4 Star Ratings

Book Review: Mighty Casey by Willa Okati

Reviewed by Heather C

17985147Title: Mighty Casey
Author: Willa Okati
Heroes: Casey & Nate
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance
Length: 33,608 words
Publisher: Loose Id
Release Date: May 28,2013
Available at: Loose Id, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: The only thing extroverted Nate loves more than baseball is his quiet, reserved Casey. The feeling’s mutual, thanks–but it isn’t all fun and games. A wedding planner, Casey’s booked solid during the summer months and thanks to a certain poem about the Mudville Nine, cringes at the thought of ball games. Fair’s fair–with seven older sisters who redefined “wedding drama”, Nate freezes at the thought of tying the knot. Casey might wish things were different, but he wouldn’t trade Nate, his big heart, or his skills between the sheets for a wedding worthy of a Rockefeller.

After losing a strip poker bet, Casey’s promised forfeit is spending a full day at a softball tournament. He’s sure there’s more going on than a simple sports wager and wonders what Nate’s up to, but he’s curious enough to jump in and commit. And so, finally, is Nate, who’s planning a surprise involving an engagement ring and a proposal from the pitcher’s mound.

But things don’t go quite according to scheme for the odd couple when Nate takes his lover out to the ball game. And who knows what might happen when Casey’s called up to bat? Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2013 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Book Review: Clockwork Horizon by Therese Woodson

Reviewed by Nikyta

Clockwork HorizonTitle: Clockwork Horizon
Author: Therese Woodson
Heroes: Malachi (Mac) & Ian
Genre: M/M Steampunk
Length: 70 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: April 2, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: As a major airship port, Aerial City welcomes visitors from all over the world. Despite being surrounded by new inventions and colorful people, Malachi Covington partakes of little outside his books and studies. He aches for adventure and excitement but labors under the rules and expectations of his wealthy uncle.

Five airships arrive in port, keeping his uncle busy and, as Malachi’s best friend Millie reminds him, they’re carrying parties full of crew members. Excitement finds him in the form of Ian, a charming airship pilot who invites him to tour his ship, the Mockingbird. With Ian at his side, Malachi discovers a world beyond his books and takes daring steps to become his own man.

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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Early Review: Twenty-Five by Rachel Haimowitz & Heidi Belleau

Reviewed by JustJen

20691958Title: Twenty-Five
Author: Rachel Haimowitz, Heidi Belleau
Series: The Flesh Cartel #15
Heroes: Doug/Mat
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 75 Pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: April 7, 2014
Available at: Riptide Publishing 
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: In the exciting final season of the Flesh Cartel . . .

With the help of the FBI, Mat Carmichael has let himself be re-taken by the Flesh Cartel. Objective? Rescue his brother, exact revenge, and destroy the entire organization from the inside.

FBI Special Agent Nate Johnson will be playing backup, of course, but to get Dougie out alive, Mat will need to make sure his brother is out of Allen’s clutches before calling in the troops. Now that Mat’s back in bondage, though, there’s no way he can do it alone. He’ll have to ask for help from the only man within the Cartel who cares about Dougie’s welfare: Nikolai. And even knowing it will destroy him, Nikolai delivers.

Bringing down the Cartel should have been the hardest part, but it doesn’t take long to realize that the real challenge has only just begun. Dougie doesn’t know how to be free anymore, and Mat is forced to admit that he may no longer be strong enough to help himself, let alone his brother. But with loved ones in their corner and their love for each other banked but not extinguished, Mat and Dougie learn that you can come home again, no matter how desperate the circumstances you’ve left behind. Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Andy, Go-Go Boy by J.P. Barnaby

Reviewed by JustJen

Andy, Go-Go BoyTitle: Andy, Go-Go Boy
Author: J.P. Barnaby
Series: Working Boys #2
Heroes: Andy/Stefan
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 44 Pages
Publisher: Wilde City Press
Release Date: March 26, 2014
Available at: Wilde City Press
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Andy Finnegan is a six foot three brown-haired, blue-eyed, Mack f*cking truck. A former marine who spends his nights dancing for your entertainment, he has a dark side hiding beneath the beautiful veneer.

Sweet little Stefan is awestruck by the big, gorgeous dancer with the rock hard abs and the lonely eyes. Determined to see what lurks behind the perfect surface, he gets a little more than he bargained for.

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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Book Review: Red Moon Rising by Joy Lynn Fielding

Reviewed by Nikyta

Red Moon RisingTitle: Red Moon Rising
Author: Joy Lynn Fielding
Series: Strength of the Pack #3
Heroes: Tristan & Colby
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 45,817 words
Publisher: Siren Publishing
Release Date: January 28, 2014
Available at: Siren Publishing, Amazon & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, Tristan Howe is abducted and imprisoned by a pack at war with his own. His future looks bleak until he finds an unexpected ally in enemy pack member, Colby Williams. A fragile bond develops between them as they escape together.

Once he’s safely back with his own pack, Tristan finds his feelings for Colby are more than just gratitude for being rescued. He’s delighted to learn that they’re reciprocated, and even more excited to realize he and Colby are mates.

But idealistic Tristan finally has to face up to the fact that even true love might not be enough to defeat the forces ranged against them—not least his pack-mates’ suspicion and hostility toward Colby, and a mate so scarred by his abusive past that he doesn’t know how to be free. All Tristan can do is try.

NOTE: Beta hero raped during the story. It is not described in detail and is not intended for titillation.

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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: When All the World Sleeps by Lisa Henry & J.A. Rock

Reviewed by JustJen

When All the World SleepsTitle: When All the World Sleeps
Author: Lisa Henry & J.A. Rock
Heroes: Daniel Whitlock/Joe Belman
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 422 pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: March 24, 2014
Available at: Riptide Publishing, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Daniel Whitlock is terrified of going to sleep. And rightly so: he sleepwalks, with no awareness or memory of his actions. Including burning down Kenny Cooper’s house—with Kenny inside it—after Kenny brutally beat him for being gay. Back in the tiny town of Logan after serving his prison sentence, Daniel isolates himself in a cabin in the woods and chains himself to his bed at night.

Like the rest of Logan, local cop Joe Belman doesn’t believe Daniel’s absurd defense. But when Bel saves Daniel from a retaliatory fire, he discovers that Daniel might not be what everyone thinks: killer, liar, tweaker, freak. Bel agrees to control Daniel at night—for the sake of the other townsfolk. Daniel’s fascinating, but Bel’s not going there.

Yet as he’s drawn further into Daniel’s dark world, Bel finds that he likes being in charge. And submitting to Bel gives Daniel the only peace he’s ever known. But Daniel’s demons won’t leave him alone, and he’ll need Bel’s help to slay them once and for all—assuming Bel is willing to risk everything to stand by him.

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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: An American Lamb in Europe by Rob Colton

Reviewed by Nikyta

An American Lamb in EuropeTitle: An American Lamb in Europe
Author: Rob Colton
Heroes: Jamie & Tomas
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length:120 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: February 12, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Jamie Anderson knows you need to look before you leap, but he forgets it often enough to land in trouble. When his brother and only remaining family member disappears, he doesn’t think twice about quitting his job as a dental hygienist to travel to the Czech Republic to search for him.

Rescued by the sexy, mysterious Tomas in a small city near the German border, Jamie enlists his help in locating Rudy. Soon Jamie realizes the man knows more than he’s sharing. When Jamie demands Tomas tell him the truth, Tomas reveals he’s a vampire. Horrified the man he’s fantasized about is a monster, Jamie struggles with the fact he still needs Tomas’s help to find Rudy.

Jamie never expects their search will land him in the middle of a vampire turf war. Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Flesh Cartel #14: Independence Day by Heidi Belleau & Rachel Haimowitz

Reviewed by JustJen

Independence DayTitle: The Flesh Cartel #14: Independence Day
Author: Heidi Belleau/Rachel Haimowitz
Series: The Flesh Cartel #1
Heroes: Mat/Doug
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 95 pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: February 3, 2014
Available at: Riptide Publishing, Amazon & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb:  Mat and Douglas’s time as Nikolai’s wards is finally drawing to a close. Though torn apart by Nikolai’s machinations, their fates are still inextricably entwined: they’ve been sold to the same cruel master, and are united in their desire to go home. But “home” means two different things to the brothers: for Mat, their little bungalow in Nevada, and for Douglas, a swift return to Nikolai and Roger, the only people he believes still love him.

But first they must survive their new master. Smythe Hall is a twisted island paradise where Americans affect British accents and slaveboys dress up as slave girls, all at the whims of the rich and megalomaniacal Allen Smythe-Kennedy.

Meanwhile, FBI Special Agent Nate Johnson can’t let the case of the missing brothers lie. He knows it’s a waste of resources to chase ghosts down a cold trail, but after admiring Mathias “Stonewall” Carmichael ringside and at countless afterparties where he was too shy to say hello, he’s determined to solve the mystery and bring Mat and his little brother home.

Reader discretion advised. This title contains the following sensitive themes: dubious consent, explicit violence, non-consent.

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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

L.A. Witt Week Review: Covet Thy Neighbor

Reviewed by Nikyta

Covet Thy NeighborTitle: Covet Thy Neighbor
Author: L.A. Witt
Series: Tucker Springs #4
Heroes: Seth & Darren
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 46,100 words
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: March 25, 2013
Available at: Riptide Publishing, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Opposites attract, but heaven help these two….

Tattoo artist Seth Wheeler thinks he’s struck gold when Darren Romero rents the apartment across the hall. The new guy is gorgeous, witty, and single, plus he’s just the right blend of bold and flirtatious. Perfect.

Except then Darren reveals that he moved to Tucker Springs to take a job as the youth pastor at the New Light Church. Seth is not only an atheist, but was thrown out by his ultra-religious family when he came out. He tends to avoid believers, not out of judgment but out of self-preservation.

But Darren doesn’t give up easily, and he steadily chips away at Seth’s defenses. Darren is everything Seth wants in a man . . . except for that one massive detail he just can’t overlook. Is Darren’s religion the real problem, or is it just a convenient smoke screen to keep him from facing deeper fears? It’s either see the light, or risk pushing Darren away forever.

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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Author Week, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2013 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Dead Man & the Restless Spirits by Lou Harper

Reviewed by Heather C

17858589Title: Dead Man & the Restless Spirits
Author: Lou Harper
Series: Dead Man #1
Heroes: Denton & Bran
Genre: M/M Paranormal Romance, Mystery
Length: 38,740 words
Publisher: Harper Books
Release Date: June 23, 2013
Available at: Smashwords, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Dying sucks hairy monkey balls, even when you’re not the stiff.

Denton Mills has a secret: he can see dead people. Or rather, how they died. It’s quite a drag in a city like Chicago, teeming with the echoes of the no-longer living. Rather than whine about it, Denton has learned to live with his troublesome talent. His adaptability comes in handy when he meets his enigmatic new neighbor.

Bran Maurell catches Denton’s eye right away, but unfortunately Mr. Tall, Dark, and Mysterious is as standoffish as he is alluring. However, after an unexpected introduction from Bran’s cat brings the two men together, Denton discovers they have a mutual interest in the spirit world. Herbalist by day, Bran moonlights as a witch, performing house cleansings for a fee.

From Bran, Denton learns that his knack for interacting with the dead qualifies him as a necromancer. It makes good business sense for them to team up and rid Chicago of its pesky spirits one grateful client at a time. Amongst ghostly adventures the attraction between the men is impossible to ignore. They seem like perfect partners—unless Bran’s not-so-little secret comes between them.

Warning: men loving men, ghosts with attitudes, and a portly feline with hidden talents.

Note: Denton also plays a small but important role in Spirit Sanguine.

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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2013 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment