily upside down.

As the snow falls over London and the big wheel grinds to a halt, Billy discovers that wishes aren’t just for Christmas. 

REVIEW: Of all the novellas in this collection, this is got to be one of my favorite. This is such a cute and sweet story. This gives us Billy. Billy is a photographer who moved to London with the hopes of building a successful business but he decides to pack it all and seeing us things haven’t gone quite as he had planned. Then one day in walks Charlie and his two adorable dogs and presents Billy with yet another better plan.

The thing with plan is is that they don’t always go the way we want expects or even wants them to. In this instance Billy’s life takes a happy direction things to Charlie and his two adorable fur babies.

These two characters in the flow of the story is nicely paced. The authors managed to spend quite a tale is such a short length. Even with that, the characters and storylines were well thought out and presented.

As usual, these authors put forth a story that is wonderful is sweet. The characters are delightful and the storyline is lovely. This novella brought a smile to my face reading it.

Catherine and Elizabeth did a fantastic job.

RATING: 4.5

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

 

Pride Publishing

https://www.pride-publishing.com/book/the-dishevelled-duke

 

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Double Six (Rowan House #5) Brenda Murphy

?Reviewed by The KimiChan Experience? 

TITLE: Double Six 

SERIES: Rowan House #5 

AUTHOR: Brenda Murphy 

PUBLISHER: NineStar Press

RELEASE DATE:  November 18, 2019 

BLURB: Elaine MacLeod, the most feared and revered Mistress of Rowan House, is frustrated. Overworked, still hurt and angry over the departure of her long-term lover, she refuses to admit Rowan House needs another Mistress to accommodate their guests. Unconvinced anyone will be able to meet her high standards, Elaine grudgingly agrees to audition the sole applicant, Petra Grendhal.

Robin Broadacre would do anything for the woman who rescued her from certain death at the hands of her previous employers. When she volunteers to assist Petra with her audition, Elaine is forced to reckon with her desire for Robin. Drawn to Petra’s fiery strength and icy demeanor as well Robin’s devotion, Elaine finds herself torn between her passion for both women. When Petra disappears on a trip to Oslo, Elaine and Robin’s search leads them to menaces from Robin’s past and a fight for their lives.

REVIEW: This is the 5th book in the Rowan House series and it is excellent! This is a series and I’ve started on this book first. Even though it can be read as a standalone, I feel that they should be read in sequential order as it would be beneficial to give you a better feel of who everyone is when they’re mentioned.

This book was extremely well written. The character development, storyline and flow of this book is top notch. This author has a true talent for writing that should definitely be touted; her ability to make her characters so that you’re able to easily  connect with them is just brilliant. The women in her stories are strong, confident, complex and always relatable. What I particularly loved about this story is how it explores dominance and submission; and how that power exchange manifests between women.

Even visual presentation of this book is stunning. The gorgeous cover models, the color pallets, font types, it all blends together to form the perfect vessel for the beautifully written story within.

Brenda Murphy did an exceptional job with this book and reading it has definitely motivated me to purchase the rest in the series.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

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Rialto (Unbreakable Bonds #8) Jocelynn Drake, Rinda Elliot

?Reviewed by The KimiChan Experience?

TITLE: Rialto

SERIES: Unbreakable Bonds #8

AUTHOR: Jocelynn Drake, Rinda Elliot

PUBLISHER: Self Published

RELEASE DATE:  December 16, 2019

BLURB: Someone has it out for Rialto.

Ian Banner is loving his hectic life. He’s newly married, ready to start a family, and opening a new restaurant. All his dreams are coming true.

The last thing he needs is a problem with his restaurant.

But when one attack after another comes, he grows convinced he has another enemy.

Ian tries to handle things by himself, but his friends are soon drawn in when the attacks become violent. That’s when Ian realizes the target isn’t Rialto. It’s him.

Rialto is the final installment in the Unbreakable Bonds series and features sexy times, Daciana snuggles, overprotective family, fire, and of course, code names. 

REVIEW: This book was bittersweet. This is the last time will read about these wonderful men in their adventurous, chaotic, dangerous and lovely lives. But this finale is the series on the sweetest of high notes

The dynamic duo of Jocelyn Drake and Rinda Elliott brought Lucas, Snow, Rowe and Ian together for one last adventure before they settle down to live out the rest of their days as happily married fathers. That is unless Rowe and Noah a.k.a. the Master of Mayhem find some trouble for them all to get into.

Ian is the sole focus of the final installment in the series. As with the rest of the books in the series featuring him, this centers his past life. Ian’s character—to me—is the toughest. I say this because this man survived a horrific ordeal to become the man that he is today. But of course, even from the grave it seems that the man responsible for his horrific pass is still finding ways to intrude on the happiness and success that he has made for himself.

Ian’s story has always rip my heart apart. I love the story because in this book, Ian is able to confront, not one from, his past. Not only that, but he’s proved to Lucas, Snow and Rowe that he’s much tougher than they—and even he— realized. 

He truly came to his own in this book and it may the rest of his family finally sit up and take notice that he’s not someone who needs to be wrapped in cotton, insulated from the evils of the world. He prove to them that he was able to handle himself and to protect them if needed and times of extreme danger and it was a glorious thing to finally witness.

The love these men have for each other practically leap off the pages of this book. It is beautifully written; the characters a vivid, bursting with energy that makes each word of each sentence of each paragraph a treat. The action, adventure and romance of these stories are extremely well written; they immediately grab your attention and hold it from the first page read to the very last.

You’ll experience a roller coaster of emotions with this book. You’ll go from having a lump in your throat from heartbreak to having you laughing out loud at their antics to feeling joy at their triumphs.

This book will linger indelibly on the brain long after you finished reading it.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

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The Captain and the Theatrical (The Captivating Captains #3) Catherine Curzon, Eleanor Harkstead

?Reviewed by The KimiChan Experience?

TITLE:  The Capatain and the Theatrical 

SERIES: The Captivating Captains #3

AUTHOR: Catherine Curzon, Eleanor Harkstead 

PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing

RELEASEDATE: September 3, 2019

BLURB: When Captain Pendleton needs an emergency fiancée, who better to turn to than his male best friend? After all, for Amadeo Orsini, life’s one long, happy drag!

Captain Ambrose “Pen” Pendleton might have distinguished himself on the battlefield at Waterloo but since he’s come home to civvy street, he’s struggled to make his mark.

Pen dreams of becoming a playwright but his ambitious father has other ideas, including a trophy wife and a new job in America. If he’s to stand a hope of staying in England and pursuing his dream, Pen needs to find a fiancée fast.

Amadeo Orsini never made it as a leading man, but as a leading lady he’s the toast of the continental stage. Now Cosima is about to face her most challenging role yet, that of Captain Pendleton’s secret amour.

With the help of a talking theatrical parrot who never forgets his lines, Orsini throws on his best frock, slaps on the rouge and sets out to save Pen from the clutches of Miss Harriet Tarbottom and her scheming parents.

As friendship turns into love, will the captain be able to write a happy ending for himself and Orsini before the curtain falls?

Reader advisory: This book includes mention of PTSD.

General Release Date: 3rd September 2019

REVIEW: This is the 3rdinstallment to this series and it followed the first two books in the series in that the characters are delightful and vividly written. 

The twist is in this story includes a bit of drag which is always fantastic in virtually any occasion. As with the other books, these authors manage to bring their MCs to life. I adored Ambrose aka Pen and Amadeo are my favorite couple in the series so far. 

The premise of the story isn’t new by any means but the authors did a fantastic job of making it fresh and bold in that it’s set in a Regency timeframe. That to me makes it all the more delightful. 

The authors’ ability to transition seamlessly from one book to the next and their ability to maintain their characters is very well done. These stories are like tasty meals. All of these wonderful ingredients and spices combined to create this delicious dish.

Grab a cup of tea, a saucer of fancy scones and curl up with this wonderful read. 

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

BUY LINKS:

Pride Publishing 

Amazon 

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Swan (Mercs #2) Remmy Duchene

?Reviewed by The KimiChan Experience?

 

TITLE:  Swan

SERIES: Mercs # 2 

AUTHOR: Remmy Duchene 

PUBLISHER: Self Publishing

RELEASEDATE: June 1, 2019

 

BLURB: Codie “Swan” Kerr lost her family when she came out. But Trigger took her under his wings and helped her get through the ERU program to become the first female on the elite squad. But the secret she carries soon becomes an issue.

To make matters worse, all her family’s lies are about to descend on her head all at once.

Ex-JTF2 soldier Jacob Desjardins has been having come to Jesus moments over the past few months. He has been nothing but a jerk to those around him and karma has finally gotten tired of his crap.

After being rescued by Trigger and his crew, he believes his life can get back on track. But the fates have a sick sense of humor. Not only is his life spiraling out of control, he sees something in Swan that takes his breath away.

But what will Jacob do when he finds out Swan has a little more to her than meets the eyes?

And will he survive the storm heading their way?

 

REVIEW: This is the 2ndinstallment to the Mercs series and I must say that it turned out quite nice. The first book in the series transitioned seamlessly into this one. Here we have Swan, a beautiful assassin with the elite squad.  

Jacob’s character was just as well written and as vivid as Swan’s in the sense of how their personalities are presented to the readers and how well they play off of each other.

As with the previous story, this one has suspense and action with a huge dose of romance and intrigue tossed in for good measure. All elements which the author successfully manages to strike a perfect balance of.

Swan’s character is special in that the author has used her talents and platform to represent everyone within the LGBTQ community. This is just another step towards true representation and they did a great job of bringing diversity to an industry that has consistently centered white cisgender gay men.

I enjoyed reading this story as much as the first one. Swan is—so far—my favorite character.

Well done, Remmy Duchene. Well done, indeed!??

 

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

BUY LINKS:

 

Amazon

 

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Trigger (Mercs #1) Remmy Duchene

?Reviewed by The KimiChan Experience?

TITLE: Trigger

SERIES: Mercs # 1

AUTHOR: Remmy Duchene

PUBLISHER: Self Publishing

RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2019

BLURB: Dawson “Trigger” Kerr walked away from the JTF2 angry and feeling betrayed.

My brother’s keeper, my ass.

Civilian life takes a new kind of strength, but he settles into building his business. He is content with his new life—a successful nightclub, amazing friends and a life away from war-zones.

Everything is coming up roses—that is until Claude Desjardins walks into his life.

Claude doesn’t have a choice. In order to find his brother in Brazil, he needs the best. Word on the street, Dawson is the man for the job.

But Dawson isn’t too keen on helping the Desjardins. There’s a story there and there isn’t time to tell it. As they race against time to find out what happened to the older Desjardins brother, Claude is falling – hard.

But Claude is going to learn, if he’s going to squeeze the trigger, he’d better shoot to kill.

REVIEW: Okay, this book was a very good start to what looks to be a promising series. This story gives us Dawson aka Trigger and Claude. If you like action and suspense mixed with your romance, then this is definitely the book for you. The writing style is clean, crisp and straight to the point. This is what I like. This author doesn’t dally around with their stories; these men are straight forward with their attraction and feelings for each other which is a consistent thread with all of this author’s work. I actually like that. I don’t care for characters who dance around their attractions or feeling for each other. And the action wasn’t over the top or extra. It was the perfect balance of both romance and action which made the book that much more of an enjoyable read.

The ending was perfect and actually lays the groundwork for a smooth transition to the next book in the series.

This author is consistent in offering quality work. Her editing, storyline and character development was excellent and her cover was beautiful.

This is a great start to the series.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

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Gage (The Redemption Series Book 2) by JJ Harper

So this is book two in this series and in order to truly understand this story and the relationships you really need to read book one. Just saying! This book picks up right where Wolf, book one left off. When I began reading this story I kept thinking, how much is this strong, beautiful man supposed to take? How much more pain is he going to have to endure before he gets his HEA? I really enjoyed our MC’s, Wolf and Gage, relationship and how supportive Wolf was during all the family drama. He really stood by Gage no matter what. Wolf has totally redeemed himself by lots of groveling, lots of loving and just being there for Gage. That part will make you smile.

Then comes the part that will make you angry and sad… his family. Family, you can’t choose them so some of us get stuck with trash. I wanted to throttle his family in the first book for how they treated Gage but was certain they were in the past. Then out of nowhere BAM, here they come like the plague. But Ms. Harper pulls a rabbit out of her creative mind and turns lemons into lemonade. Especially Claudia, his sister. This book made me spit flames, and made me laugh. At times my heart soared with joy and cry real tears for Gage. I love this series so far and can’t wait for more.

Rating:

Get it from Amazon. Available in Kindle Unlimited.

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The Captain’s Cornish Christmas (Captivating Captains #2) Catherine Curzon, Elizabeth Harkstead

?Reviewed by The KimiChan Experience?

TITLE: The Captain’s Cornish Christmas

SERIES: Captivating Captains

AUTHOR: Catherine Curzon, Eleanor Harkstead

PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing

RELEASE DATE: December 11, 2018

BLURB: For a lonely Cornish lifeboatman and an author who’s more used to crime scenes than love scenes, this Christmas is going to be very merry indeed!

When Jago Treherne agrees to man the Polneath lifeboats one snowy Christmas, he knows he can forget turkey and all the trimmings.

Yet when he boards a seemingly empty yacht and stumbles upon sexy Sam Coryton enjoying an energetic afternoon below decks, Jago soon realizes that he might be unwrapping a very different sort of Christmas gift this year!

Publisher’s Note: This book is related to the Captivating Captains series.

REVIEW: This is a charming and well written novella in the Captivating Captains series. I absolutely adored these characters. Although the book has two MCs, the authors decided to do something a little different by having the story pretty much told from Jago’s perspective. Even though this was the case, the story still flows quite well.

Jago is on duty and has no huge plans for holidays other than spending time at home snuggled with his cat. Now, for those who are not aware, I am a total cat lady so of course, Peregrine the cat stole the show for me for a bit.

Jago happens upon a docked yacht that he thinks is in trouble but find, to his chagrin, that it belonged to famous author and childhood friend, Sam Coryton in a somewhat compromising, embarrassing and hilarious position. Figuratively and literally.

Sam has grown jaded of the London high society life and is looking to get back to his roots, peace and quiet. It becomes clear rather quickly, these two men belong together.

This novella is sexy, funny, and charming. Each story in this series is better and better and although different, still has a cohesive feel to them. These two authors did an amazing job of telling Jago and Sam’s story. What I particularly love about these novellas is that they’re so well written, the characters and dialogues so well fleshed out that they read like full length books.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novella and definitely recommend it and this series.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

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Hesitant Heart (Hampton Roads Club #1) Morticia Knight

?Reviewed by The KimiChan Experience?

TITLE: Hesitant Heart

SERIES: Hamptons Road Club # 1

AUTHOR: Morticia Knight

PUBLISHER: Knight Ever After Publishing (2nd Edition)

RELEASE DATE: October 26, 2018

BLURB: Sam is a naïve young man who arrives in Hollywood to escape his brutal father. When the older, sophisticated Aaron rescues him, Sam discovers what it means to fully surrender himself to another.

Eighteen year-old Sam Cunningham is used to living with lots of secrets. He’s had to hide his true nature his entire life or else incur the wrath of his strict and abusive father. When he’s faced with a horrible ultimatum, he flees to Hollywood where he hopes he can escape the fate his father has planned for him.

Aaron Rubenstein is a wealthy and sophisticated man who loses himself in painting portraits of bound men to help stave off his loneliness and despair. Unable to find a lasting connection with anyone, he’s had to resort to paying lovers not only for their affections, but to be allowed to indulge in his darker passions. Aaron’s only respite is his nights at the Hampton Road sadomasochism club where he’s a respected Dominant.

Naïve and inexperienced in the ways men can please one another, Sam takes a job at a bathhouse where he first glimpses a beautiful older man. Aaron notices the sweet towel boy watching him with interest every time he patronizes the Temple of Eros bathhouse. A traumatic incident for the innocent towel boy triggers Aaron’s protective tendencies and he’s compelled to rescue the gentle Sam from the clutches of the Temple’s manager.

They embark on a journey together that teaches them both things about themselves that they never knew. As their bond deepens and Sam is trained for his first night at the Hampton Road Club, an unknown danger lurks. Will Sam’s father find him and destroy both men’s chance for true happiness together? Or will Aaron protect his boy and keep him for always?

Reader advisory: This book is best read in sequence as part of a series.

REVIEW: This story is absolutely fabulous. In fact, every single book that I’ve read written by this author is fabulous. Knight’s stories, characters and storylines are always well written and memorable. This series is unique in the sense that it takes place in a different era. The 1920s-1930s. That is what initially caught my attention; I wanted to see how she would create a story with BDSM in that particular time period. And let me tell you, it was glorious.

Sam is a young man who ran away from home to escape his abusive father. It’s there where he meets the wealthy and kind older sophisticated gentleman, Aaron. Together they travel a journey of sexual freedom and discovery for Sam and for Aaron, he’s finally found someone he can be himself with. Both men are happy together but of course, Sam’s past threatens to take away the happiness they’ve found with each other.

This is a fantastic May/December M/M BDSM romance set in the Roaring Twenties. I don’t know of any other storylines, books in the genre that combines all of those elements together. This author did such a wonderful job with these characters and this storyline. The little details of the fashions, technology, language of the times really held my interest. This is the first book of what is shaping up to be an amazing series.

This is a definite must read.

Side note: This is the 2nd edition of the series.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

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