5 Star Ratings

Book Review: Captive Prince: Volume One by S.U. Pacat

Guest Reviewed by Gyn

1Title: Captive Prince: Volume One
Author: S.U. Pacat
Series: Captive Prince #1
Heroes: Damen/Damianos and Prince Laurent
Genre: MM Fantasy
Length: 241 Pages
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: April 7, 2015 (3d Ed.)
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  “This was Vere, voluptuous and decadent, country of honeyed poison”
Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the truthful heir to the throne of Akielos, but when his half brother seizes power, Damen is captured, stripped of his identity and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave.

Beautiful, manipulative and deadly, his new master Prince Laurent epitomizes the worst of the court at Vere. But in the lethal political web of the Veretian court, nothing is as it seems, and when Damen finds himself caught up in a play for the throne, he must work together with Laurent to survive and save his country.

For Damen, there is just one rule: never, ever reveal his true identity. Because the one man Damen needs is the one man who has more reason to hate him than anyone else…
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Fated: Blood and Redemption by Bey Deckard

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: Fated: Blood and Redemption
Author: Bey Deckard
Series: Baal’s Heart #3
Heroes: Baltsaros/Jon/Tom
Genre: MM Fantasy
Length: 350 Pages
Publisher: Bey Deckard
Release Date: April 11, 2015
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  With the captain’s mind in shambles, Jon and Tom set out to find the passage home through the black mountain range, hoping to find a cure for Baltsaros’s madness. However, when the men are forced to part ways, darkness takes root in the schism created; fate, lust, and vengeance become obsessions threatening to tear apart the fragile bonds holding the three together.

Following on the heels of Sacrificed, Fated takes the pirates on a quest to find those responsible for the captain’s bloody beginnings. But can they survive what awaits them where past and present meet?
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Carry the Ocean by Heidi Cullinan

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: Carry the Ocean
Author: Heidi Cullinan
Series: The Roosevelt #1
Heroes: Jeremey Samson/Emmet Washington
Genre: NA Contemporary
Length: 268 Pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Release Date: April 7, 2015
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Normal is just a setting on the dryer.

High school graduate Jeremey Samson is looking forward to burying his head under the covers and sleeping until it’s time to leave for college. Then a tornado named Emmet Washington enters his life. The double major in math and computer science is handsome, forward, wicked smart, interested in dating Jeremey—and he’s autistic.

But Jeremey doesn’t judge him for that. He’s too busy judging himself, as are his parents, who don’t believe in things like clinical depression. When his untreated illness reaches a critical breaking point, Emmet is the white knight who rescues him and brings him along as a roommate to The Roosevelt, a quirky new assisted living facility nearby.

As Jeremey finds his feet at The Roosevelt, Emmet slowly begins to believe he can be loved for the man he is behind the autism. But before he can trust enough to fall head over heels, he must trust his own conviction that friendship is a healing force, and love can overcome any obstacle.

Warning: Contains characters obsessed with trains and counting, positive representations of autism and mental illness, a very dark moment, and Elwood Blues.
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Book Review: Walk With Me by Cardeno C.

Guest Reviewed by Morgan 

1Title: Walk With Me
Author: Cardeno C.
Series: Home #7
Heroes: Eli Block/Seth Cohen
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 288 Pages
Publisher: The Romance Authors
Release Date: February 7, 2015
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  When Eli Block steps into his parents’ living room and sees his childhood crush sitting on the couch, he starts a shameless campaign to seduce the young rabbi. Unfortunately, Seth Cohen barely remembers Eli and he resolutely shuts down all his advances. As a tenuous and then binding friendship forms between the two men, Eli must find a way to move past his unrequited love while still keeping his best friend in his life. Not an easy feat when the same person occupies both roles.

Professional, proper Seth is shocked by Eli’s brashness, overt sexuality, and easy defiance of societal norms. But he’s also drawn to the happy, funny, light-filled man. As their friendship deepens over the years, Seth watches Eli mature into a man he admires and respects. When Seth finds himself longing for what Eli had so easily offered, he has to decide whether he’s willing to veer from his safe life-plan to build a future with Eli.

Walk With Me is set in the Home series where the books are linked by theme or world. They are independent and can be read in any order.
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Just What the Truth Is by Cardeno C.

Guest Reviewed by Morgan 

1Title: Just What the Truth Is
Author: Cardeno C.
Series: Home #5
Heroes: Ben Forman and Micah Trains
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 248 Pages
Publisher: The Romance Authors
Release Date: February 7, 2015 (2nd Ed.)
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  People-pleaser Ben Forman has been in the closet so long he has almost convinced himself he is straight, but his denial train gets derailed when hotshot lawyer Micah Trains walks into his life. Micah is brilliant, funny, driven…and he assumes Ben is gay and starts dating him. Finding himself truly happy for the first time, Ben doesn’t have the willpower to resist Micah’s affection.

When his relationship with Micah heats up, Ben realizes he has a problem: his parents won’t tolerate a gay son and self-confident Micah isn’t the type to hide. If Ben wants to maintain his hold on his happiness, he’ll have to decide what’s important and own up to the truth of who he is. The trouble is figuring out just what that truth is.

Just What the Truth Is is set in the Home series where the books are linked by theme or world. They are independent and can be read in any order.

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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Out of the Blue by R.J. Jones

Reviewed by Susan65

1Title: Out of the Blue
Author: R.J. Jones
Heroes: Cameron Cooper/Jake Montgomery
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 186 Pages
Publisher: R.J. Jones
Release Date: March 27, 2015
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: When everything happens Out of the Blue…

Lt Cameron Cooper has been with the San Francisco Fire Department for fifteen years. He’s seen and dealt with a lot of horrifying situations. He’s always considered himself mentally tough, but when he attends a multi-vehicle accident and sees a dead boy with features remarkably similar to his long-time boyfriend, his mental health takes a hit.

All Jake Montgomery wants is to propose to his boyfriend on their ten-year anniversary. He’s already bought the perfect rings, but when Cameron struggles to look at him after a tragic accident, he has doubts about their future. Cam is withdrawing, and Jake doesn’t know why.

With heated arguments and cold shoulders, Cam and Jake’s life starts to fall apart. Just when Cam thinks he can overcome his issues and finally talk to Jake, memories from Jake’s past threaten to push them apart forever.

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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2015, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Defined by Deceit by A.E. Via

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: Defined by Deceit
Author: A.E. Via
Heroes: Llewellyn (Llew, Llewell)/Shane (Smith, Jr.)
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 300 Pages
Publisher: A.E. Via/Via Star Wings Publishing
Release Date: March 27, 2015
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Life isn’t always fair, and that’s something that Llewellyn Gardner knows about first hand. His life was on the fast track until one night of extreme passion changed everything. Now eight years later, he’s still living with the aftershocks of that night. Everywhere he turns or runs, there’s another reminder. What the hell do you do when you try to drown your demons only to find out they can swim?

Shane Smith, Jr. owner of Smith Construction, could see the emotional turmoil within his new employee — it’s why he hired him. There was something about the gorgeous, misunderstood man with the overly expressive eyes that came to their small town with a past no one was willing to overlook. Shane could see the good in Llewellyn, and those eyes of his were a clear window to his soul. Shane wasn’t going to let the man live a future of solitude because his past had been plagued with deceit.

Llewellyn wasn’t sure what to think about Shane. After years of protecting himself from being tricked twice, he was now faced with worry again. What would happen to him if Shane didn’t believe his truth, and walked away? Llewellyn wasn’t sure he’d be able to survive being left alone. Again.

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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: In the Absence of Light by Adrienne Wilder

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: In the Absence of Light
Author: Adrienne Wilder
Heroes: Morgan/Grant
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 333 Pages
Publisher: Adrienne Wilder
Release Date: March 28, 2015
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  For years Grant Kessler has smuggled goods from one end of the world to the next. When business turns in a direction Grant isn’t willing to follow he decides to retire and by all appearances he settles down in a nowhere town called Durstrand. But his real plan is to wait a few years and let the FBI lose interest, then move on to the distant coastal life he’s always dreamed of. Severely autistic, Morgan cannot look people in the eye, tell left from right, and has uncontrolled tics. Yet he’s beaten every obstacle life has thrown his way. And when Grant Kessler moves into town Morgan isn’t a bit shy in letting the man know how much he wants him. While the attraction is mutual, Grant pushes Morgan away. Like the rest of the world he can’t see past Morgan’s odd behaviors Then Morgan shows Grant how light lets you see but it also leaves you blind. And once Grant opens his eyes, he loses his heart to the beautiful enigma of a man who changes the course of his life.
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Where He Ends and I Begin by Cardeno C.

Guest Reviewed by Morgan 

1Title: Where He Ends and I Begin
Author: Cardeno C.
Series: Home #3
Heroes: Jake Owens/Nate Richardson
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 289 Pages
Publisher: The Romance Authors
Release Date: February 7, 2015 (2nd Ed.)
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Aggressive, physical, and brave, Jake Owens is a small town football hero turned big city cop who passes his time with meaningless encounters believing he can’t have who he really wants: Nate Richardson, his best friend since before forever. Thoughtful, quiet, and kind, Nate is a brilliant doctor who has always known who he is and has never been able to shake his crush on loyal, courageous, straight Jake.

After a passionate night together, Nate realizes Jake isn’t as straight as he assumed, but he worries that what they shared was a fluke, a result of too much closeness for too long. For Jake, the question isn’t how they ended up in bed together because he has always known that Nate holds his heart, it’s how he’ll convince Nate that he wants and needs to stay there.

Where He Ends and I Begin is set in the Home series where the books are linked by theme or world. They are independent and can be read in any order.
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: He Completes Me by Cardeno C.

Guest Reviewed by Morgan 

1Title: He Completes Me
Author: Cardeno C.
Series: Home #2
Heroes: Zach Johnson/Aaron Paulson
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 363 Pages
Publisher: The Romance Authors
Release Date: February 7, 2015 (2nd Ed.)
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Not even his mother’s funeral can convince self-proclaimed party boy Zach Johnson to tone down his snark or think about settling down. He is who he is, and he refuses to change for anyone. When straight-laced, compassionate Aaron Paulson claims he’s falling for him, Zach is certain Aaron sees him as another project, one more lost soul for the idealistic Aaron to save. But Zach doesn’t need to be fixed and he refuses to be with someone who sees him as broken.

Patience is one of Aaron’s many virtues. He has waited years for a man who can share his heart and complete his life and he insists Zach is the one. Pride, fear, and old hurts wither in the wake of Aaron’s adoring loyalty, and as Zach reevaluates his perceptions of love and family, he finds himself tempted to believe in the impossible: a happily-ever-after.

He Completes Me is set in the Home series where the books are linked by theme or world. They are independent and can be read in any order. Continue reading

Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment