Random Acts by Mia Kerrick

RandomActsFrom Dreamspinner:

Bradley Zelder can’t find his way in life. After struggling for nearly a decade, he has yet to complete his college degree. Working as a school custodian, living in blue-collar Landsbury, MA, his love life is as empty as the rest of his existence. But on his way home after another disastrous date, his truck breaks down in upscale Oceanside. When he thinks life can’t get any worse, a man who is the epitome of Boston elite and everything Bradley finds attractive and intimidating helps him move his truck to the side of the road. Ashamed of his lot in life, Bradley almost lets the opportunity slip away, but he comes to his senses in time and tracks Caleb down.

From a random act of kindness, romance begins to grow, filling all the dark corners of Bradley’s empty life—until a random act of violence threatens to take it all away. Bradley must step up and be the man Caleb believes him to be. Caleb rescued him from a life without hope. Can Bradley rescue him in return?

Kimi’s thoughts:

I am familiar with Mia Kerrick’s previous YA works so looked forward to seeing what she pulled out of her writer’s hat when it came to her foray into adult fiction. I was not disappointed. Mia gives us a story that is as feel good but socially relevant  as her YA stories.

Bradley and caleb are two men who are both publicly out but who couldn’t be more different. Caleb is successful and has a fancy car and a great job. Bradley left university after someone he idolised gave what was meant as a throw away sort of remark but, which as these things often do, ended up devastating Bradley and sent him packing. Since then, he’s drifted along, working as a school custodian and entering into relationships based upon superficiality. Bradley is indeed a wounded soul, and it is his own model handsome looks that is at the root of his problems.

For one thing, the openly bisexual Bradley has quit looking for men. Yes, he’s bi, but he leaned more towards men at one point in time. Now he’s all about the ladies, but not if they get too attached as that way spells heartache for him, a legacy of his past that continues to haunt him. His current girlfriend thinks so many dates and now we’ve jumped in the sack a few times equals marriage talk, come meet my family so we can get the engagement chatter started time. She springs this on him in bed, and of course, he makes as graceful an exit as he can while bolting as fast as he can. On his way back home, which is in another town, his POS truck breaks down and he meets Caleb who stops to play Good Samaritan.

The two start off as if in a fairy tale, with the…should I, will he…okay, let’s give it a try routine, but it’s far from perfect. Along the way there are self doubts, demons from the past, and even a friend who turns out to have a hidden agenda. Both men find that what is beneath the surface is quite different than expected, and it makes for a bit of a roller coaster as they find their way.

A great read, especially on a cold grey day.

Buy from Amazon

Rating: 4

kimisig

All Fired Up-Morticia Knight

Publisher: Totally Bound

The party never ends on the Las Vegas strip, but neither does the danger. Officer Everly is new to the beat, having recently relocated to Vegas from Los Angeles. Foot patrol on The Strip is a demanding assignment because he’s up close and personal with the public. But what he’d really like to do is get up close and personal with Station 32’s hunky fireman, Trent Marshall.

Trent has been a fireman for over ten years and is dedicated to his job. He’s built tough and is a no-nonsense man of few words. At a local blood drive, Trent meets the handsome new officer on foot patrol, but won’t let himself get too close. He’s lost love before when his policeman lover was killed in the line of fire.

During an emergency, Trent’s over-protective instincts kick in when he believes Shawn is in harm’s way. He ends up embarrassing and angering Shawn in front of their fellow officers, which seems as though it will end any hope of Trent having a chance with the young man he can’t push from his mind.

Shawn can’t decide whether he wants to punch or kiss Trent. Kissing wins. Once they spend some time together away from the stresses of their jobs, they find that they’re not just compatible—they’re combustible.

But Trent can’t seem to accept that there are hazards that come with working in law enforcement. Right as they’re discovering how much they mean to one another, the danger escalates on The Strip. The underground vigilante group, The Citizens Against Immorality, have raised the stakes. Will Shawn and Trent be their next targets?

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This is the first book in the Sin City Uniform series and I must say the Mz. Morticia SERVED it right out the gate. This book was fabulous. The action was on point, the characters wonderful and even though the storyline has been done numerous times before, was still exciting.

Trent is a firefighter who is suffering from undiagnosed PTSD as a result of his former lover who was killed in the line of duty. He sees the new cop in the LVPD and it immediately attracted to him. Although he’s attracted, he decides to avoid him.

Shawn relocated to Las Vegas from Los Angeles to make a fresh start. Shares is suffering from heart break of his own. Rejected by his homophobic family, he decides to move to another city in the hopes of being able to be himself and to live openly.

Trent and Shawn can’t really avoid each other as their jobs ensure their paths cross constantly. One particular incident puts the men up close and personal and Trent decides to act on his attraction to Shawn despite his fears.

Trent’s issues are brought to the surface after Shawn is placed in a particularly dangerous situation. This puts a wrench in the relationship and brings it to a halt. Trent is forced to really deal with his fears or risk losing everything, his lover and career.

Knight did a great job with the characters and their dialogue. The sex was scorching hot. You get know and care about these guys. The only bump in the story was the unexpected POV shifts. You weren’t sure which character you were dealing with at first but this was minor as it was made clear with a few words into the paragraph which man it was.

In all, this is a very good start to this series. I am really looking forward to seeing what happens next.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

All’s Fair in Mate Bonds and Publishing by Alana Ankh

AllsFairInMateBondsandPublishingPublisher: Dreamspinner Press

For Killian Marsden, werewolf romance is overrated. After all, he should know, since he’s a half-werewolf and an editor for a romance-publishing house. He’s tired of reading mate bond fairytales, because real life doesn’t work that way. In the real world, Alphas abandon their half-breed children. Not that Killian’s jaded or anything. Simply realistic. So when werewolf Alpha Brett comes knocking, demanding explanations on a rejected manuscript, Killian reels away, or at least tries to.

Brett is a walking, talking Alpha cliché: big, possessive, and growly. His last name is Wolfe, for crying out loud. But Brett is also trustworthy, devoted to his pack, and a little silly when in love. Soon, Killian discovers that maybe, just maybe, he might love Brett in return.

Unfortunately, Killian is not the only one who wants to claim Brett. He will have to set aside his beliefs about mate bonds and deadbeats if he wants his own happily ever after werewolf romance.

 

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Oh, I really liked this book! It had all of my favorite elements: hot gay men, shifters, romance and sex. Killian is an editor who was accused of stealing the book of Brett’s girlfriend. Brett meets with him to the editor to defend her honor. Things don’t go as planned when it turns out that he is Killian’s true mate.

Of course Killian fights against it. At first you think Killian’s going to roll over (no pun intended) and give in. That is far from the truth because Killian is a spitfire of a man. He’s a lot stronger than he lets on and that is what I loved about this story. The fact that he fought against the mating and attraction to Brett made me like him all the more. Of course it wasn’t long before he did give in but he made Brett work hard for it. That was another thing that I appreciated about this story: she didn’t let Brett pull the alpha card on Killian; he had to prove that he was worthy to be Killian’s mate. The book was short, but well written and it’s the first in a series
Which is good because the story ended in an odd cliffhanger and I am really looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stardust by Andrew Grey


Dreamspinner presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5848

StardustBlurb

With Georg’s life in Germany and Duncan’s in Boston, the chance for more than a holiday fling is as elusive as stardust.

Duncan is an ocean from home over the holidays and expects to spend them alone. To his pleasant surprise, one of his European co-workers, Georg, befriends him and includes Duncan in the holiday traditions of his homeland: cutting a Christmas tree under starry skies at Georg’s country estate, decorating it at the family’s city home, and shopping at the Christmas market in Munich. Both men are lonely and realize they have much in common. But Georg’s life is in Germany and Duncan’s is in Boston. With the project they’re working on nearing completion, any chance for more than a holiday fling seems as elusive as stardust.

Review

Duncan recently dropped his cheating ex, and since he’s single and has no close family, he elects to take a job overseas for the holidays. He’s an engineer working for NASA and loves his job, but is terribly lonely.

Georg is a count! But is also terribly lonely. He doesn’t want someone who wants him for his mostly in-name-only status and hasn’t yet found someone to fit the bill. He works with Duncan on the NASA project and is immediately intrigued by the American’s lack of desire for titles and pretensions.

Though they both wonder at the intelligence of starting what will have to be a short-term affair, neither man can resist the lure of the other, an in the meantime they fall in love.

Luckily, by the end, it looks like they may just have found a more permanent solution.

**

This was one of the longer books in the advent series and it is excellent. The descriptions of Munich and Fussen are spot on and the love and caring between Georg and Duncan feel very authentic, plausible and very sweet.

I really enjoyed this novella and highly recommend it.

4.5 of 5 hearts.

4.5

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The magic of Christmas by Pelaam

MLR Press Presents http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?book=PTHEMAGC

 

Blurb

On a friThe_Magic_of_Christmasends’ getaway in a winter wonderland, Jared and Casey discover real Christmas magic.

Jared joins his four best friends on an early Christmas holiday in a beautiful winter wonderland. He’s been in love with the talented and extroverted Casey for years, but lacked the courage to say anything.

Casey loves Jared, but despite his gregarious exterior, inside lurks someone shy and insecure and so he’s never spoken up.

Both men are about to experience real Christmas magic.

 

Review

Surprisingly sweet – this is a paranormal Christmas story of two friends who have harbored a love for one another but haven’t had the guts to admit it. They end up going on a holiday together with other friends to a spot that is “haunted” by the Snow Queen. Luckily, they end up being rescued by Kris Kringle, his lover Jack Frost and their mighty shifter Rudy.

It’s a lovely mishmash of Christmas lore, contemporary romance and some New Zealand culture.

I really enjoyed it, thought it was a full and complete story told in only 49 pages and would recommend it to someone looking for a short story full of fantasy, humor and a little hot sex!

4 of 5 hearts

4

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Batteries Not Included by JL Merrow

JL Merrow presents http://www.amazon.com/Batteries-Not-Included-J-L-Merrow-ebook/dp/B00QH6PV6O/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1419024658&sr=1-1&keywords=batteries+not+included

batteriesBlurb

How would you react if you woke up one morning to find you were in bed with your favorite rock star? More to the point: how would the rock star react?

Animal rescue worker Sam is content to dream of rock sensation Cain Shepney. Trouble is, his meddling mother Lillith thinks he deserves to have all his dreams come true — and she isn’t above performing a little magic to achieve her ends! Sam’s shocked to wake up one morning to find himself actually in bed with his celebrity crush — but that’s nothing to how Cain feels about it! Suddenly Sam’s got to deal with an irate, naked, and very distracting rock star in his bed.

Cain has it all — he’s good-looking, famous, and adored by millions. But his life takes a turn for the surreal when he wakes up in bed with Sam. Expecting everyone to be worried sick by his disappearance, Cain’s horrified to find his manager — and even his mum — insisting he’s an imposter, and the real Cain Shepney is right where he belongs.

Sam just wants to help, but with Cain convinced he’s a crazed, celebrity-kidnapping stalker, Sam’s got his work cut out for him. Can he get the object of his affections to trust him long enough to find out just what the hell’s going on?

Review

This is a super short fantasy novel about a toy “idol” doll coming to life and making Sam’s dreams come true. In true Merrow fashion it’s British and snarky and hilarious with a dash of hot sex to keep things steamy.

I loved it and my only complaint was that it was too short!

My absolute favorite part is the tattoo!

I highly recommend it and give it 4.5 of 5 hearts

4.5

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Stalking the Hygienist by Jackie Nacht

MLR Press presents http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?book=JNSTKHYG

stalking hygienistBlurb

This lion shifter will go to any length to get his deer shifting hygienist, including going to the dentist. Bring on the nitrous oxide!

Beauregard made a mistake… a horrible mistake. Now embarrassed,he focuses on what he loves most, working as a hygienist at Paranormal Dentistry for the Fanged and Friendly.

As soon as Sergei saw Beauregard coming up to his meat counter, he fell hard for the deer shifter. The only problem is Beauregard is running from him. Being the lion shifter he is, Sergei decides to take matters into his own hand and goes hunting. However, Sergei never imagined he would have to face his worst fear and choke down a salad.What’s it going to take to make Beauregard his?

Review

Sergei is a lone lion who sees his potential mate in the deer-shifter Beauregard. Sergei won’t take no for an answer and “stalks” Beau until he agrees to a date. From there on it’s pretty much hot then hotter between the two and true love triumphs again.

This is a very cute shifter story with true love and hot sex. A great addition to the series!

4 of 5 hearts

4

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BAMF Audiobook by SJD Peterson Narrated by Adam Dort

Dreamspinner presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5915

BAMFAUDMEDBlurb

With his fauxhawk, sleeve tattoos, and visible piercings, Ridley Corbin has the whole bad ass vibe going on in spades. The image serves him well as the self-proclaimed protector of the underdog, and he wants nothing more than to be Alex Firestone’s hero.

Alex, a mild-mannered library assistant, has moved to Slater, a quiet college town, hoping to hide from his past. He keeps to himself, but that doesn’t save him from catching the unwanted attention of the campus bully. But not all is as it seems. Alex’s past comes calling, and it’s time he becomes top dog.

Review

GAWD is that cover hot or what?

I love the cover and the title and the names of the MCs Ridley – stupid hot, right? And Alex – gorgeous!

I love the premise – underdog Alex needs “protection” by the uber-hot yet geeky Ridley only to turn around and be even more bad-ass than Iron Man!

I like the age – end of college, young but old enough not to feel YA.

All in all – practically perfect!

So how did the actual story hold up in the face of these expectations? Pretty well.

I thought it would be AMAZING.

It wasn’t.

But it was real damn good.

It started with a bang – Ridley acting cute-as-hell crushing on Alex, finally getting up the nerve to ask him out and then the two share a first date full of flirting and sexual innuendo over a game of pool.

Then they have sex.

WOW.

Not what you were expecting.

It is hot. Very hot.

Ridley ends up needing protection from Alex about midway through the book and the two end up spending some one on one time together which helps to cement their relationship. We see them go from super hot f*ck buddies to something more, and it gets a little sweet.

The action in between all this is fast-paced and holds your interest, but the bulk of the story is them and – well – them having sex.

I give this book high marks for hitting a lot of my buttons: geeks, deceiving appearances, college, intrigue, hot sex.

I can’t give it perfect marks because the relationship between Alex and Ridley is not all that believable. I mean, I could see them together, but we really don’t get to see much of them actually communicating or sharing themselves in more than a physical way, so I can’t really say “I know they’ll make it:”. In fact, I don’t really “know” Alex much at all. He seems to be a weird juxtaposition between his persona and his job, and I’m not sure I fully understand either character well.

Anyhow, it’s absolutely worth reading and I can definitely recommend it!

4 of 5 hearts

4

Audio:

Adam Dort is new to me, but he did a good job with the narration. He didn’t do a lot with Alex and Ridley’s voices, but he did add in some variation for some of the secondary characters and his female voices were not screechy like some men translate them. I thought he did the “emotional” and smexy scenes well and would look for him in the future as a narrator.

4.5 of 5 hearts

Overall, I’d rank the narration and book together as more a 4.5 of 5 hearts and would say the listening was as good or better than the reading.

4.5

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Shifting Weight Tour Tina Blenke with Giveaway

shiftingweight72-1Jason is a West Coast wolf Shifter who leaves his native Pack Lands to search for his destined mate. When he finds the large muscled man working out a local gym, Jason is ecstatic and apprehensive. Eric is a Changeless human and there are tense sides to the politically heated debate around the integration of Shifters and Changeless. Jason is at risk of losing control of his wolf without bonding with his destined mate. But, will Eric accept that Jason is a Shifter? And can Eric trust Jason after his heart has been left shattered from a previously failed relationship.

Excerpt:
Jason allowed himself to run that night. Elation filled him making it easier to relax and allow his wolf to flow into his mind and body. The shift was seamless, years of transitioning helped his wolf to take control in under a few painless minutes. Jason knew of wolves who could never shift because the pain was so intense. It was unknown what the cause was but some insisted that it was because the Shifter’s true mate had never been found and the man could not control the beast inside of him.
The old wives’ tale had haunted Jason especially as years passed without locating his mate. Now that he knew Eric existed, it was one less thing to worry about. Now he could focus on worrying about Eric finding out he was a Shifter. Eric’s acceptance. If the two would find love and happiness despite fate playing a factor, then, and only then, could Jason think about starting a family with Eric. Maybe he was jumping the gun, but he had always wanted a man to love and a family to care for. Was it too much to want? Shouldn’t he be satisfied with finding a mate? All of this thinking and stress was weighing him down. Yes, he had found his mate, but would Eric want Jason?
His legs pumped harder as he made his way across hills and through forests with large trees reaching up towards the skies. It was not the familiar woods of his home on the Pack Lands but it felt good to stretch his limbs, pull deep pulls of fresh air into his lungs, and feel the wind tickling through his fur all over his body. With a grin, he imagined his large bear of a mate with sexual wants that matched his own.
Pages: 60 pages

Buy from Amazon
Author Bio: Tina is a retired Air Force brat and has lived in several states as well as a handful of countries. She has always had a soft spot for literature and is a voracious reader. When she isn’t writing, she can be found cuddled up with a good book. Though Tina adores a thrilling novel with sappy lovesick heroes, she is terrified of things that go bump in the night. This makes for quite a complicated relationship with zombies, something that she just can’t get enough of.
Author Contact:
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LinkedIn: Tina Blenke
Instagram: tinablenke
Wordpress: http://tinablenke.wordpress.com/
Website: http://tinablenke.wix.com/author
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Publisher: eXtasy Books
Cover Artist: Latisha Waters
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The Swag Man Delivers by Sean Michael


Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5847
SwagManDelivers[The]Blurb
When Orpheus runs into Gage on an Australian beach, he figures Santa knew exactly what he was doing.
Orpheus “O” Drummond, a recent Ph.D. graduate, is visiting Australia after defending his thesis, and being dumped by his boyfriend. While alone on the beach in Australia was not how he’d originally planned on spending his Christmas, when O runs into Gage, he figures Santa knew exactly what he was doing.
Gage is traveling away from his Texan home, trying to “find himself.” When he finds O instead, he doesn’t think things could have worked out better. Together Gage and O celebrate Christmas in the best way they can think of.

Review
O meets Gage and they proceed to have lots of hot sex.
In Australia.
The End.
**

It was super hot sex and sometimes funny, but not much else to this story.

2.5 of 5 hearts

2.5

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