Book Review

Book Review: Release by A.M. Sexton

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: Release
Author: A.M. Sexton
Series: Davlova #1
Heroes: Misha
Genre: M/M
Length: 280 Pages
Publisher: Marie Sexton
Release Date: June 24, 2014
Available at: Marie Sexton, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo and Smashwords
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Davlova: a poverty-ridden city-state ruled by a tyrannical upper class. Resources are scarce and technology is illegal. But in the slums, revolution is brewing.

Misha is a common pickpocket until his boss gives him a new job. Disguised as a whore, Misha is sent to work for one of the most powerful men in the city. But his real task is far more dangerous: get close to Miguel Donato, and find something – anything – that will help topple Davlova’s corrupt government.

Misha is plunged into the decadent world of the upper class, where slaves are common and even the most perverse pleasure can be found. Although he’s sure Davlova’s elite is involved in something horrific, proof is hard to come by, and Misha begins to fall in love with the man he’s supposed to betray. Then Misha meets Ayo – a sex slave forced by the neural implant in his brain to take pleasure from pain – and everything changes. As the lower class pushes toward a bloody revolution, Misha will find himself caught between his surprising feelings for Donato, his obligations to his clan, and his determination to save Ayo
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Undertow by S.M. Stelmack

Reviewed by Nikyta

1Title: Undertow
Author: S.M. Stelmack
Series: The UnderCity Chronicles #1
Heroes: Lindsay Sterling/Jack Cole
Genre: M/F Urban Fantasy
Length: 248 Pages
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: April 29, 2013
Available at: Amazon, Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Lindsay Sterling’s niece has gone missing in the New York underground and the cops do nothing except pass along a name. Jack Cole. Twenty years ago they were good buddies but horrors have changed them both. Lindsay lost her entire family except for her niece in a car accident, and Jack was held captive in New York’s underbelly for nearly two years by demented sub-humans. It was a soul-sucking experience that’s left him a shell of a man. He refuses to descend into that hell again, especially for a girl who’s probably dead anyway. But when Lindsay is nearly killed there after going it alone, Jack feels compelled to save her skin. Jack navigates Lindsay through a strange territory, populated with the eccentric, the insane and the desperate. Each encounter takes them closer to Lindsay’s niece but also closer into the clutches of the mad creatures that will enslave them.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, M/F, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2013 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Sweat and Smoke by Therese Woodson

Reviewed by Nikyta

1Title: Sweat and Smoke
Author: Therese Woodson
Series: 2014 Daily Dose – Mended
Heroes: Cole/Finn
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 27 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: June 1, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, All Romance eBooks
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: When Cole arrives at the scene of a major fire, he finds that his best friend, a paramedic named Finn, has recklessly risked his life by running into the burning building. Finn emerges fine, though singed, but Cole does not take the situation well. Their heated argument sparks a confession from Finn regarding his feelings for Cole, but a night of passion might not survive the light of day.
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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Challenge Book Review: Rasputin’s Kiss by L.M. Somerton

Reviewed by Susan65

1Title: Rasputin’s Kiss
Author: L.M. Somerton
Series: Investigating Love #1
Heroes: Alex Courtney/Conor Trethuan
Genre: MM Thriller
Length: 222 Pages
Publisher: Totaly Bound
Release Date: March 7, 2014
Available at: Totally Bound, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance Ebooks and Kobo
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: What if the last thing you felt was the kiss of a knife? Rasputin’s kiss is lethal. He’s a ghost-killing and disappearing into the night. With few leads and four bodies on his conscience, Detective Inspector Alex Courtney and his team are running on empty and it’s only a matter of time before Rasputin strikes again. When Alex recruits a young detective to play the part of his boyfriend and provide a tempting target for a killer, he knows he is taking a huge risk. He doesn’t expect Conor Trethuan to be a perfect potential submissive. When their mutual attraction becomes more, Alex has to face the conflict between his possessive instincts and the need to push his young lover into danger. Investigating their feelings has to come second to investigating the case. There’s no time to decide if what they feel for each other is real. With Rasputin closing in, they may not live to find out.(
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, Challenge Book Week, LGBT, Published in 2014, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Boystown: Season One by Jake Biondi

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: Boystown: Season One
Author: Jake Biondi
Series: Boystown #1
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 316 Pages
Publisher: Jake Biondi
Release Date: November 8, 2013
Available at: Jake Biondi, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and All Romance eBooks
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  One of the most diverse and lively neighborhoods in the country, Chicago’s BOYSTOWN has something for everyone. So it’s no wonder that Jesse Morgan and Cole O’Brien chose to live there upon graduating from college. Ready to begin the next phase of their lives in an exciting new city, Jesse and Cole quickly find themselves at the center of a new group of friends. Joyelle and Derek Mancini have been happily married for years, but Derek is harboring a secret that could tear them apart. Derek’s brother Emmett is about to discover that his boyfriend Keith Colgan has a past that will haunt them both. Long time couple Logan Pryce and Max Taylor must face a crisis that neither of them expected. And, before they realize it, Jesse and Cole find themselves at the center of it all in the adult playground known as BOYSTOWN.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2013 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: The Rekindling of Love by Derrick Knight

Reviewed by Susan65

1Title: The Rekindling of Love
Author: Derrick Knight
Series: The Innkeeper #1
Heroes: Dwyer Von Strohm/John Fitzgerald
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 350 Pages
Publisher: Derrick Knight
Release Date: April 10, 2014
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Dwyer Von Strohm thought his life was perfect. He had a great job as a pharmaceutical sales representative; he lived in Chicago’s premiere gay community, drove an expensive car, and had an unlimited number of hot gay men to pursue. Dwyer thought his was living the life he had always dreamed. Then one day he becomes a causality of a poor economy. In a very short time, Dwyer loses his job, loses his status in the gay community and is reduced to living a lonely existence.

Dwyer’s situation forces him to move back home and live with his parents in the small town of Glasburg Illinois. Dwyer had left Glasburg many years ago because the love of his life, John Fitzgerald, had broken his heart. Dwyer reunites with gay friends from high school who are facing their own life challenges.

Soon Dwyer and John’s paths collide and it is evident both men still have strong feelings for each other. Will Dwyer find it in his heart to forgive John or will he let the demons from their past prevent them from rekindling the love they once shared?
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Categories: 3 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2014, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Challenge Week Review: Sex & Sourdough by A.J. Thomas

Reviewed by Nikyta

1Title: Sex & Sourdough
Author: A.J. Thomas
Heroes: Anders Blankenship/Kevin Winters
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 266 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 13, 2013
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble,
All Romance eBooks
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Anders Blankenship never intended to hike the Appalachian Trail alone, but when his boyfriend cancels, Anders steels his courage, leaving the abusive relationship to tackle the long-distance hike. Though a hiking virgin, he’s glad he made the decision when he receives threatening messages from his ex. Luckily, Kevin, an experienced backpacker, takes him under his wing.

Kevin Winters isn’t looking for a hiking partner, let alone a fling with a cute man on the rebound. After learning he has the autoimmune disorder that killed his father, Kevin left his family to wander remote trails. Convinced his future holds only pain and death, Kevin refuses to get close to anyone. The family sourdough recipes he recreates over a campfire are his only solace.

In the wilderness, Anders and Kevin discover a lot of common ground. While the future holds uncertainties they may not be ready to deal with, it might also hold the chance for happiness.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, Challenge Book Week, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2013 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Book Review: Slasherazzi by Daniel A. Kaine

Reviewed by Susan65

1Title: Slasherazzi
Author: Daniel A. Kaine
Heroes: Alex/Vince
Genre: M/M Thriller/Horror
Length: 192 Pages
Publisher: Wilde City Press
Release Date: June 11, 2014
Available at: Wilde City Press and Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Recently promoted to Detective, Alex is out to prove himself and the Slasherazzi case is the perfect opportunity. Mutilated corpses are showing up across Tampa, and when the team discovers the newest victim was tortured alive, Alex becomes more determined than ever to stop the crazed serial killer before the horrific stabbings escalate further.

With the return of Alex’s ex-boyfriend and journalist, Vince, the investigation takes a dangerous twist: the killer starts showing a personal interest in Alex. Can he stop the murders and salvage his relationship with Vince, or does he risk letting both men get away?(
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2014, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Book Review: Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan

Guest Reviewed by Ami

1Title: Sleigh Bells in the Snow
Author: Sarah Morgan
Series: O’Neil Brothers #1
Heroes: Kayla Green/Jackson O’Neil
Genre: MF Contemporary Romance
Length: 384 Pages
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Release Date: October 29, 2013
Available at:  Harlequin, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance Ebooks, iBooks and Kobo
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Once upon a time, Christmas was Kayla Green’s favorite time of year. Now all the workaholic wants for Christmas is for it to be over—as fast as possible! So when duty calls her to snowy Vermont to close a deal with a new client, Kayla is grateful for an excuse to avoid the holidays for another year.

Jackson O’Neil left a thriving business behind to return home and salvage his family’s resort—it’s in his blood, and he can’t let it fail. Now that he’s got marketing whiz Kayla Green working with him to put Snow Crystal on the map, success is on the horizon. The fact they strike enough sparks off each other to power all the Christmas lights in Vermont is just an added bonus.

Kayla might be an expert at her job, but she’s out of her depth with Jackson—he makes her crave the happy-ever-after she once dreamed of, and it’s terrifying. As the snowflakes continue to swirl, will the woman who doesn’t believe in the magic of Christmas finally fall under its spell?
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, M/F, Published in 2013 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Wake Me Up by Ronnie Matthews

Reviewed by Nikyta

1Title: Wake Me Up
Author: Ronnie Matthews
Series: 2014 Daily Dose – Mended
Heroes: Calvin Manley/Brent Jacobs
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 33 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: June 1, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, All Romance eBooks
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: The nurses at Sunny Oaks Rehabilitation Center are having a hard time coping with one of their latest transfers. Calvin Manley is rude, uncooperative, and a general pain in the ass. The only member of their team he seems to tolerate is male nurse Brent Jacobs. With stubborn persistence and a gentle hand, Brent aims to shake Calvin out of his depression and back into the waking world.
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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment