Category: Part of a series

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Moment of Truth (Moments in Time #2) by Karen Stivali

Dreamspinner Presents:

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6066

moment truthBlurb

Collin expected to spend another summer fixing cars and working at the college pizzeria. Instead, he’s living in a beach house on Fire Island, waiting tables at a hip seaside restaurant and, for the first time since he and Tanner got together, they can publicly be known as boyfriends. Being “out” takes some getting used to, but with the help of new and old friends, Collin is happier than he ever imagined. And more in love. But newfound freedom brings unexpected challenges, and when friends get flirty, old insecurities arise. Moments of doubt and jealousy threaten their happiness, and Collin and Tanner must confront the truth or risk losing it all.

Review
We met both Collin and Tanner at school where they went from friends to lovers and Collin faced the monumental task of coming out to his ultra conservative family. Now it’s summer and Collin and Tanner are together for the summer on Fire Island and finally enjoying being an “out and proud” couple. But…

Wendy and Maggie are two women from Tanner’s past that are currently still causing trouble for the couple. And there are yet more women Tanner meets at work that pokes every jealous bone in Collin and makes him feel insecure. Finally, there is a guy at work hitting on Collin and when he makes his move, Tanner is there to witness it.

**

I really, really like Karen Stivali’s writing. It’s engaging, erotic, and believable. I really like Collin as a character and his relationship with Tanner is both tender and erotic. I was delighted that they boys got to move their relationship further both emotionally and physically and am psyched to see Collin embracing being gay more and more fully.

What I really didn’t like was the teen-agey angst and drama being played out in the beach house. I particularly didn’t like Maggie and Wendy and their contribution to the story.

I know that when a story like this is broken down into parts rather than being served up as an entire novel each “section” has to have it’s own hurdles and problems. What I hope for is that each section will be an evolution in the relationship and not a recurring battle of “will this relationship work?”. I think that Collin’s virginity, his newness to being out, his battle with his conservative up-bringing and his newness to being a “boyfriend” could have provided enough conflict to move the story forward without throwing in a potential relationship-ending episode of almost cheating that we see with Jason.

I was grateful that the episode with Jason is brief and quickly resolved and I sincerely hope the next installment will focus more on making the relationship work rather than questioning whether it should be a relationship at all.

I will definitely read part three as I am totally captivated by their story and I do recommend this book and the series, even though it was painful to see the boys in so much pain.

Writing/Editing 5
Romance 4
Sex/Heat 5
Storyline 3
World Building/Characterizations 5

4.4 of 5 hearts

4.5

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Return To The Mountain Audiobook (The Mountains Book 5) by PD Singer Narrated by Finn Sterling

Dreamspinner Presents:  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6114

return mountainBlurb

Caddy Gary Richardson hungers for the lush life of the wealthy golfers he escorts around the course at Wapiti Creek. The contrast between his tiny trailer at the edge of a mountain town and the luxurious ski and golf resort is something he’s learned to live with but not like. Gary wants the fancy condo and late-model car not just for himself but for his childhood friend turned lover, Seth Morgan. He’d settle for security for the two of them, but even that seems out of reach.
Seth is content with Gary and enough spare cash for greens fees at municipal golf courses. Going pro is beyond his means, even if he plays well enough to win on the championship resort courses. Gary would do anything to fulfill Seth’s dreams, even things he’d rather keep to himself. When an unheard of opportunity knocks, Gary can answer or resign himself to living on tips from affluent tourists.
But Seth can’t live with that answer when it means his trust has been betrayed. He has to let go and hope the man he loves will find his way home.
Review

Gary and Seth are high school friends turned lovers. Gary had an exceptionally sucky childhood with an abusive father. Seth’s mom is wonderful but Seth is a bit “slow” and though he has a lot of natural golf talent he doesn’t quite have what it takes to go pro.

Gary sees the world and wants to experience all it has to offer in terms of luxuries and things he never had as a kid. He wants that for him AND Seth. Sometimes he’s even willing to do morally ambiguous things for opportunities to make things better for him and Seth.

Seth only ever wants to love Gary.

After high school Seth and Gary do various jobs (caddy, waiter, etc.) but Gary has those dreams of riches driving him. When some New Yorkers come to the mountain to golf and Gary overhears them talking business, he wants in.

The business “project” involves some more moral ambiguity, and moving to New York for a bit, but Gary classifies it all as getting a foot in the door and a leg up in business and since all he has ever wanted is to take care of himself and Seth, it feels “okay”, if not “good”.

Things do manage to take off for Gary (briefly) but the financial success is countered with romantic failure when Seth learns of what Gary has been doing to “help” things along.

Eventually Gary learns that money isn’t the answer to everything, that honesty and love are more important than financial success and that Seth is the most important thing of all.

**

This is quite different from the previous books in the series. There is still the attention to detail (Golf and Finance) that PD is so good at providing. There is still Wapiti Creek, the small mountain community we’ve seen before. There is still two boys in love.

However… in terms of “feels” this diverges from the path. In my opinion, Gary is really, really hard to like. I never felt good about how he handled his relationship with Seth. He was sorta like a big brother/parent at times and then sometimes like an adoring fan/boyfriend. I really, really didn’t like his justifications for cheating and the fact that all he could focus on was money. I think I understand WHY he felt that way and it was explained well, but I just never LIKED him as a result of his choices.

I really liked Seth and since I had a hard time with Gary I had a hard time rooting for them as a couple. Part of me hoped a new character would be introduced who was worthy of Seth.

Since the relationship between Seth and Gary is established early on, the slow burn is gone from the story.

Though Gary “redeems” himself by the end of the book, I still didn’t feel comfortable with his “turnaround” and so didn’t feel great about the longevity of them as a couple.

Overall, I would have to say this is a book in the series I’d skip, especially if infidelity is a trigger for you.

Audio

Finn Sterling did another great job with the narration, giving us a New York accent and growly old businessmen. My only complaint was that Gary’s voice seemed consistently pre-teen and that didn’t fit with his personality of a “do anything to move forward” kind of guy. I get that he’s got an “angelic” face, but his voice and tone could reflect the hard edges he earned at the hands of his dad and in the business world.

Writing/Editing 5
Romance 2
Sex/Heat 2.5
Storyline 2
World Building/Characterizations 5
Audio 4

Overall 3.4 of 5 hearts

3.5

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P.S.  Kudos to REESE DANTE for another beautiful and perfectly matched cover!

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Better Than Friends Audiobook (Better Than Book 3) by Lane Hayes Narrated by Tyler Stevens

Dreamspinner Presents

http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Better-Than-Friends-Audiobook/B00SUGTLQU/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1424491429&sr=1-1

better than friendsBlurb

When Curt Townsend, a successful young DC lawyer, attends his first gay wedding, he doesn’t expect anything more than a great evening out spent celebrating two lucky guys willing to commit to each other. He certainly doesn’t anticipate meeting someone like Jack Farinelli. Fourteen years Curt’s senior, Jack owns two businesses: a gay bar and a motorcycle shop. He’s gorgeous and self-assured, but Curt is positive they have nothing in common.

Jack is comfortable in his own skin. He’s attracted to Curt’s quick wit and easy manner but most of all to their unexpected mutual love of baseball. As they forge a friendship based on their shared enthusiasm for the sport, they begin a journey that reveals how their differences might be the catalyst behind a growing attraction. Both men have experienced their shares of pain, but they realize they need to set aside the past and learn to trust in the future if they are to have one together.

Review

This is book three in the series. We met Curt in book one, he was Matt’s roomie. Now he is a lawyer and that’s about it.

Jack is an older man, he owns a Leather Bar, he drives a motorcycle, he smokes, he has tattoos… in other words he is everything Curt is not.

At first they become friends, but they can’t seem to keep their hands off each other. Curt’s low self-esteem keeps him from thinking this is a “relationship” and Jack has buckets of personal issues that keep him from getting involved too deeply.

Because Curt thinks he and Jack are only “friends” he agrees to go out with Paul. Of course it makes Jack jealous, but not enough to really push them forward, relationship-wise.

Eventually there is a confrontation and they end up with a HFN, probable HEA.

**

This was by far the weakest of the series. There were a couple of things that made me review this lower than books 1 and 2.

First, the ending. Let’s just say it’s too fast and not believable.

Second, Paul. Why was he in this story? His role didn’t make sense. Why would Curt jump into bed with Jack then move at glacial speeds with Paul? If he really thought there was a relationship to be had with Paul, he needed to stop sleeping with Jack. If he thought Paul wasn’t going to match up to Jack, he needed to drop Paul. It made me like him less as a character/person.

Third, chemistry. They could have had should have been this ultra-hot, bad-boy, opposite-attracts sort of thing going, but it never flared for me. I didn’t quite understand the motivations and actions so I didn’t feel the same wonderful “feels” I did for Matt and Aaron or even Jay and Peter.

So, for me, this story did not trip my switches as much as the previous books did, though the writing was still very good.

Audio

Again, Tyler Stevens does a great job with the narration. I love his narration and thought Jack was super sexy! He definitely adds to the experience.

Writing/Editing 4.5

Romance 3.5

Sex/Heat  4

Storyline   2

World Building/Characterizations 3

Audio 5

 

Overall 3.6 of 5 hearts

3.5

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The Chauffeur (Workplace Encounters #2) by Serena Yates

Dreampsinner Presents

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/pages.php?pID=6&CDpath=0

chaufferBlurb

Chauffeur-slash-exotic dancer Kyle and forklift operator Nick connect, but family pressure and unemployment might ruin everything. 2nd Edition A Workplace Encounters Book Scarred former model Kyle Anderson leads a double life. By day, he works as a chauffeur for his uncle’s limousine rental company. Since his wages are too low for him to become financially independent, he works nights as an exotic dancer, donning a mask to hide his identity and the facial scars that got him rejected by his parents. Kyle catches the attention of Nick Giddings, a forklift driver who visits the club to let off steam. Nick is stuck in a low-skilled dead-end job after being kicked out of school for a prank he didn’t commit. The two men immediately connect, but when Nick is laid off and Kyle’s uncle pushes him to date a woman, everything comes crashing down.

Review

Nick sees Kyle dancing and convinces Kyle to go on a “date”. Though they are instantly attracted Kyle feels Nick won’t like him if he knows he’s scarred.

Nick sort of stalks Kyle when he meets him again without the costume, and convinces him his interest is sincere and they begin to date.

Nick is about to lose his factory job, Kyle is worried about coming out to his uncle, and both worry they may end up homeless and jobless soon, but they have each other.

**

This is the second short story in Serena Yates Workplace series. It has a similar pattern to book one in that these are men who find themselves on hard times and need the support of the other to become better men and have better lives.

If you enjoyed book one you will probably enjoy this as well.

However, I enjoyed book one a bit more than book two because I just didn’t bond as much with either MC in this book and found the ending with the uncle a bit much to take.

I think the writing is good and the smexy times were hot, but I didn’t connect with this story as much as I have in the past with Serena’s books.

Writing/Editing 4
Romance 2
Sex/Heat 4
Storyline 2
World Building/Characterizations 2

2.8 of 5 hearts

3

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Blog Tour: Frankie and Al (Frankie’s Series Book 1) by Sue Brown

 

FrankieandAlLGDumped by his boyfriend, Frankie Mason goes out with the girls, gets totally trashed, and ends his night by falling in front of a taxi. He’s rescued by a man with beautiful green eyes who takes care of him until he’s put into an ambulance. Frankie curses himself as he realizes he doesn’t have the man’s phone number. Still in pain a few days later, he is dragged out to a club only to be saved by Green Eyes once more. This time, he isn’t letting the man go.
Unfortunately Frankie has to attend a team-building exercise, nicknamed Womb Weekend, organized by his company. Al is working so he doesn’t mind, until he discovers who the team leader is. Al has a lot of explaining to do!
BUY LINK:
Dreamspinner Press – http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4774
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Frankie-Al-Frankies-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00J5KO5AC
Amazon UK – http://www.amazon.co.uk/Frankie-Al-Frankies-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00J5KO5AC
ARe – https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-frankieal-1457741-149.html

EXCERPT

ONE OF the joys of working in a large insurance company was that Frankie had a Monday-to-Friday job processing new insurance policies. He waved good-bye at five o’clock Friday evening and didn’t have to think about work or his colleagues until eight thirty Monday morning.
Until the day Frankie opened the e-mail from Human Resources. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
Charlotte looked over from her desk. “What?”
“They’re sending me on a team-building exercise.” He didn’t appreciate Charlotte’s chuckle. “Winning Ways? What the fuck is that?”
“You’ve been caught. They get us all in the end. You get to spend the weekend in a swanky hotel, building egg wombs and sucking up to managers. Don’t sweat it. You’ll enjoy it.”
“Don’t bank on it,” he muttered. “Wait, egg what?”
“Egg wombs. You know.” At Frankie’s frown, she said, “You have to drop the egg out of a window without it cracking, using only a plastic bag and a cup.”
“Is that what they really call it?”
She shrugged. “Who knows? That’s what you’ve got to do. And the sucking up to the managers. They give you the ‘We’re all equal here. Call me Jeff’ speech but you know they’re just spying on everything you do.”
It was Frankie’s recurring nightmare—to be stuck in a small room with his colleagues and not be able to get away. He got that five days a week but at the weekend as well? “Karma’s a bitch.”
“What have you done?”
“Do you want the list?”
“You’ve been that bad?”
“Probably worse,” he admitted.
She smirked at him. “Frankie’s been a bad, bad boy, and now he is going to get his bottom spanked?”
“I wouldn’t mind if it was that sort of weekend.” Frankie grinned as Charlotte’s cheeks crimsoned. “Gotcha!”
“You’re wicked,” she said. “My mother warned me about boys like you.”
“My mother warned me about boys like me too. They sounded much more fun than the good, church-going boys she wanted me to meet.”
She gave him an odd look. “She knew you were gay back then?”
He rolled his eyes. “Girl, look at me. Could anyone not realize I’m gay?”
“You have a point.”
Frankie’s mum said it was obvious he was gay from the moment he came out of the womb. According to her description, Frankie flounced out to the song on the radio. Frankie thought that being born to Kylie must have been prophetic. It could have been worse—he might have been born to Meat Loaf.
“When are you going on the exercise?”
Frankie scanned the e-mail. “Next month. They’ve got a dropout and they want me to fill in.”
“Can you go?”
Frankie shrugged. “It’s not like my calendar is full or anything.” It would give him something to do. Since Chaz had thrown him out, his social life consisted of clubbing with Jonno or staring at the walls in his tiny flat, eating ready meals he could ill afford and wishing he had Sky TV instead of Freeview. “It might be fun.”
She gave him a dubious look. “Your life really is boring at the moment, isn’t it?”
“You have no idea.”
“Why don’t you come out with me and the girls? We’re going to try that new club in town.”
“Uh, gay, remember?”
“Uh, gay club, remember?”
He frowned. “There’s a new gay club in town? In this dump of a town?”
“God, Frankie, you really are out of it. It opened a couple of weeks ago. It’s near Primark, over the slappers’ shop.”
“I didn’t know. Anyway, why’re you going to a gay club?”
“Ignorance is no excuse, and I’m going to a gay club because most of my mates are dykes and the rest of us are married. It suits us fine not to be hit on by sleazebags. Anyway, the booze is cheaper and the music’s better.”
“How did you end up with lesbians for friends?”
Charlotte grinned at him. “Some of us aren’t narrow-minded little pricks like some people I could mention.”
“You mean….”
“Uh-huh.”
She did a dramatic head roll to their manager who sat not ten feet away, oblivious to their conversation. Ed Winters was a 1950s Tory poster boy. He disliked women, black people, anyone from the Indian subcontinent, curry, the French, the Irish, dogs, and particularly hom-o-sex-uals—he always enunciated the word as if a bad smell was under his nose.
Frankie grinned at her. Taking the piss out of Ed was one of the few joys in his life. “I’m on for the club. You say where and when.”
Maybe he needed a change from the scene with Jonno. Those clubs were hook-up sites, and much as he needed action, he needed fun. God, he really needed some fun.
“Done. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure the straight girls don’t treat you like their pet poodle for the evening.”
He shrugged. “They can be my bitches.”
“They’ll love it. Do you want to bring the leashes?”
“I worry about you sometimes.”
Charlotte tossed her hair. “You love it.”
“Hell yeah!”
“Mr. Mason, Ms. Tiller, is something wrong?” Winters peered over his frameless glasses to stare at them.
They shook their heads and smirked at each other when he scowled and turned away.
Frankie looked at the files on his desk, and the e-mail telling him he had to play nice for a weekend. Charlotte was one bright sparkle in a sea of beige and gray. He pecked disconsolately at the keyboard. “Okay, I’ve confirmed my attendance at the egg womb thing. Now you take me out.”
Charlotte looked up from her phone. “Friday? The girls can’t wait to meet you.”
Frankie nodded. “I’m all yours.”
“Ah baby, if only that were true.” Charlotte blew him a kiss and turned her attention back to her own work.
Hmmm, a new club, potential new meat. Frankie needed something new to wear. He might be short of cash, but he could work that budget. Frankie rocked at the vintage look.

AUTHOR BIO
Sue Brown is owned by her dog and two children. When she isn’t following their orders, she can be found plotting at her laptop. In fact she hides so she can plot and has gotten expert at ignoring the orders.
Sue discovered M/M erotica at the time she woke up to find two men kissing on her favorite television series. The series was boring; the kissing was not. She may be late to the party, but she’s made up for it since, writing fan fiction until she was brave enough to venture out into the world of original fiction.
AUTHOR LINKS
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/SueBrownsStories
Twitter: https://twitter.com/suebrownstories
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+SueBrownstories/
Blog: http://suebrownsstories.blogspot.co.uk/
Website: http://www.suebrownstories.com/
Email ID: [email protected]

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And don’t miss:

 

TITLE: Anthony & Leo
SERIES: Frankie’s – Book Three
AUTHOR: Sue Brown
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 30000 words approx.
COVER ARTIST: Paul Richmond
RELEASE DATE: March 25, 2015
BLURB: Watching Marchant train his new sub leaves Tony unhappy at not having found a Dom of his own. Running Marchant’s BDSM club, Tony sees who the Doms prefer and it isn’t him—too big, too old, and too hairy. When his friend Jordan suggests he look outside the club, Tony’s mind turns to Leo, a man he met in a traffic jam. Tony manages to arrange a date and happily learns Leo is funny, very toppy, and not averse to Tony’s lifestyle. As a bonus, Leo sells sex toys.
When tragedy strikes the club, Tony fears he can’t help the mourning club members, but Leo offers his unwavering support. After such a tough start, Tony believes Leo is the Dom he’s been looking for… until he catches him kissing another man.
Pre-order:
Dreamspinner Press – http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6188

 

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✪✪✪ HUGE Surf Bay SALE ✪✪✪

surfbaysale
To celebrate the release of Love’s Medicine (Surf Bay Book 4, out March 1st), you can save $5.99 on the first 3 Surf Bay books: Lost & Found, Full Circle and Saving Michael! Hurry, sale ends March 5th at 8am PST!

99c: Lost & Found (Book 1)
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N6IJPKO
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00N6IJPKO

99c: Full Circle (Book 2)
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N6I4ZCM
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00N6I4ZCM

$1.99: Saving Michael (Book 3)
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OWLC61E
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00OWLC61E

This countdown deal will run in the US and UK. All 3 books are 99p in the UK. At 8am PST (March 5th), the prices will return to normal, and the sale will end.

✪✪✪ Pre-order ✪✪✪

Love’s Medicine is the 4th book in the Surf Bay series, but can be read as a complete standalone.

Pre-order your copy NOW:
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R3MHS08
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00R3MHS08

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A Better Man (The Men of Halfway House #1) by Jaime Reese

Romandevor presents:   http://jaimereese.com/a-better-man/

better manBlurb

Matthew Doner is starting over. After a five-year prison term that alters every aspect of his life, he receives a bequest from his aunt with the stipulation that he use the money to make things right. Breaking free of the long-standing role he’s played and inspired by the few who support him, he decides to create a safe place where people like him can find purpose and start a new life.
Julian Capeletti likes challenges. He is confident, brash, stubborn, and just what Matt needs. Desperate for work after a downturn of luck, he accepts the job to renovate Matt’s crumbling building.

Over the course of a year, romance simmers between them as they restore the house. But there’s a bigger renovation that must take place in their hearts. To become better men, they need to learn to trust each other even with secrets and painful memories they fear may rip them apart.
Review

Matt went to jail for a white collar crime (he didn’t commit) and now wants to establish a halfway house for criminals because he has seen what happens to men who are faced with no prospects after serving their time in jail.

Julian is hired as Matt’s contractor and he and Matt start setting sparks off one another right from the start.

The romance between them is a slow, but oh-so-hot, burn and when they come together – it is awesome!

There are a lot of obstacles in Matt’s way to having the halfway-house of his dreams and Julian is there to help him through the rough patches.

What I loved about this (and all Jaime’s books) is the sizzling hot chemistry between J and Matt AND the deep emotional connection she gives them without losing their personalities to the mush. They are still “tough guys” who love deeply and as we see J in the sequels to this book you can see he’s still rough around the edges but ever so smoothed out by Matt’s presence.

I just love this book, and the entire series.

6 of 5 hearts!

amazing

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Blood On The Mountain Audiobook (The Mountains Book 4) by PD Singer Narrated by Finn Sterling

Dreamspinner Presents
http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Blood-on-the-Mountain-Audiobook/B00S5HOUYM/ref=a_search_c4_1_2_srTtl?qid=1424713981&sr=1-2

blood on mountainBlurb

The Mountains: Book Four
Jake Landon thinks a second ranger season in the Colorado Rockies with Kurt Carlson is close enough to heaven, and a national forest is big enough to be his closet. Pharmacy school – and the luxuries of electricity and running water – can wait, maybe forever, as long as Jake doesn’t have to come out. He doesn’t plan on Kurt’s vision of his future being as narrow and direct as the single track roads through the trees.
“Your future, your fear, and me,” Kurt tells Jake. “You can have two of the three, so choose wisely.” Jake may have no choices left after they stumble on armed men guarding a beautiful, but deadly crop that doesn’t belong among the pines and spruces. Angry men with guns are only one danger in the Colorado wilderness, and Jake’s reluctance to come out is now his smallest problem.
Kurt’s skills and Jake’s silver tongue may not be enough to get them out of this mess – how much of the blood shed on the mountain will be theirs?

Review

This is Jake and Kurt, back to being rangers again. (Previously in the series: Jake and Kurt meet when Jake decides to be a fire ranger for the summer in between undergrad and grad school.  They have since spent the last couple of years working seasonal jobs while Jake gets in-state residency for school.  Kurt is also a ski instructor in the winter.  They have had their ups and downs, mostly about Jake’s closetedness but generally are deeply in love and in it for the long run.  In book one there was a life threatening fire and in book two there was an avalanche.  There is a book in the series (Book 3) in which Jake and Kurt are only minor characters, but this book returns to them as the MCs. )

The story opens with strip archery! The couple is still in love but argues about Jake’s future. First, Kurt wants him to start Pharmacy school in the fall (leaving his summer job early). Second, Kurt wants Jake to come out of the closet so that when the summer is over the two can live in a one-bedroom apartment as a couple.

To complicate matters, there is a situation in the mountain involving bad guys and drugs. As with the other books, someone is in danger and someone gets hurt, but in the end the good guys are victorious!

**

As with the other stories PD does an amazing job with detail. She tells us meticulously about archery, the plant life, the rodeo, even the medical care our hero receives and it feels authentic and true. (Not being an expert in those things I can only guess… ☺ )

I loved the story coming back to Kurt and Jake, they are definitely a great couple and now that they’ve been with each other so long their sex is even better!

I also love how Kurt is this “expert” in everything.  Of course he can ride a bucking Bronc!  He can do EVERYTHING!

I felt that the drama was more within reason than in some of the previous books and added a thrilling element to the story.

Though I will read the final book, I am sad to see Kurt and Jake go.

Audio

Finn Sterling did another great job bringing the story to life and making the listening experience a good one.  He always does a nice job with the voices of Jake and Kurt, trying to differentiate all the characters without going over the top.

Writing/Editing 5
Romance 4.5
Sex/Heat 4.5
Storyline 4.5
World Building/Characterizations 5
Audio 4.5

4.6 of 5 hearts!

4.5

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Oliver (Whitedell Pride #6) by Catherine Lievens blog tour with Excerpt and a Giveaway

oliver72

 

Excerpt:
Shit. Shit, shit, shit! Oliver didn’t know what had happened or how to solve this. Well, he knew what had happened. He had shifted for the very first time, but did he really have to do it while naked in bed with Sebastian? Even more so, did it really have to be like, seconds after they had just made love and claimed each other?
If Sebastian hadn’t been so quick to move away, Oliver would have shifted while…ugh, he didn’t even want to think about it!
“Uh, love? Careful with those claws, okay?”
Oliver realized that he had been digging into the mattress so he awkwardly tried to get his claws out of the fabric, but it seemed that every move he made, he managed to just rip it apart a little more. He was scared to move, but he could hear the bed creaking. It wasn’t exactly made to host a fully grown bear plus his mate, even if Sebastian was in human form.
Pages or Words: 37,854 words

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Buy: http://www.extasybooks.com/Oliver/?author_id=1021

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Author Bio: Catherine lives in Italy, country of good food and hot men. She used to write fantasy as a child, but it was reading her first gay erotic romance novel that made her realize that that was what she really wanted to write.
After graduating from college in English language and translation, she divides her day between writing, reading, taking care of her son and reading some more.

Where to find the author:
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How to Howl at the Moon (Dog Shifters of Mad Creek #1) by Eli Easton

Pinkerton Road Presents:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Howl-Moon-Eli-Easton-ebook/dp/B00T12QQOW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1425344629&sr=8-2&keywords=howl+at+the+moon

Howl moonBlurb

Sheriff Lance Beaufort is not going to let trouble into his town, no sir. Tucked away in the California mountains, Mad Creek has secrets to keep, like the fact that half the town consists of ‘quickened’—dogs who have gained the ability to become human. Descended on both sides from Border Collies, Lance is as alert a guardian as they come.

Tim Weston is looking for a safe haven. After learning that his boss patented all of Tim’s work on vegetable hybrids in his own name, Tim quit his old job. A client offers him use of her cabin in Mad Creek, and Tim sees a chance for a new start. But the shy gardener has a way of fumbling and sounding like a liar around strangers, particularly gorgeous alpha men like Sheriff Beaufort.

Lance’s hackles are definitely raised by the lanky young stranger. He’s concerned about marijuana growers moving into Mad Creek, and he’s not satisfied with the boy’s story. Lance decides a bit of undercover work is called for. When Tim hits a beautiful black collie with his car and adopts the dog, its love at first sight for both Tim and Lance’s inner dog. Pretending to be a pet is about to get Sheriff Beaufort in very hot water.

Review
Lance is a fourth generation “quickened” shifter, hailing from a long line of Border Collie shifters and the Sherriff of Mad Creek. A “quickened” shifter is a dog (born a dog) who was so beloved by his or her master that they receive the “gift” of turning human at will. That ability is then transferred to their off-spring and thus a shifter is born.

Tim is a horticulturist whose hybrid plant ideas were ripped off by his ex-boss. He’s currently living on the last of his money and hopes to build back his business with the help of a friend.

Tim also is very nervous in front of alpha-males and Lance is ALL alpha.

At first, Lance thinks Tim is growing an illegal crop and stoops to using his shifted form to spy on Tim. But the lonely and sad and socially inept Tim cracks through Lance’s tough shell until both the dog and the man can’t get enough of Tim.

But before they can be together many questions must be answered.  How is Lance going to break it to Tim that the dog he loves is really the man he fears? And… Is Tim’s boss going to make trouble for Tim in his new home? And… If not Tim, who is growing illegal drugs near Mad Creek and how can they be stopped?

**

Through a combination of amazingly astute observations on the various dog breeds and imagining them as humans, Eli has done the unbelievable – created a unique shifter story! Sure, there are some common threads, but by and large this is a truly unique look at shifter lore.

Because they were dogs first the transition to being human is both touching at times (Roman’s devotion to his past master) and hilarious (the friendly and chatty Mr. Beagle).

You know that since it’s Eli Easton, the writing is impeccable. The sex is hot. The emotion is deep and abiding. And the humor is sharp and witty.

If I could describe a perfect book it would be this: Eli Easton writing a shifter book. And yet, it gets even better because it’s going to be an entire SERIES! It’s true – there is a heaven!

The slow burn between Tim and Lance is delicious and when Lance finally “comes out” to Tim it is both hysterical and touching.  (Did I mention that this is Lance’s first male love interest – yes, you guessed it – GFY, too!)  It really doesn’t get any better than this!

I loved the meddling mother and the “vindictive” vet scene. Superb!

All in all I can’t wait for the next book, am so excited the audio book is on it’s way and will likely have read this book at least three more times before I get my hands on the audio version.

6 of 5 hearts!

amazing

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PS
Look here for fun facts about writing the book and a sample of the audiobook due out in mid March. http://elieaston.com/