4.5 Star Ratings

Audio Review: Shiny! by Amy Lane

Reviewed by Morgan 

1Title: Shiny!
Author: Amy Lane
Narrator: Tyler Stevens
Heroes: Will Lafferty and Kenny Scalia
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: Book – 200 Pages / Audio – 6 Hours, 15 Minutes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: Book – February 21, 2014 / Audio – December 8, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Audible and iTunes
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Will Lafferty and Kenny Scalia are both having sort of a day. Will gets fired for letting fifth graders read Harry Potter, and Kenny finds his boyfriend and his sex toys in bed with a complete stranger. When Will knocks over Kenny’s trash can-and strews Kenny’s personal business all over the street-it feels like the perfect craptastic climax to the sewage of suckage that has rained down on them both.

But ever-friendly, ever-kind Will asks snarky Kenny out for a beer-God knows they both need one-and two amazing things occur: Kenny discovers talking to Will might be the best form of intercourse ever, and Will discovers he’s gay.

Their unlikely friendship seems like the perfect platonic match until Will reveals how very much more he’s been feeling for Kenny almost since the beginning. But Kenny’s worried. Will’s newfound sexuality is bright and glittery and shiny, but what happens when that wears off? Is Will’s infatuation with Kenny strong enough to stay real?
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Audio Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Canning the Center by Tara Lain

Reviewed by Susan65

1Title: Canning the Center
Author: Tara Lain
Series: Long Pass Chronicles #2
Heroes: Jamal Jones/Travor Landry
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 250 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 17, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press and Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Six foot seven inch, 300 pound Jamal Jones loves football, so when he finds out the ultra-conservative owner of his new pro football team fired their current center because he’s gay, bisexual Jamal decides to stay in the closet and hang with the females. Then, at a small drag show, he comes face-to-face with his sexual fantasy in the form of Trixie LaRue, a drag queen so exquisitely convincing she scrambles Jamal’s hormones — and his resolve to nurse his straight side.

Trevor Landry, aka Trixie LaRue, hides more than his genitals. A mathematician so brilliant he can’t be measured, Trevor disguises his astronomical IQ and his quirk for women’s clothes behind his act as a gay activist undergrad at Southern California University.

To Trevor, Jamal is the answer to a dream — a man who can love and accept both his personas. When he discovers Jamal’s future is threatened if he’s seen with a guy, Trevor becomes Trixie to let Jamal pass as straight. But Trevor risks his position every time he puts on a dress. Is there a closet big enough to hold a football pro and a drag queen?
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2014, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Icon Men by Cat Grant

 

Guest Reviewed by Morgan 

1Title: Icon Men Box Set (The First Real Thing, Appearing Nightly, A Fool for You)
Author: Cat Grant
Series: Icon Men #1-3
Heroes: Cameron/Trevor, Mike/Ryan, Brian Barclay/Chase Aubrey
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 362 Pages
Publisher: Cat Grant Books
Release Date: November 25, 2014
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  The First Real Thing

Cameron is the best—and most sought-after—escort in New York. He has only rule: never let anyone in. But when he picks up ad man Trevor Barclay in a hotel bar, Trev’s shy smile and soft green eyes have Cameron forgetting all the rules. Their steamy encounters leave Cameron shaken, breathless – and falling in love for the first time in his life. But how can he tell Trevor the first man he’s been with in sixteen years sells himself for a living?

Appearing Nightly

Diva Michelle is the hottest drag act in the Manhattan bar scene. But behind the diva is Mike, a lonely man nursing a crush on the Icon’s hot new employee. Ryan’s not just another pretty face – the skittish, fearful young man’s holding back secrets. He may find comfort in Mike’s bed, but he’s not sure if he can trust Mike with the pain of his past.

A Fool for You

Brian Barclay is trying to make it in the New York music scene, but he doesn’t count on his boyfriend Kit stealing all the songs they wrote together. Kicked out of his own band, Brian has no choice but to ask his estranged father Trevor and his partner Cameron for help. Brian and Cameron quickly clash, and when tensions at home escalate, Brian finds himself leaning on sexy blues guitarist Chase Aubrey. Chase and Brian make beautiful music onstage and off, but when Chase’s past threatens their newfound happiness, Brian fears he’s about to be played for a fool yet again.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: When the Planets Align by Kate McMurray

Reviewed by Heather C

WhenthePlanetsAlignLGTitle: When the Planets Align
Author: Kate McMurray
Heroes: Michael Reeves/Simon Newell
Genre: MM Contemporary Romance
Length: 220 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 19, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Best friends Michael Reeves and Simon Newell always lived within ten minutes of each other, but somehow they’re never in the same place at the same time.

Brash, outgoing Michael’s unwavering confidence that he and Simon are meant to be carries him through some hard times. When Simon moves to New York, Michael dutifully follows. Quiet, practical Simon loves Michael as a dear friend, but he’s not ready for anything romantic.

Several years and several failed relationships later, Simon realizes he’s been in love with Michael all along. Only now Michael has moved on. Though Simon offers everything Michael’s ever dreamed of, the timing is all wrong. Confusion, betrayal, and secrets from the past threaten their friendship until it might be time for them to go their separate ways. Or maybe the planets will finally align, and Michael and Simon will find themselves in the right place at the right time to take the next step.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: The Working Elf Blues by Piper Vaughn

Guest Reviewed by Morgan 

1Title: The Working Elf Blues
Author: Piper Vaughn
Heroes: Garnet Evergreen/Wes
Genre:  MM Fantasy
Length: 53 Pages
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Release Date: December 17, 2014
Available at:  Less Than Three Press and Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Garnet Evergreen has never heard of an elf abandoning the North Pole for a human, but he yearns to be the first. Ever since he saw Wes, the boy with sorrowful eyes, Garnet felt an undeniable kinship. Over the years, he’s watched that boy grow into a man, and now he’s determined to give Wes a Christmas he’ll never forget. If only Garnet had thought to test his father’s sleigh before leaving…

Orphaned as a child, Wes spends every Christmas alone at his cabin. When he’s woken by a suspicious boom and finds a wrecked sleigh and an unconscious elf, he doesn’t know how to react. Wes isn’t fanciful. He doesn’t give much credence to the stories about Santa Claus and flying reindeer. But a part of him wants desperately to believe when Garnet promises forever, even if life has taught him that no one ever stays…
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Ransom by Lee Rowan

Reviewed by Heather C

23004959Title: Ransom
Author: Lee Rowan
Series: Royal Navy #1
Heroes: David Archer/William Marshall
Genre: MM Historical Romance
Length: 276 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: September 1, 2014 (3rd ed.)
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: An officer, a gentleman… and a sodomite. The first two earn him honor and respect, the third may cost him his life. David Archer realizes how hopeless his attraction to his fellow midshipman is from the moment a newly-arrived William Marshall challenges a sexually abusive shipmate to a duel – and shoots him dead.

To Marshall, the Navy is his one chance to move beyond his humble beginnings. While others spend shore leave carousing, he curls up with a navigation text. When they and their captain are abducted, Archer and Marshall become pawns in a renegade’s sadistic game. To protect the man he loves, David Archer chooses to face his own demons of past abuse returned in a different form. When Marshall learns of Archer’s sacrifice, he discovers what he feels for Davy runs stronger and deeper than friendship. He’s in love, for the first time in his life, and he wants to know all about this new emotion.

But first they must escape. Only then will they find out if they can preserve their love without losing their lives.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Arctic Absolution by Lynn Kelling

Reviewed by JustJen

15825603Title: Arctic Absolution
Author: Lynn Kelling
Heroes: Dixon Rowe/Jaye Larson
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 240 Pages
Publisher: Forbidden Fiction
Release Date: December 16, 2014
Available at: Forbidden Fiction and Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  In the frozen expanses of remote Alaska, Dixon Rowe is a good man and a good cop who keeps finding himself in bed with the enemy. After he picks up a young ex-con named Jaye Larson for stealing food, Dixon gets seduced by the possibility of helping someone truly in need. Though he tells himself he’s assisting young Jaye out of the goodness of his heart, not because of how sexy Jaye is under all of the tattoos and defiance, the temptations of sin entangle them as their hostile environment threatens. Both of their pasts are filled with malicious ghosts that haunt every step, and while Jaye’s demons are less tangible that Dixon’s, they are all powerful enough to put both of their lives in danger.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Book Review: Control by Nicholas Bella

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: Control
Author: Nicholas Bella
Series: Chained in Darkness #5
Heroes: Noel/Théoden
Genre: MM Paranormal
Length: 70 Pages
Publisher: Nicholas Bella
Release Date: December 19, 2014
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  As I awaken to this new night, I have no idea what Theoden has planned for me. I know there are more lessons he wants to teach me… I just don’t know how painful… or how pleasurable they will be. I do know that I’ve given into Theoden in ways that I’d never thought I would. Not only that, but he’s made me feel… pleasure unlike anything I’d ever experienced. I want to resist him, I need to resist him, but I’m finding it nearly impossible to resist him. His hold over me is stronger than my will to fight him and with each passing day, I know that I’m losing this battle. On top of personal experiences, I’m discovering secrets the human world never knew. I’m beginning to understand why the humans lost the war and how insignificant my rebellion actually was. This realization has been the cruelest lesson of all.

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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ariel Tachna Week Audio Review: Inherit the Sky

Reviewed by Morgan

1Title: Inherit the Sky
Author: Ariel Tachna
Narrator: William James
Series: Lang Downs Series Book 1
Heroes: Caine Neiheisel and Macklin Armstrong
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: Book – 206 Pages / Audio – 6 Hours, 53 Minutes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: Book – February 20, 2012 / Audio – January 31, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Audible and iTunes
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Caine Neiheisel is stuck in a dead-end job at the end of a dead-end relationship when the chance of a lifetime falls in his lap. His mother inherits her uncle’s sheep station in New South Wales, Australia, and Caine sees it as the opportunity to start over, out on the range where his stutter won’t hold him back and his willingness to work will surely make up for his lack of knowledge.

Unfortunately, Macklin Armstrong, the foreman of Lang Downs who should be Caine’s biggest ally, alternates between being cool and downright dismissive, and the other hands are more amused by Caine’s American accent than they are moved by his plight… until they find out he’s gay and their amusement turns to scorn. It will take all of Caine’s determination—and an act of cruel sabotage by a hostile neighbor—to bring the men of Lang Downs together and give Caine and Macklin a chance at love.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Audio Review, Author Week, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Audio Review: Snow Globe by L.E. Franks

Guest Reviewed by Morgan

1Title: Snow Globe
Author: L.E. Franks
Narrator: Dave Gillies
Series: Dreamspinner Press Advent 2013 Advent Calendar
Heroes: Kris Hamilton and Tyr Tollefson
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: Book – 44 Pages / Audio – 58 Minutes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: Book – December 1, 2013 / Audio – November 10, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Audible and iTunes
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Kris Hamilton escaped the rat race in LA to live his dream of owning an art studio and making snow globes in a Christmas-themed town in northern Minnesota. But life in a tiny town isn’t as peaceful as advertised, and being treated like an outsider is making Kris’s Tourette’s flare up. When he inadvertently offends Tyr Tollefson—a beautiful blond giant of a man—Kris is ready to chuck it all. But he strikes up an unlikely friendship with Tyr’s cousin Bun, who shows them the magic of Christmas and gives them both a lesson in love and acceptance.

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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Audio Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment