4.5 Star Ratings

Book Review: Awake and Alive by Garrett Leigh

Reviewed by JustJen

Awake and AliveTitle: Awake and Alive
Author: Garrett Leigh
Heroes: Jed Cooper/Max O’Dair
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 34 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: April 11, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & All Romance eBooks
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: A Missing Moment from Only Love

After a successful surgery relieves Jed of the illness that nearly killed him, he returns home to slowly recover with Max. With time to reconnect, Max shows him a new way to love. Now at a crossroads and facing a new life, Jed must listen to his friends and family to learn how to move forward.

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

Book Review: Only Love by Garrett Leigh

Reviewed by JustJen

Only LoveTitle: Only Love
Author: Garrett Leigh
Heroes: Jed Cooper/Max O’Dair
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 274 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner
Release Date: April 11, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: The diagnosis of a chronic stomach condition leaves thirty-two-year-old Sergeant Jed Cooper with little choice but to call time on his Army career. Then on the dusty streets of Kirkuk, an ambush gone tragically wrong decimates his team, and he returns to the US with a shattered leg and the memory of his best friend dying in his arms.

Life in his sleepy hometown proves intolerable until he finds solace in a lakeside cabin with vivacious young carpenter, Max O’Dair. In the shadow of the epilepsy that periodically plagues Max, he and Jed form an unspoken bond. After a late night episode, Jed realizes how much Max means to him, and life has taught him not to waste time.

But the lines between contentment and complacency are blurred. Things left hidden resurface to tear through their world, and before they can repair the damage, death comes to call again. Faces, past and present, rally around them to weather the storm, but before long, they are left with only love.

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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster

Reviewed by Heather C

13507512Title: Kiss of Steel
Author: Bec McMaster
Series: London Steampunk #1
Hero & Heroine: Blade & Honoria Todd
Genre: M/F Paranormal Romance; Steampunk
Length: 423 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: September 2012
Available at: AmazonBarnes and Noble & Kobo
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  When Nowhere Is Safe

Most people avoid the dreaded Whitechapel district. For Honoria Todd, it’s the last safe haven. But at what price?

Blade is known as the master of the rookeries—no one dares cross him. It’s been said he faced down the Echelon’s army single-handedly, that ever since being infected by the blood-craving he’s been quicker, stronger, and almost immortal.

When Honoria shows up at his door, his tenuous control comes close to snapping. She’s so…innocent. He doesn’t see her backbone of steel—or that she could be the very salvation he’s been seeking. Continue reading

Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, M/F, Published in 2012 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Early Review: Union by Annabelle Jacobs

Reviewed by Nikyta

UnionTitle: Union
Author: Annabelle Jacobs
Series: Torsere #2
Heroes: Nykin & Ryneq
Genre: M/M High Fantasy
Length: 230 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: April 11, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: After the defeat of the Lowland Army at Torsere and with King Seran on the run, King Ryneq and his sister, Cerylea, continue their journey to the Elven City of Alel to proceed with the union of the two realms. Fully recovered from his injuries and newly announced as King Ryneq’s Consort, Nykin returns to his duty as a Dragon Rider in the King’s army. He and Ryneq have little opportunity to celebrate their union, but make the most of their time together before leaving for Alel. Since the ambush at Neest River destroyed the main bridge, traveling by ship is the only option. An unusual storm threatens their crossing, making Ryneq wonder if some new magic is rising against them.

As the wedding between Cerylea and the Elven prince Morkryn approaches, the dragons sense a malevolent presence. To protect the young couple’s fragile bond, Nykin and his dragon, Fimor, take to the skies, setting up a patrol along the border of the magical city. But as the evil grows more potent, the enchanted boundary grows weaker. Ryneq and Nykin must combine their strength to protect their people from Seran’s extreme plot for revenge.

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

Book Review: Guarded by L.A. Witt & Cat Grant

Reviewed by JustJen

GuardedTitle: Guarded
Author: L.A. Witt & Cat Grant
Heroes: Jordan Kane/Jase Hewitt
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 344 Pages
Publisher: Cat Grant Books
Release Date: April 7, 2014
Available at: Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: On the surface, rock star Jordan Kane has it all. His band No Rules is burning up the charts and headlining a world tour. His bodyguard doubles as a hot, kinky boyfriend who knows just how to push all his buttons. But behind the scenes, he’s suffocating.

Jase Hewitt never imagined he’d have a shot at bedding the larger than life rock star – never mind dominating him – but now he’s worried he’s in over his head. Jordan’s kinks run deep, dark, and sometimes dangerous, putting Jase’s desires to both pleasure and protect him at odds.

They might have a fighting chance at finding the safe, happy medium between what Jordan needs and what Jase is willing to give, but there’s one problem: Daniel, Jordan’s childhood best friend, the band’s talented guitarist — and a volatile, hard-partying drug addict. Jordan is determined to save Daniel from himself, but Jase has been there, done that, and desperately wants to protect Jordan from the inevitable heartache of watching an addict self-destruct.

When Daniel goes off the rails again, Jordan calls off the tour to get him help. Tension within the band skyrockets and pressure from the record label sends Jordan into a dark spiral. Now his band — and his life — are balanced on a knife’s edge, and Jase is the only one who can pull him back… but only if the echoes of his own tragic past don’t push him over first.

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

Book Review: Bloodline by Barbara Elsborg

Reviewed by JustJen

BloodlineTitle: Bloodline
Author: Barbara Elsborg
Heroes: Inigo/Micah
Genre: M/M Paranormal/Fantasy
Length: 219 pages
Publisher: Loose Id
Release Date: April 1, 2014
Available at: Loose Id & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: No one can tattoo better than Inigo, a two hundred year old vampire, who works on human and supernatural skins. But he’s never tattooed a faerie and when a bunch of them insist he comes with them to tattoo one of their kind, saying no proves not to be an option. His skin is Oberon, the faerie king, and Inigo fears this will be the last tattoo he’ll ever do.

The moment Micah lands in the faerie king’s bed chamber, he knows the guy is trouble. But if he’s to save his sister and his family, let alone the job he’s paid to do, he has to stay in Faerieland and endure Oberon’s sadism. When he’s thrown into a vampire’s cell, covered in blood, he fears this day will be his last.

This book follows on from Jumping in Puddles – though there is no need to read that one first.

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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Book Review: Blood & Stone by Hank Edwards

Reviewed by Susan65

Blood & StoneTitle: Blood & Stone
Author: Hank Edwards
Series: Venom Valley #3
Heroes: Dexter “Dex” Wells and Josh Stanton
Genre: M/M Historical/Horror/Paranormal
Length: 227 Pages
Publisher: Wilde City Press
Release Date: March 5, 2014
Available at: Wilde City Press
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Josh Stanton’s mother has been held prisoner by the vampire Balthazar for fifteen years. As Balthazar has turned the residents of Belkin’s Pass into vampires under his control, Josh, his lover Dex, former saloon girl Glory, and US Army Sergeant Walker Maxwell fight to contain the undead uprising.

As Josh struggles to control his power to raise the dead, the group is pursued to the abandoned Fort Emmerick. There they make plans to take the battle to Balthazar’s cave, uncertain if all of them will live to see the light of day once again.

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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2014, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Spirit by John Inman

Reviewed by Heather C

20829488Title: Spirit
Author: John Inman
Heroes: Jason & Sam & Timmy (I had to add the kid.)
Genre: M/M Romance, Mystery/Paranormal
Length: 71,360 words
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: March 17, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Jason Day, brilliant designer of video games, is not only a confirmed bachelor, but he’s as gay as a maypole. One wouldn’t think being saddled with his precocious four-year-old nephew for four weeks would be enough to throw him off-kilter.

Wrong. Timmy, Jason’s nephew, is a true handful.

But just when Timmy and Uncle Jason begin to bond, and Jason feels he’s getting a grip on this babysitting business once and for all, he’s thrown for a loop by a couple of visitors—one from Tucson, the other from beyond the grave.

I’m sorry. Say what?

Toss a murder, a hot young stud, an unexpected love affair, and a spooky-ass ghost with a weird sense of humor into Jason’s summer plans, and you’ve got the makings for one hell of a ride. Continue reading

Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Early Review: Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen

Reviewed by Nikyta

Stolen SongbirdTitle: Stolen Songbird
Author: Danielle L. Jensen
Series: The Malediction Trilogy #1
Hero/Heroine: Cécile & Tristan
Genre: M/F YA Historical Fantasy
Length: 480 pages
Publisher: Strange Chemistry Books
Release Date: April 1, 2014 (US), April 3, 2014 (UK)
Available at: Strange Chemistry Books, Amazon & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: For five centuries, a witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the ruins of Forsaken Mountain. Time enough for their dark and nefarious magic to fade from human memory and into myth. But a prophesy has been spoken of a union with the power to set the trolls free, and when Cécile de Troyes is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she learns there is far more to the myth of the trolls than she could have imagined.

Cécile has only one thing on her mind after she is brought to Trollus: escape. Only the trolls are clever, fast, and inhumanly strong. She will have to bide her time, wait for the perfect opportunity.

But something unexpected happens while she’s waiting – she begins to fall for the enigmatic troll prince to whom she has been bonded and married. She begins to make friends. And she begins to see that she may be the only hope for the half-bloods – part troll, part human creatures who are slaves to the full-blooded trolls. There is a rebellion brewing. And her prince, Tristan, the future king, is its secret leader.

As Cécile becomes involved in the intricate political games of Trollus, she becomes more than a farmer’s daughter. She becomes a princess, the hope of a people, and a witch with magic powerful enough to change Trollus forever.

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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, M/F, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: A Minor Inconvenience by Sarah Granger

Reviewed by Heather C

18670544Title: A Minor Inconvenience
Author: Sarah Granger
Heroes: Hugh & Theo
Genre: M/M Historical Romance
Length: 66, 165
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Release Date: January 14, 2014
Available at: Samhain Publishing, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Duty, honor, propriety…all fall in the face of love.

Captain Hugh Fanshawe returned from the Peninsular War with a leg that no longer works properly, thanks to a French musket ball. Now his fight against Napoleon is reduced to quiet, lonely days compiling paperwork at Horse Guards headquarters.

His evenings are spent dutifully escorting his mother and sister to stifling social engagements, where his lameness renders him an object of pity and distaste. But his orderly, restricted life is thrown into sudden disarray with the arrival of Colonel Theo Lindsay.

Theo is everything Hugh is not—a man of physical perfection and easy yet distinguished address. Surprisingly to Hugh, Theo appears to be interested in making his acquaintance. Lindsay turns out to be a most convivial companion, and Hugh finds great pleasure in his company. Their friendship deepens when they become lovers.

In spite of himself, Hugh falls desperately in love. But when a French spy is suspected at Horse Guards, Hugh discovers nothing is as it seems…and the paper he shuffles from day to day could be the instrument of his lover’s death.

Product Warnings
Contains gallant English officers in love, dastardly French spies, skintight pantaloons (sometimes on the floor) and gleaming tasseled Hessians. 

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