4 Star Ratings

Book Review: Northern Lights by Asta Idonea

Reviewed by Nikyta

NorthernLightsTitle: Northern Lights
Author: Asta Idonea
Series: Sleigh Ride – 2015 Advent Calendar
Heroes: James & Kari
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 29 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 1, 2015
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: A dream romantic vacation to Iceland to see the Northern Lights turns into a nightmare when James’s workaholic boyfriend, Richard, again insists on putting his work first. After a call from Richard’s office, an argument ends with the couple splitting up for good. Not only has Richard left James, he’s left him abandoned to explore the park alone, where James quickly gets lost. But just when things seem darkest, the Solstice works its magic, and James finds the guiding light he needs. Or it finds him.
Continue reading

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

Book Review: Leap Through Eternity by Sara Stark

Reviewed by Nikyta

LeapThroughEternityTitle: Leap Through Eternity
Author: Sara Stark
Series: Sleigh Ride – 2015 Advent Calendar
Heroes: Cole & Mason
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 26 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 1, 2015
Available at: Dreamspinner PressAmazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Being evacuated from his apartment in the middle of the night because some idiot forgot his cookies in the oven isn’t the ideal way to meet a guy, but Mason’s hot neighbor Cole sure looks great in his underwear. The trouble is, Mason is the idiot who started the fire, and Cole doesn’t appreciate being lied to any more than he appreciates being driven out into the cold. It looks like their romance might end before it gets started, but Christmas is a time for second chances….
Continue reading

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

Audio Review: One True Thing by Piper Vaughn and M.J. O’Shea

Reviewed by Morgan 

27860796Title: One True Thing
Authors: Piper Vaughn and M.J. O’Shea
Narrator: Rusty Topsfield
Series: One Thing #2
Heroes: Dustin Davis/Ash Kyriakides
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 8 Hours, 56 Minutes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: November 17, 2015
Available at: Amazon, Audible and iTunes
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Dustin Davis spent years wishing for a prince but kissing frog after slimy frog. When he sees Archer Kyriakides for the first time, Dusty thinks his luck has finally changed. Archer could be it. The One. But their hot and cold romance leaves Dusty confused: why does it feel right one moment and wrong the next? It doesn’t make sense—until the day Dusty meets Archer’s identical twin, Asher, and realizes he’s been seeing them both.

Asher Kyriakides dreams of being a fashion photographer, but he’s stuck with a job he hates and an irresponsible playboy brother whose habits drive him absolutely insane, especially when he finds out Archer is dating the cute little blond Asher can’t seem to forget. Torn between loyalty and desire, Asher does nothing but try to warn Dusty away.

But when Archer finally goes too far, Dusty turns to Asher for comfort, and Asher knows he can’t refuse. It isn’t long before they realize they’re falling fast, but more than one thing stands in their way, not the least of which is Archer, who isn’t quite ready to stop being a thorn in his brother’s side.
Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Audio Review, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Intersection of Purgatory and Paradise by A.J. Thomas

Reviewed by Susan65

25065285Title: The Intersection of Purgatory and Paradise
Author: A.J. Thomas
Series: Least Likely Partnership #3
Heroes: Christopher/Doug
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 204 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: March 27, 2015
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Life in small-town Montana has become hell for former San Diego homicide detective Christopher Hayes. No one will hire him, he has made the seething racism his lover Doug Heavy Runner faces at work worse by adding homophobia to the mix, and his most recent jog through town ends when two gay-bashing teenagers hit him in the head with a rock. Deputy Sheriff Doug Heavy Runner has never overcome the abusive relationship that traumatized and shattered him as a young adult. The memories, the lingering shame, and the fear he has never acknowledged have left him resigned to endure the discrimination he faces in Elkin. But he can’t stand it when Christopher becomes a target for that same hatred.

When the mutilated body of one of the boys who assaulted Christopher is found in Doug’s garage, Christopher and Doug return from a vacation in San Diego and uncover a tangle of secrets, lies, and tragedy lurking beneath Elkin’s small-town façade. With their relationship at a crossroads, they’ll have to work together to catch the killer and maybe find a paradise of their own.
Continue reading

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

Book Review: Believing the Traitor by Charlie Richards

Reviewed by Morgan 

27430563Title: Believing the Traitor
Author: Charlie Richards
Series: A Paranormal’s Love #14
Heroes: Walter/Treatise
Genre: MM Paranormal
Length: 107 Pages
Publisher: Extasy Books
Release Date: December 1, 2015
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Into the Paranormal World: One man’s lie is another man’s truth.

Walter wonders if he made a mistake. One minute, he’s helping his boss recapture stolen animals. The next, he realizes everything is not as it seems. A split second decision completely changes his life, and he takes a bullet meant for someone, something, else.

Awake and lucid after months in a coma, Walter discovers the true depth of his boss’s treachery. Now, he knows myths and legends are real, and his boss had even been holding some of those creatures captive. The animals hadn’t been stolen, they’d actually been freed…by gargoyles!

One such beast, a black-winged, golden gargoyle named Treatise, fires his blood like no one ever has. Except, Walter is a traitor. Can anyone truly trust him, even the gargoyle who claims him as his mate?
Continue reading

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

Book Review: Betting on Forever by Felice Stevens

Reviewed by Susan65

26849992Title: Betting on Forever
Author: Felice Stevens
Series: The Breakfast Club #2
Heroes: Zach Cohen/Sam Stein
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 246 Pages
Publisher: Felice Stevens
Release Date: November 17, 2015
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: A weekend fling in Atlantic City couldn’t be more out of socially shy Zach Cohen’s comfort zone, but a bet with his best friends forces him to put aside the humiliation he’s hidden for years and step away from behind his computer screens and online world. When he meets Sam Stein, despite their spark, Zach expects nothing more than a night of passion and a kiss good-bye. Yet weeks later, he can’t keep the man out of his head.

After a split-second decision with tragic results ends his twenty-year police career at the same time as his relationship falls apart, Sam Stein is drifting through life. At his best friend’s urging, he agrees to a trip to Atlantic City to clear his head. What Sam doesn’t plan on is meeting Zach Cohen, whose sweet nature and honesty has him thinking maybe he could move forward, until Zach leaves him without explanation, reinforcing Sam’s belief that people can’t be trusted.

Well-meaning friends refuse to let Zach and Sam hide from each other, forcing them to realize their weekend was much more than a one-night stand. Before that can happen, Zach must come to terms with his past and stand up for his own independence, while Sam has to learn to take a chance and believe in himself and people again. All bets are off when dreams become reality, and forever doesn’t seem to be long enough.
Continue reading

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

Book Review: Forbidden by Scarlett Blackwell

Reviewed by Susan65

27886198Title: Forbidden
Author: Scarlett Blackwell
Heroes: David/Jeremy
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 85 Pages
Publisher: Nine Star Press
Release Date: November 30, 2015
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: When things are forbidden, you merely want them more…

Vice-president David should have had it all–nice cars, the most expensive restaurants and the finest clothes. But he hides a secret from all his colleagues–he’s gay. He’s too scared to come out at work so he spends his evenings cruising for company and frequenting strip clubs. In one such place, he meets pole dancer Jeremy, a young man with problems of his own. Jeremy’s controlled by his boss Donny and soon David’s interest starts to spell danger for them both…
Continue reading

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

Book Review: A Certain Kind of Holiday by Andi Van

Reviewed by Nikyta

CertainKindofHoliday[A]Title: A Certain Kind of Holiday
Author: Andi Van
Series: Sleigh Ride – 2015 Advent Calendar
Heroes: Elliot & Howard
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 28 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 1, 2015
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: When Elliot Knapp took a business trip over the holidays last year, he didn’t expect to run into the professor his first serious boyfriend cheated on him with. The man was handsome, certainly, but Elliot has better things to do than deal with drama from a decade ago.

Luckily for him, Howard Wise wasn’t going to let him get away without an explanation. A year after meeting again, the couple is making their first holiday trip to celebrate Christmas. Everything is fantastic, but Howard is obviously keeping secrets, and Elliot can’t help but wonder what his silver fox has up his sleeve.
Continue reading

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

Book Review: Magic & Mistletoe by Annabelle Jacobs

Reviewed by Nikyta

27427990Title: Magic & Mistletoe
Author: Annabelle Jacobs
Heroes: Harry & Andrew
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 40k words
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: November 30, 2015
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Christmas is Harry’s favourite time of the year, but it looks like he’ll be spending it alone. When it comes to the men he fancies, his luck is non-existent. Harry’s nerves always get the better of him—especially when he tries to talk to Andrew, the hot guy downstairs.

Everything changes when Harry meets a mysterious girl in the woods who professes to be a witch. He dismisses her claims, but when odd things start happening to him, he has to reconsider.

Andrew was attracted to Harry from the start, but their awkward encounters put him off. All goes well until Harry opens his mouth—and ruins it with his stupidity and silly comments. When Harry suddenly becomes more relaxed and they have a proper conversation, Andrew realises his first impression was wrong. As the days count down to December 25, they get swept up in the Christmas spirit and their relationship moves faster than either expected.

A little winter magic might have been the push they needed, but Harry worries that when it wears off, he’ll no longer be the man Andrew wants.
Continue reading

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

Book Review: Blame it on the Fruitcake by Pat Henshaw

Reviewed by Morgan 

28044578Title: Blame it on the Fruitcake
Author: Pat Henshaw
Series: Sleigh Ride – 2015 Advent Calendar
Heroes: Sam McGuire/Jay Merriweather
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 36 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: November 30, 2015
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Fruitcake is the laughingstock of the holiday season. But can it be an aphrodisiac instead? Motorcycle mechanic Sam McGuire is surprised to find a gaily wrapped box on his doorstep with a piece of fruitcake accompanying an invitation to a holiday party.

Wondering if he’ll fit in, Sam attends the party—mostly to get more of the fruitcake he falls in love with—and meets Jay Merriweather, his new neighbor. The lure of Jay’s big family and its holiday tradition of enjoying Grandma’s fruitcake hook Sam, as does the sexy man himself.

But Sam can’t imagine why handsome, college-educated Jay would want someone like him, who was raised in a children’s home and barely graduated high school. Maybe the magic of the holiday season can help two men who seem so different come together like the ingredients in a well-made fruitcake.
Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment