LGBT

Book Review: The Complications of T by Bey Deckard

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: The Complications of T
Author: Bey Deckard
Heroes: Stuart/Tim
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 16,000 words
Publisher: Bey Deckard
Release Date: August 20, 2015
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Stuart Leandro knows he’s washed up, both on the big screen, and in his marriage. Then, when things take an even bigger turn for the worse one night, he winds up blind drunk and lost in a foreign city.

Thankfully, someone’s there to rescue him before his face ends up plastered all over the tabloids.

Wary of the motives of the reclusive stranger who brings the fading star into the quiet shelter of a hip but isolated loft, Stuart nonetheless can’t deny his curiosity… Or his attraction. Tim is unlike anyone the actor has ever met, but underneath the mystery and quiet attempts at invisibility, Stuart discovers someone whose life has been intertwined with his own for years.

Neither could have predicted that Tim’s act of kindness would lead to one of the most intense encounters of their lives—but, are they willing to weather the media storm their extraordinary relationship will cause?
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Buchanan House by Charley Descoteaux: Excerpt & Giveaway!

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An Excerpt from Buchanan House

Timothy Tate knocked on the front doors at eight o’clock sharp. Eric had barely been up long enough to start coffee, and Nathan had yet to emerge. They’d slept in one of the rooms on the first floor. The official reason was to avoid having to clean two rooms, but the unofficial reason was to talk into the night like they had back in middle school. Slumber parties for thirtysomethings. Somehow that didn’t make Eric feel any better about meeting this Tim person.

But opening the door sure did.

Tim Tate was as tall as Nathan, so six one, and he had curly black hair and eyes so dark you could get lost in them.

“Morning.” He wasn’t much for smiling, though.

“Good morning. Please come in. I’m Eric.”

Tim nodded and seemed to be looking at something behind Eric’s right shoulder. As soon as Eric remembered to step aside, Tim came in. “You bought this place?”

“Yes. Isn’t it lovely? The inspector said the bones are solid, and someone did amazing work on the rooms. Right now, we need help with the kitchen and some reno on the public areas.”

“Should tear it down and start fresh.”

“I beg your pardon. That’s a horrible thing to say. You don’t discard something just because it’s not perfect. With a little love—maybe this isn’t going to work out.”

Tim shrugged and looked around the room. His face seemed to soften into… nostalgia? It held a wistful quality, of that much Eric was certain.

“Have you been in this room before?”

Tim had turned away a little, so the left side of his face pointed toward Eric.

Is that his best side?

He didn’t answer, so Eric repeated the question, a little louder.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. When I was a kid. Sometimes the local clubs would use it for summer camps. It’s been empty for over ten years.”

“Why? I mean, did something happen here?”

“No. The owners died, and their kids didn’t want to live out here. Can’t blame ’em. Entertainment isn’t easy to come by.”

Nathan chose that moment to enter, in his pink robe with the ostrich-feather trim. He spoke quickly, almost dancing through the room and toward the aroma of coffee. “Good morning. You don’t mind I borrowed your robe? And this must be Tim. Lovely to meet you, sweetheart. Coffee, then business.” He flounced into the kitchen.

Eric and Tim watched him go. The silence in his wake stretched out a little too long for Eric, mortified by the thought Tim might believe the robe belonged to him.

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About Buchanan House

unnamedEric Allen, thirty-three-year-old line cook, moved in with his grandmother, Jewell, after a disastrous coming-out when he was in middle school. She raised him, and he cared for her when she fell ill. When Jewell died she left everything to Eric—angering his parents and older brother. The inheritance isn’t much, but Eric and his bestie Nathan pool their money and buy an abandoned hotel on an isolated stretch of the Central Oregon Coast. The hotel isn’t far from Lincoln City—a town with its own Pride Festival and named for a president—so they christen it Buchanan House after James Buchanan, the “confirmed bachelor” president with the close male friend.

Eric and Nathan need a handyman to help them turn Buchanan House into the gay resort of their dreams. Eric finds Tim Tate in the local listings and over the months leading to opening weekend Tim reveals himself as a skilled carpenter with many hidden talents. Eric falls hard for Tim, but before he can see a future with the gorgeous handyman he has to get over twenty years of being bullied and shamed by his birth family. It would be much easier if Eric’s brother Zach weren’t trying to grab part of the inheritance or ruin opening weekend.

Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon 

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About Charley Descoteaux

Charley Descoteaux has always heard voices. She was relieved to learn they were fictional characters, and started writing when they insisted daydreaming just wasn’t good enough. In exchange, they’ve agreed to let her sleep once in a while. Charley grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area during a drought, and found her true home in the soggy Pacific Northwest. She has survived earthquakes, tornadoes, and floods, but couldn’t make it through one day without stories.

Find out more about Charley on her Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or BlogBlog_Tour_Giveaway

As part of this blog tour, Charley is giving away a $20 Dreamspinner gift card!! To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway unless otherwise stated but are still welcome anyway.

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Excerpts, Giveaways, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , | 7 Comments

Book Review: Justice for Me by B.J. Grinder and T.S. McKinney

Reviewed by JustJen

26021134Title: Justice for Me
Authors: B.J. Grinder and T.S. McKinney
Series: For Me #2
Heroes: Malachi/Megan/Justice
Genre: MMF BDSM
Length: 287 Pages
Publisher: Dark Hollows Press
Release Date: August 13, 2015
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  All Malachi wanted was to forget about the shit-show they’d all just endured with Victor and Nicholas and spend the rest of his life with the love of his life…Megan.

That’s what he thought he wanted.

What he found out was that giving up his desire to be a Dom isn’t as easy as he thought it would be, and Megan isn’t about to pretend like she is sexually submissive. Not gonna happen! They love each other tremendously but just need another…addition to their party of two. Malachi needs an obedient, quiet, and trained male submissive to fulfill the Dom inside of him. Megan needs a submissive that has enough experience to help her through her learning curve in the BDSM lifestyle.

That isn’t what either of them gets.

Enter Justice Conners. He’s the opposite of everything they wanted…but is he just what they both needed?
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, M/F, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: When Worlds Collide by Maggie Walsh

Reviewed by Susan65

11057246_1024067694272859_4064101403755728328_nTitle: When Worlds Collide
Author: Maggie Walsh
Series:  Beyond the Angel Pack #3
Heroes: Ryland/Phenex
Genre: MM Paranormal
Length: 192 Pages
Publisher: Siren Publishing
Release Date: July 29, 2015
Available at:  Siren Bookstrand
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: King Ryland and Phenex, Commander of the Underworld’s elite police, had a happy mating for over two hundred years. They were blessed with a child, a son, and the pair couldn’t be happier. Until one day their world was ripped apart by deceit and betrayal.

A threat to their son’s life caused Ryland to send him away into hiding, in hopes that he would be safe. When Phenex arrived home to find his mate in the arms of another man he was hurt and angry, but when he found that his mate had taken his son from him, he was enraged. Phenex turned his back on his mate and walked away from their mating.

Twenty six years later, they have found their son, but the horrors he suffered his whole life cause Ryland great pain and guilt. To ensure that their son Jesse has his full powers, these two strong leaders must find a way back to each other.

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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2015, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: What He Left Behind by L.A. Witt

Reviewed by JustJen

25244415Title: What He Left Behind
Author: L. A. Witt
Heroes: Josh/Michael/Ian
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 236 Pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Release Date: September 18, 2015
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Can you ever have a second first time?

Josh Carver thinks it’s just another lunch with his best friend, Michael—until Michael confesses he just turned down a date with his hot veterinarian crush. It seems Michael’s abusive ex left him more scarred than Josh realized.

Josh and his husband, Ian, have done their best to help Michael leave his horrific past behind, but even Josh is stunned when Ian suggests that Josh help Michael with his fear of physical intimacy. After all, it isn’t like it would be the first time—Josh and Michael were once each other’s firsts.

A hesitant first kiss, and Josh and Michael’s natural attraction eases the way. But with Michael still balking at the prospect of sex with someone new, Ian steps into the breach.

Everything is fine and dandy until emotions become so entangled, their friendship—and a marriage—could be at risk.

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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Book Review: Overly Dramatic by Rebecca Cohen

Guest Reviewed by Ami

25934191Title: Overly Dramatic
Author: Rebecca Cohen
Series:  Treading the Boards
Heroes: Andy Marshall/Phil Cormack
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 131 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: August 19, 2015
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Andy Marshall moves to London looking for a fresh start after breaking up with his long-term boyfriend. To stave off boredom from his day job as an accountant and to meet new people, Andy joins a local amateur dramatics society called the Sarky Players based in Greenwich, South London. Despite his best efforts to avoid it, Andy is cast as one of the leads in a truly dreadful play called Whoops, Vicar, There Goes My Trousers, written by a local playwright.

The play might be bad, but the Sarky Players are a friendly bunch. Andy quickly makes new friends and finds himself attracted to Phil Cormack, a local artist helping with the props. But life doesn’t run to a script, so Andy and Phil will have to work hard to improvise their own happy ending.
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Categories: 2.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Honorary Blogger Kate McMurray: Can’t Quit You, Baseball + Giveaway!

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Can’t Quit You, Baseball

by Kate McMurray

I really thought I was done writing about baseball after I finished Out in the Field. I’d said what I had to say, I’d written the book of my heart, and I was ready to move on and write about other things.

But this world just kept pulling me back.

A few years ago, Shae Connor and I decided that we should put together an anthology of baseball stories. I readily agreed, though I was worried I wouldn’t be able to come up with a story. Then my brother suggested I write a dead-ball era historical. Then, while watching the Ken Burns Baseball documentary for the third or fourth time and thinking about how weird it is that a guy like Babe Ruth—whose athletic prowess was fueled largely by booze, women, and hot dogs—somehow became one of the greatest ball players of all time, when a story started to form in my mind. I set it in the Jazz Age, not the dead-ball era, but still, I had a new angle on baseball. That story became “One Man to Remember” in the Playing Ball anthology.

But then I really was done. Right?

I knew I wanted to write a series of connected books before I knew what it was going to be about. When someone suggested I write about baseball again, I pointed out how unlikely it was that there are enough gay major leaguers on any given team to build a series around—that the very premise seemed implausible to me—it was pointed out that I didn’t have to write about professional baseball players.

Fair point. Hence the Rainbow League was born.

I made it a LGBT league which handily solved the above plausibility issue, and once I got going planning out the series, I knew I’d been sucked back into the baseball world.

I intended for the series to be fun, for it to be a lot about guys who play baseball but mostly just hang out, befriend each other, and occasionally sleep together. I wound up dealing with some bigger issues—anxiety, loss, domestic violence—but I think that adds depth to the stories and characters. My hope is that, taken as a whole, there’s a lot in these stories that readers can relate to. The characters are regular guys who happen to play baseball together. They have lives outside of the sport. (Well, Mason from Thrown a Curve might argue he doesn’t, but he’s a former Yankee. Once a pro, always a pro, perhaps.)

So, I hope you enjoy these three books and my little foray back into baseball. I could tell you I’m off to write historicals or more classical musicians or what have you now, but let’s face it, I’ll be back to writing about baseball players soon enough. 

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About The Long Slide Home

The_Long_Slide_Home_Final_FLATNate and Carlos have been the best of friends since their childhood playing baseball together in the Bronx. For the past few years, Nate’s been in love with Carlos, though he’s never acted on it and Carlos has never given any indication that he returns Nate’s feelings. Nate has finally given up, determined to move on and find someone else, especially now that Carlos has shacked up with his boyfriend, Aiden.

Carlos doesn’t understand why Nate has suddenly gotten weird, acting cold and distant at team practice for the Rainbow League. But if that’s how things are going to be, Carlos is done trying to figure Nate out. But then Aiden reveals he has a violent side, and Carlos needs his best friend’s support. On top of that, he starts to realize his feelings for Nate might not be limited to friendship. But in the aftermath of his relationship with Aiden, and with Nate having problems of his own, the timing is all wrong to make a real relationship work. As emotions run high, both have a hard time figuring out what is real and what is just convenient.

Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon

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About Kate McMurray

Kate McMurray is an award-winning author of gay romance and an unabashed romance fan. When she’s not writing, she works as a nonfiction editor, dabbles in various crafts, and is maybe a tiny bit obsessed with base­ball. She lives in Brooklyn, NY. Visit her website.

Blog_Tour_Giveaway

As part of this blog tour, Kate is giving away all 3 Rainbow League books and a $25 gift card!! To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway unless otherwise stated but are still welcome anyway.

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT | Tags: , , , , | 8 Comments

Book Review: Prickly Business by Piper Vaughn & Kenzie Cade

Reviewed by Nikyta

PricklyBusinessTitle: Prickly Business
Author: Piper Vaughn & Kenzie Cade
Series: Portland Pack Chronicles #1
Heroes: Avery & Dylan
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 280 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: July 27, 2015
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Some people might call Avery Babineaux a prick. He’s a hedgehog shifter from an old-money Louisiana family, with a penchant for expensive shoes and a reputation for being a judgmental snob. His attitude is why he and his fated mate are estranged. Not that Avery cares. He doesn’t want to be mated to some blue-collar werewolf anyway. Or so he keeps telling himself.

No werewolf likes to be looked down upon, least of all Dylan Green. He doesn’t need a mate, especially not some snotty hedgehog who sneers at his custom motorcycle shop and calls him a grease monkey. But when Avery gets into trouble with a shady loan shark, Dylan can’t stand by and let him be hurt—whether he wants the brat or not.

Yet once Dylan steps into Avery’s world, he realizes there’s more to Avery than his prickly exterior, and that unexpected vulnerability calls to Dylan’s protective instincts. The sassy little hedgehog needs a keeper, and despite their horrible first impressions, Dylan starts to believe he might be the wolf for the job.
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Categories: 3 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Collide by Charity Parkerson

Reviewed by Susan65

25914600Title: Collide
Author: Charity Parkerson
Series: Hard Hit #1
Heroes: Shayne/Lincoln
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 152 Pages
Publisher: Punk & Sissy Publications
Release Date: August 3, 2015
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Shayne thinks he has nothing left to lose…

On his way home after losing his job, Shayne’s bad day goes farther downhill when a truck slams into him. The sexy man who pulls him from the wreckage, seeing him at his lowest, is either the best or worst thing to happen to Shayne in a long time.

Challenge accepted…

While Lincoln feels guilty for totaling Shayne’s car, he can’t regret having met the man. Something about Shayne calls to him on a new level and brings out a side in him even Lincoln can’t explain.

When these two opposites collide it’s only a matter a time before one falls.

Shayne’s first love will always be hockey. With the out-of-work goalie on the hunt for a new team, Lincoln knows their time together is short-lived. It’ll take a veteran player to sneak past the guard on Lincoln’s heart, but Shayne is up for the fight.

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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2015, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: How to Train Your Dom in 5 Easy Steps by Josephine Myles

Reviewed by JustJen

22474278Title: How to Train Your Dom in 5 Easy Steps
Author: Josephine Myles
Heroes: Jeff White/Eddie Powell
Genre: MM Contemporary BDSM
Length: 295 Pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Release Date: September 23, 2014
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Sometimes the little head really does know best.

Jeff White’s needs are simple. All he wants is a submissive to help him explore the dominant side that his ex-girlfriend couldn’t handle. Problem is, inexperience in both dating and domming has resulted in a string of rejections.

What he needs is an experienced sub willing to show him the ins and outs of controlling a scene. Unfortunately, the only one willing to take him on is male, and Jeff is straight. One hundred percent, never-gonna-happen straight.

Easygoing painslut Eddie Powell doesn’t care that Jeff is younger, working class, and shorter. Eddie likes a bit of rough, and Jeff fits the bill perfectly. The trick will be convincing him to follow Eddie’s five-step training programme—which would be easy if Eddie wasn’t starting to have feelings for the rough-around-the-edges landscaper.

Once Jeff lays his hands on Eddie, things definitely get out of hand. But it’ll take more than hot, sweaty, kinky sex to persuade him to come out of the closet—especially to himself.

Warning: Contains a happy sub, a confused Dom, a high ratio of sex to plot, misuse of root ginger, and a suitcase of kink. Written in Jo’s usual exceedingly “English” English.
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Categories: 2.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment