JustJen’s Reviews

Challenge Week Review: A Casual Weekend Thing by A.J. Thomas

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: A Casual Weekend Thing
Author: A.J. Thomas
Heroes: Christopher/Doug
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 310 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date:  May 13, 2013
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Doug Heavy Runner left the life of an openly gay Miami police officer and returned to his home on the Salish-Kootenai Indian Reservation when his mother got sick. In the two years since she passed, he’s carved out an empty life as a small-town deputy, relying on out-of-town one-night stands to keep him sane. Then he meets Detective Christopher Hayes, and they share a wild night so incredible Doug breaks his own rule and allows a one-night stand to grow into a weekend of amazing sex.

When Christopher travels from San Diego to Montana to deal with his abusive brother’s suicide, he doesn’t expect to find the man he spent the weekend with to be handling his brother’s case. He certainly doesn’t mind spending more time with Doug—but then an arsonist destroys the house Christopher inherited from his brother, and Christopher and Doug discover they are the primary suspects.

As they investigate, they discover Christopher’s dead brother has set them on the trail of a psychotic pedophile who will stop at nothing to silence his last victim. However, the search for the victim goes horribly wrong, leaving Doug hospitalized and Christopher at the mercy of the killer… Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, Challenge Book Week, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2013 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Confessions of a Gay Rugby Player 4 by Patrick Darcy

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: Confessions of a Gay Rugby Player 4
Author: Patrick Darcy
Heroes: Conor Murphy
Genre: M/M Contemporary Erotica
Length: 54 pages
Publisher: Wilde City Press
Release Date: February 19, 2014
Available at: Wilde City Press
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Things could not be better for star rugby player Conor Murphy. He has a hot boyfriend that worships him and he is back in his rightful place, leader of the Dublin Chiefs Rugby team.

His new boyfriend Oisin has the hottest ass in town and yet things are not right. There is pretense between them. Not on Oisin’s side, no, the man loves him. It’s Conor who is not tackling straight. His mind is filled with thoughts of another. Sean, the love of his life, is single again and Conor can’t help but think what if.

What if he had the courage to end things with Oisin and take a punt with Sean. Self doubt fills Conor’s mind. Can he really do this to Oisin? Doesn’t he deserve better? Does Sean even feel anything for him?

It’s time to decide what he wants, Oisin or Sean? Will he do the right thing or follow his heart? Continue reading

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

Series Review: 52 First Dates by A. Lusch

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: The Man Plan
Series: 52 First Dates #1
Author: Algenon Lusch
Hero: David
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 37 pages
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: August 4, 2013
Available at: Smashwords, Amazon & All Romance eBooks
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Now that David’s heading towards his mid-30s, he’s finally realised that it’s time to find a husband. But with so many men and so little time, he realises he’s going to have to be strategic if he’s ever to find his soulmate.

Thus, 52 First Dates is formed; a challenge, a scheme, to go on a date with a new man, every week, for a year. If it pays off, he’ll be in marital bliss. If it doesn’t, he’ll know that he’s fated with being the eternal bachelor. With everything to live for, David plunges into the world of dating in search of the perfect man. Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2013, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: You Can See Me by A.E. Via

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: You Can See Me
Author: A.E. Via
Heroes: Prescott/Rickson/Blair
Genre: M/M/M Contemporary
Length: 254 pages
Publisher: Amira Press
Release Date: February 7, 2014
Available at: Amira Press, Amazon & All Romance eBooks
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Renowned Chef Prescott Vaughan was at the height of his career when a car accident leaves him completely blind. His fiancée leaves him in a state of desperation and depression. Prescott pines for love and happens to find it in his neighbor; male neighbor Dr. Rickson Edwards. Prescott never considered himself gay, but when Ric saves him, Prescott begins to view his rescuer differently. However, when Ric and Prescott have problems, Prescott seeks comfort from an escort but was unprepared for the sexy, southern, hotness that is Blair McKenzie. Prescott now has to choose between his two men…or does he?

Warning: A sexy surgeon, a world renowned Chef, and a smokin, southern escort are as opposite as can be, but when they come together, grab a cold drink cause it’s about to get extra hot! Continue reading

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

Book Review: Far From Happy by Jeni Decker

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: Far From Happy
Author: Jeni Decker
Hero: Jackson
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 200 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: January 20, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon & All Romance eBooks
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: There was no smoking gun. No horrible family secret behind why I left. No reason at all for me, at nineteen, to leave for New York, ready for anything life had to offer—especially if it involved certain proclivities. In the time required to walk to Times Square from the Port Authority Terminal, my naiveté was wiped away. I witnessed a prostitute performing her nightly hustle. In the days to follow, I was mugged twice, ripped off while trying to purchase pot, and beaten to the point of soiling myself. But a chance encounter with a young hustler led to a meeting with Mr. B, mob-connected owner of multiple clubs on Times Square, all under fire from a new mayor embarking on an anti-sleaze campaign directed squarely at The Deuce.

I spent the next twenty years of my life coming of age on the streets, but now, as I speed south across the countryside, heading for my native New Orleans and a dying sister, I make a pact to leave New York in New York, only to find coming home proves harder than coming out. Continue reading

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

Sleuth Week Review: Bartender, PI by Ethan Stone

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: Bartender, PI
Author: Ethan Stone
Heroes: Linc/Brady
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 135 pages
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Release Date: April 14, 2012
Available at: Silver Publishing, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: When hockey star Linc Carpenter is banned from playing his beloved sport, he starts over in Tampa. Master of the mixed metaphor, Linc knows he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. He’s a lousy bartender, but doesn’t know what else to do until he gets a shot at being a private investigator. If he can prove that wealthy fashion designer Quentin Faulkner is cheating on his wife, this case will earn him big money. Faulkner’s bodyguard, Brady Williams, proves to be the biggest hindrance to completing his assignment, other than his own ineptitude. Linc is shocked when Brady admits to being attracted to him. He’s even more shocked when Brady turns down immediate sex because he’s looking for so much more. Will their new relationship survive the dangers of this case? Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2012, Theme Week | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Early Review: One Good Deed by Andrew Grey

Reviewed by JustJen

One Good Deed by Andrew Grey eBookTitle: One Good Deed
Author: Andrew Grey
Heroes: Luka/Peter
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 200 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: February 10, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Luka Krachec immigrates to the United States to find his cousin dead and his cousin’s wife hospitalized after a terrible accident. He meets Peter Montgomery at the funeral. The American seems nice and captures Luka’s attention when he offers to help him with his English.

Peter has spent most of his life believing he shot his father at age six, and his family uses his regret and overwhelming guilt to keep him under their proverbial thumbs. Peter does his best to make up for what he did by helping others, and agreeing to help Luka with his English yields something amazing when they hit it off.

When Peter opens up to Luka about what happened when he was a child, Luka senses some holes in the story and suspects Peter needs some help, so he approaches the head of the psychology department at the college where he works. Neither expects to open a long-barricaded door to secrets, denial, and family manipulation. Continue reading

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

Book Review: Rescuing Jack by Caitlin Ricci

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: Rescuing Jack
Author: Caitlin Ricci
Heroes: Jack/Marius
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 200 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: February 7, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Werewolves are real. Marius enjoys the irony that everyone calls him a dog whisperer, not just because he’s a werewolf, but for his work at the local animal shelter. He has a unique talent for pairing families with their perfect pets upon first meeting them. But he’s still looking for acceptance and a forever family of his own. Then Jack comes into the rescue looking for a big, mean dog. To prevent Jack from making the wrong choice, Marius convinces him to adopt a needy spaniel mix instead. But when Marius learns Jack is tormented by horrible memories while at his apartment, he opens his home to the sweet, scared man. As their relationship grows, Jack feels comfortable telling Marius about the horrors he suffered. Marius hopes his steady presence, protection, and love can help Jack reclaim the pieces of himself broken on that terrible night. Continue reading

Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Suicide Ride: The Platinum Man by E. Llewellyn

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: Suicide Ride: The Platinum Man
Author: E. Llewellyn
Series: Suicide Ride #1
Heroes: Johnny Gellis
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Length: 288  pages
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: September 30, 2013
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: SUICIDE RIDE IS SUNSET BOULEVARD REVISITED, THE CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD NOIR STORY REVAMPED AND ON STEROIDS!

“SUICIDE RIDE is a harrowing contemporary 21st-century tale set in Perdition that sings of Paradise Lost, Regained, and Lost Again, told in rapturous music that soars to the rafters and bounces off the beams of heaven.”

Are you straight? Are you sure? What would you do if you were down-and-out and desperate? What would you do—how far would you go—for FAME?

Find out just how far, and just how low, Johnny Gellis is willing to go in SUICIDE RIDE: THE PLATINUM MAN.

You hitch your lift with this man
You’ll have your blood on your hand … Continue reading

Categories: 3 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2013 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Broken Pieces by Riley Hart

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: Broken Pieces
Author: Riley Hart
Heroes: Josiah/Mateo/Tristan
Genre: M/M/M Contemporary
Length: 339 pages
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: February 4, 2014
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Can three broken pieces make a whole?

Josiah Evans is the orphan who lost both his parents. He’s sweet, shy, and all heart. He wants nothing more than to be loved.

Mateo Sanchez is the son of a gang leader. He’s seen it all, and never hesitates to do what needs to be done, no matter what it is.

Tristan Croft is the wealthy attorney who clawed his way up from the bottom to rule his own world. He’ll never depend on anyone but himself again.

Three men who couldn’t be more different…and yet, as their lives intersect they find an uncommon balance that calms the storms inside each of them, and ignites fires hotter than they ever thought imaginable.

Told uniquely in three parts and spanning over ten years, BROKEN PIECES is a journey of healing for three fragmented souls, finding love in the unlikeliest of places—with each other. Continue reading

Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment