Nikyta’s Reviews

Challenge Week Review: Downtime by Tamara Allen

Reviewed by Nikyta

DowntimeTitle: Downtime
Author: Tamara Allen
Heroes: Morgan Nash & Ezra Glacenbie
Genre: M/M Historical (Time Travel)
Length: 144,000 words
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: April 1, 2012  (3rd Edition)
Available at: Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: FBI Agent Morgan Nash is on assignment in London when his case goes awry and he finds himself moments away from a bullet through the heart. But fate has other plans: Morgan is knocked out pursuing a suspect… and wakes up in 1888.

While cataloging ancient manuscripts at the British Museum, Ezra Glacenbie accidentally pulls Morgan out of the twenty-first century–an impromptu vacation that may become permanent for Morgan if they can’t locate the spellbook Ezra used. Further hampering Morgan’s quest to get home is the irresistible temptation to investigate history’s most notorious serial killer. But in repressive Victorian London, the unexpected romance blossoming between Morgan and Ezra becomes the most dangerous complication of all. Continue reading

Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Challenge Book Week, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2012 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Early Review: Control by Cardeno C. & Mary Calmes

Reviewed by Nikyta

Control by Cardeno C. & Mary CalmesTitle: Control
Author: Cardeno C. & Mary Calmes
Heroes: Vy & Robert
Genre: M/M Paranormal Romance
Length: 220 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: April 18, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Vy Aleknos is the leader of a hawk shifter flock. Openly gay since he was a teen, Vy is proud and self-assured on the outside, while secretly worrying he’ll be forced to spend his life alone because two males can’t be mates. When bear shifter Robert Cimino appears in Vy’s small town, Vy realizes his concerns were unfounded — he has a male mate, and a sexy, dominant one to boot. 

Robert is a bear shifter who refuses to shift. Immediately attracted to Vy, he deviates from his normal pattern and seeks more than a one off with the powerful, bristly hawk. But Robert’s affections are rooted in his human form, and when Vy discovers Robert doesn’t recognize him as his mate, he pulls away. If Robert wants to stay with Vy, he must convince a man deeply ruled by his animal instincts to give their relationship as humans a chance. Continue reading

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

Early Review: With Pride by Megan Derr

Reviewed by Nikyta

With Pride (Princes of the Blood #2)Title: With Pride
Author: Megan Derr
Series: Princes of the Blood #2
Heroes: Kristof & Håkon
Genre: M/M Fantasy
Length: 65,000 words
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Release Date: April 16, 2014
Available at: Less Than Three Press
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: When his sister falls ill, Kristof is ordered to assume a duty never meant for him: become the Duke of Stehlmore and marry a notorious Prince of the Blood. It is one of the oldest honors and duties undertaken by his family, but Kristof feels only resentment that he must leave behind all he knows to serve an arrogant half-demon.

His resentment must be set aside, however, when evil is found lurking far too close to the castle—an evil that has many pieces, controlled by someone they cannot find and who always seems one step ahead of them. Someone who seems to think that demons are little more than toys …

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

Book Review: Shifting Sands by Joy Lynn Fielding

Reviewed by Nikyta

Shifting Sands (Strength of the Pack #4)Title: Shifting Sands
Author: Joy Lynn Fielding
Series: Strength of the Pack #4
Heroes: Bryce & Tom
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 50,882 words
Publisher: Siren-Bookstrand
Release Date: March 27, 2014
Available at: Siren-Bookstrand
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: The visit to Elk Ridge is supposed to be just another assignment for Tom Barrington. Then he encounters Bryce Reynolds, a generous, warmhearted cowboy who has the easiest smile he’s ever seen. It doesn’t take long for Tom to break all his rules and end up in Bryce’s bed.

Bryce Reynolds believes there’s no such thing as a hot politician, right up until he meets Tom Barrington. Tall, dark, and principled, Tom overturns all of Bryce’s prejudices, and Bryce starts to forget that he doesn’t do serious and he doesn’t do commitment.

As Bryce and Tom struggle to make sense of what’s happening between them, they’re drawn into a political battle—one which could affect the future of every shifter. And when long-buried secrets start coming to light, things turn deadly. Nothing will ever be the same again for the Elk Ridge pack.

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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Gay For You Week Review: Fireproof by Hollis Shiloh

Reviewed by Nikyta

FireproofTitle: Fireproof
Author: Hollis Shiloh
Heroes: Jett & Levi
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 170 pages
Publisher: Spare Words Press
Release Date: March 1, 2014
Available at: Amazon & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Jett used to be a firefighter. He gave it up when he developed the terrifying ability to make fire with his mind. Panicked, he fled—also leaving behind his best friend and secret crush, Levi.

Two years later, they meet again. And somehow, Levi can forgive Jett for leaving and never saying goodbye. But now Levi’s getting married, and that hurts more than Jett thought anything could.

How will Levi take the news of Jett’s weird fire magic—or the news that he’s gay?

Two men navigate the waters of magic, changing relationships, and danger in this contemporary, sweet and slightly angsty paranormal gay firefighter-themed romance.

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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Early Review: Union by Annabelle Jacobs

Reviewed by Nikyta

UnionTitle: Union
Author: Annabelle Jacobs
Series: Torsere #2
Heroes: Nykin & Ryneq
Genre: M/M High Fantasy
Length: 230 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: April 11, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: After the defeat of the Lowland Army at Torsere and with King Seran on the run, King Ryneq and his sister, Cerylea, continue their journey to the Elven City of Alel to proceed with the union of the two realms. Fully recovered from his injuries and newly announced as King Ryneq’s Consort, Nykin returns to his duty as a Dragon Rider in the King’s army. He and Ryneq have little opportunity to celebrate their union, but make the most of their time together before leaving for Alel. Since the ambush at Neest River destroyed the main bridge, traveling by ship is the only option. An unusual storm threatens their crossing, making Ryneq wonder if some new magic is rising against them.

As the wedding between Cerylea and the Elven prince Morkryn approaches, the dragons sense a malevolent presence. To protect the young couple’s fragile bond, Nykin and his dragon, Fimor, take to the skies, setting up a patrol along the border of the magical city. But as the evil grows more potent, the enchanted boundary grows weaker. Ryneq and Nykin must combine their strength to protect their people from Seran’s extreme plot for revenge.

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

Book Review: Finding Peace by T.A. Chase

Reviewed by Nikyta

Finding PeaceTitle: Finding Peace
Author: T.A. Chase
Series: Nowhere Diner #2
Heroes: Chad & Zane
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 41,000 words
Publisher: Amber Allure
Release Date: March 24, 2014
Available at: Amber Allure, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Chad Mitchell is on a downward spiral and he’s not sure how to stop it. Between the flashbacks of fighting in Afghanistan and the alcohol, he feels like he’s losing his mind. And if he’s not careful, he knows he might lose more than that. Working at Cookie’s Diner is a chance at working through his problems, yet his demons are stronger than he thinks.

Sergeant Zane Smithson comes to the diner in the middle of nowhere to check up on Chad. The men had served together in Afghanistan, and even back then, Zane had been interested in Chad, who had served under him. But when Zane got home, he had his own demons to beat before he could help his troubled comrade. Now, once Zane finds Chad, he sees there is more to the man’s problems than just flashbacks of war.

When a confrontation between them leads Chad to the depths of a bottle, Zane realizes they both need help to find peace in their lives… Continue reading

Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Book Review: The Ophelia Prophecy by Sharon Lynn Fisher

Reviewed by Nikyta

The Ophelia ProphecyTitle: The Ophelia Prophecy
Author: Sharon Lynn Fisher
Hero/Heroine: Asha & Pax
Genre: M/F Post Apocalyptic/Sci-Fi
Length: 336 pages
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: April 1, 2014
Available at: Tor Books, Amazon & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Our world is no longer our own. We engineered a race of superior fighters — the Manti, mutant humans with insect-like abilities. Twenty-five years ago they all but destroyed us. In Sanctuary, some of us survive. Eking out our existence. Clinging to the past. 

Some of us intend to do more than survive. 

Asha and Pax — strangers and enemies — find themselves stranded together on the border of the last human city, neither with a memory of how they got there.

Asha is an archivist working to preserve humanity’s most valuable resource — information — viewed as the only means of resurrecting their society.

Pax is Manti, his Scarab ship a menacing presence in the skies over Sanctuary, keeping the last dregs of humanity in check.

Neither of them is really what they seem, and what humanity believes about the Manti is a lie.

With their hearts and fates on a collision course, they must unlock each other’s secrets and forge a bond of trust before a rekindled conflict pushes their two races into repeating the mistakes of the past.

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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, M/F, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Early Review: No Ocean Too Deep by Leona Carver

Reviewed by Nikyta

No Ocean Too DeepTitle: No Ocean Too Deep
Author: Leona Carver
Heroes: Nils & Dastyaf
Genre: M/M Scifi/Fantasy
Length: 43,000 words
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Release Date: April 9, 2014
Available at: Less Than Three Press
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: To buck the brutal rule of the Republic, Amirzade Sharouk and his men pull off a desperate plan: Destroying the Republic’s fleet by joining forces with the legendary sea folk, masters of the leviathans, immense living weapons born of the sea and magic.

Though the gamble succeeds, one of the leviathans vanishes with a valuable human, straining an already tenuous alliance. Her caretaker Nils needs to find her as quickly as possible to redeem himself before his superiors. His search is further burdened by Dastyaf, a furious human warlord and liability in the marine realm. But after combing the deep ocean and discovering the dangers it holds, Nils realizes he may need the human more than he thought, to save his mission and himself.

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

Book Review: Song of the Sea by Arielle Pierce

Reviewed by Nikyta

Song of the SeaTitle: Song of the Sea
Author: Arielle Pierce
Heroes: Dylan & Llewellyn
Genre: M/M Historical Fantasy
Length: 16,720 words
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: October 9, 2013
Available at: Smashwords, Amazon & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Dylan has always been an outsider in the small Welsh fishing village he calls home. He’s smaller, weaker, twp, as the villagers would say. Found on the intertidal between land and sea as an infant, he’s always been a bit lost.

Everything changes when a damaged schooner arrives in the village, spilling its crew of exotic men from all around the globe. The handsome captain, Llewellyn, wastes no time letting Dylan in on why he feels so different.

He’s a merman.

Like calls to like, and Dylan soon learns what it is to let the siren song of the sea stir his blood. Llewellyn offers Dylan teaching and freedom from a life he’s never really belonged to. But can Llewellyn offer Dylan what he needs most of all—love?

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