Nikyta’s Reviews

Book Review: Duke in Hiding by M.J. O’Shea

Reviewed by Nikyta

DukeInHidingTitle: Duke in Hiding
Author: M.J. O’Shea
Series: Dreamspun Desires #9
Heroes: Heath & Theo
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 204 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: May 1, 2016
Available at: Dreamspinner PressAmazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Every gentleman has something to hide.

Meeting Heath Blackwood, a gorgeous English farmer, is probably the most exciting thing to ever happen to small-town landscaper Theo Brody, who has lived in quiet Maplehurst, New Hampshire, all his life. The sexy and secretive Brit shakes the foundations of his orderly world as they are swept up in a springtime romance neither can resist.

But Heath’s secrets run deeper than Theo ever imagined. He’s actually Heathcliff Pierrepont Blackwood, Duke of Kingston, in hiding from recent death threats. Suddenly there’s more separating them than the Atlantic Ocean, and Theo doubts he’ll ever fit in with English nobility. Though Heath and Theo are opposites in almost every way, their love might bridge the gap—if they’re willing to take the risk.
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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2016 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Beast by J.R. Ward

Reviewed by Nikyta

25293695Title: The Beast
Author: J.R. Ward
Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood #14
Hero/Heroine: Rhage & Mary
Genre: M/F Paranormal
Length: 521 pages
Publisher: NAL
Release Date: April 5, 2015
Available at: NAL & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Nothing is as it used to be for the Black Dagger Brotherhood. After avoiding war with the Shadows, alliances have shifted and lines have been drawn. The slayers of the Lessening Society are stronger than ever, preying on human weakness to acquire more money, more weapons, more power. But as the Brotherhood readies for an all-out attack on them, one of their own fights a battle within himself…

For Rhage, the Brother with the biggest appetites, but also the biggest heart, life was supposed to be perfect—or at the very least, perfectly enjoyable. Mary, his beloved shellan, is by his side and his King and his brothers are thriving. But Rhage can’t understand—or control—the panic and insecurity that plague him…

And that terrifies him—as well as distances him from his mate. After suffering mortal injury in battle, Rhage must reassess his priorities—and the answer, when it comes to him, rocks his world…and Mary’s. But Mary is on a journey of her own, one that will either bring them closer together or cause a split that neither will recover from…
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, M/F, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2016 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Audio Review: Love Lessons by Heidi Cullinan

Reviewed by Nikyta

51sHTJ6V-fL._SL300_Title: Love Lessons
Author: Heidi Cullinan
Narrator: Iggy Toma
Series: Love Lessons #1
Heroes: Kelly & Walter
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
Publisher: Samhain Publishing/Insatiable Press
Release Date: February 25, 2015
Available at: Amazon & Audible
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Love doesn’t come with a syllabus. Kelly Davidson has waited what seems like forever to graduate high school and get out of his small-minded, small town. But when he arrives at Hope University, he quickly realizes finding his Prince Charming isn’t so easy. Everyone here is already out. In fact, Kelly could be the only virgin on campus. Worst of all, he’s landed the charming, handsome, gay campus Casanova as a roommate, whose bed might as well be equipped with a revolving door.

Walter Lucas doesn’t believe in storybook love. Everyone is better off having as much fun as possible with as many people as possible – except his shy, sad little sack of a roommate is seriously screwing up his world view. As Walter sets out to lure Kelly out of his shell, staying just friends is harder than he anticipated. He discovers love is a crash course in determination. To make the grade, he’ll have to finally show up for class – and overcome his own private fear that love was never meant to last. Warning: This story contains lingering glances, milder than usual sexual content for this author, and a steamy dance-floor kiss. Story has no dairy or egg content, but may contain almonds.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Audio Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: An Ordinary Hero by Therese Woodson

Reviewed by Nikyta

OrdinaryHero[An]Title: An Ordinary Hero
Author: Therese Woodson
Heroes: Ryan & Phillip
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 68 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 09, 2015
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: As a paramedic, Ryan Bishop has responded to his fair share of bizarre situations. However, he’s not prepared when he meets Phillip, a local man who keeps popping up to save the day. Everyone lauds Phillip as a hero, but he prefers to stay in the background, going so far as to refuse medical treatment.

Ryan is intrigued, not only by Phillip’s unassuming manner, but also by his ability to be in the right place at the right time. Ryan wants some answers and maybe even a date. What he gets is an unexpected part in Phillip’s origin story.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: An Unstable Stud by Ariel Tachna

Reviewed by Nikyta

UnstableStudTitle: An Unstable Stud
Author: Ariel Tachna
Series: Dreamspun Desires, Lexington Lovers #1
Heroes: Clay & Luke
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 204 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: April 15, 2016
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Horses were his passion, until he laid eyes on his boss.

Eighteen months ago, tragedy struck Bywater Farm when a riding accident killed Clay Hunter’s lover and traumatized his prize horse, King of Hearts. Clay and King lingered in limbo, surviving but not really living, until a breath of fresh air in the form of Luke Davis, a new groom in the stud barn, revives them both.

When a fall from King’s back sends Luke to the emergency room, Clay watches the shaky foundation of their budding relationship tumble down. Can Clay really love a jockey again, or will his fear of losing another man he loves keep them apart for good?
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2016 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Chasing Shadows by Annabelle Jacobs

Reviewed by Nikyta

29232212Title: Chasing Shadows
Author: Annabelle Jacobs
Heroes: Jamie & Felix
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 60k words
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: March 24, 2016
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Jamie Matthews goes to Cornwall to find his missing brother. The police are convinced Michael drowned, but Jamie knows better. No way would Michael swim to his death, especially on a beach with a wicked rip tide. Finding a stranger in his brother’s cottage only deepens his misgivings.

Felix Bergstrom is recently discharged from the British Army. Unable to put the past behind him, he takes an unhealthy interest in old acquaintance and millionaire businessman Karl Weston, hoping to catch him up to no good. Michael’s disappearance adds fuel to Felix’s suspicions. Weston’s clifftop home overlooks the beach where Michael supposedly walked into the sea, but Weston has an alibi for that day.

When Jamie and Felix meet, the physical attraction is instant. Mistrust keeps them from acting on it until finally all their secrets are laid bare. But time isn’t on their side. Before they’re able to work out whether they have a future, danger catches up with them and threatens to put an end to everything.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2016 | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop

Reviewed by Nikyta

22062202Title: Marked in Flesh
Author: Anne Bishop
Series: The Others #4
Hero/Heroine: Meg & Simon
Genre: M/F Urban Fantasy
Length: 417 pages
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: March 8, 2016
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: For centuries, the Others and humans have lived side by side in uneasy peace. But when humankind oversteps its bounds, the Others will have to decide how much humanity they’re willing to tolerate—both within themselves and within their community…

Since the Others allied themselves with the cassandra sangue, the fragile yet powerful human blood prophets who were being exploited by their own kind, the delicate dynamic between humans and Others changed. Some, like Simon Wolfgard, wolf shifter and leader of the Lakeside Courtyard, and blood prophet Meg Corbyn, see the new, closer companionship as beneficial—both personally and practically.

But not everyone is convinced. A group of radical humans is seeking to usurp land through a series of violent attacks on the Others. What they don’t realize is that there are older and more dangerous forces than shifters and vampires protecting the land that belongs to the Others—and those forces are willing to do whatever is necessary to protect what is theirs…
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, M/F, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2016 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Mending the Rift by Chris T. Kat

Reviewed by Nikyta

MendingTheRiftTitle: Mending the Rift
Author: Chris T. Kat
Heroes: Marcus & Luca
Genre: M/M Fantasy
Length: 214 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: March 14, 2016
Available at: Dreamspinner PressAmazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: In a future where man’s ability to reproduce is severely compromised, humanity has adapted to survive. Breeders—male and female—have become precious commodities, and they are strictly guarded and subject to limitations.

Luca Walker is a breeder. Though he knows what’s expected of him as the youngest son of the Northern Confederacy’s Vice President, he’s held out against the pressures of an arranged marriage because he longs to marry for love, not duty. But he’s been promised to Colonel Liam Smith and there’s little he can do about it, no matter that Luca is secretly in love with his bodyguard, Marcus Gray.

When Luca finds himself pregnant with Marcus’s baby, Smith is furious and vows to take what is his—by force, if necessary. Now Luca must fight for his life and the life of his unborn child… as well as the love of Marcus and the happily ever after he’s always dreamed of.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2016 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Lay It Down by Mary Calmes

Reviewed by Nikyta

LayItDownTitle: Lay It Down
Author: Mary Calmes
Heroes: Hudson/Barber
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 126 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: March 16, 2016
Available at: Dreamspinner PressAmazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Paradise can be hell.

Most people would say being stranded in the villa of Spanish shipping magnate Miguel García Arquero on the beautiful isle of Ibiza wasn’t such a bad deal. But Hudson Barber isn’t one of them. To him, being stuck without a passport in a foreign country far from home is a nightmare, made worse by the fact that the person who did the stranding was his flighty twin brother.

Unwilling to turn Dalvon in for identity theft, Hudson is forced to wait, but meanwhile he discovers the chance to rehabilitate Miguel’s failing local businesses—enterprises left to Dalvon’s inexperienced care. The flagging ventures are a badly wrapped gift from heaven, and if Hudson can turn them around, he might be able to leverage the experience to finish his MBA.

Then Miguel returns to Ibiza, and instead of finding a boy toy, he discovers Hudson has turned his cold villa into a warm, welcoming home. Miguel’s path is clear: convince Hudson to lay down his defenses and let love in.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2016 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dual Book Review: Trial by Fire by B.A. Tortuga

Reviewed by Morgan and Nikyta

28856834Title: Trial by Fire
Author: B.A. Tortuga
Heroes: Lachlan McCoughney/Holden Sheffield
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 228 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: March 15, 2016
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: One Aussie. One Texan. One baby. One hell of a fight.

When his sister and her husband are killed in an accident, Aussie cattle station owner Lachlan McCoughney rushes to Texas to rescue their infant daughter, Chloe. He expects to find his niece living in squalor with the Sheffields, a rodeo family.

Instead, Lachlan finds Holden Sheffield, a salt-of-the-earth cowboy running a huge business operation. They want to explore their mutual attraction despite the many problems thrown their way, and together, they must find a way to give Chloe a new family and find a love that spans thousands of acres and two continents.
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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Morgan's Reviews, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2016 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments