Book Review

Ghost Week Review: Across the East River Bridge by Kate McMurray

Guest Reviewed by Gyn


Across the East River Bridge Title:
 Across the East River Bridge
Author: Kate McMurray
Heroes: Finn & Troy
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 77k words
Publisher: Loose Id
Release Date: October 11, 2011
Available at: Loose Id, Amazon, All Romance eBooks and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: When Finn’s boss sends him to a museum in Brooklyn, the last person he expects to see is his old rival, Troy. Although Finn and Troy have undeniable sexual chemistry, Finn still blames Troy for sending his career off the rails but Troy has research Finn needs. Troy also has an intriguing story; the museum he curates is haunted by the ghosts of two men who died under mysterious circumstances in 1878. Troy strikes a deal: he’ll help Finn if Finn helps him find out what happened to the men who died.

From diaries, police reports, and newspaper articles, Finn and Troy piece together the lives of the two dead men–and the romance that bloomed between them. As it becomes clear that the men were murdered, it also becomes clear that the ghosts are real and are capable of manipulating the dreams, thoughts, and actions of the living. When Finn and Troy start falling for each other, Finn worries that it’s all an illusion concocted by the ghosts to keep them working together to solve the mystery, but Troy is convinced the love between them is real. But how can he get rid of a couple of ghosts and prove it?

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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Theme Week | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Catching Kit by Kay Berrisford

Reviewed by Nikyta

Catching KitTitle: Catching Kit
Author: Kay Berrisford
Series: Underground Elves #1
Heroes: Kit & Denny
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 35,900 words
Publisher: Love Lane Books
Release Date: August 12, 2014
Available at: Love Lane Books, Amazon & All Romance eBooks
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Denny is a top secret agent on a mission to protect London from Ethereal Beings – elves – who are seen as dangerous mind-reading parasites who prey on human emotions.

Kit is an elf on the run, misunderstood and persecuted by humans. When Denny catches him, he shatters everything Denny’s been taught about elves. He’s gorgeous and funny and claims he’s been searching a long time for a guy like Denny. He shares Denny’s kinks and now he needs Denny’s love to survive.

But if Denny doesn’t take Kit to jail, he’s in big trouble. Dare Denny break the law and gamble his life to save the Ethereal Being in his bed?

Please note: This is a revised version of a previously released title.
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Categories: 3 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Removed by S.J. Pajonas

Guest Reviewed by Candace

Removed (The Nogiku Series, #1)Title: Removed
Author: S.J. Pajonas
Series: The Nogiku #1
Heroine: Sanaa Griffin
Genre: M/F Romance/Post Apocalyptic
Length: 304 pages
Publisher: Onigiri Press
Release Date: September 11, 2013
Available at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Twenty-year-old Sanaa Griffin is about to get more than she bargained for when she wishes for love, happiness, and excitement on New Year’s Eve. Ripped from the job she always loved, she is reassigned to work for mysterious Mark Sakai and spy on the corrupt leaders of her city. War looms on the horizon, and Sanaa must help Sakai determine the key players and their weak spots before it’s too late.

Mark Sakai has many plans for Sanaa that will take her into a web of lies and danger, and her only protection is to learn to defend herself. But defense training under the watchful eye of Jiro, a strong and enigmatic young man she has a crush on, was not what she expected. Between falling in love with Jiro and the information she is gathering, Sanaa realizes Sakai is holding back secrets about her family and her deceased parents, secrets as to why she was chosen for this job, and learning the truth puts all of humanity in jeopardy.

REMOVED is the first book in a captivating post-apocalyptic series that harnesses the cultures and traditions of Japan and sweeps them into the future between Earth and a faraway land. Continue reading

Categories: Book Review, Did Not Finish, Guest Reviewer, M/F, Published in 2013 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Winterblaze by Kristen Callihan

Reviewed by Heather C

Winterblaze (Darkest London, #3)Title: Winterblaze
Author: Kristen Callihan
Series: Darkest London #3
Hero/Heroine: Winston and Poppy Lane
Genre: M/F Paranormal Romance, Historical
Length: 422 Pages
Publisher: Grang Central Publishing
Release Date: February 26, 2013
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Once blissfully in love . . .

Poppy Lane is keeping secrets. Her powerful gift has earned her membership in the Society for the Suppression of Supernaturals, but she must keep both her ability and her alliance with the Society from her husband, Winston. Yet when Winston is brutally attacked by a werewolf, Poppy’s secrets are revealed, leaving Winston’s trust in her as broken as his body. Now Poppy will do anything to win back his affections . . .

Their relationship is now put to the ultimate test.

Winston Lane soon regains his physical strength but his face and heart still bear the scars of the vicious attack. Drawn into the darkest depths of London, Winston must fight an evil demon that wants to take away the last hope of reconciliation with his wife. As a former police inspector, Winston has intelligence and logic on his side. But it will take the strength of Poppy’s love for him to defeat the forces that threaten to tear them apart.

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Categories: 3 Star Ratings, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, M/F, Published in 2013 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Sting of the Death Stalker Scorpion by Jackie Nacht

Reviewed by Nikyta

3Title: The Sting of the Death Stalker Scorpion
Author: Jackie Nacht
Series: Venomous Mates #2
Heroes: Wilder/Leif
Genre: M/M Post Apocalyptic
Length: 72 Pages
Publisher: Extasy Books
Release Date: August 1, 2014
Available at: Extasy Books and Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Sometimes, to protect your mate, you need to run before coming back to fight another day.

From the moment the scorpion Wilder laid eyes on the sick anti-venom Leif, he knew his life would be changed. Now, Wilder will have to use the hands with which he killed so many enemies to heal the man meant for him.

Since Leif started to come around, Wilder has always been there to help. While Wilder is known as ruthless, Leif sees past that to the gentle venom that takes care of him daily.

When betrayal happens, Leif and Wilder will have to run with their friends. However, things are unexpected in the wild and new allies are found.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Foster Family by Jaime Samms

Guest Reviewed by Trish

aTitle: The Foster Family
Author: Jaime Samms
Heroes: Kerry Grey, Charlie Stone, Malcolm Holmes
Genre: M/M/M Contemporary
Length: 330 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: February 14, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, AmazonBarnes & Noble, All Romance eBooks and Kobo
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Growing up in foster care has left Kerry Grey with little self-esteem or hope for his future. A college dropout, Kerry scrapes by on a part-time job at a garden nursery. His friendship with his boss and working with the plants are the only high points in Kerry’s life. He’s been dating the man who bullied him at school, but when his boyfriend abandons him at a party, Kerry wanders down the beach to drown his sorrows in a bottle of scotch.

Malcolm Holmes and Charlie Stone have been together for fifteen years. Despite Charlie’s willingness to accept Malcolm’s unspoken domination in bed,something is missing from their relationship. Early one morning, they rescue a passed out Kerry from being washed away by the tide and Charlie immediately senses a kindred spirit in the lost younger man. When Kerry’s roommate kicks him out, Malcolm and Charlie invite him into their home. As Charlie and Kerry bond over Charlie’s garden, Malcolm sees Kerry may be just who they have been looking for to complete their lives. All they have to do is show Kerry, and each other, that Kerry’s submissive tendencies will fit their dynamic.

But someone is sabotaging Kerry at every turn. As he struggles to discover the culprit, he fears for the safety of his new friends. If Malcolm and Charlie cannot help, their lifelong search for their perfect third may not end with the happily ever after they imagined.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Pine Valley by Ged Ruggles

Guest Reviewed by Karen

Pine ValleyTitle: Pine Valley
Author: Ged Ruggles
Heroes: Jeff Carpenter/ Kent Baxter
Genre: M/M Contemporary/Comedy
Length: 154 pages
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: June 25, 2014
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Most men of ambition would kill for the chance to play a bracing game at Pine Valley, the most celebrated, and exclusive, golf course in the world. And in the summer of his 30th birthday, Jeff Carpenter gets his chance.

Trouble is, Jeff isn’t exactly a man of ambition, having put his literary dreams on hold 10 years ago for a soulless back office job. Nor did he ever master the art of the swing farther than once making par on the giant dinosaur hole at his local childhood mini golf.

But a chance encounter with the son of Pine Valley’s most senior councilman at a Philadelphia gay bar, sparks a clandestine romance that plunges Jeff into a web of intrigue that threatens Pine Valley’s very existence. Continue reading

Categories: 3 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: A Tooth For A Fang by Liv Olteano

Reviewed by Nikyta

1Title: A Tooth For A Fang
Author: Liv Olteano
Series: Leader Murders #1
Heroes: Rick Barton/Travis Chandler
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 216 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: September 3, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press and Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Three days. Three dead bodies. One newly turned, broken-hearted lycan tracker to figure out the connection.

The one summer Rick Barton takes a vacation, all hell breaks loose. Running from an abusive relationship leads him into the arms of hard-nosed lycan Travis Chandler, who gives him little choice but to become a lycan too and join the Paranormal Bureau of Investigation. Out of options, Rick joins the weird organization, expecting some two weeks of training and an adjustment period. Tough luck, he doesn’t get either. On his first day, his new partner offers to promote him to field agent if they get mated – less time wasted on training, more time on the field, and considering Rick is the only tracker the Bureau has on hand when a wave of strange murders hits the community, time is of the essence.

Someone’s killing the leaders of the paranormal world and mutilating the bodies. Investigating and tracking clues is enough of a challenge, and Rick must contend with an impatient Council, Travis’s advances, and actually adjusting to being a lycan. Only one thing is certain: Rick’s new life promises plenty of interesting adventures—as long as he can survive.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Last Thing He Needs by J.H. Knight

Reviewed by Susan65

22594999Title:  The Last Thing He Needs
Author:  J.H. Knight
Heroes: Tommy O’Shea/Bobby McAlister
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 220 Pages
Publisher:  Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: July 28, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Tommy O’Shea is raising his seven younger brothers and sisters without any help from his drug abusing father and stepmother. Since he was fifteen years old, he’s managed to keep the children fed and out of foster care. It takes up every ounce of his energy and the last thing he needs is romance complicating his life further.

Rookie cop Bobby McAlister doesn’t belong in Tommy’s harsh world, but Tommy can’t push him out. As their unlikely friendship turns into a tentative relationship, they weather the daily storm of Tommy’s life with a lot of laughs and more than a few arguments.

Tommy isn’t used to trusting outsiders, and he’s never asked for help in his life. But when a tragedy strikes the O’Shea family and threatens everything he’s fought for, he’ll have to learn to do both to recover from the brutal hit.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2014, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Swimmer by Louis J. Harris

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: Swimmer
Author: Louis J. Harris
Heroes: Basil/Will
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 14,000 Words
Publisher: Louis J. Harris
Release Date: July 8, 2014
Available at: Smashwords and All Romance Ebooks
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  When a man loses the love of his life, he has various options. He can find another, he can find himself, and he can also become reclusive, or he can drown in a cloud of guilt. Basil chooses the latter. Four years previously his lover left him without a note, without so much as a telephone call. He decided then that he will pursue his dream of becoming a renowned artist, and to hell with love. He isn’t looking for a man. And then he meets the Swimmer. Even though he’s not looking, the Swimmer knows that only one thing can save save Basil from himself. True love. Will Basil find it? Will the Swimmer give it? A story of love, loss and above all, hope. He can love himself. Invest in material things that can’t hurt him.

Will is a young Olympian whose soul has been places, a wise person beyond his years. A man who will fill the void Basil left behind four years ago. It won’t be easy, for there is a price to pay, and once paid, will they be able to move on with their lives, together?
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Categories: 3 Star Ratings, Book Review, Debut Authors, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment