5 Star Ratings

Audio Review: Blame It on the Mistletoe by Eli Easton

Guest Reviewed by Morgan

Blame It on the MistletoeTitle: Blame it on the Mistletoe
Author: Eli Easton
Narrator:
Jason Frazier
Heroes: Fielding Monroe and Mick Colman
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 99 pages / 2 hrs 38 minutes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: Book: Nov. 27, 2013  / Audio: Sept. 26, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Audible and iTunes
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: When physics grad student Fielding Monroe and skirt-chaser and football player Mick Colman become college housemates, they’re both in for a whole new education. Mick looks out for the absent-minded genius, and he helps Fielding clean up his appearance and discover all the silly pleasures his strict upbringing as a child prodigy denied him. They become best friends.

It’s all well and good until they run into a cheerleader who calls Mick the ‘best kisser on campus.’ Fielding has never been kissed, and he decides Mick and only Mick can teach him how it’s done. After all, the physics department’s Christmas party is coming up with its dreaded mistletoe. Fielding wants to impress his peers and look cool for once in his life. The thing about Fielding is, once he locks onto an idea, it’s almost impossible to get him to change his mind. And he just doesn’t understand why his straight best friend would have a problem providing a little demonstration.

Mick knows kissing is a dangerous game. If he gives in, it would take a miracle for the thing not to turn into a disaster. Then again, if the kissing lessons get out of hand they can always blame it on the mistletoe.

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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Audio Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Early Review: Bloodline by Jordan L. Hawk

Reviewed by Heather C

1Title: Bloodline
Author: Jordan L. Hawk
Series: Whyborne & Griffin #5
Heroes: Whyborne/Griffin
Genre: M/M Historical
Length: 299 Pages
Publisher: Jordan L. Hawk
Release Date: October 7, 2014
Available at: Amazon and Smashwords
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Between his bullying father and dissolute brother, Percival Endicott Whyborne has quite enough problematic family members to deal with. So when his sister returns to Widdershins asking for help solving the mystery of a derelict ship, Whyborne is reluctant to get involved. Until, that is, a brutal murderer strikes, leaving Whyborne and his lover Griffin no choice but to take the case.

The investigation leads them deep into a conspiracy of blackmail, murder, and darkest sorcery. But worst of all are the secrets held within the family itself, one of which will destroy everything Whyborne believed to be true, not only about his family, but about himself.
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Tidal Change by Chris T. Kat

Reviewed by Nikyta

1Title: Tidal Change
Author: Chris T. Kat
Heroes: Rick Grady/Marty Lindson
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 124 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: September 17, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press and Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Something draws history teacher Rick Grady across the school hall to German teacher Marty Lindson. Maybe it’s their shared love of the ocean. Maybe it’s just that Marty is so hot, but maybe it’s something more—something mysterious. All Rick knows is that every time he gets close, Marty pulls away. After another cancelled date, Rick goes to Marty’s apartment to demand an explanation. And what Rick discovers blows his mind.

The ocean calls to Marty because he’s a merman. He’s been afraid to get close to Rick, not just to keep his world a secret, but because Rick is his mate. And to claim his mate would change everything about Marty. No matter how much he loves Rick, he doesn’t know if he’s ready to alter his entire life.
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

J.L. Merrow Week Review: Muscling Through

Guest Reviewed by Morgan

1Title: Muscling Through
Author: J.L. Merrow
Heroes: Larry Morton and Al Fletcher
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 87 Pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Release Date: July 19, 2011
Available at: Samhain Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: The bigger they come, the harder they fall… in love.

Cambridge art professor Larry Morton takes one, alcohol-glazed look at the huge, tattooed man looming in a dark alley, and assumes he’s done for. Moments later he finds himself disarmed—literally and figuratively. And, the next morning, he can’t rest until he offers an apology to the man who turned out to be more gentle than giant.

Larry’s intrigued to find there’s more to Al Fletcher than meets the eye; he possesses a natural artistic talent that shines through untutored technique. Unfortunately, no one else seems to see the sensitive soul beneath Al’s imposing, scarred, undeniably sexy exterior. Least of all Larry’s class-conscious family, who would like nothing better than to split up this mismatched pair.

Is it physical? Oh, yes, it’s deliciously physical, and so much more—which makes Larry’s next task so daunting. Not just convincing his colleagues, friends and family that their relationship is more than skin deep. It’s convincing Al.

Contains comic misunderstandings, misuse of art materials, and unexpected poignancy.
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Author Week, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2011 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Audio Review: Shattered Glass by Dani Alexander

Guest Reviewed by Morgan

3Title: Shattered Glass
Author: Dani Alexander
Narrator: Joseph Northton
Series: Shattered Glass #1
Heroes: Peter Cotton and Austin Glass
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: Book – 360 Pages; Audio – 11 Hours, 16 Minutes
Publisher: Dani Alexander
Release Date: Book – January 31, 2012; Audio – April 14, 2014
Available at: Audible and Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: A male prostitute, a mangy cat, a murder, and an obsession that threatens his career, his impending marriage and his life…nothing is going as planned for Austin Glass.

Austin Glass seems to have it all: a loving fiancée, a future with the FBI, and a healthy-sized trust fund. At least on the surface. He also has a grin and a wisecrack for every situation. But the smile he presents to the world hides a painful past he’s buried too deeply to remember, and his quips mask bitterness and insecurity. Austin has himself and most of the whole world fooled – until he meets a redhead in a pair of bunny slippers.

As events unfold in the biggest case of his life, Austin’s carefully planned future unravels, and he finds himself pushed into making quick, life-changing decisions. But can he trust himself or anything he feels, when each event seems to be just a series of volatile reactions?
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Audio Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Ghost Week Review: Fish and Ghosts by Rhys Ford

Guest Reviewed by Morgan

1Title: Fish and Ghosts
Author: Rhys Ford
Series: Hellsinger #1
Heroes: Tristan Pryce and Wolf Kinkaid
Genre: M/M Urban Fantasy
Length: 240 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 30, 2013
Available at:  Dreamspinner Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  When his Uncle Mortimer died and left him Hoxne Grange, the family’s Gilded Age estate, Tristan Pryce knew he wasn’t going to have an easy time of it. He was to be the second generation of Pryces to serve as a caretaker for the estate, a way station for spirits on their final steps to the afterlife. The ghosts were the simple part. He’d been seeing boo-wigglies since he was a child. No, the difficult part was his own family. Determined to establish Tristan’s insanity, his loving relatives hire Dr. Wolf Kincaid and his paranormal researchers, Hellsinger Investigations, to prove the Grange is not haunted.

Skeptic Wolf Kincaid has made it his life’s work to debunk the supernatural. After years of cons and fakes, he can’t wait to reveal the Grange’s ghostly activity is just badly leveled floorboards and a drafty old house. The Grange has more than a few surprises for him, including its prickly, reclusive owner. Tristan Pryce is much less insane and much more attractive than Wolf wants to admit and when his Hellsinger team unwittingly release a ghostly serial killer on the Grange, Wolf is torn between his skepticism and protecting the man he’d been sent to discredit.
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2013, Theme Week | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Midnight Everlasting by S.M. Stelmack

Reviewed by Nikyta

3Title: Midnight Everlasting
Author: S.M. Stelmack
Series: The UnderCity Chronicles #2
Heroine/Hero: Zephanie Sweetly/Thomas Coyle
Genre: M/F Urban Fantasy
Length: 325 Pages
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: June 25, 2014
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: When a brutal massacre rocks London’s underworld, Zephanie Sweetly must uncover why the legendary Rawheads have suddenly reappeared, shattering the age old truce with her bloodline.

Ten years ago Thomas Coyle’s son disappeared, the trail leading beneath the city’s streets to a shadow world ruled by secret clans.

Now, bound by the prophesy of an ancient lineage, the two must fight their way through a web of lies to save those they love from the wrath of an unknown enemy. But sometimes the deadliest enemies are the ones closest to our hearts.

London’s Rat Queen arises, and it’s time to pay the piper.
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, M/F, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ghost Week Audio Review: Among the Living by Jordan Castillo Price

Guest Reviewed by Morgan

Among the Living: PsyCop, Book 1 | [Jordan Castillo Price]Title: Among the Living
Author: Jordan Castillo Price
Narrator: Gomez Pugh
Series: Psycop #1
Heroes: Victor Bayne/Jacob Marks
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: Gomez Pugh
Publisher: JCP Books
Release Date: August 8, 2014
Available at:  JCP Books, Amazon and Audible
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Victor Bayne, the psychic half of a PsyCop team, is a gay medium who’s more concerned with flying under the radar than in making waves.

He hooks up with handsome Jacob Marks, a non-psychic (or “Stiff”) from an adjacent precinct at his ex-partner’s retirement party and it seems like his dubious luck has taken a turn for the better. But then a serial killer surfaces who can change his appearance to match any witness’ idea of the world’s hottest guy.

Solving murders is a snap when you can ask the victims whodunit, but this killer’s not leaving any spirits behind.
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Audio Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published Before 2010, Published in 2014, Theme Week | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Audio Review: Timing by Mary Calmes

Guest Reviewed by Morgan

4Title: Timing
Author: Mary Calmes
Narrator: Sean Crisden
Series: Timing #1
Heroes: Stefan Joss/Rand Holloway
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 5 hours and 41 minutes
Publisher: Hudson Audio Publishing
Release Date: Book – March 1, 2010; Audio – June 7, 2011
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Audible and iTunes
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Stefan Joss just can’t win. Not only does he have to go to Texas in the middle of summer to be the man of honor in his best friend Charlotte’s wedding, but he’s expected to negotiate a million-dollar business deal at the same time. Worst of all, he’s thrown for a loop when he arrives to see the one man Charlotte promised wouldn’t be there: her brother, Rand Holloway.

Stefan and Rand have been mortal enemies since the day they met, so Stefan is shocked when a temporary cease-fire sees the usual hostility replaced by instant chemistry. Though leery of the unexpected feelings, Stefan is swayed by a sincere revelation from Rand, and he decides to give Rand a chance.

But their budding romance is threatened when Stefan’s business deal goes wrong: the owner of the last ranch he needs to secure for the company is murdered. Stefan’s in for the surprise of his life as he finds himself in danger as well.
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Audio Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2011 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Early Review: Forged by Desire by Bec McMaster

Reviewed by Heather C

17901769Title: Forged by Desire
Author: Bec McMaster
Series: London Steampunk #4
Hero/Heroine: Garrett/Perry
Genre: MF Historical Romance, Steampunk
Length: 448 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: September 2, 2014
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: A FEAR SHE CAN’T ESCAPE

Ten years ago, Perry fled her thrall contract to find sanctuary among the Nighthawks. In that time, she’s become a respected woman of the Guard, and she’s wanted Garrett Reed for as long as she can remember. But when a new case takes a chillingly familiar turn, Perry finds herself once again in the path of a madman…only this time, there’s nowhere left to run.

A DESIRE THAT CAN’T BE TEMPERED

Out of their depth and racing against time, Perry and Garrett must learn to trust the desire sparking between them…or risk losing themselves forever to the darkness stalking London’s streets.

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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, M/F, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment